Odds and Ends 014
Topics in African History
Guelewar: Halleli N'Dakarou (Teranga Beat) A legendary band recorded live‑-and in Gambia as anywhere else, studio recording can beef up your vocals and frame the rhythm players who do sometimes elevate your songs ("Tara," "Sanehmentereng") ***
Koo Nimo: Highlife Roots Revival (World Music Network)
Nearing 80, Asante palm-wine guardian relaxes with some musicians he knows and demonstrates his less-gentle-than-they-sound guitar tricks for posterity ("See Wo Nom Me [Tsetse Fly You Suck My Blood]," "Efie Ne Fie") ***
The Rough Guide to African Roots Revival (World Music Network)
It was ever thus, ctd.‑-the poor invent urban folk musics, the better off nurture rural ones (Mbira DzeNharira, "Tozvireva Tingaputike Neshungu"; Shiyani Ngcobo, "Sevalina") ***
Cheikh Lô: Jamm (World Circuit/Nonesuch)
Just too nice a guy to make his pan-Africanism panoramic ("Jamm," "Dieuf Dieul") **
Spoek Mathambo: Nombolo One (Motel11 download)
As much tributes as covers, "township tech" remakes of 40 years of South African hits ("Jacknife," "Melodi") **
I Have My Liberty!: Gospel Sounds From Accra, Ghana (Dust-to-Digital)
Urban field recordings from the refuges where Ghanaian women sing to convince themselves that capitalism works (Divine Healer's Church: Nema Assembly, "I Have My Liberty"; Great Grace Church, "Sunday School") *
Sibiri Samaké: Dambe Foli: Bamana Hunters Music (Kanaga System Krush)
Four raw, jamlike, folkloric Mande songs from Mali‑-one lead singer and three backups playing two ngonis, a scraper, and a shaker, hypnotically but perhaps also forbiddingly ("Fakoli `Blacksmith Tribe'") *
The Funkees: Dancing Time (Soundway)
Accurate subtitle, take it or leave it: "The Best of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77" ("Akpankuro," "Ogbu Achara") *
SUPER
BILLION
RECORDS
So what is it--Superbillion or Super Billion, as I had originally? I changed it, but I'm still worrying about it.
Some of you debate pressings. This is the stuff I get antsy about.
....And, What would we do without Wiki? Seriously, It's grown from a joke to a respected source of information. Or maybe it's not respected. I sure use it a lot . Often when looking at an artist or an album page on wiki you can get a ton of neat information, and links to articles and reviews too. I don't worry about the links it's the anecdotal information that I wonder about sometimes.
And, how do they generate revenue? The kindness of strangers it appears, but let's hope that doesn't include the Koch Brothers.
I don't have the LBM comp Joe talks about but I recently upgraded all my Shanachie vinyl to CD. Whatever happened to that label? Where can one find all the great music coming out of South Africa coming out? Besides Spoek and Die Antwoord that is. Speaking of D.A., anyone like their follow up CD.
Reading the review for Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Shanachie 1992), I decided to find out what albums every one of those 16 tracks were culled from. Here's the fruit of my research:
Tracks 2, 15 and 16 come from Induku Zethu (Gallo 1983, Shanachie 1984) Aminus
Tracks 1, 6, 7 and 13 come from Ulwandle Oluncgwele (Gallo 1981, Shanachie 1985) Aminus
Tracks 8, 12 and 14 come from Inala (Gallo 1985, Shanachie 1986) Aminus
Tracks 4, 5 and 10 come from Umthombo Wamanzi (Gallo 1982, Shanachie 1988) Bplus
Tracks 3, 9 and 11 come from Classic Tracks (Shanachie 1990) Aminus
I'm sure everyone knows that the Shanachie releases (with the exception of the Classic Tracks and Best Of comps) were reissues of African albums (on Gallo) for the U.S. market.
OK. I'll sleep well tonight.
At one point I think you might confuse Linkoban with another rapper from Denmark, called Lucy Love (you write Lucy Love in the review). Lucy Love is half Zambian and half British.
Linkoban on the other hand is half Vietnamese and Half chinese - so you where right in your original guess.
They both live in Copenhagen, and are Danish.
Linkoban is signed to Lucys label, Superbillion Records.
Ok, before this spins out of control! I like Meg's drumming, and you're right it fits the music perfectly. I'm just saying that when you actually play it (even in a contrived manner like Rock Band) it's shocking how simple it is compared to most bands. I am nothing close to a real drummer, but I can play Meg's stuff more easily than probably any other drummer in the game
Which is NOT to say I think you need to be flailing away like a maniac to be a good drummer. Keith Moon is one thing, but so is Charlie Watts. And Meg does know where the cymbals are as you say. In fact, that is a big difference when you play Stripes songs. You're hitting the cymbal on nearly every beat. She has a very distinct style.
I'm not meaning a smack-down in any way, just an observation on playing style. So Jack, don't hit me!
about the blogger
Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.
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