SA ROCK DIGEST ISSUE 2002 http://www.sarockdigest.com 1st January 2002 SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S EDITION Established 27th January 1999 To unsubscribe - send mail to: mailto:unsubscribe@sarockdigest.com ----------*********----------- IN THIS ISSUE -------------- HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US The South African Rock Files group of websites was launched on this day 3 years ago (way back in 1999). What started out as a small tribute website to South African rock music of the 70s and 80s has grown into an enormous online archive of SA rock and pop music from the 50s right up to the present and beyond... A huge number of people have helped with the info that is archived on these websites, including many of the musicians themselves. So a big thank you to everyone that has helped us remember our musical history... let's hope we never run out of past... -------------- 2001 - THE SA ROCK YEAR IN REVIEW In many ways, this first year proper of the new century was an important one in the long history of SA rock. We saw the end of two major ‘90’s bands - the Springbok Nude Girls and Sugardrive - and the rise of the new Showcase 3-era bands. 2001 was a year when Afrikaans Rock made its presence strongly felt, and when the major record companies cut back on their local acts who then joined the queue for the many advantages that the new cyber-technology (MP3’s, recordable CDs, online CD stores) and stronger independent labels now offered in their place. We begin by talking about the past history of SA rock, and here the first honourable mention must go to the Retro Fresh label, which made good on its promise to release all those previously-unavailable SA rock gems on CD with full booklets and remastered sounds. This comes on the back of the amazing current interest in the past 40 years of SA pop-rock, as evidenced by the ever-growing SA Rock Files online archives, the constant flow of emails, info and subscribers to the SA Rock Digest, and the credible stream of South African CDs moving out of the Oneworld.co.za webstore, mostly to customers overseas. SA Rock has a proud and quality past, and being aware of it makes all our new artists feel like a continuing and valuable part of this heritage as they move forward, and not just mavericks operating on the fringes of popular music interest. So welcome back and take a bow to Hawk, Via Afrika, éVoid, Falling Mirror, Otis Waygood Blues Band, Suck, Dog Detachment, Lesley Ray Dowling, The Dynamics, and, of course, the man with the fresh and retro vision, Benjy Mudie. A glance through the Digest’s best album and song lists of 2001 reveal yet another mouth-watering selection of new pop-rock from South Africa. There is again enough variety in the albums of the year to satisfy even the most jaded tastes and bored indifference. It’s ladies first as we marvel at the cutting-edge musical fireworks served up by Lady Ernie and the MoodPhase 5ive’s ‘Steady On’, the mature world vision captured in Edi Niederlander’s impressive ‘Dreamland’, and Venessa Nolan’s deceptively layered ‘Burn’ album which never lost its ability to entertain while touching us really deeply. Also impressive was the magic vocals and sensational songs of Nianell’s ‘Who Painted The Moon’, and Kaolin Thomson’s excellent ‘All I Am’ album that found her following Wendy Oldfield out of the daily routine of motherhood and back into contention. Wendy Oldfield also then pitched up on vocals and djembes alongside her new Mondetta gang on their ‘It’s a Small World’ album. Cape Town’s Semisane were already having another very good year with their ‘A Life Less Strange’ album before ‘Life’, their self-penned theme for Big Brother, turned them into the nation’s hottest and most visible pop band. Gauteng’s Watershed also had a storming year, and seemed to spend a lot of it on the road. It paid dividends as their successful end-of-year tour with co-headliners Just Jinger proved. Their 2000 album, ‘In The Meantime’ which went Gold, continued to provide plenty of hits with ‘Shine On Me’, Angel’, ‘Yesterday Again’, and ‘Indigo Girl’. December saw a whole bunch of SA bands (Perez, Semisane, Karen Zoid, Zen Arcade, Max Normal, Blues Broers, Jesse Jordan, The Awakening, Watershed, Just Jinger, Piet Botha and Jack Hammer) on the road at the same time, so many in fact that it necessitated a special SA Rock Digest ‘Paradise In Summertime’ gig guide edition and website. This was a sequel to our ‘A Feast Of SA Festivals’ edition earlier this year, which was prompted by an equally huge number of diverse SA music festivals from March-Sept, all featuring mainly SA acts and all reporting big crowds and lots of interest. With the flow of international acts into SA about to become a mere trickle, thanks to our devaluing Rand, these SA festivals and SA band tours become even more important and lucrative. 2001 was the year that Afrikaans Rock stepped up and came of age. New bands like Akkedis, Beeskraal, Spinnekop and Not My Dog rubbed shoulders with older but still active heroes like Piet Botha, Koos Kombuis, Anton Goosen and Valiant Swart. Mel Botes released ‘n Oomblik Van Waansin’, which wore its Pink Floyd influences (cover and title) proudly but was still a stunning piece of original music. And leading them all was the new "Queen of die SA Rock Scene", Karen Zoid, whose ‘Poles Apart’ album won our ‘SA Rock Digest SA Album Of The Year’ title, while its opening single, ‘Set Of Wheels (Karoo Anthem)’, deservedly took our ‘Song Of The Year’ Award. The ‘Song Of The Year’ award was not an easy choice with Zen Arcade’s emotional ballad ‘Crazy Over You’, and the Springbok Nude Girls’ farewell single ‘Dimmer’, giving Ms Zoid some serious competition. Zen Arcade are a powerful new four-piece SA rock band who emerged during the year and coincidentally grabbed a lot of attention the few times they supported their Nude Girl heroes. Their hard rock debut album ‘Snowflake’ resembled a host of influences, yet copied none, and ‘Crazy Over You’ stood out among the many impressive new tracks on the ‘5FM Showcase3: Unearthed’ compilation. News of the Nude Girls split was unexpected and the band needed a few extra "Last Ever" concerts, due to the emotional reaction from fans in SA and London. But then they were really gone, leaving Messrs Crouse and Carstens to carry on as a duo, and leaving behind memories of the wildest SA moshpits ever and a string of songs that made ‘The Fat Lady Sings’, their totsiens "Best of" collection, such a great album. The Nude Girls also added two new songs (‘J59’ and ‘Dimmer’) to the collection as a nice bonus touch. But ‘Dimmer’ turned out to be something else, a four-minute slice of typical tuneful power rock energy from SA’s finest band of the ‘90’s. Poignant lyrics that reflected the band’s sad but triumphant exit ("Dimmer, dimmer, dimmer, as the candlelight goes, I can’t see you on the radio") and the slashing guitar, clattering rhythm section, soaring trumpet and hoarse vocals that typified this great and very missed SA rock band. Sugardrive, by