Suck It And See! [Vertigo Sampler 2LP South Africa 1973]

I loved the sampler albums from the late ’60s and the early ’70s. They were a wonderful way to discover lots of new, and often obscure music, with a schoolboy’s limited resources.

One of my favourites was the double album from Vertigo, titled “Suck It And See!”, released in 1973, which went for the princely sum of R5.50 (actually a bargain price at the time!)

From Folk (Magna Carta) to Metal (Black Sabbath) and most places in-between. I listened to this album often in the ’70s, and I still go back to it every now and again, only now it’s a digital playlist.

South African Version

Tracks

1. Paper Plane – Status Quo
2. Mwenga Sketch – Jade Warrior
3. Roller Derby Queen – Jim Croce
4. Time For The Leaving – Magna Carta
5. Living At The End Of Time – Atlantis
6. Bulldance – Ian Carr’s Nucleus
7. (Oh No! Not) The Beast Day – Marsha Hunt’s 22
8. Bump ‘n Grind – Jackson Heights
9. Tomorrow’s Dream – Black Sabbath
10. Don’t Waste My Time – Status Quo
11. Get Your Rocks Off – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
12. Song Of Evening – Magna Carta
13. Children Of The Grave – Black Sabbath
14. Ruckzuck – Kraftwerk
15. Buddah – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
16. One Less Set Of Footsteps – Jim Croce

And yes, “Buddha” was spelt as “Buddah” on this album.

“Space Hymns” by Ramases was released on Vertigo in 1971, and a track from that album, such as “Life Child,” would have fitted perfectly on this sampler. I added it to the Spotify playlist.

I have used the BBC versions of the Status Quo tracks because the originals are not available. The original version of Kraftwerk’s “Ruckzuck” is also unavailable.

~ Brian Currin

Artwork

UK Version

The track listing of the South African pressing differs quite a bit from the UK version, which I only discovered in 2020, thanks to Discogs.

Tracks

1. Children Of The Grave – Black Sabbath
2. Get Your Dog Off Me! – Beggars Opera
3. The Boys In The Band – Gentle Giant
4. Living At The End Of Time – Atlantis
5. Ruckzuck – Kraftwerk
6. Mwenga Sketch – Jade Warrior
7. The Four Horsemen – Aphrodite’s Child
8. Jungle Jenny – The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
9. Don’t Waste My Time – Status Quo
10. Oobleedooblee Jubilee – John Dummer’s Oobleedooblee Band
11. Roller Derby Queen – Jim Croce
12. It’s All Over Now – Rod Stewart
13. Catch You On The Rebop – The Spencer Davis Group
14. Bump ‘n Grind – Jackson Heights
15. Devil In Disguise – Ian Matthews
16. Time For The Leaving – Magna Carta
17. Buddah – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band