Jun 15/07
Begging a remake
Another Benn loxo reader, Rob, came through huge this week with no less than six Original Music releases that I don’t already have. That puts my mini-collection at twelve. Nothing compared to this guy, but one day I’ll have all 39. If that ever happens maybe I’ll see what I can do about getting them re-released. I wonder who now holds the rights..
Africa Dances is an Original Music compilation from way back in 1973. It features music from 13 African countries, from Mozambique to Ethiopia to Sierra Leone. I already own about half of the music featured on the album, but there were still a few gems in there that I’d never heard.
Easily my favourite on the compilation is Miss Smodern by a South African group named, surprisingly, Smodern. This great track is begging for a clean-up and a remake. And I’ve never posted any music from Zambia on Benn loxo so we’ll hear some interesting sounds by John Lushi.
There’s a good interview with Original Music’s founder, John Storm Roberts, here. I also just found an aging blog of his on Blogger. Does anyone know him? From what I can tell he’s 71 and lives in NY.. I think I’ll try to get in touch.
ps- just realized that I already posted some Broadway Dance Band off Africa Dances way back in November 2004. Apparently I lost the album in the Dakar-Paris move.. glad it’s back in the collection!
Smodern – Miss Smodern
John Lushi – Bamgufya Ba Kwoti
I think this could be perfect road trippin musica.
Thanks – I love this! This LP was posted on Waxidermy, with the lovely track Love Is Love by Alemayehu Eshete. The same track has been reissued on the Love Is Love compilation on Mississippi Records, along with some more excellent recordings done by Hugh Tracey.
http://waxidermy.com/2006/07/25/various-african-dances/
http://www.waxidermy.com/audio/african_dances.mp3
I wonder who now holds the rights..
My understanding of the Original Music comps is that they were essentially bootlegs assembled from records that John Storm Roberts owned… so I would guess the question of “rights” is convoluted and thorny.
By the way, there’s some interesting history of John Storm Roberts and Original Music in this blog post.
I pitched the idea of re-issuing these to the owner of Honest Jons and his reply was: BOOTLEGS. So AB I think you’re right. Doesn’t take away from the fact that they have given me hour of pleasure, especially the Sound of Kinshasa disc.
Love that crisp South African guitar sound on the Smodern track, great stuff
I used to chat w/ JSR whenever I bought records from him. My impression (and understanding) was that he had legitimate copyright to most of the material he published (certainly true of the Francis Bebey disc).
He even tried to have me negotiate a reissue with Jean Bikoko of Cameroon.
He is a fascinating man and quite a talker.
[...] might have already heard some John Lushi, who appears on this compilation, on Original Music’s Africa Dances [...]
I am happy owner of this LP.
The Miss Smodern song mentioned above contains the greatest guitar solo ever recorded.