comparison, bowed out with a weak, self-indulgent Live album that clouded memories of exceptional albums like ‘Sand.Man.Sky.’ and ‘When I Died I Was Elvis’. The ‘Fat Lady Sings’ compilation also beat off competition from other worthy "Best of" collections/career retrospectives from the likes of Just Jinger, Piet Botha, Valiant Swart and Bright Blue. New SA rock was best represented by the ‘It’ compilation, which focused on new Cape Town talent, and the excellent ‘Showcase 3 - Unearthed’ compilation. This latter album, a triumph for Barney Simon and 5FM, introduced bands like AK Massive, Zen Arcade, Fruit Fly Navigators, Spoonfeedas, Cutting Jade and many others to a SA rock public keen to hear the new contenders. Songwise, we also liked The Sunshines’ comeback single ‘Long Holiday’; Skye Stevenson and The Led’s ‘And I Reason’; Jo’burg pop star Danny K’s ‘Hurt So Bad’, which matched any of the better pop tunes spewed out weekly on the UK’s TOTP; Just Jinger’s ironic homecoming single called ‘Home’; the two classy new tracks on Bright Blue’s ‘Best Of’ compilation (‘World Turns’ and ‘Can You Feel It’); Ernie’s sublime ‘Praha Paradise’ on the ‘African Dope’ compilation, Binary’s grungy ‘Come Over’, Kaolin’s ‘Real’ and the chainsaw power of Fruit Fly Navigator’s ‘Shout’. Syd Kitchen’s awesome ‘Africa’s Not For Sissies’ album mixes beautiful melodies with some straight talking about the state of our nation. It arrived with unfortunate timing in the same month that our ex-First Lady was found murdered in her townhouse, mirroring some of the lyrics on the title track. Heavy rock band Saron Gas earned a lucrative recording contract with US label Wind Up Records and may have to change their name to Sharon’s Gas {Are you sure about that? - Ed}. They will soon be leaving for overseas pastures and opportunities anew alongside Tree63, Danny K, and Justin Bergh. Keep your eyes and ears also on Waddy Tudor Jones, the hardest "wording" man in SA music, who released two albums of suburban hip hop and took it to stages overseas to great acclaim. New SA bands to watch out for in 2002 include: Starskii (ex-Amersham, new album ‘Communate’), Ketamine, Blackmilk (new album), Perez (debut album on the way), AK Massive, Fudge (new album called ‘Blind Perceptions’), Diesel Whores, Kelvin Declined, Feather Doctors, Even Flow, Four Ounce Freedom (‘Hypnotism’ album), Pestroy, Pet Flyz, Binary, all-girl band The Phoebes, Golliwog, Fruit Fly Navigators, Spoon Feedas, 340Ml, Shaypir (with ex-Sugardrive vocalist Paul E Flynn), Flowerheads, Four Days Notice, and Sex Tips For Boys. But as the year ends, it is the Krushed and Sorted crew from African Dope Records in Gardens who finish top of the league. Their 2001 releases - ‘MoodPhase 5ive’s brilliant ‘Steady On’, Felix Laband’s moody, Moby-esque ‘Thin Shoes In June’, and the Kalahari Surfer’s (alias Warrick Sony’s) amazing comeback album, ‘Akasic Record’ - all broke new SA music ground and helped to establish the African Dope name. To help to further expose this new label and its wondrous music, Sony SA stepped in and assisted in the release of ‘African Dope Volume 1’, the best compilation of the year featuring tracks from these and other AD-aligned artists. So an assorted Digest bouquet to Roach, Fletcher, Honey B and all at African Dope. And, as our final tip for their artist most likely to succeed in 2002, it’s no contest - keep your eyes on Lady Ernestine ‘Ernie’ Deane, the sensational "wild honey"-voiced singer for Moodphase 5ive. She resembles a rare mixture of Macy Gray, Drew Barrymore and Lauryn Hill, she’s got a solo album on the way, and she’s going to be mega. And last but not least, our sincere thanks to our musical Patron Saint from Detroit, Mr Sixto Rodriguez (who turns 60 in July 2002), who came and saw and (occasionally) conked out on his otherwise successful and very interesting second tour of South Africa. Proving yet again that you’re never too old to rock and roll! A Happy New Year to all our readers, contributors, and artists - see you in 2002! Stephen Segerman mailto:sugar@sarockdigest.com ------------------ SA ROCK DIGEST YEAR END LISTS 2001 1] SA ROCK DIGEST TOP 30 SA ALBUMS OF 2001 http://www.sarockdigest.com/sard_albums_2001.html 1. Poles Apart - Karen Zoid [EMI] 2. Steady On - Moodphase5ive [African Dope] 3. Snowflake - Zen Arcade [Indie] 4. Africa’s Not For Sissies - Syd Kitchen [No Budget] 5. Burn - Venessa Nolan [Rhythm] 6. Songs From The Mall - Max Normal [Chameleon] 7. Farewell Station Road - Wayne Pauli [Indie] 8. Thin Shoes In June - Felix Laband [African Dope] 9. 8 Days - The Led [Rhythm] 10. Rising Above The Madness - Lionel Bastos [SAFM] 11. All I Am - Kaolin [Sheer] 12. Akasic Record - Kalahari Surfers [African Dope] 13. Who Painted The Moon? - Nianell [Fresh] 14. Voortvlugtend - Akkedis [SSS Records] 15. Dreamland - Edi Niederlander [Indie] 16. The Moon Is A Spoon - Sunways [Fresh] 17. Rewind - Wonderboom [DGR] 18. Merry-Go-Round - Wess-Lee [Scorpio] 19. Xero - Binary [Indie] 20. It’s A Small World - Mondetta [Sheer/SAFM] 21. Mondmusiek - Breyten Breytenbach [Rhythm] 22. Memoirs Of A Clone - Waddy Tudor Jones [Chameleon] 23. Digital Inability - Benguela [Rhythm] 24. Play My Way - Matthew van der Want [Bitchin Pitchin] 25. ‘n Vis Innie Bos - Anton Goosen [Gallo] 26. Bongolution - Bongo Maffin [Sony] 27. Into The Universe - Eminent Child [Sarepta] 28. Oomblik Van Waansin - Mel Botes [Janus] 29. The Decoy - Jason Glover (Indie) 30. Sands Of Time - Desert Rose [Saville-McClowe]/ Mother's Daughter - Kate Normington [Sheer/SAFM] SA ROCK DIGEST TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2001 - REASONS TO BELIEVE: 1. ‘Poles Apart’ - Karen Zoid [EMI] Karen Zoid’s wonderful debut album, ‘Poles Apart’, brashly grabbed a major label release on EMI and arrived just as a new wave of South African rock acts were starting to make their presence felt, particularly Afrikaans bands. The movement needed a figurehead, and in a year in which the ladies led the pop-rock procession from the front, it got just that. Up stepped this smart, confident, vulnerable, funny, sneering, sweet, blonde rocker, with a sack of great songs, and an enthusiasm and belief in her and our music that should be bottled and made required sprinkling for all our South African artists and record companies. ‘Poles Apart’ was exactly the intelligent, emotional, and balming album that we needed to get through a tough year. Try imagining a blend of classic SA albums like ‘Edi Niederlander’s ‘Ancient Dust’, ‘The Pressure Cookies’, and Koos Kombuis’ ‘Elke Boemelaar Se Droom’ and you’re getting warm. This remarkably mature and consistently unboring album opens in stirring rock style with the rough, dramatic guitar chords of 'Set of Wheels (Karoo Anthem)’, which also drove off with the SA Rock Digest ‘Song Of The Year’ for 2001. Our new favourite South African road song warns us that we’re off on a Zoidian journey through contemporary SA. Travel under soft, folky ‘Southern Skies’, meet a very sarcastic ‘Waitress’ ("The food here is tasteless!"), and catch a ride with a chatty taxi driver who will tell you that "we live in a land where our celebrities are TV continuity announcers". She assures us that ‘Afrikaners is pleserig’ ("Dit kan julle glo!") and reveals that all her friends are ‘Yuppie scum’ ("they got the money, but I got the fun"). And dangling constantly from the rear-view mirror, and protecting us on this wild trip, is her ‘Engel’, an honest and utterly gorgeous two-and-a-half minute confessional ("Ek is so dronk soos Koos Kombuis, ek het geen swembad by my huis; My sister woon in Potchefstroom, die mense daar rook almal boom."). On ‘Poles Apart’, Karen Zoid teases, rants and rocks her way through 14 tracks of perceptive, humorous and sensitive English and Afrikaans lyrics, all set to a backdrop of imaginative and solid South African rock sounds. It is an obvious and unanimous choice for our SA Rock Album of the year. As Nobesotho informed the nation, as she left the Big Brother house: "Chicks Rule!!". She’s absolutely right. 