South African seventies

Wizard

Just made contact with Steve Howells on facebook.
(see - it is useful!)

He's living in Hawaii, still gigging, surfing & playing soccer.

Een

I was born in Cape Town in '79, so I mostly have no clue what you okes are talking about. Still, enjoyed reading your nostalgic musings...thanks guys ?

Bob-Dubery

Ray wrote: And I'll tell you another thing we used to do occasionally. We used to go out to the Bapsfontein Hotel occasionally on a sunday afternoon for the country and western. Laugh if you dig but it was a jol. Every now and again some old dude with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat would be up there playing slide guitar or something like you can believe. And there were plenty bokkies hey!

Well I suppose it was a notch or two up from the Riebeeck Hotel ?

Now tell us, Ray, and tell us true. Did you just stand on the sidelines at Bapsfontein, or did you get on the dancefloor and do the "windpomp"?

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote: +1. Saw the Voelvry concert at Stellenbosch's Drie Gewels Hotel after rector infamously banned them from campus. James, even though it was the first time I saw him, was the standout act on the night. Hou my vas, korporaal! The place erupted for Snor City!!! I think the Bernoldus persona was an important and necessary catalyst for what was happening underground in the Afrikaans community. James was, IMHO, astute enough to realise that in the Afrikaans youth lay an important Achilles heel, and brought impetus to that movement by adopting that persona.
Recently bought a compilation with some of his Lurchers and best solo stuff on. Absolutely seminal composer and artist ... ?

There's quite a good book/DVD combo about Voelvry. Some lovely historical footage, and an explanation from Koos Kombuis as to how that tour got big. He says it was nothing to do with politics or the mood of the times or untapped anger, it was to do with him saying "p@3s" on stage.

Snor City was a great song. Showed how good a songwriter Phillips was, and had a great groove.

James Phillips left behind a set of demos on piano or acoustic guitar. These were in good enough shape that they could be released and they served as his last and posthumous album. It's called Soul Ou. That these songs could be released and stand up by themselves in such a stripped down format is another sign of his strength as a songwriter.

IceCreamMan

Stingray .... late 70's early 80's or else the purple haze has me dating em wrong.

Anyone got lyrics and tabs for "Better the devil you know" Stingray version?

Rabbitt were big in late 70's ...monster big. the Springbok series ...gruesome Gresh ....

Bob-Dubery

IceCreamMan wrote: Stingray .... late 70's early 80's or else the purple haze has me dating em wrong.

I saw them at the old Colisseum in 1979, so you're spot on there. They had this three week festival of South African music there. Different acts each week. I saw Baxtop, the Radio Rats, Wild Youth, Renee Arnell, Harari (Sipho Hotstix Mabuse's band), can't recall who else but those were not the only acts.

Anyone got lyrics and tabs for "Better the devil you know" Stingray version?

"Version"? You mean it wasn't theirs?

Rabbitt were big in late 70's ...monster big. the Springbok series ...gruesome Gresh ....

I saw Rabbitt in a basement in a hotel in Joubert Park (the Cardiff?) in 1976. Before the year was out they were the hottest thing since sliced bread. By 1979 it was all over and Duncan Faure had joined the Bay City Rollers.

IceCreamMan

X-rated Bob wrote:
IceCreamMan wrote:

Anyone got lyrics and tabs for "Better the devil you know" Stingray version?
"Version"? You mean it wasn't theirs?

i always thought it was a remake of a more bluesy number , but i could well be wrong on this. The internet does not offer much info on Stingray ...

vic

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. 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?

Ray, there was a band called "The Navarones" from Springs (I think) in the late 60's....headed by the Patterson brothers...have you heard of them ?

Ray

I've heard of them but never heard them. A bit before I was running around.

Bob-Dubery

IceCreamMan wrote: Anyone got lyrics and tabs for "Better the devil you know" Stingray version?

Here's that particular ditty

Trying to find out who wrote it. I think it was Dennis East and Mike Pilot.

vic

Ray wrote: I've heard of them but never heard them. A bit before I was running around.

