Here’s a classic cheap pressed record for Chano, both for his frequent comments on this around the world punk trip, and as he did a request for this one.
This is the first South African punk band who ended up on vinyl, and what a great band they were! It seems like there’s some sort of hype about them going on right now after the release of their retrospective CD that came out last year. Apart from that, and a “new” 7″ (a 1980 recording of All messed up/ So messed up on Retribution records), Rolling Stone magazine opened their Music Exchange conference presentation in Capetown with the song “Wot ‘Bout Me”. For being such a boring magazine at least they had class enough to open the conferance with a really good song!
I’m actually a bit uncertain of which year this one was released, but it was recorded in 1979 for sure, so I assume that’s the release year as well. Might have been released early in 1980 as well. Despite all the info about them online, I can’t find a release year.
So, is this record worth the hype? In my opinion, absolutely! It may not be ground breaking musically, but concidering that the band came from South Africa, and the early release year it’s ground breaking per se, and their importance can not be over looked. That the drummer ended up in another, more well known band; Power Age may help add to their legacy. And despite not being over the top musically, both songs are still corkers. I have a hard time to choose which song I like the best, one day it’s the sneering “Wot ‘Bout Me” with it’s great lyrics about Johnny, Joe, Sid, Elvis Pelvis etc, and the other day it’s the slightly faster and tougher “Radio Youth”. Anyway, they’re both catchy as hell and my favourite South African punk record. And just in case you’re wondering, there were more bands flying the flag there as well. Riot Squad S.A. have been posted here earlier, and Power Age was mentioned earlier. Then there was the thrashy Rezillios wannabes’ in Peach, the cutely named Ultra White Lovers and the post-Wild Youth Gay Marines as well as bands as The Pop Guns who did a super rare single in 1980, Dog Detachment who had a bunch of releases up their sleeves, just as Asylum Kids. Then there are the Safari Suits, The ska-tingled the Gents, Radio Rats, Corp. National Wake, Punishment etc. Lots of these bands and records have been, or are being reissued as I write this, but as far as I know most of the tape releases are still not reissued, but hopefully they will be some day.
If you who read this happen to have a copy of it, the last copy that sold on a popular international website when for over $700 in VG- condition, so there’s some hard cash to be made if you’re tired of your copy.
As a last thing, there are rumors about a sleeve to this record, and a sleeve does exist, but it’s not done by the band, but by a fan/ fans and consists of news paper clips about the band. I’ve never seen it so a scan of it would be very welcome.
Country: South Africa
Year: 1979
Label: Not On Label
Format: 7″
Songs:
Wot about me.mp3
Radio youth.mp3
