19.  (1) Engel - Karen Zoid ('Poles Apart'/EMI)
20. [-] (20) What The Hell Did We Do - Wess-Lee ('Merry-Go-Round'/
Their last album "The way they were" boasted a magnificent single "Silver Bird" and some astounding Guess Who gems such as "Palmyra", "The Answer" and "Species Hawk". Although released in the mid seventies, their album was a combination of singles recorded in the spring of 1970 at RCA's studio in Chicago. When it came to the blues strongly influenced by the Mason Dutch Blues band, the Guess Who were profound in this genre as heard on "Humpty's Blues", "Song of the dog" and "Glace Bay blues". Even the classic "American Woman" would occasionally intro with an acoustic bluesy rendition. In fact an alternate version of "American Woman" that had less fuzz guitar and more rhythm pattern captures a finer reflection of the ability of the Guess Who. Over and above the magnificent "Undone" came the understated "8:15" the energetic "Proper Stranger" and the classic acoustic dedication to folk singer Gordon Lightfoot entitled "Lightfoot". Often the albums would disperse the melodic Burton Cummings on piano with thought provoking ballads such as "Sour Suite" and "Dreams". Cummings would eventually release his first solo album in 1976 with a chart buster #10 called "Stand Tall". In 1983 Randy and Burton made their peace and re-united for one album and a concert video. Four years later the two of them toured together. Burton Cummings's 1981 album "Sweet Sweet" included a top forty hit "You saved my soul" dedicated to Randy Bachman.
(Entry reference sourced from "Before the Gold Rush" by journalist Nicholas Jennings, Penguin)
If I had been disappointed in the music from RSA, Dog Detachment's
'Best Kept Secrets' would have redeemed all the rest. But I have been
pleased in nearly all the South African music I've acquired, so I can't say that. All I can say is that thanks to Retro Fresh these are great days to be a South African rock fan.
What I listen for in rock is beat, guitar, melody, and intelligent
lyrics. Dog Detachment has all of these on one CD covering 3 albums and
some single releases.
'Best Kept Secrets' is nearly a box set of Dog Detachment's complete
works on one CD: 16 songs, 8 mp3s, a gallery of photo files, lyric files, AND the liner notes booklet. That's nearly 100 minutes of radical melodic rock with a hard edge, with extras.
Gosh, all that's lacking to make this a perfect CD is a video of a song
performance, say 'Touch the Sky'. Can't have everything, but this CD is
loaded anyway -- and would be even if it only had the music.
I don't understand how some in the audience interpreted Dog
Detachment's music as singing of repression. According to the liner notes (by Andrew Rees), though, some people took the cool "Stormtrooper Rock" phrase in a different direction. Sure, rock is supposed to seize the listener's attention and provide a show, spectacle, or controversy. (Maybe the lead singer should have quipped, "We're more popular than Winnie Mandela."?). But Nazi-ism?
These are songs of the modern world: of despair, war, hope, and love.
But I wasn't there, so I don't know anything more than that the music and lyrics are intelligent and insightful. I'm just here now, enjoying the music.
ZEN BOULDERS - FALLING MIRROR
20 - Duane Allman (1946, died 29 October 1971)
Sy's jonk en blond en mooi en plesierig. En sy staan op 'n verhoog en sing: "All my friends are yuppie scum!!! They've got the money, but I've got the fun!" En die mense gaan mal. Hierdie vrou jaag die plesiervlakke hoër as hemelhoog op. Dit is so duidelik soos daglig.
Haar naam is Karen Zoid. Daar word met ontsag van haar gepraat as een van Suid-Afrika se min - indien nie die enigste nie - rock chick. Amper soos wat Suzi Quatro jare gelede was. Of soos Sheryl Crow.
Maar moenie vir Karen Zoid op haar leerbaadjie en donkerbril takseer nie. Sy laat Suzi Quatro na 'n deelnemer op Noot vir Noot klink.
Karen is net 22 en trek tans baie aandag met haar opwindende debuut-cd, Poles Apart. Sy kom van Johannesburg, waar sy 'n derdejaarstudent in klankontwerp aan Deon Opperman se rolprent-, teater- en tv-skool is. As sy haar donkerbril afhaal en jy haar blou oë sien, besef jy hierdie rock chick gaan nog jellie maak van baie manlike kniekoppe.
"Ek het lank rondgehang totdat my pa my oorreed het dis 'n beter opsie om te studeer," sê sy van agter haar donkerbril. Ek wou nog altyd musiek swot, maar toe beland ek by die rolprentskool. Ek sal graag betrokke wil raak by musiek vir tv en advertensies. Ek dink dis baie challenging."
