Veteran Benn loxo listener/writer, ubulujaja, is right in pointing out that we should all check-out The Green Arrows if we’re into the sounds of Mapfumo & co.

Zexie Manatsa and his band dominated the Zimbabwean charts from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. Their first big hit was 1974’s Chipo Chiroorwa, which sold over 25 000 copies. That put it in the history books as the first ever Zimbabwean release to go gold. They were also the first Zimbabwean group ever to release an LP.

Unfortunately, Manatsa was in a car accident in the late 80s that destroyed all the band’s musical equipment. They never really got back on their feet. Like many former musical greats, Manatsa also lost his edge to the church. His new group, The Gospel Arrows, never really went anywhere. That said, the man can still rock his old stuff; he played a comeback gig in Harare in 2005 that apparently brought down the house. I’ll add that to the list of “concerts I should have attended”.

Today’s track comes off Samy Ben Redjeb of Analog Africa’s release of The Green Arrows recordings between 1974-1979. You can buy it on Amazon and, amazingly, it looks like iTunes carries the album as well.

Zexie Manatsa & The Green Arrows – Towering Inferno