The Official Off The Edge Website - Albums

Tracks:

Addiction (instrumental) (Hanmer) [3.09]
Do You Believe (Groenewald/Hanmer) [4.38]
Cheating (Hanmer/Groenewald/Potterton/Brown) [3.50]
Don't Play Games (Hanmer/Brown) [3.51]
In My Heart (Hanmer/Brown) [5.26]
Face In The Crowd (Groenewald/Hanmer/Walker) [4.34]
Creatures of Mood (Jimmy Ray Hawla) [4.25]
Ovation (instrumental) (Hanmer) [7.54]
Blueprint (instrumental) (Hanmer) [4.14]
St Aidans (Groenewald/Hanmer) [9.08]

Buy CDs:

Off The Edge CDs are available from Sugar Music.

All the lyrics are here....

Musicians:

Peter Hanmer: Guitars, keyboards
Tony Groenewald: Bass, piano on 'In My Heart'
Judy Marshall-Schutte: Vocals

Release information:

June 2000, OTE 2000

Recorded at Foxglove Sound Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa between April 1999 and March 2000.

Sleeve design by Mark Raats at PixSTAR Digital.

Comments:

'Cheating' was written by Garth Potterton, Peter and Tony in Boss back in 1981. Peter and Marion Brown have re-written the lyrics for the song. Marion, a friend of the band, also collaborated on 'Don't Play Games' and 'In My Heart' with regard to the lyrics.

Jimmy Ray Hawla from Cape Town band Wild Goose wrote 'Creatures Of Mood'. The previous album 'On The Run' also included a Jimmy Ray composition, 'It Ain't Fiction'.

Interview:

Read an interview from Strutter'zine here...

Reviews:

September 2000
Ed Kruijskamp from Rock Report

Off The Edge is a female fronted AOR/ Melodic Rock band from South Africa, who recently released their third album "Just Another Band". I have to admit that I had never heard of the band before, but after I had listened to this new album, I'm sure to check out the elder work. The band started in the early eighties and after a couple of line-up changes, it now holds Judy Marshall-Schutte on vocals, Peter Hanmer on guitars and keyboards and Tony Groenewald on bass and piano. This threesome knows how to write and play lovely melodic rock songs, which remind me of bands & artists like Witness, Venus & Mars, Heart, Alyson Avenue, Tone Norum, Danté Fox and that other great South African band Little Sister.

The album starts off with a couple of party sounds and continues with the beautiful melodic sometimes light progressive instrumental "Addiction". With "Do You Believe" you can for the first time enjoy the crystal clear voice of Judy Marshall and after those two songs you will realise that you have another winner in your player. Great choruses and beautiful melodies are all over the album and if I had to pick out some favourites, I would choose the acoustic driven ballad "In My Heart", which gives you goosebumps, brilliant!

The straight in your face rocker "Face In The Crowd", the super semi-ballad "St. Aidans", which combines AOR with pomp-rock influences and all of the instrumentals are very good tracks. But be aware of the fact that the other not mentioned songs still are more than worth checkin' out!

17 July 2000
Kurt Shoemaker, Texas

I love this album. This is wonderful rock: songs in the Off the Edge style, but more so. These songs contain bits and ideas that show Off the Edge is moving ahead with great creativity. This is an album of winning songs. Here's how the tracks sound in thumbnails that will become larger when you listen to them:

'Addiction' -- When this instrumental track opens, it sounds like we're at a private party. Nice almost gentle opening which introduces the album.
'Do You Believe' -- The first song showcasing Judy's wonderful, clear, and beautiful singing. This song sounds dramatic when it starts, following the instrumental first cut as it does.
'Cheating' -- a loping and go-ahead tune. An unsolicited endorsement comes from my hipper-than-I-ever-was 10-year-old daughter who sings along to this song. Also, this is one of the songs with interesting stylistic touches different from previous Off the Edge work.
'Don't Play Games' -- An plea for honesty is a relationship: desire, doubt, and hope.
'In My Heart' -- Achingly beautiful song. Judy sings of the past and Peter's guitar fills echo like memories; a slow song alternating with defiant bursts as if the singer and guitarist are railing against the past. A beautiful song.
'Face In the Crowd' -- Similar theme to 'In My Heart', but more rockin' about how the days come and go and after this heartbreak, Judy is "one more face in the crowd".
'Creatures of Mood' -- This one had my son bopping spontaneously. Catchy hook, very catchy. 'Ovation' -- Thunderous Off the Edge instrumental rock alternating with soaring guitar interludes.
'Blueprint' -- An instrumental with nice keyboards and guitar over a rock-steady bass in a cool groove. This song showcases Peter's talent well. And what's that? Peter making a touch of penny whistle sound with the keyboards?
'St. Aidans' -- Long closing track with a bass similar to 'Blueprint', which helps the unified flow, actually. Judy returns to close us out with a song about a vision of an angel in the St. Aidans church in Grahamstown. Chugging bass, beautiful guitar work, and heartfelt vocals makes for wonderful Off the Edge music.

