Slowly From The South – a compendium of South African Progressive Music 1970-2008 [2CD 2009]

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Slowly From The South - a compendium of South African Progressive Music 1970-2008
Slowly From The South – a compendium of South African Progressive Music 1970-2008

Tracks

Disc 1

  1. Duncan Mackay – Morpheus (edit) [8.38] full length version is used in the Spotify playlist below. This track is credited to Duncan Mackay’s Chimera on the CD back cover
  2. Abstract Truth – Original Man [3.40]
  3. Hawk – Slowly Towards The North (Suite) [15.05] based on the Freedom’s Children track, see comments below
  4. Canamii – Come And Fly [4.55]
  5. Impi – Sun [5.27]
  6. The Kalahari Surfers – Grensvegter [6.24] listed on Spotify as “Dance Of The Young Fascists”
  7. McCully Workshop – Stone Man [9.47]
  8. The Square Set – Boys And Girls Together [6.35]
  9. The Tidal Wave – Get It Out Of Your System [2.29]
  10. The Invaders – Ocean Of Peace [4.22]
  11. Steve Linnegar’s Snakeshed – Tao Ch’ang Wu Wei [4.38]

Disc 2

  1. Assagai – Telephone Girl [4.25] Jade Warrior cover
  2. The Third Eye – Awakening [14.00]
  3. Freedoms Children – About The Dove And His King [3.34]
  4. Wildebeest – Hottentotsgot (live 1981) [4.02] track not on Spotify, see below
  5. Otis Waygood – In The Sun [8.12]
  6. éVoid – Urban Warrior [5.43]
  7. Ramsay MacKay – Saint Judas [5.10]
  8. Rabbitt – And The Planets Danced [3.49] track not on Spotify, see below
  9. Falling Mirror – Theme Of A Dream [3.18]
  10. Jack Hammer – Tribal Fence [4.33] Freedoms Children cover, see comments below
  11. Off The Edge – Grandfather Time [6.37]
  12. David’s Confession – Sometimes [9.49]
  13. Neill Solomon – Magic Man [4.45]

Tracks not available on Spotify

Wildebeest – Hottentotsgot (live 1981)

Rabbitt – And The Planets Danced

Release information

2CD: 2009, RetroFresh, FRESHCD (D) 163

Sleeve Notes

Prog is a four letter word…right? So is ‘rock’, ‘jazz’ and ‘folk’ , these genres combined with classical and blues, are the foundation stones of what music scribes like to call ‘progressive music’ or ‘prog’. From rock’s emergence in the 60’s as a cultural force to be reckoned with , there have been artists and groups  that have sought to push the boundaries of music, to step outside the box and blaze new musical frontiers without a nod to the crass pop commercialism of the ‘industry’. Far from the acid drenched musical meanderings of the mid to late 60’s San Franciscan psychedelic rock experience, musicians globally, and in particular in the prog crucible of the United Kingdom, were creating challenging new music. Experimenting with abstract time signatures, unpredictable chord changes and incorporating influences from around the globe including Indian, Celtic, Arabic and African sounds, a new, thought provoking genre was born. In the UK, bands like Yes, Gentle Giant, Jade Warrior, Gravy Train, Audience and the like influenced hordes of emerging bands across the world.

In the early 70’s South Africa was in it’s third decade of self inflicted political and cultural isolation. Despite a concerted effort by the then Nationalist government to ‘protect the youth’ by blocking the flow of progressive cultural ideas via a series of bannings, restrictions and high import tariffs, rock music per se, and all it represented, managed to reach these Southern shores and inseminate a flowering home grown rock revolution….Although some groups simply emulated the sounds of their international counterparts, some South African bands embraced their African roots, drawing on home grown melodic and rhythmic structures, meshing them with European influences and producing a heady variant of progressive music that fits snugly alongside their international compatriots.

“Slowly …from the South” showcases  the cream of South African prog rock of the last 40 years. Tucked inside  you will hear the music of some of South Africa’s heavyweight musical sons & daughters, some familiar and others only recognised in name but never heard outside these southern shores, until now. Although it documents predominantly the 70’s and 80’s it also includes several current artists who are blazing new frontiers in progressive music.

“Slowly….” is the culmination of close to two years of research and planning, tracking down long lost masters, photos and information, at times akin to a Sherlock Holmes investigation..The concept credit really belongs to Tertius Louw, who is rightly regarded worldwide as the ‘Rosetta Stone’ of South African popular music. Without his knowledge, extensive music and pictorial database this release would not have seen the light of day.

– Benjy Mudie March 2009

“This double cd compilation is unique in it’s kind. It is the first indigenous compilation set that showcases the cream of South African musicians who explored both jazz and prog rock genres during the seventies and beyond. A number of the artists also enjoyed international presence with their musical output and the tracks appearing on this cd were taken from sought-after albums that are fetching exorbitant prices on E-Bay these days”.

~ Tertius Louw

Many of the artist’s albums featured on this compilation can be purchased online at RetroFresh

Slowly From The South (2CD 2009. back cover, inner)

Comments

The title of this compilation, “Slowly From The South”, was a name coined by Brian Currin, inspired by Freedoms Children’s “Slowly Towards The North.” It reflects the challenges South African music faces in gaining international recognition.

Slowly Towards The North

The song “Slowly Towards The North” was written by Ramsay Mackay and recorded by Freedoms Children for the Astra album in 1970 and as a reworked and expanded suite by Hawk on the Live And Well album in 1974.

“Slowly Towards The North” was included as part of the track Pofadder by Wildebeest in 1981 and was also recorded by Jack Hammer (whose founder Piet Botha had been in Wildebeest) and released on the TuksFM Sessions CD in February 2006.

Brian Currin

Tribal Fence

“Tribal Fence” was composed by Ramsay MacKay and first recorded by Freedoms Children and released on their 1970 album Astra. It was recorded by Rabbitt on their A Croak And A Grunt In The Night album in 1977. The Rabbitt version featured the incredible vocal talents of Margaret Singana, who had been the lead singer on The Warrior album by Ipi ‘N Tombia in 1973.

Margaret Singana also recorded a very powerful version of “Tribal Fence” which was released as the title track of her album in 1977. The album was produced by Julian Laxton (from Freedoms Children) and Trevor Rabin (from Rabbitt).

The band Wildebeest recorded the song live and it appeared in 1981 on the Bushrock 1 album. “Tribal Fence” was recorded by Jack Hammer (whose founder Piet Botha had been in Wildebeest) and released on The Pilgrim album in April 2005.

Brian Currin

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