2. ‘Steady On’ - Moodphase5ive [African Dope] MoodPhase 5ive’s contemporary gumbo of Cape Town’s hottest sounds, in one stunningly original album, began appearing on sound systems in many of the Mother City’s coolest food and music hangouts early in the year. ‘Steady On’ managed to attract and dazzle a wide selection of SA and international music fans via a bush-fire word-of-mouth campaign, culminating in the group’s acclaimed appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town in March. 'Steady On' is an album of trip-trance jazzy rap-hop, boasting a collection of wonderfully inventive and layered songs with biting socially relevant lyrics. The group consists of two front voices - Rapper Denver "D-Form" Turner and soul sister Lady Ernestine "Ernie" Deane - and four classy musicians (the band should actually be called MoodPhase 6ix). These 12 songs will enhance your life and improve your day, from the fizzing opening salvo of ‘Brainstorm’, ‘Rise ‘n Shine’, and ‘Steady On’, through the brilliant Miles Davis tribute (‘Miles’), to the sombre closing track, ‘Geto@Sunset’. ‘Steady On’ was mixed, mastered and released by Krushed & Sorted at African Dope, and its wide appeal and success are proof that this is a group assured of bigger and better things in the year to come. 3. ‘Snowflake’ - Zen Arcade [Indie] 2001 was a year when SA rock needed a big traditional new band with a hard crisp sound, killer songs, and a sparky live show, something to blow away the dance music cobwebs and re-establish rock as the dynamic, evocative and thrilling music it has always has been. Step up the four lads from Zen Arcade who fitted the bill and ended the year as the band to watch in 2002 and further. These Husker Dü fans produced a smouldering album of mellow grunge and thundering rock that left one in little doubt that they were hearing something very special. The steady drums and bass of Andrew Cleland and Alistair Mathie anchored James Donaldson’s incendiary guitar and the edgy, tortured vocals of Iain McKenzie. Add some violas and cellos to that mix and you have their big, first single, 'Crazy Over You', which stood out on ‘Snowflake’ as well as on the excellent ‘5FM Showcase 3’ assortment of new SA rock. It wasn’t the only great song among these seven - 'Not About You’ strutted like prime Zep; ‘Sister’, ‘Take Out The Trash’ and ‘Step Back’ crackled with energy and intent; and ‘Up’ is the clearest indication of the breadth of this band’s potential. On ‘Crazy Over You’ Iain sang: "Is there anybody out there, anyone at all?", not quite sure if anyone had heard or noticed. Well fortunately a lot of people did, and are all still raving about this album. More please! 4. ‘Africa’s Not For Sissies’ - Syd Kitchen [No Budget] Syd is a hugely talented songwriter and guitarist and (unfortunately) a hugely overlooked South African musician. His two previous albums - 'Waiting for the Heave' (1985) and 'City Child' (1995) - made this clear, but his 2001 masterpiece, ‘Africa’s Not For Sissies’ puts the issue beyond all doubt. This 11-song album is earthy, evocative, about Africa and of Africa, and simply stunning. Songs like ‘Calling’, ‘Settler’, ‘Thekweni’ and ‘Chicken Run’ prove that Syd Kitchen (no relation to Koos Kombuis, besides musically) has the red dust of Africa running through his veins and a finger firmly on the pulse of a nation still going through a traumatic, transitional period. But it's not just the music that makes this album work. His insightful and poignant lyrics talk of the wonders of Africa and simultaneously the horrors, all tinged with this weathered Natal troubadour’s "twinkle in the eye" humour. He is the hippest of hippies and has produced a profound and essential SA album of extreme beauty and social awareness that you ignore at your peril. Syd admits: "It's so amazing, living in paradise", while warning us that "Africa’s not for Sissies". Our national paradox disguised as an essential South African folk-rock album. 5. ‘Burn’ - Venessa Nolan [Rhythm] ‘Burn’s’ grey cover photo of Venessa’s fringe-covered face first appeared on a huge billboard on a Cape Town highway at the same time as behind it, a massive fire swept across Table Mountain, creating a powerful backdrop and unintentional "brand" awareness. These ten original ballads introduced us to an impressive new singer, songwriter and pianist. Dark and exquisitely broody, these songs swirl around in the mind and tingle in hidden recesses of the brain, playing symphonic bedsit rock on your heartstrings. Songs like, ‘Fragile’, ‘Losing Control’, ‘With You’ and ‘Emptiness High’ followed each other onto the radio and into the charts. But, singles aside, this 'Glorious Gem' of an album, makes it clear that we have a major new talent on our hands. And thanks to her emotive piano playing, 'Burn' qualifies as our ‘Unplucked’ album of the year 6. ‘Songs From The Mall’ - Max Normal [Chameleon] Watkin "Waddy" Tudor Jones Jnr first tested the SA Hip-Pop waters a few years back as an original member of the Original Evergreens, and then again earlier this year with his dour but sussed ‘Memoirs Of A Clone’ solo album. On the excellent ‘Clone’ collection he introduced us to the strange ‘Max Normal’ ("dress code, dang-de-dang-dang-dang, strictly formal"), soon to be the name of his new band. As Max Normal’s frontman, Jones wrote and released this startling mix of wicked words and hip beats, and also added some reworked songs off the ‘Clone’ album. Since then, the group’s dynamic live performance has conquered audiences across SA and in Europe (ask Nelly Furtado!). But this Max is not normal at all, he’s got a quick wit, and a razor-sharp tongue and mind to match. One minute he is schmoozing about some ‘Good Old Fashioned Loving’ and the next he’s being very rude to some guests in ‘Space Invaders’, and complaining paranoidly about everything including cinema pains - "You talk too loud in the movies, won’t you please be a little bit considerate". Other highlights include ‘Crowd Control’, Funny Money’, and ‘Punch My Teeth Out’. We don’t know which mall they’ve been hanging out in, but recommend you buy this album and keep up with the Joneses. 