South African seventies

Ray

Much of my youth was spent in the East Rand town of Springs. Toward the end of the senventeis there was a band that did reasonably well for themselves called the Radio Rats. I was like a groupie once removed. Fellow called Jonathan Handley was the drive in this band and I thought and still think he was a talented guitarist. Cant remember lightning fast riffs or anything but it was tidy, understandable stuff. Like you could hear each note which is important I think. Like in language, if someone has got a ten word sentence and you can only make out 4 or 5 of them you dont know what the $@%^ the oke has said to you, ne? There's lots of music like that, or at least I think so. At the same time there was another Springs outfit called Corporal Punishment. Also very lekker. Those days Springs was buzzing and just had to be the garage band capital. You couldnt walk down a street for more than a block and not hear a jam going on closeby. See, now I've gone all nostalgic. Hell, I miss those days and those people! I wish I wasnt always on a plak those days.

Also at the same time there was another bunch called Baxtop. But they werent Springs. Anyone around at the time?

AlanRatcliffe

Only arrived in SA in '76s, but I remember the Radio Rats. ZX Dan is probably one of my favourite SA "pop" songs.

Sean

Ray wrote: ...I wish I wasnt always on a plak those days.

??? A What??

Ray

You dont know what it is to be on a plak? then you've never been on a plak! Wavescape goois this def but it just gives an idea:

Plak (“pluck”)
(Afrikaans – origin uncertain.) While the literal Afrikaans meaning is “to stick” (with glue), this context refers to mindset. This is an interesting word. For instance, you say to someone who has just delivered obscure reasoning for doing something, “How’s your plak?” (Where are you coming from?) The variation to this is, “How’s your mind?” Plak refers to a distracted, even deranged, state of mind. “He was on a plak when he dived off the roof.” (He was on some kind of weird trip when he dived off the roof.)

But I never ever dived off the roof. I was on too much of a plak to get up there in the first place. Only once when we were making nice biskits and things I drove the food mixer up there but then someone took the road away I was stuck. I had to wait for Bonzo to come to my pozzie and help me down.

Sean

LOL, okay I get it ?

I may not have been on a plak back then myself, but I'm not convinced my mother wasn't ?

Wizard

Anyone remember the Asylum Kids?
The drummer Steve Howell was at school with me

Riaan-Combrink

Ray wrote: Much of my youth was spent in the East Rand town of Springs. Toward the end of the senventeis there was a band that did reasonably well for themselves called the Radio Rats.
Anyone around at the time?

Loved the Rats! ZX Dan includes exactly one of those solos you describe (non flashy, melodic and note economic).

Those who love that era of RSA music, should check out the the online South African Rock Encyclopedia (SARE), which covers the history of South African rock music from the 1950's up to the early 2000's. I've posted about it before, but its worth another mention:
http://www.rock.co.za/

They have full profiles on all the artists, broken down into decades. Eg, these are the artists they feature for the 70's (this'll jog your memories ?):

Abstract Truth
Larry Amos (and Baxtop)
Gwynneth Ashley Robin
Ballyhoo
The Bats
Baxtop (featuring Larry Amos)
Piet Botha (Raven)
Buffalo (featuring Peter Vee)
Canamii
Amanda Cohen (and Hammak)
Circus
Johnny Clegg (Juluka, Savuka)
Paul Clingman
Neil Cloud (from Rabbitt)
Clout
Niki Daly
Des And Dawn
Disco Rock Machine (featuring Trevor Rabin)
Dream Merchants (featuring Billy Forrest)
Falling Mirror
Feedback
Brian Finch
Finch and Henson
Four Jacks And A Jill
Freedoms Children
Les Goode
Anton Goosen
Hammak
Harari
Crocodile Harris
Hawk
Ken E Henson
Dan Hill
Hocus (featuring Robert John "Mutt" Lange)
HOT RS
Invaders
John Ireland
Mick Jade
Joburg Hawk (AKA Hawk)
Carike Keuzenkamp
Quentin E Klopjaeger (AKA Billy Forrest)
John Kongos
Julian Laxton
Dickie Loader and the Blue Jeans
Roger Lucey
Duncan MacKay
Ramsay MacKay
McCully Workshop
Rupert Mellor (McCully Workshop)
John Oakley-Smith
Omega Limited
Otis Waygood (AKA Otis Waygood Blues Band)
Rabbitt (featuring Trevor Rabin)
Radio Rats
Gwynneth Ashley Robin
Rouge
Raven (featuring Piet Botha)
The Safari Suits
Margaret Singana
Snakeshed (AKA Steve Linnegar's Snakeshed)
Stingray
Suck
Third Eye
Peter Vee (and Buffalo)
Neville Whitmill

Wizard wrote: Anyone remember the Asylum Kids? The drummer Steve Howell was at school with me

The Kids were early 80s. Steve Howell also played drums for the Radio Rats from time to time. Check out the Asylum Kids page on SARE:
http://www.rock.co.za/files/asylum_kids.html