Their music (mainly R&B..Stones' variant) was broadcasted on LM- or Springbok radio ocassionally during a 30 min programme every weekday at around 6pm. So they must have been groot gooie in the area at the time. As far as I know, there are no vinyls available of them. Pity.

Ray

Well I took a quick look now and saw some google results. And Springs is mentioned. Talk of a drummer called Colin Pratley and I knew him but he was older than me. You from the Springs area Vic?

vic

Ray wrote: Well I took a quick look now and saw some google results. And Springs is mentioned. Talk of a drummer called Colin Pratley and I knew him but he was older than me. You from the Springs area Vic?

No, I am from the PE/Uitenhage area as a youngster...but I liked their music at the time and sort of followed it on radio back then. I recall they had a very good vocalist. Some of the R&B stuff they were doing I actually heard for the first time then, some of which we included in our play list. Could you kindly post a link to the google page?

Ray

OK, so your mention of a Springs band just got al the heimwee going that's why I googled and didnt find much but the mention of Colin Pratley but there really isnt much at all :

http://www.freshmusic.co.za/freedom_battle_liner.html

http://www.garagehangover.com/?q=FreedomsChildren

and look here. But hell I cant remember him being this old hey. and now I wonder if this is the oke I knew.

http://www.colinpratley.co.za/

vic

Ray wrote: OK, so your mention of a Springs band just got al the heimwee going that's why I googled and didnt find much but the mention of Colin Pratley but there really isnt much at all :

http://www.freshmusic.co.za/freedom_battle_liner.html

http://www.garagehangover.com/?q=FreedomsChildren

and look here. But hell I cant remember him being this old hey. and now I wonder if this is the oke I knew.

http://www.colinpratley.co.za/

That's them Ray...and Colin Pratley (drummer).Time and tide wait for no-one... ? The Navarones/Naverones should really get more recognition imho. They were into honest music and were not trying to be revolutionaries in the old SA... :?

Ray

So I go look for Navarones on Rhythm Music store online and find Christams in Cape Town and other stuff but no Navarones. And I look for Colin Pratley and also a whole bunch of other stuff. But I found Freedom's Children and and find A New Day - Freedoms Children (Colin Pratley & Ken E Henson).

Ray

You know what? Some time ago I remember Alan R posted about having worked with David Leadbetter. I think this is the same one becasue the one I was in school with moved to Cape Town. Now, Dave Leadbetter was a musician in Springs if I remember he part timed with a bunch of bands but he was pretty hot on keyboards if I remember. His mom used to paly the piano as well for the ballet teachers' exams and all. Anyway, he was well in with the music scene and could quite possibly know these guys so someone track him down and ask him what's what.

Wizard

Here's a trick.
Go onto facebook and search for someone like Julian Laxton or Caroline Blundell ... then look at their list of friends ... and all the names pop up ?

Renesongs

Although I was a in my teens in the 70's I kind of missed the whole 70's rock thing I felt that after The Cream split up and Hendrix died that rock was sooo old news. I was into Jazz and Fusion Chick Corea Weather Report McLaughlin Miles Davis and such. I didn't get involved too much in the local music scene I was an arrogant young prat that rated people like Trevor Rabin and Julian Laxton as really bad, I told the Cohen Brothers that I was not into there vibe and they should rather get my cousin John to play with them, and they did, they formed "Touch wood" which then spawned Bright Blue and Sweat Band.

Do I regret being so up tight, of course I do, opportunity was not only knocking on my door it was thumping on it, wailing and pleading to be let in but I just turned my back on it, music had left my soul and was now a game being played in my head.

It was late in the 80's that I found my religion again through the Baptist like preaching of Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar. There is of course one thing that unites all contemporary music and puts everything in perceptive and that is the Blues - amen. 8)

IceCreamMan

X-rated Bob wrote:
IceCreamMan wrote: Anyone got lyrics and tabs for "Better the devil you know" Stingray version?
Here's that particular ditty

Trying to find out who wrote it. I think it was Dennis East and Mike Pilot.

Thanks , excellent hey ...damn fine days those