7. ‘Farewell Station Road’ - Wayne Pauli [Bulldog] Guitarist Wayne Pauli had already recorded some songs at home on his 4-track, in appropriate ‘Nebraska’ style, when he was called in to play most of the guitar sessions on Venessa Nolan’s ‘Burn’ album. He so impressed the boys at Sunset Studios with his skills and commitment, that they happily donated some studio time and invited him back to record his own stuff. You don’t get offers like that every day, and neither do you get to hear SA folk-blues albums as intense and wrenching as what resulted from that grabbed opportunity. The urgent Chris Isaak huskiness of opening track ‘Who? (can relate to you)’ guaranteed immediate chart action, but the rest of the songs move off into true-blues territory, songs about Mom, Dad, ex-girlfriends, crying, farewells, and one called ‘Deep Black Hole’ that probably won’t crop up on the next summer hits collection. But I’m sure Wayne will get brighter, later, if you know what we mean! 8. ‘Thin Shoes In June’ - Felix Laband [African Dope] Young musical whizz-kid Felix soon realised that fronting a grunge-punk band in ‘Maritzburg was not where his true skills were being best utilised. So he tapped his heels together and zoomed across to join the growing new musical community in the Gardens at the foot of Table Mountain. There they immediately loved and appreciated all his mysterious and wacky little electronica vignettes, especially the Krushed ‘n Sorted duo who helped Felix with the mixing and mastering and then released his debut package of 15 strange and wonderful Labandisms on their African Dope label. ‘Thin Shoes In June’ is choc-full of groovy instrumentals with hidden angles that don’t always have a conventional structure and aren’t always as they seem to be. Listen to tracks like ‘Cat On The Fence’, ‘Bats In My Hair’, ‘Run.Alive.Run’ and ‘Thin Use For Shoes’ - all terminally weird and wired. ‘Thin Shoes In June’ is an inventive and confident debut from a prolific and creative musical head. Our best SA Laband of the year! 9. ‘8 Days - The Led’ [Rhythm] These five Stellenbosch university friends formed this band back in 1995 and released two sparkling and generally acclaimed EP’s (‘Last Evening’s Dreams’ and ‘2a.m.’) over the following four years. Those EPs, and a polished, electric live set, earned The Led a host of SA fans who have since been waiting patiently for this first full offering. Work on the album began over a year ago, and found the members collaborating from different continents. The ‘8 Days’ of the title refers to the total number of days all five were together in the same studio, yet the 12 thrilling songs on this very strong album show no sign of this displacement, and benefit from the measured and patient creative and recording process. Vocalist Skye Stevenson has an ear for a great hook, and a posh, polished voice that sounds all sophisticated against the band’s slick but grungy backing. Opening track, ‘And I Reason’, shows off all The Led’s assets and moved quickly up the charts. The album will no doubt follow soon with songs like ‘Working Day’, ‘Sunshine And Happiness’ and ‘Holding On’. As good a full debut album as we had expected or hoped. 10. ‘Rising above the Madness’ - Lionel Bastos [SAFm] Lionel Bastos has already released a handful of quality pop-rock albums and writes and produces for many SA artists. 'Rising above the Madness' is his latest half studio, half "live" album of mature ballads, all masterfully produced and professionally executed. On these songs (all his own compositions), Bastos’ rich, warm vocals add an intimacy to an album of the finest armchair rock, while the Latin-tinged instrumentation flows effortlessly with a dinner party mellowness. The second half of the album features seven songs that were recorded as part of a live webcast (but with no audience present) in the seclusion of the home of internet-only recluse, Dotcoza. It must have seemed like bad timing to release a great single like ‘Thank You’ at the same time as Dido’s hit of the same name. But Lionel’s ‘Thank You’ still attracted a lot of interest, as did other ballads like ‘’I’ll Forget About You (Every Day)’, ‘I Can Resist (Anything Except Temptation)’, and 'She Can't Let it Go', which topped the MP3.com AOR charts, which is no mean feat for this deserving and talented SA singer-songwriter. 11. ‘All I Am’ - Kaolin [Sheer] Kaolin Thompson’s previous band, Naked, and the under-achieving debut album of the same name, are now distant memories. After a short break from the SA music scene, this versatile and multi-talented pop Amazon has temporarily put aside the daily duties of marriage and motherhood, to get her promising career back on track. ‘All I Am’, her honest and openhearted solo debut is sure to reinstate Kaolin in the SA spotlight where she clearly belongs. Working with producers Neal Snyman and Q Forster, Kaolin serves up a consistently trip-poppy mix of cool songs and the occasional instrumental. It opens with the swirling beauty of ‘Crossing’, before moving straight into the first single, ‘Real’, a gorgeous pop hit penned by the upcoming SA songwriter, Dean Hart. There’s more variety to come with tracks like ‘Is This Your Dream’, ‘Ambience’, and ‘Walking On Air’. Kaolin is back and 'All I Am' proves that she is still an important presence on the SA music scene. 12. ‘Akasic Record’ - Kalahari Surfers [African Dope] The original ‘Akasic Record’ of the title could be tentatively explained as the ‘Collective Unconscious’ released as a vinyl album, all the universe’s knowledge contained and accessible in its grooves. Yup, Warrick Sony is back and he’s trying to achieve just that with this broad and breathtaking musical opus. Sony is the only remaining active member of the Kalahari Surfers, the musical collective whose five iconic, "politically-active" albums all achieved ‘Banned By The Nats’ status in the ‘80’s, a mark of quality and relevance. Generally regarded as one of SA’s musical marvels, Sony returns here with an entrancing 12-track, 75-minute soundscape of African sounds, indigenous beats, ambient dub, jazz, electronica, and snatches of lyrics, chants and samples taken from his recordings of the Himba and Koisan, all fluidly arranged and produced. ‘Akasic Record’ is the magical, mysterious musical trip Warrick Sony always promised to take us on. 13. ‘Who Painted The Moon?’ - Nianell [Fresh] During a lunch meeting with Fresh Music boss Benjy Mudie, music publicist Ingrid Roding suggested he listen to a CD by an unknown female singer. An hour later, while driving home, Mudie pulled off the freeway and literally signed Nianell over the phone. It’s not hard to spot what caught his attention here. Namibian-born Nianell is sure to be a major new singing talent on the SA landscape following the release of this stunning album (named and written after a lunar eclipse!) which was produced by Mauritz Lotz. Her emotional and original ballads draw their influences from artists like Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Enya and Lesley Ray Dowling, and are clearly all written to highlight her awesome, crystal-clear and wide-ranging voice. The soaring vocals on ‘As One’ marked it out as the first single, but songs like ‘Take Me Home’, ‘Have Faith’, ‘Feeling Grows’ and the lovely title track will all soon attract a lot more fans to this classy, new pop diva. 14. ‘Voortvlugtend’ - Akkedis [SSS Records] The ‘Voortvlugtend’ album is a spot-on example of the creative and diverse Afrikaans pop-rock that has been surfacing in 2001 (see also Beeskraal and Spinnekop). This second album offering from the Lizard dudes is a great mixture of the carefree and serious, with lots of great melodies thrown in for good measure. Akkedis also played these tunes to a rapturous audience in London earlier this year. These zany songs from the Dennis broers cover topics from having a love affair with your Datsun Stanza (!), through to the hard-hitting drug addiction of 'Jannie Cocaine'. ‘Sweet Stellenganga’ is a cover of Valiant Swart’s ode to Boland weed that, for once, successfully samples that old musical chestnut, ‘Mbube - The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. "In die oerwoud ("jungle"), die moerse oerwoud" of SA Rock 2001, they are the Lizard Kings, they can do anything! 15. ‘Dreamland’ - Edi Niederlander [Indie] It would take a really cold heart not to be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of Edi Niederlander's long-awaited third album. It’s been over 10 years since her ‘Hear No Evil’ collection, but it is obvious that this respected SA folk-musician has been keeping herself in good songwriting and guitar playing condition. Here, wonderful acoustic tunes wrap themselves around some earthy drum ‘n bass, African, and ragga rhythms, and all are given an injection of warmth by Edi's clear and powerful vocals, typically perceptive lyrics and stylish guitar. From the sarky opener, ‘Bye Bye’, with its urgent jazzy beat, to the soft, gentle ‘Undying Light’, ‘Dreamland’ is yet another wondrous and diverse collection of classic Edi. "Save my soul from Cyberspace" she pleads on ‘Marathon Head’, clearly hankering after the good old days, but Edi Niederlander is back and still relevant. 16. ‘The Moon Is A Spoon’ - Sunways [Fresh] This SA rock trio - Robbie Boake (ex-Squeal), Sarah Hills, and Jason Horseman - had been together for a few years before they signed to the Fresh label and released this angsty rock debut. ‘The Moon Is A Spoon’ is a far more serious album than its sweet poppy title suggests, with its songs slowly and languidly revealing their charms. Like the single ‘Style’, it’s mostly very downbeat and moody, although ‘Colour Me In’ is an energetic, head-nodding blast. But overall this is an album that indicates a patient and intelligent approach to songwriting and production, and that’s what keeps it still fresh and interesting as the year ends. Good thing too, as Sunways have been successfully touring the album around England and Ireland over the past months. 17. ‘Rewind’ - Wonderboom [DGR] It's about time that someone paid decent homage to our SA music legends, well, musically speaking for starters (and where is our SA Rock Hall Of Fame anyway?). So well done to the wild rockers from Wonderboom who have taken some of the greatest SA songs of all time (Falling Mirror’s ‘Johnny Calls The Chemist’, eVoid’s ‘Shadows’), given them complete 2001 raunchy musical make-overs, and released them on to an unsuspecting SA public. From their somewhat irreverent kwaito version of Rabbitt’s delicate 'Charlie' to the respectful cover of Juluka's 'Africa', ‘Rewind’ skriks up these golden oldies with new attitude, poetically-licensed reworkings of the lyrics, and a bag of contemporary studio tricks. But what about 'The Buccanneer' and 'Weeping' and ‘ZX Dan’ etc? I guess we'll have to wait for ‘Rewind II’. Based on this effort, we’re all looking forward to it! 18. ‘Merry-Go-Round’ - Wess-Lee [Scorpio] This may be cute-voiced, post-Madonna smooth pop, but Wess-Lee’s debut album is still an impressive and entertaining piece of work. ‘Merry-Go-Round’ was released on Joe Theron’s Scorpio Label and benefited from Marius Brouwer’s slick production, a consistent bunch of Kreesan-penned songs, and some sizzling guitar touches from Mauritz Lotz. This 11-track album has so far spawned a string of hit singles - the sing-a-longy "aye-aye-ayes" of ‘Like A Holiday’, the broody ‘What The Hell Did We Do’, and the best of the bunch, ‘These Sparks Will Fly’. Don’t be deceived by the cover, Wess-Lee is not your typical blonde kugel pop star, she is focused and ready to conquer the SA pop scene. Sparks are definitely going to fly! 19. ‘Xero’ - Binary [Indie] 2001 was the year that SA indie bands stepped up and embraced the marketing opportunities that PC home studio software, recordable CDs, MP3’s, websites, email and online music publications offered, aside from the traditional gigging and selling CDs at the door style. Credit here to Joburg’s Binary who made sure they had a strong album to promote before spreading the word as wide as they could. ‘Xero’ is a short, solid slice of brainy indie rock, moody and massive. Rough-edged vocals, chiming guitars and a deft songwriting touch give songs like ‘Barefoot Girl’, ‘Come Over’, and ‘Cannonball’ lasting appeal, with hooks that lodge deep, long after you’ve heard them. As the year closes, Binary have clearly established themselves as one of the better SA bands to watch closely in 2002. 20. ‘It’s A Small World’ - Mondetta [Sheer/SAFm] It may be a small world, as DisneyWorld, Mondetta (and those pesky aliens) keep telling us, yet the ‘World Music’ sections in CD stores are growing a lot bigger these days. But there was no thought of any recordings when these five musicians "coincidentally" merged at Womad Benoni a few months back, and quickly realised their collective musical potential. Still, the group’s stunning debut album, one of the best out of Southern Africa this year, arrived timeously for inclusion in our Top 20. The line-up alone promised an intriguing musical fruit salad - imagine Tananas with Wendy Oldfield on vocals, an Israeli (Elad Neeman) on assorted exotic percussion in place of Ian Herman, and a Korean-Canadian called Julia Kim adding swathes of sweet violin. Songs like ‘Yezzman’, ‘Sun’ and ‘Middleeasterngroove’ stand out on this big world album. 