Benjy Mudie of Fresh Music has spearheaded a campaign of remastering and releasing many of the classic RSA albums on CD (their Retrofresh catalogue). They usually include rare bonus tracks, liner notes, cover-art from LP, etc. Top quality products. I love my Ellamental disc I got through them (I was an Evoid and Ellamental groupie back in the day): :-[
http://www.rock.co.za/files/ellamental.html

Fresh Music really deserves massive support for this project IMHO. Check out full Retrofresh catalogue here:
http://www.freshmusic.co.za/retrofresh.htm

You'll find them in all the good music stores (CD Wherehouse, etc) and online at Fresh Music. Another good place to buy them online is Rhythm Records. Even has a feature where you can buy (and preview samples of) individual tracks off these CDs (in mp3 of course) for approx R 7,00 a song - price of a softdrink, for heaven's sake! 8) Eg, check out their collection of nine Radio Rats albums:
http://www.rhythmrecords.co.za/music/150/Radio-Rats/Into-The-Night-We-Slide

They also inlcude this about the Rats:

Where are they now?
Herbie Parkin is living, working, and playing in Sweden. Dave Davies still lives in the same house in Springs where he has always lived. Jonathan Handley is a doctor in Cape Town and continues to record and archive in his home studio in the shadow of Table Mountain. Leonard Dixon lives in Germany and is still drumming.

Miss those days ... ☹

sepheritoh

In the 70's I was heavy into the folk scene.

The Finch & Henson due were THE due around. There was the all time hit of Berlinda Lou. They played the clubs of Pretoaria. At the time they were making every student in town swinging. I must have seen them at least about 50 times life. Brian is still recording good stuff. I got about 3 of his CDs from the last few years. Just wish they would remaster the ole stuff and release it again.

There was Balyhoo. The played the Airport Hotel in Kempton. Great stuff for a good dancing night if you did not feel like chilling on the folk scene in Pretoria.

Some time earlier there was a band called the Peanut Butter Conspirice. The greatest chill-out music ever. Guess today it would be called "emo' or "razz-soul" or some other cool name. I just loved them. Wonder what happened to them and why never remastered the music.

From East London there was an outfit called Maculley's Workshop or something. That was more 60's than 70's, but they made really good stuff.

Then off course I already mentioned many time the all time great Rabit in another thread. Saw them playing only once, but that was better than anything else. If you wore a panty in those days it was compulsoly to get rid of it when you watched the show.

Piet Botha joined a group called the Silver creek mountain band somewhere in the end of the 70's or early 80's. I think that was after his buffulo gig failed. They were never considdered important enough to be listed as anything in any of the online directories, but they shaped my way of thinking. Piet played piano and some weird guy without shoes played the double bass, while another unknown cool oke played guitar.

Well That was the few moments I was sober enough to remember. I probably would have remembered more if I stayed awake long anough.

Wizard

Thanks for the link Riaan - was nice listening to the 'kids' again.
Music is a time machine.
Hear the music and you're back where you first heard it

Ray

Wizard wrote: Anyone remember the Asylum Kids?
The drummer Steve Howell was at school with me

Ya, I think that they were a little later. NEver ever saw them but remember one song on the radio asking me if I want to be a schoolboy again and I thought it was really catchy. But I could never find where to buy it (being on a plak and all). Always thought they were a Durban outfit. Thanks for that link Riaan. Definitely going to explore and make some acqusisitions.

Bob-Dubery

Wizard wrote: Anyone remember the Asylum Kids?
The drummer Steve Howell was at school with me

I was thinking about Steve just yesterday. Before joining The Asylum Kids he was with a Durban-based band The Gents. I liked Steve's drumming, and recall that he picked up a little session work in the early 80s. He also played with James Phillips for a while, and, IIRC, Winston's Jive Mix-up. I was wondering what happened to him.

Bob-Dubery

Ray wrote: There's lots of music like that, or at least I think so. At the same time there was another Springs outfit called Corporal Punishment. Also very lekker. Those days Springs was buzzing and just had to be the garage band capital. You couldnt walk down a street for more than a block and not hear a jam going on closeby. See, now I've gone all nostalgic. Hell, I miss those days and those people! I wish I wasnt always on a plak those days.

Also at the same time there was another bunch called Baxtop. But they werent Springs. Anyone around at the time?

From Springs I remember Hogs Norton. They had Dave Allen playing guitar for them, he was a great rhythm player - very solid, put a lot of drive into the band. I thought of him as SA's answer to Keith Richards. I saw Dave playing at TJs a few months back.

I recall the Rats. Jonathan Handley was not a great player, but he was an effective player, and you've hit the nail on the head as regards the clarity that he played with. I'd never thought about that until about 10 minutes ago, but you're right on the money.

I like the Corporals a lot. They were such an interesting band, and they were a SOUTH AFRICAN band, singing about South African things with South African accents. James Phillips was a fine songwriter.