Voordat sy ontdek is, het sy van haar hoërskooldae af al in rockgroepe gespeel, onder meer die vroue-punkgroep Bad Weather, wat baie deur Sonic Youth bëinvloed is. Chrisjan Fourie van Kakiebos, die man wat beroemd geraak het met sy reeks Afrikaanse kondome, het haar eenkeer in Melville hoor sing en genooi om 'in die middel van die nag' in sy program op Punt Geselsradio te sing. Dit het so goed gegaan dat mense ingebel het om te hoor waar hulle 'n cd kan kry.
Daarna het Karen se optredes in Johannesburg die tonge los gehad en die club crawlers buite hulself van opwinding. Dit was net 'n kwessie van tyd voor sy 'n aanbod sou kry om 'n cd op te neem. En toe dit gebeur, was dit nogal van die invloedryke EMI-platemaatskappy, een van die multinasionale grootkokkedore in die land.
Karen skryf al haar lirieke en sommige van haar liedjies self; die ander is geskryf deur Don Reinecke.
"Ek skryf oor goed wat ek self ervaar het en wat vir my relevant is," sê sy. "Van die liedjies het aggressie in, maar dit raak nooit gewelddadig nie. Ek skryf ook graag ballades. Vir my is liedjies skryf 'n manier om my eie lewenservaring te express."
Karen luister baie musiek en het 'n wye smaak: van sanger-liedjieskrywers soos Janis Ian tot kunstenaars soos Tananas, Dave Matthews Band, Tony Cox, Blk Sonshine, Coldplay en "musiek wat jou herinner aan jou childhood, soos Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones en Led Zeppelin.
"Ek was nog altyd 'n rebel. My ma is dood toe ek tien was. Die feit dat ek nie met 'n ma grootgeword het nie, het gemaak dat ek 'n ander mens is as wat ek sou gewees het. Toe ek 'n tiener was, was ek baie kwaad oor my ma se dood. Maar dit het van my 'n sterker mens gemaak, en ek sou seker nie vandag 'n sanger en liedjieskrywer gewees het as dit nie daarvoor was nie."
Karen hou baie daarvan om op te tree. "Live het die musiek 'n baie groter kick. Ons spring soms te veel rond en skop klankversterkers om. Vooraf weet ons nooit hoe dit gaan wees nie. En die gehore is baie gemeng: soms is dit mense van 18 tot 26, en soms is daar ook mense tussen 40 en 50."
"Ons is baie opgewonde oor Karen," sê Johan Scott van EMI. "Vir die eerste keer in 'n lang tyd is daar iets wat vars en nuut is, iets unieks wat deur niemand anders gedoen word nie. Ons sien 'n baie blink toekoms vir haar."
Karen se onmiddellike toekomsplanne is om alles te gee vir haar musiekloopbaan en die groep musikante wat in haar orkes speel. "Die band is soos 'n besigheid. 'n Mens moet 'n 100%-samehorigheidsgevoel hê. En ons wil op soveel moontlik plekke in die land optree."
'Rock chick' het natuurlik politiek onkorrek geword omdat die gebruik daarvan mans se chauvinistiese en seksistiese onderrokke laat uithang.
"Hoe voel dit vir jou om 'n rock chick genoem te word?" vra ek hierdie mooi vrou.
"Dis cool. Ek hou daarvan."
"Sy's 'n rock chick en sy kick ass," sê Johan.
"Baie mense dink rock 'n roll is op pad uit," sê Karen. "Maar dis die mense wat knoppies druk wat so sê; mense wie se vingers nog nie gebloei het soos hulle kitaar speel nie. Rock is 'n skill. 'n Craft. En ek geniet my lewe."
I am South African but I currently live in Canada. I have been looking for SA music here and have only found a few albums such as Johnny Clegg which I snatched up. Do you know where Mango Groove is distributed in Canada? Or how I can purchase this music. I love the SA beat and I just can't find it here. Please help.
John Engel at mailto:john.engel@online.be
Wed 21 Nov from 8.30 Robin Auld, 1 night only, R20
Thur 22 Nov from 8.45 Blues rock with "Three Foot Thang", R15
Fri 23 Nov from 9.00 Blues with "The Mississippi Muthers", R30
Sat 24 Nov at 8.30 "The Legend of Jimi Hendrix", R50
Upstairs @ The River Club takes it's place again on top of the cream of Cape Town's live music venues.
The programme kicks off on Friday, 23 November with a rockin' comeback from Sons of Trout. Preview the new material from the band's awesome 3rd CD "Odd Times" from 21h30.
As live South African music fights valiantly for the stages and audiences it deserves, The River Club's re-opening of their venue represents a significant faith in and support of local music.
The weekend programme of music events at Upstairs @ The River Club will showcase the varied and brilliant talent of Cape Town's musicians, as well as hosting the finest visiting artists.
Bored of "Big Brother"? Of course, you are! Go out for quality, intelligent entertainment.
Get to Upstairs @ The River Club:
23 November - Sons Of Trout
24 November - Venessa Nolan & Mikanic