21. Mondmusiek - Breyten Breytenbach [Rhythm] 22. Memoirs Of A Clone - Watkin Tudor Jones Jnr [Chameleon] 23. Digital Inability - Benguela [Rhythm] 24. Play My Way - Matthew van der Want [Bitchin Pitchin] 25. ‘n Vis Innie Bos - Anton Goosen [Gallo] 26. Bongolution - Bongo Maffin [Sony] 27. Into The Universe - Eminent Child [Sarepta] 28. Oomblik Van Waansin - Mel Botes [Janus] 29. The Decoy - Jason Glover [Indie] 30. Sands Of Time - Desert Rose [Saville-McClowe]/ Mother's Daughter - Kate Normington [Sheer/SAFm] By Stephen Segerman and John Samson --------------- THE REST OF THE LISTS: 2] SA ROCK DIGEST TOP 10 COMPILATIONS OF 2001 1. African Dope Volume 1 - Various [African Dope] 2. Fat Lady Sings (Greatest Hits Best Of 1995-2001) - Springbok Nude Girls [Sony] 3. Showcase 3: Unearthed - Various [Sony] 4. Every Now And Then (Best Of So Far 1984-2001) - Bright Blue [Universal] 5. IT - Various Cape Town Artists [Nkomo Records] 6. Greatest Hits - Just Jinger [BMG] 7. Die Hits - Piet Botha [EMI] 8. Boland Punk - Valiant Swart [Rhythm] 9. Alternatief Op Sy Beste Vol 2 - Various Artists [Hoezit] 10. Tassenberg All Stars 2 (Live) - Various Artists [Trippy Grape] ------------- 3] SA ROCK DIGEST TOP 50 SONGS OF 2001 1. Set Of Wheels (Karoo Anthem) - Karen Zoid [‘Poles Apart’/EMI] 2. Crazy Over You - Zen Arcade [‘Snowflake’/Indie] 3. Dimmer - Springbok Nude Girls [‘Fat Lady Sings’/Sony] 4. Praha Paradise - Ernie [‘African Dope Vol. 1’/African Dope] 5. Real - Kaolin [‘All I Am’/Sheer] 6. Miles - Moodphase 5ive ['Steady On'/African Dope] 7. Hurts So Bad - Danny K [‘Danny K’/Gallo] 8. Life (Theme from Big Brother) - Semisane [BMG] 9. Home - Just Jinger [‘Greatest Hits’/BMG] 10. Long Holiday - The Sunshines [‘Long Holiday’ EP/Tel Michael] 11. World Turns - Bright Blue [‘Every Now And Then’/Universal] 12. Fragile - Venessa Nolan ['Burn'/Rhythm] 13. Engel - Karen Zoid ['Poles Apart'/EMI] 14. Up - Zen Arcade [’Snowflake’/Indie] 15. Shout - Fruit Fly Navigators [‘Seratonin’/Bionic] 16. Settler - Syd Kitchen [‘Africa’s Not For Sissies’/No Budget] 17. Who? (Can Relate To You) - Wayne Pauli [‘Farewell Station Road’/Bulldog] 18. Sweet Stellenganga - Akkedis [‘Voortvlugtend’/SSS Records] 19. Angel - Watershed [‘In The Meantime’/EMI] 20. Woman - Tamara Dey and Fly Divas [‘The First Lady’/Gallo] 21. And I Reason - The Led [‘8 Days’/Rhythm] 22. As One - Nianell [‘Who Painted The Moon?’/Fresh] 23. Slagtersnek - Piet Botha [‘Die Hits’/EMI] 24. Africa’s Not For Sissies - Syd Kitchen [‘Africa’s Not For Sissies’/No Budget] 25. Thank You - Lionel Bastos [‘Rising Above The Madness’/Sheer/SAFm] 26. Steady On - Moodphase 5ive ['Steady On'/African Dope] 27. Tronkvoël - Breyten Breytenbach/Benguela [‘Mondmusiek’/Rhythm] 28. Come Over - Binary [‘Xero’/Indie] 29. Sing My Song - Eminent Child [‘Into The Universe’/Sarepta] 30. Colour Me In - Sunways [‘The Moon Is A Spoon’/Fresh] 31. These Sparks Will Fly - Wess-Lee [‘Merry-Go-Round’/Scorpio] 32. Oxford Rd - Roswell Kings [‘Wait For Me’ EP/Indie] 33. Gasoline - Saron Gas [Muskateer] 34. King With A Crown - Spoon Feedas [‘Showcase: 3 Unearthed’/Sony] 35. Undying Light - Edi Niederlander [‘Dreamland’/Indie] 36. Why - Garth Taylor [‘Why?’/PT Records] 37. Shadows 2001 - Wonderboom [‘Rewind’/DGR] 38. The Coming Storm - Jazzworx [‘The Coming Storm’/Sheer] 39. Dig It - Kalahari Surfers [‘Akasic Record’/African Dope] 40. Reënvoëls - Mel Botes [‘Oomblik Van Waansin’/Janus] 41. U Are Not What You Are - Fudge ['Keeping It Real'/Indie] 42. Run.Alive.Run - Felix Laband [‘Thin Shoes In June’/African Dope] 43. Good Old Fashioned Loving - Max Normal [‘Songs From The Mall'/Chameleon] 44. Not About You - Zen Arcade ['Snowflake'/Indie] 45. Jannie Cocaine - Akkedis [‘Voortvlugtend’/SSS Records] 46. Fabulous Day - Red Angel [Indie] 47. Fire In Your Heart - Desert Rose [‘Sands Of Time’/ Saville-McLowe] 48. Emptiness High - Venessa Nolan ['Burn'/Rhythm] 49. Binneland In (Live) - Spinnekop ['Tassenberg All Stars 2'/Trippy Grape] 50. Love And Hate - The Jesse Jordan Band [‘Trippin’/Indie] ----------------- ONE WORLD http://www.oneworld.co.za/index.cfm?bec=4321 One World is still the longest-operating, completely reliable, fully-stocked, up-to-date, exclusively South African online CD store. For the past five years it has been mailing SA CDs to customers all over the Pla-net, making SA music constantly available to anyone who desires and appreciates it. And almost every album mentioned on Amuzine http://www.cd.co.za and the SA Rock Digest http://www.sarockdigest.com is probably already catalogued and stocked in One World's database (including many unsigned and independent artists). There are other online stores that offer SA music, in amongst their international titles, but we support One World because they have refused to sell anything else but SA music, and are determined to prove that sales of SA CDs can sustain an online business. Well, so far so good... long may they prosper! Visit One World at http://www.oneworld.co.za/index.cfm?bec=4321 ----------- TOP SELLING SOUTH AFRICAN CDs One World is proud to bring you its top sellers for the year ending December 2001. We would also like to thank you for your support and wish you all the best over this festive season. 1.Ipi Tombi - Original Cast Recording (Soundtrack) - One of South Africa's defining albums, from the original cast of the production that has been watched and loved the world over. 2.Juluka/ Savuka/ Johnny Clegg - All Titles (Pop) - With a large number of successful albums to their credit, and huge international awareness, they were certainly not far behind 'Ipi Tombi' in the top sellers. All titles are currently available from Oneworld. A new Juluka release (and Johnny Clegg solo album) is on the cards for the new year but details have yet to be confirmed, it's sure to be just as huge as all the others. 3.Mango Groove - Best Of (Pop) - Another consistent seller over the years and sure to continue to be one in future. A band that was, during it's heyday, the biggest act in SA pop, this collection will surely bring back many a fond memory for more than just a few of us out there. 4.Brenda - Greatest Hits (Township Pop) - No top seller list will be complete without SA's own queen of township pop. Brenda Fassie has a habit of consistently scoring with the fans and this compilation of her best songs is no exception, as it contains hits from way back in the days of Brenda and The Big Dudes as well as some of her more recent ones. 5.All the Classic SA releases on the RetroFresh Label (Pop/Rock) - As I said in my last mail, the Fresh Record company can do no wrong. 2001 has been a great year for them with the release on their RetroFresh sub-label of all those big selling SA rock albums of the past, like Falling Mirror's 'Johnny Calls The Chemist', Hawk's 'African Day' and the Dog Detachment retrospective. We are looking forward to more excellent releases from them in the new year. 6.Bright Blue - Every Now And Then (Best Of So Far..) (Pop) This long-awaited compilation from Cape Town's finest Kwela-Pop group has only been out a few weeks, but has shot into our top sellers list for the year, a remarkable achievement indeed. 7.Mandoza - Nkalakathla (Kwaito) - The single made us sit up and take notice, Kwaito has arrived! The album was a strong and well-produced piece of work that proved it's quality in the market place. Now check out his new album 'Godoba'. Kwaito, the gangsta rap of SA music! 8.Laurika Rauch - 19 Treffers Van 21 Jaar (Afrikaans) - Afrikaans music's First Lady, with 19 hits from 21 years. This collection is a clear indication of her undeniable talent and success. 9.Drakensberg Boys Choir - All Releases (Choral) - An extraordinarily talented bunch of young boys who have made a name for themselves all over the world. 