Baxtop were a Jo'burg band. Not anything you'd call "punk" or "new wave". More like ZZ-top. Larry Amos and Tim Parr on guitars, Fuzzy Marcus on bass, Bruce Williams on drums. All very good players.

Larry's half-brother was Robbi Robb of the Asylum Kids. Robbi is now in LA.

In the late 70s a band named "Void" came south from Zimbabwe. They were doing a Hendrix-influenced thing. They soon shed members until they were down to a trio and reinvented themselves as E-Void.

I recall lots of artists and groups from that era. Raven (heavy band from Pretoria), Flash Harry, Edi Niederlander, Fresh Evidence, The Lancaster Band (I think Robin Auld played with them), Rabbitt (who I saw playing in a dingy basement in Joubert Park - two months later they were on the receiving end of large amounts of lady's underwear), Roger Lucey, the aforementioned Finch and Henson and the Silver Creek Mountain Band, The Other Band (band leader Dax Butler now heads up an excellent band named Them Particles, gigging around Jo'burg).

Wizard

Julian Laxton was also in the same school as me - although a little older.

Ray

Ya the Corporals. These were my bru's. Carl Raubenheimer played bass. I went out with his sister while we were in school. But you know what, she ditched me and it pretty much made me go crazy so we wont talk about that anymore. Then there was Mark Bennett. Lo and behold, a few years back his ex girlfriend of the time putches up here for her daughter's dancing lessons and recognizes me. You just cant hide from your past hey! Henry the drummer (or one of them) came from Welkom and if I remember he died in a mining accident. Herbie (from the Rats) played with Corporals from time to time but I could never work out what the arrangement was there. See Sean, I was on a plak too much of the time. Now Herbie's parents and mine belonged to the same church and spent time commiserating with each other re their sons. Terrible thing about Herbie is that I've still got his Public Image (from around 1980 I think) elpee in a cupboard here at home so if anyone sees him and he is looking for it tell him he can get it from me.

Bob-Dubery

Ray wrote: Henry the drummer (or one of them) came from Welkom and if I remember he died in a mining accident. Herbie (from the Rats) played with Corporals from time to time but I could never work out what the arrangement was there. See Sean, I was on a plak too much of the time. Now Herbie's parents and mine belonged to the same church and spent time commiserating with each other re their sons. Terrible thing about Herbie is that I've still got his Public Image (from around 1980 I think) elpee in a cupboard here at home so if anyone sees him and he is looking for it tell him he can get it from me.

Herbie is living somewhere in Scandinavia. So don't get onto another plak over that LP.

Herbie played bass with the Rats and also bass and guitar with the Corporals. The thing about the Rats, as far as I could see, was that they kept on breaking up. By the time I got to know the Corporals (79-ish), the Rats had broken up emphatically (I think Jon Handley must have moved out to Welkom by then, Dave Davies was still running a record store in Springs) and the Corporal's were Herbie's full time gig.

I remember O'Henry. A lovely guy. He did indeed die in a mining accident.

Wizard

Here's Radio Rats ZX Dan from YouTube:

Wizard

I had a habit of drumming on my desk in class.
Quite fancied my talent.
One day in Geography I got a response from across the class from Steve Howell.
I didn't drum in class after that.

AlanRatcliffe

Thanks! Enjoyed that...

One day in Geography I got a response from across the class from Steve Howell.

Lol! Yeah, I tap on stuff all the time too. When we are shopping, my wife always knows where I am - even in a busy shop. She just follows the paraddiddles (or sometimes triplet rolls)! ?

Paul

Bob Dubery wrote:
Wizard wrote: Anyone remember the Asylum Kids?
The drummer Steve Howell was at school with me
I was thinking about Steve just yesterday. Before joining The Asylum Kids he was with a Durban-based band The Gents. I liked Steve's drumming, and recall that he picked up a little session work in the early 80s. He also played with James Phillips for a while, and, IIRC, Winston's Jive Mix-up. I was wondering what happened to him.

I don't remember Steve ever playing for the Gents (the drummer was one Sydne B Good - could be anyone but they played at the same time as the Kids, so unlikely). They did put out a single School Kid, which could be confused with the Kids Schoolboy). From my fading memory, in high school he was in a band called Legend. Robbie and Dino had a band called Shag. The two bands got together to play a Genesis set (Steve was huge Genesis fan (the prog period, not pop period) and jazz fusion - Billy Cobham etc). Steve then joined Shag, which evolved into The Asylum Kids.
After the kids he played with Corporal Punishment for a short while in the 80's, also drummed on the Bernoldous Niemand album (James Phillips alter ego). He was with Radio Rats with James Phillips in the early 90's. Later was in the Dynamics.
Excuse if this is a drumming derail on a guitar site, but Steve was a truly great drummer - never extended at all with the Kids, and deserves to be among the legendary SA rock musicians of the time.
He was also a friend at school, so I'm probably a bit biased.

Wizard

Here's an Asylum Kids video.
Very early days of video making ?