Throughout this CD, Tony's bass guitar steps more to the fore in a few songs -- more than in previous OTE albums, and become some of those different, or new, stylistic touches on this disc. This album is a great mix of Judy's singing and instrumentals. She packs emotion into her singing. Peter's guitar-playing is artful, deliberate, and masterful -- wonderlik! He and the other members clearly went to pains to have this album flow from track to track with unity. A wonderful album of mature and creative rock.

'Just Another Band' is a great album -- but if Off the Edge was really "just another band" the planet's music scene would be much more competitive than it is.

24 June 2000
Gabor Kleinbloesem, Editor of Strutter'zine

'Just another band' is the third CD of the South-African Female Fronted AOR band OFF THE EDGE. I have to admit that this is the band's best effort so far. The production, the songs and the lay-out of the CD is really excellent, so this is definitely a CD worth checking if you love that typical 80s female fronted AOR sound of acts like HEART, TONE NORUM, WITNESS, ALYSON AVENUE. The CD contains 10 songs of which 3 are instrumental. Opener 'Addiction' is the first instrumental, a lovely pure 80s AOR tune. Next track 'Do you believe' is a fantastic 80s AOR tune in the style of aforementioned bands, a must for fans of 80s female fronted AOR/Rock. In the same style is the next song 'Cheating'. Things slow down a little in the calmer lite-AOR songs 'Don't play games' and 'In my heart', two nice HEART/ LITTLE SISTER/ VENUS AND MARS type songs. Then comes the best song of the whole CD, namely the uptempo AOR rocker 'Face in the crowd' which will please the fans of the first two. The CD continues with the melodic poprocker 'Creatures of mood' which brings us in FIONA territory, a nice little tune. The following two songs are both instrumentals, of which 'Blueprint' leaves you quite relaxed. The CD closes with 'St. Aidans', a very impressive semi-ballad that contains influences from Pomprock (STYX/ BOSTON) and AOR (HEART/ BOSTON). I can only conclude that this is a wonderful record, and a total must for fans of female fronted AOR rock.

Points: 8.5 out of 10

8 June 2000
Brian Currin

Light and shade, soft and hard, fast and slow... this new album from SA stalwarts Off The Edge is one of contrasting sounds and moods. This 3rd official album from Off The Edge was superbly produced by Peter Hanmer in Johannesburg's Foxglove studios. The first album 'Off The Edge' was released in 1983, followed 16 years later by the highly acclaimed 'On The Run' album in March 1999. Now just over a year since the last album we have 'Just Another Band'. From the heart-rending 'In My Heart' to the epic 'St Aidans' this album is a pleasure to listen to over and over again.

Off The Edge are Peter Hanmer on guitar and keyboards, Tony Groenewald on bass (and occasional piano) and Judy Marshall-Schutte on vocals.

The album opens with the sound effects of someone winning the jackpot and when you listen to this album, thats exactly how you will feel. 'Addiction' is a short and sweet instrumental track that quickly leads into 'Do You Believe' which is a catchy pop-rock track. Next up is 'Cheating', a chugging, pumping rock track. The Santana-style drum break in the middle allows Peter's guitar to shine for a moment.

'Don't Play Games' and 'In My Heart' both have lyrics penned by a friend of the band, Marion Brown. Judy sings Marion's words with real emotion as if they were her own. 'Don't Play Games' is a mid-tempo pop/rocker making good use of the acoustic guitar. 'In My Heart' is an incredible ballad featuring the soulful piano-playing of Tony Groenewald. Lyrics like "you've really left your mark upon my soul" raises the goosebumps and Judy's voice leaves me breathless even after repeated listenings.

'Face In The Crowd' is another bouncy pop/rocker with a catchy chorus. Great riffing from Peter. 'Creatures Of Mood' was written by the Cape Town-based Jimmy Ray Hawla. This track rocks hard without being too heavy and has a short but very sweet guitar solo.