10.Koos Kombuis - Greatest Hits (Afrikaans) - Koos has released a number of albums as well as two books and they are all good sellers on Oneworld. But it is his 'Greatest Hits' collection that has made it into our top sellers list for 2001. Koos is one of SA's best-known and well-liked Afrikaans artists, and has an abundance of talent, experience and great songs. Fabio Di Cosmo Business mailto:info@oneworld.co.za Cyberstore http://www.oneworld.co.za/index.cfm?bec=4321 Selling South African Music to the World! -------------------- LOUW RIDING Tertius Louw is a serious collector of South African vinyl, and has been quietly adding information to the SA Rock Files websites on a regular basis over the years. THE 60s http://www.sarockdigest.com/lists/top_ten_sixties_albums.htm 1. Oh Boy! - Johnny Kongos and the G-Men 2. Heart & Soul - Gene Rockwell 3. Hungry For Love - The A-Cads 4. Predictions and Things - The Dream Merchants 5. Burning Soul! - The Flames 6. Soul Meeting - Una Valli 7. Soulfire!! - The Flames 8. Turn You On - The Bats 9. Love Power!!! - Wanda Arletti 10. Here and Now - The Staccatos 1970 to 1975 http://www.sarockdigest.com/lists/top_seventies_albums_index.htm 1. Volume Two! - The Rising Sons 2. Otis Waygood Blues Band 3. Astra - Freedoms Children 4. A Breath Of Fresh Air - Dickie Loader 5. Hey! - The Hedgehoppers 6. Kongos - John Kongos 7. African Day - Hawk 8. Peanut Butter Conspiracy 9. The Flames 10. Ages - McCully Workshop SA FOLK ALBUMS http://www.sarockdigest.com/lists/sa_folk_albums.htm 1. National Folksong Festival 65 - Various 2. At The Beverley Hills - We Three 3. Folk Songs - Nick Taylor 4. Live - Des Lindberg 5. It Was A Very Good Year - Keith Blundell 6. Ramble Away - Chapter Three 7. Miscellanea - Mel, Mel & Julian 8. Look Across The River - Ian & Ritchie 9. South African Folk Scene - Various 10. Two Sides To Every Story - Clem Tholet -------------------- THE 70s South African Top 10 Rock Albums of the 70s http://www.new.co.za/~currin/sa_top_ten_70s.html 1.African Day - Hawk (1971) 2.Ages - McCully Workshop (1975) 3.Astra - Freedoms Children (1970) 4.Boys Will Be Boys - Rabbitt (1975) 5.In The Arena - Circus (1977) 6.Into The Night We Slide - Radio Rats (1978) 7.Otis Waygood Blues Band - Otis Waygood Blues Band (1970) 8.The Road Is Much Longer - Roger Lucey (1979) 9.Time To Suck - Suck (1970) 10.Work It Out - Baxtop (1979) Brian Currin mailto:vagabond@sarockdigest.com -------------- LONDON LEKKER THE 80s John Samson's Top 10 SA Rock Albums of the 80s 1. JOHNNY CALLS THE CHEMIST - FALLING MIRROR (1986) http://www.cd.co.za/fallingmirror The dark and psychotic world of drugs and obsession is set against a back drop of upbeat rock. Nielen Marais's delicately edgy vocals slice one to the bone while Alan Faull's guitar roars and weeps. This album is as addictive as its subject matter, the title track a classic, and the album timeless. 2. FATHOMS OF FIRE - DOG DETATCHMENT (1985) http://www.cd.co.za/legends/dogdetachment Powerpunk at its tuneful best. The Stormtrooping Dogs produced some of the best music of the decade and were at their peak with this classic. The angst-ridden vocals clash with snarling guitars but never to the detriment of tune. An intelligence pervades these bleak soundscapes of gut wrenching emptiness. 3. THE RISING TIDE - BRIGHT BLUE (1989) http://www.cd.co.za/legends/brightblue It's got 'Weeping' on it. 4. ÉVOID - ÉVOID (1983) http://www.cd.co.za/legends/evoid Ethnocentric tunes that you could dance your heart out to. Classics like 'Shadows', 'Taximan' and 'I am a Fadget' tumble out at you, brimming with energy and gusto. Not just an important album of the 80's, but an essential timeless SA album that gave the local music scene a much needed boost. 5. WAITING FOR THE HEAVE - SYD KITCHEN & THE UTENSILS (1987) Syd Kitchen is a criminally overlooked South African artist. The beautifully crafted and exquisitely executed music on this album is an absolute joy to listen to and immerse oneself in. 6. WIE IS BERNOLDUS NIEMAND? - BERNOLDUS NIEMAND (1985) http://www.cd.co.za/legends/jamesphillips Without this album we would probably not have the likes of Koos Kombuis, Valiant Swart and Karen Zoid to entertain us today. A vital album in the growth of Afrikaaner Kool. Under this pseudonym, James Phillips sang songs about real life and real places in SA and did it with the coolest of eksents. A most important nobody. 7. FAR CRY - CARTE BLANCHE (1986) http://www.new.co.za/~currin/carte_blanche_main.htm Another criminally overlooked album that fairly powers along from the opening moments. A great collection of pop rock with politically astute lyrics and wonderful production. 8. AFRICAN LITANY - JULUKA (1981) http://www.new.co.za/~currin/johnny_clegg_index.html No list of SA greats would be complete without a Johnny Clegg entry. 'African Litany' is rootsy afropop at its best. The simplistic beauty of 'African Sky Blue' and the powerful anthemic 'Impi' are just two shining examples of cultural synergies that 1980's South Africa publicly decried, but behind closed doors we danced ourselves silly. 9. ANCIENT DUST - EDI NIEDERLANDER (1986) Usually one tries to keep dust off one's vinyl albums, but with Edi Nielderlanders 1986 classic, the dust of Africa is so ingrained in the music that you fear for your stylus. Edi taps into the rhythms of Africa and delivers a polished album of acoustic beauty and vocal clarity. The title track is awesome. 10. ON LOAN FOR EVOLUTION - PEACH (1981) http://www.cd.co.za/legends/peach Spikier than a punk's mohawk, bouncier than a nursery school class on a jumping castle and more sneer than Billy Idol and Elvis put together, Peach's only album showcases Angie Peach's great vocal talent and the band's songwriting talent. 'A Lot of Things' and 'Nightmare' were deservedly top 10 hits on the Springbok Top 20, while the cover of XTC's 'Complicated Games' is chillingly dark and wonderful. Also recommended: One came Running - No Friends of Harry; Delicious Monster - David Kramer; Eet Kreef - Johannes Kerkorrel; Voëlvry - Various; Be Bop Pop - Spectres; Here comes the Rot - éVoid; Barriers - Dog Detachment; The Last Laugh - Dog Detachment; The Killing Floor - All Night Radio; Lesley Rae Dowling - Lesley Rae Dowling; Inside - Kevin Abraham... to name but a few. -------------------- USA FOR AFRICA Texas-based Kurt Shoemaker gives his unique views on SA music THE 90s These are my favorite ten South African rock albums or rock bands from the 90s, selected from my about fifty CDs of that decade. I mention that to let the reader know I don't have a complete collection of SA rock of the 90s, but that I have enough to reflect my admiration for the quality of work produced by many SA musicians. This list could have ended up my Top 20, or Top 30, but Top 10 is reasonable in length.... More or less ranked in order of how I perceive greatness, though the nearer the top the more blurred the distinctions grow so that the top three or four could be considered as squeezing all together into the #1 spot. 1. The Electric Petals -- 'Polynation' -- Great title, great cover photo, great music. Rock music of South Africa and the world, with a consciousness set in both. An inspired work. 2. Jack Hammer -- 'Death of a Gypsy' -- Masterful guitar rock album. The suite of songs comprising the middle of the CD rise to rock art as far as I'm concerned. Powerful stuff. All of Piet Botha's work, solo or with friends, such as Jonathan Martin, is A#1. http://www.pietbotha.com 3. Koos Kombuis en die Warm Blankes -- 'Blameer dit op Apartheid' -- Really rocks, really talks. Seven big rock songs and a bluesy bonus -- rock songs as good as you'll find anywhere. (I got this CD in the 'Madiba Bay Box Set', with 'Madiba Bay', a Greatest Hits, which goes back to the 80s, so is out of my decade, but excellent as well.) 4. Squeal -- 'Long Pig', 'Man and Woman', and 'Civilized?' -- Here's where I finesse my way past the top 10 set-up and slip in two extra albums by singing the praises of Squeal's 3-CD body of work. Excellent, muscular, lean, and loping rock -- some fast and furious, others "ballady". All fine rock from frontman David Birch and his friends. 5. Bernard Binns -- 'Physiognomy of the Soul' -- A CD of variety that nonetheless holds together and carries the listener through many emotions and styles, with rock substance. Binns knows his craft. 6. Off the Edge -- 'On the Run' -- Guitar master Peter Hanmer, with Tony Groenewald and Judy Marshall. Perfect electric guitar music for cruising the highways of Texas -- try it sometime and you'll agree. Also check out Peter's more recent work; 'St. Aidans' off 'Just Another Band' soars. http://www.cd.co.za/offtheedge 7. Wonderboom -- 'Is It?' and 'Never Ever Ever Ever' -- At six tracks each, I'm counting them as one 90s work to squeeze them both in. A fun rock band, a couple of whose members are from The Electric Petals, so their solid rock sensibilities and experience here shine for the listener's pleasure. 8. Springbok Nude Girls -- 'Afterlifesatisfaction' -- I enjoy most of this album very much. A few songs could have been edited from the 18 tracks (one only 11 seconds long, though), but the great stuff here is often breathtaking and thoroughly engrossing -- seizing one's attention, as rock should do. 9. Sugardrive -- 'Sand.Man.Sky' -- From what I've heard, this is their finest album. Full of big and fuzzy rock riffs. Sometimes slow and moody, with mixed results, but best when they tilt hard into a song, as with 'Wired'. 10. Battery 9 -- 'Protskrog' -- Often frenetic and driving, this is a good representative CD of Battery 9's range and prowess. From hard techno rock to ballad style, Paul Rickert sings it all. If you like this, then find 'Gris' for a video of a Battery 9 show, plus some more aggressive tunes, then find their other two CDs, 'Strop' and 'Wrok'. There it is. Some of my favorite 90's rock music from South Africa. But really, if you want to talk about great SA rock, don't get me started! I could go on forever & ever & ever & ever. {Yes, we know, Kurt, we know... - ed} Kurt Shoemaker, Blanco, Texas mailto:kurt@sarockdigest.com ---------------- HIGH NOONE SHILOH NOONE'S TOP TEN ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME "From the Witchwood" - Strawbs This folky display of Indian sitar and harmony painted pictures of the past and was fundamentally influential in my early teens as I daydreamed half my life away. Had everything to do with me failing maths and science continually. "Snow Goose" - Camel My childhood days were spend playing on the banks of the Lourens river in the Strand. I was brought up with the sound of Egyptian geese, especially late at night when I was studying. My dad gave me the Paul Gallico version by the BBC when I was eight years old. The group Camel completed the picture. "Journey to the centre of the earth" - Rick Wakeman I think I was one of the first people in the Helderberg to receive an imported vinyl of this outstanding album, complete with a tin badge which I sported regularly. I became totally obsessed with the sound of the moog synthesiser. This album led me to the group Yes. "Ziggy Stardust and the spiders from Mars" - David Bowie "Starman" took me to another world. We used to hang out at Silke's café in the Strand where a juke box supported this magnificent single. I do believe Kenny Silke, son of the owner, made quite a name for himself with the group Jetlag. (Where are you now?) I first bought the single and then some hard work packing bottles at the Da Gama bottle store, gave me the cash to buy the album. I played it so much that my sister threatened to burn it. "Lord of the ages" - Magna Carta Used to hang out at 42 Wilberforce street, Strand (the West household). This was the meeting place for coffee by the old Strand life saving club members. Magna Carta was always on the turn table. "Seconds out" - Genesis I was definitely led astray by Genesis which robbed me of good six years of my life in the mid seventies. Used to drive around with one of these massive Triumphs with a giant Pioneer system built in. During the summer season the ladies lying on Bikini Beach, Gordons Bay, were blasted away. Needless to say I thought I was impressing them. (Oh those lonely nights!) "This is the Moody Blues" - Moody Blues Just about all my friends had this album, but I played it flat, late at night. I loved the way the songs melted into each other, the music made me think. It gave me a superficial spirituality which had everything to do with me not becoming a victim of substances in the seventies. "Let it be" - The Beatles My dad bought the cassette for me on my thirteenth birthday and it was the only album I had for my party. Everybody sat around smooching 'till "Let it be" or "Get back" came on - then they danced. Somehow this album was just so different to all previous Beatle releases. The lyrics had a strong effect in my life during the early seventies. This album led me to a group called Badfinger which I loved dearly. "In search of space" - Hawkwind I was sold this album by the Henn brothers who ran a vinyl outlet at Mike's Radio next to the Rialto Cinema in the Strand. I was quite hip amongst my friends for having the most way-out and heaviest album around. Hawkwind hooked me from the first day I heard the single "Silver machine". "Led Zeppelin 4" - Led Zeppelin Funny enough I heard "Black Dog" before the classic "Stairway to heaven". Like everybody else it hooked me with its esoteric acoustic guitar. Robert Plant vocals were just the greatest. First heard the album when a cassette was given to me by the Graham brothers (neighbours). Yes the same Graham brothers who own the refrigeration cartel in the Strand. ------------------ VAGABOND'S TOP 50 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME http://www.new.co.za/~currin/top50.html ------------------ SOUTH AFRICAN ROCK LISTS For more lists from the world of South African pop & rock please visit: http://www.cd.co.za/rocklists <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Too old To Rock and Roll" - never! "Too young to die" - damn right...