'Ovation'. Lying next to a mountain pool, basking in the sun, then up and running through the African veldt... Powerful images are invoked from this guitar tour-de-force. Impressive, soaring guitar. "Wow" is too small a word to describe this track.

'Blueprint' could be taken from a soundtrack to an imaginary car ride through the highlands of Scotland; or is it a low level helicopter flight over the wastelands of the Artic or it could even be .... (fill in your own impressions here...). Wonderful acoustic guitar picking over textured keyboard patterns and then into some soaring electric guitar.

'St Aidans'. What a stunning, powerful track. At over 9 minutes it seems to finish way too early. Goosebumps abound as Judy's voice soars around and over the haunting lyrics from the pen of Tony Groenewald and the guitar playing of Peter Hanmer. A great track? No, a magnificent one, I kid you not...

The last 3 tracks should be taken in as one long musical epic, like 'Close To The Edge' by Yes. Listen to it as a suite in 3 sections and you'll see (hear?) what I mean. The 3 pieces are linked by a bass theme that sticks in the brain long after the last notes have faded...

In the tradition of other great rock albums like Led Zep's 'Houses Of The Holy' and ELP's 'Brain Salad Surgery', the title track is not actually on this album! It is available on their 1999 release 'On The Run'. If you haven't already got that one, get both albums now...

And I haven't even mentioned the brilliant cover art and superb packaging...

"Just another band?"
No way, man!

5 June 2000
Review from the Dinosaur Days website:

On January 23rd this year, we gave you a sneak preview of a track off the new album from one of South Africa's best bands. Well, the album is finally out! It's the third offering from the band, and like 1999's 'On The Run', it's excellent, except this time, this is definitely the band's piece de resistance, and it's far better than the band's two previous albums in every sense of the word. This is the album that should make people all over the world sit up and take notice of Off the Edge. As was the case with 'On the Run', the band's line-up is Peter Hanmer on guitars and keyboards, Tony Groenewald on bass and piano and Judy Marshall-Schutte, who, as this is being written, is just about ready to introduce her soon-to-be-born baby to the world of great music! Congrats, Judy, and all the best!

The new ten track CD is comprised of a stunning mix of good, solid hard rockers such as 'Cheating' and a number of superb instrumentals such as 'Ovation' and 'Blueprint'. Peter Hanmer is one of the most underrated guitarists and songwriters in this country and he has ample opportunity to demonstrate his skills on this album. Tony Groenewald's writing and bass playing skills are of a consistently high standard, and Judy is certainly a major find with the most amazing range and control. One of the many tracks that makes this album a "must buy" is the nine minute-plus epic, 'St. Aidans', which is about a beautiful church in Grahamstown, South Africa. This track would not be out of place on any of Alan Parsons' conceptual albums. We featured it on The Dinosaur Days radio show this week and the response was phenomenal!

You have it all in this album: excellent musicianship, singing and songwriting, catchy riffs and hooks, involved and emotive instrumentals and production that can rival anything, anywhere, all topped by a really dynamic sleeve with some stunning design work by PixSTAR Digital. If comparisons have to be made, take the best of Boston, Trevor Rabin, Pablo Cruise and Alan Parsons Project, merge it into one unique sound and you have an album of sheer class that can rival anything in the current South African music scene, and can certainly hold its own against its better known overseas contemporaries. It's about time a major label sat up and took note.

1 February 2000
Review from the Dinosaur Days website:

Off the Edge - Just Another Band, a pre-release copy of their forthcoming third album, due for release in March/ April this year. We've always maintained that we have some serious talent in this country, and Off the Edge are a typical example of this. The band actually go way back to the Eighties when they released their debut album. They released their second album in 1999, and it showcased the talents of vocalist Judy Marshall, bassist/vocalist Tony Groenewald and multi-instrumentalist Peter Hanmer. This new album looks to be even better than its predecessor if the featured track, 'Cheating', is anything to go by. This track has "hit" written all over it, very much in a Pablo Cruise/ Boston vein, with some stunning vocals from Marshall and some even better guitar playing from Peter Hanmer. The production is awesome and does the music proud. Local radio stations need to get behind this band in a big way, because overseas radio stations are already showing a keen interest.

Albums:

Official releases:

Off The Edge (December 1983)
On The Run (March 1999)
Just Another Band (June 2000)
Unfinished Business (June 2002)
Site Under Construction (March 2004)

Limited Edition releases: