Unsung Music was a record label listed on their releases as based at 54 High St in central Auckland. Active in the early 1980s, they were home to some very cool leftfield music happening
around Auckland at the time.
Their releases came from a few collectives like Big Sideways, 3 Voices, Avant Garage or bands like Miltown Stowaways (featuring ex members of the Newmatics) and Peking Man.
I'm not sure how they did it, but the Miltown Stowaways managed to release 3 records in 1983, all on three different labels (Unsung, Propeller, Hit Singles).
Big Sideways kicked off in mid 1982, andgrew out of a Labour Dept (now WINZ)-funded work scheme for unemployed musicians called the PEP scheme, which ran for 6 month stints. This collective served up a self-titled album followed by a 12" single on Unsung
Music.
Another track off the Big Sideways album, Conversation with a machine (written and
sung by Blam Blam Blams' Mark Bell), featured on 'Unexplored – A Compilation Of New Zealand Recordings 1982–86' released on US label Strange Weekend Records in 1986.
Guava is a wonderfully jaunty track by Ivan Zagni, who was also musical
director for Big Sideways. Other members included Kelly Rogers and Sid
Pasley (Newmatics), Jacqui Brooks (Freudian Slips), Paul Hewitt (Coconut Rough) and John Quigley and
Phil Steele (The Bongos). Rogers and Pasley were in the Miltown
Stowaways, along with Benny Staples, also ex Newmatics.
Zagni was born in Norwich, England in 1942, and sang as a boy chorister at Norwich St John the Baptist Catholic Cathedral.
He started playing guitar at age 12 and later moved to London in 1964, working as a freelance session musician.
Zagni's Wikipedia entry says "In 1970 he returned to Norwich to study piano and composition. From 1971
to 1977 he was Choir Master at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich
where he composed a number of works for the Cathedral. He then returned to London, becoming increasingly involved in the
European improvisation scene and spending six months in Amsterdam."
He moved to Auckland NZ in 1980 with his NZ-born wife and has worked as a freelance musician, teacher and composer. One of his first musical releases here was an EP in 1982 for Propeller called Standards, collaborating with Don McGlashan (Blam Blam Blam/Muttonbirds). He also played guitar on the track Call for help on Blam Blam Blam's album Luxury Length.
Wikipedia on Big Sideways: "They toured nationally with assistance from NZ Rail. Big Sideways continued without Zagni and released the 3-song 12" Let It Out with new members including Graeme Gash and Tom Ludvigson (Low Profile/Bluespeak). Justin Harwood (Coconut Rough/The Chills/Luna) also spent time in Big Sideways. They supported Split Enz on their 1983 New Zealand tour and were one of the last groups to play Mainstreet in Auckland.
"Zagni's work with Steve Garden (Low Profile) on the Avant Garage album and their subsequent collaboration 'A Selection of Trouble Spots' (1984) recorded in Basement Tapes, Garden's basement studio, set the scene for what would become Garden's label Rattle Records."
William Dart noted in 2005 that "In New Zealand, 20 years ago, he helmed Avant Garage, the hippest ensemble imaginable. The classical set knew cellist Amanda Hollins and bassoonist Mark McEwan, rock'n'rollers had grooved to drummer Ben Staples and guitarist Mark Bell, and cellist Pam Gray was a prominent Pramazon and well-known in politico-performance art circles."
Avant Garage started in early 1983 and was the second band put together by Zagni under the PEP scheme, after his time with Big Sideways. Members included Peter Scholes, Pam Gray, Benny Staples, Prasada, Mike Caen (ex Blind Date), Tim Mahon ( ex Blam Blam Blam) and Wayne Laird.
Zagni has also composed music for orchestra, film, tv, and dance performance for the likes of Limbs Dance Company.
Given the organic nature of the production process it is quaintly appropriate that the launch pad for Trip To The Moon is a garden shed! The 7m x 4m model to the side of Tom Ludvigson's home in the Western Springs suburb of central Auckland houses plenty of tools, but there's not a home handyman or garden implement in sight - these tools are all for music making.
Keyboards, drum machines, mixers, processors and computer equipment, old and new, line one side of the shed. Filing and storage media, a desk, table, upright piano, large 3-way monitors and an assortment of chairs fill the rest of the space.
Step carefully inside on a Saturday or Monday afternoon (their current twice-a-week recording schedule) and through the smoke haze you'll find Tom and the other half of Trip To The Moon, Trevor Reekie, at work on their latest cut. This is where their soon-to-be-released album 'Dusk', and its predecessor 'Jazz Hop' were born. Hang around for more than an hour and you may even witness the outline of a brand new song materialise before your ears - they take shape remarkably swiftly.
It's the freedom of a well equipped home studio which allows this pair to create the many layered electronic soundscapes which are the trademark of TTTM. The self-descriptive 'Jazz Hop' debut has sold rather fewer than 1000 copies, and while Trevor owns the Antenna Records label on which it was released in June '97, you can only imagine that earnings covered little more than the power bill over the year that it was conceived. With the luxury of no-charge studio time tracks can be manipulated and reworked to their satisfaction.
The TTTM musical gestation is a constantly surging blend of computer manipulated samples to be later topped, more often than not these days, with a tastefully understated vocal track from 20 year old newcomer Rachel Weatherley, pictured with them on our cover. When not involved in one of many different collaborative music projects, and left alone in his studio, Tom routinely identifies sound bites and rhythms that may provide starting points for future tracks, creating loops and musical stabs, cataloguing them in his head and on a variety of computer storage media.
Tom (the Ludvigson belies his Swedish birth) has been an exponent of electronic music since he bought his first synth, an Electrocomp EML500, some 20 years ago, about the same time Split Enz also bought one. He has been making and recording music with the aid of computers since the days of the Commodore 64 (!) and Internet's predecessor Compuserve.
"The multitrack software I use is called Samplitude. It's a German programme which I bought four years ago through a company in the States. I've had some upgrades since, but I understand it is still one of the most versatile programmes around. Somehow I've got really good, I can work it very fast."
Tom and Trevor have been musically linked for a decade with Trip To The Moon growing from Tom's contributions to Trevor's solo - with friends - ambient project called Cosa (Nostra). Tom recollects back to 1984 when they were competing for public recognition. Trevor was guitarist in the seminal electronic Car Crash Set, releasing their album 'No Accident', at the same time Tom was in Snap with Graham Gash and others, releasing a 12" single called Sidewalk City which reflected the break dance phenomenon of the time.
They met formally some years later through Auckland jazz/blues outfit Bluespeak which just this month released its third album on Trevor's Pagan Records label. Tom played on both Cosa albums which led to the forming of TTTM in 1996.
By now their working relationship is seemingly effortless—a nod, a glance or a half framed question is all that is needed to gain (dis)approval, or to set either off on a new creative course. For two such accomplished, respected and opinionated musicians it is remarkably free of conflict - creative ideas and roles are swapped without either seeming to notice or care. Their communication at times appears telepathic, ideas often come simultaneously. "I'm always two or three seconds ahead of Trevor" quips Tom.
"We've got good enough to know when we are wasting our time now," says Trevor. "It took us a while to sort that out. We tend to fill up, cut down, bring it back, fill up, prune back... and then other things develop - but eventually it can get to be an indulgence. When you've been through all the cycles you've got, and without becoming repetitive you could only start it again, give up - though, I s'pose, you could dub it up at that stage!"
Sounds a little formulaic perhaps but Tom points out that it is just one way of approaching this type of composing.
"The formula is only in the description - it's different every time. The software and using the mouse forces you into a way of working, but within that it's really different I think. I'm so used to recording like this I can't imagine any other way. I watched that 'Get Your Act Together' programme with producers still working with tape and thought 'I could never do that again'(unless I was paid to) - it just seemed so old fashioned."
The TTTM recording process involves several distinct stages and various collaborations. Overlaying a rhythmic bed with selected samples to shape the verse/chorus groove of a track is stage one. Before the song is too shaped however it is burnt to CD and given to Rachel (or in some cases Bobbylon of former Hallelujah Picassos fame) for vocal interpretation. They are left entirely to their own devices to conjure up the vocals.
"It's a nice open process", enthuses Tom. "Part of the trick of our collaborative process is to not put in too much harmony early on. The one voice can be harmonised in many different ways, leaving scope for creating a chorus out of something that wasn't a chorus initially."
A week or so later Rachel visits the tiny recording studio at Pagan Records in Parnell which Trevor and his partners in Media Music also use to record radio shows 'Counting The Beat', 'Kiwi Chart Breakdown', 'Rock Your Radio' and 'The Beat Files'. There engineer David Rhodes records her vocals, dropping them onto DAT to be imported onto Tom's computer. Layers of sound are added and subtracted at every listening.
"Depending on what comes back from Rachel we may re-arrange it or perhaps cut it into a different structure and then she might possibly sing it again with more lyrics. It's a real process thing of giving the music back and forth. If there is a section of four or eight bars that are unexciting then we cut them up!" Tom continues. "Our composition is so interactive which makes it impossible to separate the contributions. It's very collage... very post modern. Actually Trevor plays all the guitar - I don't think he'll let me! And when he plays keyboards he has a different approach to me - some really good synth lines have come out of his playing. "
The new 11-track album 'Dusk' was 2 1/2 years in the making, though it really came together since the beginning of '98.
Tom: "Fifteen months ago we had a finished album, but it was an instrumental album with only Tuffy's Dub vocalised (by Tuffy Culture and Dubhead). After that we started working with Bobbylon and only nine months ago with Rachel."
Trevor: "Dusk Falls Into Me was the first one that Rachel did for us - it's a killer track and a big part of the album."
Tom: "I was impressed by that. She came up with the vocals then some crucial things in the harmony were added afterwards because of what she had done."
Trevor: "When I Can Change (TTTM's first single release, featuring the voice of Bobbylon) started to get radio airplay we cottoned onto a new thing - that it is achievable! Suddenly we had a yardstick to measure everything else we were creating. That's probably what we lacked on the first album. We've got it sussed now and are moving into a project with Rachel and we've already found our yardstick song for that."
Tom: "We'd done an instrumental album and started another with a few vocal tracks. Then it became a vocal album with a few instrumentals! At some stage we crossed a threshold between the old project and the new project, and knew what we were doing. My vision is in terms of songs and radio play at the moment, I'm not thinking weird and peculiar as much as I have at other stages - I'm saving that for the Workshop."
Trevor: "We put the old stuff to one side and thought 'we can do something better'. The last six months were the fastest creativity that we've done for ages, so we could afford to throw things away. For instance I said to Tom that I loved the groove on a song by Everything But The Girl. In the process of almost mimicking it Tom made a mistake and put it into half time and we discovered the rhythm for Catch My Fall."
Videos of Catch My Fall and I Can Change (both directed by Peter McLennan) as well as remixes by Alan Jansson, DLT, Chris Van de Geer and Joost Langeveld have helped build a profile without TTTM having played a gig.
With the album's release soon through Antenna/Virgin, and a series of TTTM gigs now planned (one small step for man, one giant leap etc!), Rachel has effectively become a card carrying member - providing not just the voice but some much needed glamour to what has to date been a studio-only project. Not to imply that Trevor and Tom lack glamour, but with close to a century of years between them they'd probably be the first to admit they do! The pair discovered Rachel through engineer David Rhodes' band Cosmonaut in which she was vocalist.
Rachel's atmospheric, almost eerie vocals bring to mind Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. Born in Suffolk, England, she came to New Zealand seven years ago and is in the third year of a Bachelor of International Communications. Her vocal training, she says, extends to her church school choir, songwriting experience to "little poems", and apart from Cosmonaut she has only been in bands that lasted about a week. Her spartan lyrics come easily, too much time spent, she says, and she loses continuity.
Trevor: "Rachel has something very original going for her and we needed a vehicle for what we are doing. It wasn't ever a decision to make her a regular fixture, it evolved."
Tom: "We have a greater emphasis on process than on product. That's how we make our product, by just tinkering with the process. We have always allowed our guests the freedom to choose what they wanted to say and then ourselves the priviledge to edit it. Just as we have cut and moved around Johnny (Fleury)'s bass lines and Greg (Johnson)'s trumpet, so have we cut and moved around Bobby and Rachel's vocals. They were a contribution that's going to be mucked around with - at the same time they have the freedom of a partly painted canvas. Not everybody rises to that occasion."
An idea hits Tom and he starts pulling out cables from one piece of equipment to patch in another. His parent's engineering background endowed him with not only the operating skills, but an interest in and understanding of the workings of the equipment he now commands without hesitation. There's no patch bay or mixing desk and little that could be considered 'state of the art', but its modular nature allows him to harness the best aspects of the different equipment to create individual effects.
Tom: "For instance I often play natural instrument sounds of the T1 (itself already a decade old) but I play it using the arpeggiator on the little Prophecy One because it's got a great programmable arpeggiator, and once you let out your samples you can get percussive effects as if you are playing them. It's the same with a lot of these things, they all link up and I know what I want to utilise from each of them."
Trevor's guitar effects stretch to the diminutive Korg ToneWorks Pandora multi-effect processor (as used by Darcy Clay), an e-bow and a wah wah pedal. Apart from a more powerful computer Tom surprises himself by acknowledging there is nothing else he desires at the moment equipment-wise.
"There's always things that would enhance, maybe a pair of Technics 1200 turntables instead of this borrowed Garrard that I use sometimes. All of the resources that we need we have here. If we want exotic percussion I just pull out the sample library. A lot of the new stuff is software anyway, and much of it is just downloaded from the Net."
While Trevor heads Pagan et al,Tom has a Ph.D in Social Anthropology and occasionally, in among the music projects, he is employed by local bodies and overseas groups as a consultant to make social impact assessments of proposed developments.
An extraordinarily talented multi-instrumentalist, Tom is credited as co-writer (with Greg Johnson) on most of Bluespeak's new self-titled album which, in stark contrast to 'Dusk', was recorded over just two days. He also heads the experimental Inner City Jazz Workshop along with Chris Webb, Peter Scott and Paul Hewitt, who visit his studio every second Friday to do "whatever we feel like - it doesn't always end up sounding like music in the conventional sense."
"I also get fed a steady stream of techno by Mike Weston and Jed Town, and perform my own stuff under the name Alloy. Then there's occasional gigs with Rick Bryant as The Squares...
"I'm a musician at heart and it just pokes out in all different kinds of ways. To me there's nothing strange about it, it's just different kinds of discipline and focus - and it's great fun."
Tom's looking forward to taking 'Dusk' outside of the studio.
"I can't wait, I like performing - I'm not doing enough at the moment. Why not do a tour?"
To which Trevor, drawing on his many years of gigging experience, instinctively replies, "God forbid!"
Moon Gear - a brief checklist
Etherwave Theremin Electrocomp EML 500 synthesiser Sequential Circuits Pro One, Drumtraks, Prophet 2002 Korg Poly Six, Prophecy, T1 Worksta-tion, Pandora Boss SP-202 Dr Sample Roland MC-303 Groovebox, SVC-350 vocoder, Juno 60, MKS-20 digital piano Yamaha RM602 mixer,2 x KM802 Waldorf MiniWorks Morley Pro Phaser pedal
Out today on CD/LP/digital, from the mighty Sola Rosa: "The next musical chapter of Andrew Spraggon, aka Sola Rosa, has arrived with the release of new long player, Chasing The Sun, out now.
Five years in the making, and honed to perfection, the project was written and recorded between Auckland, London and Sydney and includes a heavy hitting line-up of vocalists and session musicians alongside the core Sola Rosa band.
This sophisticated 12 track collection is bursting with classics in the making and features long-time Rosa associate and Streets singer, Kevin Mark Trail, Basement Jaxx’ long-term collaborator Sharlene Hector, UK reggae star Kiko Bun, London’s singer/songwriter Josh Barry, eclectic Neo-Soul singer Jerome Thomas, British reggae and dub MC vocalist Eva Lazarus, up and coming Australian artist Thandi Phoenix, plus Aotearoa’s own ex-pat vocalist Wallace and maverick Troy Kingi."
Chasing The Sun tracklist:
1. For The Mighty Dollar ft. Kevin Mark Trail & Sharlene Hector 2. Runnin’ ft. Shach Seven & Sharlene Hector 3. Something Good ft. Thandi Phoenix 4. You Don’t Know ft. Josh Barry 5. Chasing The Sun ft. Wallace & Kevin Mark Trail 6. Star to Star ft. Troy Kingi 7. Searching For Love ft. Kiko Bun 8. Shine On ft. Thandi Phoenix 9. No Idea ft. Jerome Thomas 10. So Many Times ft. Kevin Mark Trail 11. My Love ft. Eva Lazarus 12. Closing Statement ft. Wallace
DJ Raw by DJ Sir-Vere, Back2Basics, vol 3 issue 18 Apr-Jun 2009
Wellington's DJ Raw is a pioneer. One of New Zealand's most experienced DJ's, his name comes up in any conversation about Aotearoa’s finest DJ talents of all-time. From his DJ titles, tutoring at the Whitireia DJ school, to his involvement with the Footsouljahs, Raw has always maintained lofty standards in all facets of his art, setting benchmarks for all that follow to aspire to.
When did you first start DJ?
I guess I started to buy music when I was at Intermediate, tapes mostly. [I] started messing around with records & stereo systems at 14, but got a proper setup - SL-1200 turntables and a BVL mixer - when I was 18. What inspired you to start DJing?
Lots of things. I was into breaking but wasn't very good. I liked the vibe and feel of the music, but when I was 15 me and some college mates - Kosta RIP - used to go try our luck at trying to get into nightclubs. I had been to a few clubs and seen a few DJ's, then I came across a DJ called Tee Pee, and I have to say he was one of my biggest influences. He was the full package as an entertainer - with perfect beat mixing, scratching, rapping, and he could pop too. Plus he was full of information about artists, music and DJ techniques.
What was your first battle and how does it go?
1989 Numark PPD Wellington heat. I was shaking with nerves, and it was all over in a flash, but the encouragement that I got from people there was really good and I managed to make it through to the NZ finals. The biggest learning curve was trying to handle a pressure of being in the spotlight and remember the routine, because usually all you remember when you're finished is the parts that went wrong.
You won the Australasian title in 1997 - how difficult was it to win in Australia?
I can't say it was hard, and I can't say it was easy either. In competition you try to prepare the best you can, and it was probably the most time I’ve ever had to prepare. I knew to make the finals I would need 7 battle sets and I had about 12, all with the same amount of difficulty, so I had the luxury of being able to save some of what were my better sets for the semis and final. One thing I remember was that the guy that was looking after me in Sydney - Leo Tanio - said ‘these Aussie judges are corrupt - if you are going to win, you're going to have to blow them away’, which gave me the feeling [of what] I was up against from the start, and ended up being really good motivation.
Which title are you the most proud of?
Probably the 1997 Australasian ITF Champs, because it was an international title, and it was the one that took me to the ITF world finals, which was the first real world championships in a battle format. The 2000 New Zealand DMC Champs was also special too. Although I didn't enter every battle that I could of, [it] marked a run of 10 years undefeated in New Zealand for me.
What are your thoughts on the battle scene now?
DJs need to get involved if they want to keep it going. A lot of DJs practice and say they're going to enter comps and then drop nuts when it comes down to it. I think a lot of guys don't want to enter until they are good enough to win, and when they don't win they don't enter anymore. Nobody is going to win their first time out, but just going in and trying your best is an experience that will set you up for better performances. All you have to do is look at the track record of all New Zealand champions - myself, Sub-Zero, P-Money, DJ CXL, Manchoo, Alphabet, Abbott and Impact - we have all had losses before going on to represent overseas.
What are your thoughts on Serato Scratch Live?
You got to have it for you will be left in the dust by guys that couldn't even normally mix records and now do it all with visual aids. I was judging at the DMC NZ finals last year, and at the end they got Ned Roy to present first place and he grabbed the mic and the first thing he said was ‘F*** Serato, they are killing off vinyl!’ First thing I thought was ‘what a d***’ cause Serato was the main sponsor of the competition, and a lot of these competitions wouldn't happen without sponsor’s involvement - and second, for me it's almost the opposite. [Serato is] what’s keeping me on the turntables.
Before Serato I would do gigs with turntables and CDJs, and about 60% of the music I was using was on CD. Because if you wanted the latest tracks you could get them, burn them to disc and be playing them about three or four weeks before the vinyl even [hit] the stores. If anyone is killing vinyl it's the record labels. The price to manufacture and distribute vinyl around the world, compared to making and distributing an audio file to the ‘net and iTunes is a no-brainer. So, for me Serato is keeping turntables alive. For a working DJ it's the best - it makes life easy, and Serato just keeps getting better every update.
Most DJs I speak to cite you as a major influence, how does that make you feel?
It's always nice to be recognised for your achievements, and humbling to think people have enjoyed what I do. I have always thought that you can see DJs on videos or on the ‘net but when you see a DJ doing their thing right in front of you with your own eyes, it's a different feeling of inspiration. I guess having been around for a long time, and played a lot of places [laughs]. Most of my biggest influences come from NZ.
Name your favourite DJs of all time
Internationally - Qbert, Roc Raida, Aladdin, Jazzy Jeff, Cash Money, Craze, Noise, J-Rocc, Total Eclipse. Locally - Manuel Bundy, Sub-Zero, DJ CXL, Manchoo, Alphabethead, DJ Manny (Sydney).
How much are you DJing nowadays?
Nowadays the DJ school is my full time gig, and it’s time consuming. I still like to play out as much as possible, but it’s more like a nice release rather than a financial need. I do a monthly show called Infamous Fridays, and Super Club is always a big gig. Recently I did some cool shows, like NZ Red Hot - that was a huge expo in the Philippines put on by the NZ Embassy and NZ Trade and Enterprise - that was awesome. [I] opened for Chris Brown and Rihanna in Wellington, did the closing ceremony of the Rugby Sevens in front of 38,000, and just finished DJing a play called Who’s Poppin with and actor friend Sopa Enari, and that won Pick of the Fringe Festival and will run again later this year.
How have you stayed relevant after so many years DJing?
I know you never stop learning when it comes to DJing. There is always a new scratch or juggle, so I like to try and understand the technique behind them and, although I don't practice routines any more, I still jam most days, even if it's just 10 minutes. I have also tried to stay proactive in the scene whether it's [by] setting up gigs or competitions [and] trying to make things happen for younger DJs. I think, after 22 years of spinning, music and DJing is just part of me.
What’s the future of DJing?
[It's] hard to say. Music is so easily available and technology changing the game, the future is pretty much down to how you connect the two creatively and technically. Video DJing seems the next step, but at the moment requires a lot of work and high specs on your hardware. Also, I don't think anybody [goes] to the club to watch TV all night.
Titles won by DJ Raw
1990 Wellington DMC Champion
1991 Wellington DMC Champion
1991 New Zealand DMC Champion
1993 MaiFM - Ruff House Battle for Supremacy Champion
1994 New Zealand Disco Mix Competition Champion
1997 New Zealand ITF Champion
1997 Australasian DMC Champion
2000 Central Region ITF Champion
2000 New Zealand DMC Champion
From the archives... early 2000s AK rap from Coco Solid, Emcee Lucia and others... hat tip to Martyn P for the link
"WWC was a short-lived collaboration between two musicians with experience in New Zealand’s alternative rock scene, Robert Lundon (guitarist, songwriter with Celine, Pit Viper), and Dale Cotton (drummer, producer for Dimmer, HDU and The Bats, among many others), and equally experimental visual artist Daniel Malone. In the early 2000’s they built a studio, wrote some music, and recorded a handful of tracks apiece with rappers Coco Solid and Emcee Lucia, and a couple with singers Hayley Hansell and Morgan.
A few singles put out on their own label "Aoatearoa Records" got some radio airplay, and an album was anticipated but didn’t eventuate before WWC dissolved. Lundon went on to work with the legendary Dam Native and gangster rapper Erhmen, Cotton was part of the phenomenal success of Beastwars, and the two emcees went on to record great albums of their own (Coco Solid: Denim & Leather; Emcee Lucia: On The Cusp…).
Thanks to Covid-19-induced introspection and Cotton’s careful archiving, these early WWC tracks have recently re-surfaced, revealing an uncompromising and still remarkably fresh approach. Here collected together and available with some of the vintage artwork for the first time—Unreleased!"
A few of these gems have been released as bonus tracks or the odd 45, like the fantastic title track, covering Kenny Rogers via Betty Lavette - scored that back when it came out in 2004.
But the one to check is the incredibly funky Prince cover, done for a tribute album (youtube clip below). The Shuggie Otis cover is sweet too. They used to do an amazing live version of Bobby Bland's Road of broken hearted men, wish that was here. Wonder if they ever recorded it?
From Daptone: "Often, in an effort to save the expense of licensing an original master from a major label, a music supervisor may request a song be re-created as closely as possible. Such was the case when a well-known bank asked the band to cut Stevie Wonder’s classic, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” for a TV commercial, or when Hank Shockley asked for a perfect replay of Bad Medicine’s funky instrumental, “Trespasser” for the American Gangster soundtrack.
Both “Rescue Me” and “In the Bush” were among the outtakes on the cutting room floor of The Wolf of Wall Street motion picture soundtrack, for which the band recorded several unused sides. “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” was not just a remake of the Kenny Rogers’ First Edition hit, but more specifically a near re-play of Bettye Lavette’s 1968 version, and was notably the very first recording done at the Daptone House of Soul studio in 2002. Likewise, the band’s replay of Gladys Knight’s “Giving Up” was specifically requested but unused by a producer who was confident he needed it to sample for a beat on a Dr. Dre album.
“Little by Little,” “Inspiration Information,” “Here I Am Baby,” and “Take Me with U” were cut for tribute projects to Dusty Springfield, Shuggie Otis, The Marvelettes, and Prince, respectively. The latter of which is a perfect example of the way the band was able to take a familiar tune and completely flip it on it’s head.
Of course, there were also many non-contracted covers over the years that the band cut of their own volition, starting with the complete re-invention of Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done for Me Lately” on the their 2001 debut LP, Dap-Dippin’ with..., which convinced more than a few fans that Sharon’s version was in fact the original after a counterfeit news article surfaced claiming that Jones was suing Jackson for copyright infringement. Sharon’s heart-wrenching take on Bob Marley’s early Wailers ballad “It Hurts to be Alone” is a tender nod to the soul that Jamaica borrowed from the States in the early sixties.
Though the band has mostly built their career on a prolific catalog of originals, these forays into other artists’ compositions lay bare their gift for arrangement and the unmatched studio prowess that earned them their reputation as The Baddest Band in the Land."
Out Oct 23 on Daptone, digital.
I found this great 9 min intervew with Gabe Roth of Daptone from 2018 talking about the label's plans, a few years after Sharon had passed away. Check the wicked uptempo cover of 'Heard it thru the grapevine' 2 mins in...
Dawn Raid by Kerry Buchanan, Real Groove, May 2001
“Who can you compare Brotha D and me to?” says Andy Murnane (aka Y.D.N.A.), co-CEO of South Auckland hiphop label Dawn Raid Entertainment. “Can you compare us to Che and Kapisi, can you compare us to Master P and Russell Simmons, because they are two who built an empire? We aren’t just trying to build rap.”
Staunch words, but Y.D.N.A. and Danny Leaosavaii (aka Brotha D) can back it up. Similar to that old movie about a two-headed transplant, but in this case with one brain; the duo think and do the same. One’s Irish, the other Samoan, but that hasn’t got much to do with it - it’s more about community, pride and respect to the culture that nurtured them.
The seeds of Dawn Raid began in 1996, at Manukau Polytech in Otara, where the two met while studying for a business degree. “Brotha D sort of took me under his wing,“ explains Y.D.N.A., “he was already in Lost Tribe, and took me on tour with UPR [Phil Fuemana’s Urban Pacifika Records]. I was only 16, I'm only 22 now, we started evolving from there.”
That tour and the subsequent interest in Lost Tribe contained certain lessons, recalls Brotha D. “ The trip with UPR taught us heaps about the industry and the bullshit... lots of cats took it for the one side and didn't actually see the full picture of it all. We evolved from that tour, because we saw it and knew we could further it, we started to look at it like a business straight away. I saw that with Lost Tribe, so many only had so much power. Here's me coming from a background of where I don't let anybody step to me and control my shit... and yet I'm in this music thing and these people are fucking stopping me.”
Control and ownership in all areas, be it music or business, was the key concept learnt by the duo. Around this time, several entrepreneurial opportunities presented themselves,and Brotha D and Y.D.N.A. were quick to capitalise. Firstly, there was a discount phone card deal, referred to as “Island Life.” The arrangement offered cheap calls to the ISlands with the ability to bypass the toll bar. Then came the clothing business, an idea of Y.D.N.A.’s.
“We had talented people like Johnny Sagala who had made the original Lost Tribe t-shirt. What happened was that me and my friends said ‘I can make those shirts, let’s do it.’ We all just had a dab at it all.”
At that stage it was just that, dabbling. To pay the rent, Brotha D was running a bar in South Auckland while Y.D.N.A. was working at Auckland Airport, pumping bags. Both were keen for a concept to work on, something to mold, something to build on. Y.D.N.A. went looking in Australia, but missed all the acton his homeboys were enjoying in Aotearoa.
“These guys are getting famous,” he remembers. “I’m ringing up and they’re like ‘you missed that and this.’ I cut my trip very short, knocked on the garage door in Otara… I’m back.”
And not just to hang out. Y.D.N.A. returned with a new idea to put into reality. “That next week I came to Brotha D and said ‘bro, I got a new company called Dawn Raid.’ That was the one.” Other names were considered, says Brotha D, but with the political and emotional resonance of the name , in relation to the notorious dawn raids carried out by the Government on Polynesian families in the 1970s, the name stuck. “It meant a lot to me, because it actually happened to my family. I explained to Andy all about that, and when I used to write my rhymes and shit, he knew it off by heart and he knew what those rhymes meant to me.”
By 1998, although UPR remained a going concern at the time, Dawn Raid was the duo’s first priority. Initially they planned to do a mixtape with other established acts, but decided instead to focus on the fledgling rappers around the local neighbourhood. ‘Why not use them and bring up some raw and unknown talent’ was the general idea.
Y.D.N.A. picks up the flow; “We started to apply for grants, but we didn’t get any. I said to D ‘fuck it, let’s go in the paper and say we’re doing this shit. So we said we were going to make an album… we used the Lost Tribe name, had a photo of him and me - Lost Tribe looking for talent.”
After Brotha D and Y.D.N.A. conducted a bunch of interviews in their garage and unearthed some skilled performers, they secured a mere $2000 from Manukau City Council to start the ball rolling. Soon both realised the only way to see the proposed album through to fruition was if they hooked up with a recording studio sympathetic to the logistical and financial problems they faced, and believed in what they were attempting to do.
The duo approached Kev Rangihuna, owner of One Luv Studios in Grey Lynn. “We said to him, ‘Kev, we aint got shit…’ he helped and we owe him a lot. Nothing but love there.”
Dawn Raid purchased a truck to transport the kids from out south to the central city to record, and the end result was a great album made with little money and a lot of hard work. Even more than that, Southside Story made a statement. From the map of Otara on the front to the homeboys on the back, it was infused with geographical pride.
“The thing about the South,” says Brotha D, “for so long they just be bagging our shit. So why can’t we come out and say ‘well we’re quite good too… we’re good at our music, our clothing, we’re good at this and that.’ It’s been a massive learning curve for my people, for those who stay there.”
Since the release of Southside Story in 1999, Dawn Raid has consolidated and grown. Nowadays there’s the successful Cocoland clothing label, a clothing store, a hair salon and a new recording studio, all based in Papatoetoe. Although the Dawn Raid crew maintain control over every aspect of their business, the hustle continues. Brotha D and Y.D.N.A. are only two papers away from securing business diplomas, and there’s at least one more company in the pipeline (look forward to Infamous Jewellery for a little bling bling in your life).
In the meantime, the release of Southside Story II is imminent, a compilation that will feature local artists like the Deceptikonz, Ill Semantics, 275 and Kaos, plus several independent American hiphop acts that Y.D.N.A. met on a trip to the US last year. “It was a case of, I’ll distribute it in my hood, you distribute it in your hood,” he says. Dawn Raid also did the mad hookup with acts like Boo-Ya Tribe, JT Tha Bigger Figure, and Daz Dillinger, to arrange distribution of their recordings in New Zealand.
Brotha D and Y.D.N.A. both agree that the sense of pride in their success harks back to the hard work they invested in the early stages of Dawn Raid. Both are hardcore and socially motivated on this score. “We’re ruthless in business, ruthless and respectful,” says Y.D.N.A. “You’re in our house, motherfucker… people ask us ‘how did you fund this shit?’ We fucking broke our arse.”
Brotha D: “We're not saying we want all the money and the Mercs and shit. We’re saying, get your brother involved, get your cousin involved, we gave you this piece… do you know what that means? That’s a piece I could have kept to myself, but I gave it to you so that we can build together. We are just trying to get ours, like everybody else… but with what we love doing.”
Which is of course, hiphop. Not just part of it, but the whole matrix of cultural concerns. Dawn Raid represent the importance and influence of the culture. Having met and played alongside Bone Thugs N-Harmony, Naughty By Nature, and Snoop Dogg in Auckland, and taken trips to Compton in south central LA, Brotha D and Y.D.N.A. know that the links between Black America and themselves are stronger than their relationship to white New Zealanders. Dawn Raid live the life and know the truths.
“If you look at the hiphop coming from the States,” says Y.D.N.A., “they accept it as a way of life. And you get a kid like me, who from the moment I was born, all I heard was rap, I was brought up in it. I would say that Dawn Raid, the way we are, are the only people in New Zealand who live like hiphop, and we go out and say that’s what we do every day. My kids know it.
“We can say we got the shops, did the clothing, made our own label to wear, and be proud that it is hiphop to us - that we made our own company that evolved around hiphop. We look at it as a hiphop business and life. We don’t go out and say ‘it’s hiphop, we want two turntables and breakdancing.’ Fuck that! We say ‘hip hop and life.’and that’s the life we live. It’s the Polynesian life, me and D say we are all Polynesians, we’re all ‘nesians.”
Recloose - Aint changin'
DNA and Suzanne Vega - Tom's diner remix
Patrice Rushen - What's the story
Funk Inc - Sister Janie
Eru Dangerspiel - The holdup
Dur-Dur Band - Jaceyl Mirahiis
Christoph El Truento - Liquid sunshine
Issa Bagayogo - Filaw (Senor Oz remix)
Smith and Mighty - B line fi blow
Gregory Issacs - Mr know it all
Unitone Hifi - Guiding star (MPLA burial)
Boozoo Bajou - Camioux (melodica cut)
Ray Barretto - Acid
Pharaohs - The Pharaohs love y'all
Marvin Gaye - Got to give it up
Dele Sosimi & Medlar - Gudu gudu kan (radio edit)
William Onyeabor - Atomic bomb
George Clinton - Do fries go with that shake?
Darondo - Get up off your butt
War - Good good feeling
Jimmy Castor Bunch - King Kong pt1
Following on from the Dam Native interview from 1997, here's some interviews with The Kingites, a group active in the 2000s in AK - their co-leader was Hone Manukau aka H-ONE, formerly of Dam Native. Few sound clips too, check their wicked tune Polynesians Panthers...
Long live the King
By Martyn Pepperell, photo by Chris Hoult. Back2Basics, Apr - Jun 2009
It's fitting that Hone Manukau aka MC H-ONE chose to call his hip hop reggae rock band The Kingites, given his iwi’s connection to the concept of Kingitanga - a figurative yet powerful ideology that was initially birthed to restore kingship and unity to all Maori in the wake of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Also called the Maori King Movement, the idea of Kingitanga continues almost two centuries later as a symbolic monarchy that is today vested in Tainui iwi.
Guided by Tino Rangatira, a philosophy he describes as “self-determination, which [for me] is just [the whole] general get on with life, stay strong, be positive, and all those good things [approach].”
H-ONE had his start in the music game with local hip-hop Pioneers Ruaumoko in the early 90s. Stints with ‘horrified’ hip-hop architects Dam Native and the legendary DLT, with them H-ONE played support for the likes of the Fugees and Public Enemy on their early visits to New Zealand. The singer/rapper/guitarist still cites PE’s Chuck D as a major influence on his lyrical content, style and approach as an MC.
Next, Hone found himself living in various cities overseas, as well as touring Europe with one of Maoridom’s most internationally respected artists, Moana Maniapoto, and her backing group, The Tribe. These experiences led him to understand Aotearoa’s musical point of difference from a global perspective.
“Maori culture is what we’re known for. Like it or not, it's a unique identity to the world,” H-ONE states. “If you go to New York City and say you're Kiwi, Maori, they love you. We don't have war, we don't have guns... I went with Moana, and it was probably ‘just another Maori group’ [in New Zealand]. Over there it's fresh, and they want it to escape from their European doldrums. Dreams of the Pacific Paradise [laughs]! I'm proud of it! Mana, integrity, it's a gift, and we've got special things in this country - and it's home.”
Today H-ONE is one of several co-leaders of The Kingites. He’s seen the act survive multiple line ups since its inception, as well as the odd hiatus. Currently based out of Auckland, today's Kingites are Tony ‘Rahx’ Rako (vocals), MC Ren (vocals), Mike Forbes (bass), Steve Forbes (guitar), Jason Maze (percussion), Junior ‘JR’ Paea (keyboards) and Ben Stockwell (drums). It's a line up that has proven rock solid through regular nationwide tours and festival appearances over the last few years.
Soon after releasing their self-titled debut ep in 2005, The Kingites found themselves in discussions with Dave Allan, the man behind the well-loved local roots reggae compilation series, Conscious Roots.
“[Allan] came to us and said ‘are you guys keen to put a song on Conscious Roots 2?’,” Kingites guitarist Steve Forbes recalls. “Then he paid for us to do a track at York Street [Studios]. So we did a song for Conscious Roots 3, ‘Kingites Sound System’. Then he said to us ‘if we can [continue to] work together, I'll pay for you to do an album’. Out of that... we ended up doing our album through Allan's label, A Moving Production.”
Musically, the first obvious themes that emerge on ‘Kingites Sound System’ are reggae and hip-hop. However, as Forbes explains, a lot more is going on in the mix. “Me and my brother [Mike Forbes], we're real [old school] rockers,” he tells. “We come from metal and rock and all that. Jay, the keyboard player, he comes from jazz and R&B. [We come from] all these different f*****g [musical] schools of thought. We've never actually sat down and said this is what we're going to do. It's always been the case of, f*** that sounds cool, that's a song!”
Lyrically, The Kingites have a political/social bent - unsurprising for a band of Public Enemy aficionados, and especially considering the rich tradition of protest music H-ONE has come out of.
“The overriding theme [in the Kingites’ music] is consciousness... political situations and stuff like that,” he reflects. “It's not exactly love songs, it's the times that we're living in. [Barack] Obama, how conscious is that? You've got a black president! It's a massive turning point in history of the world... so what's hip? Do you know what I'm saying? You can't get more f*****g hip than that bro. That s*** is real, it's happening. This is relevant.”
Crafting the Feathers of Peace
By Andrew Hughes, NZ Musician, December 2008/January 2009 (Vol:14, No:7)
Having come to the attention of the dub/reggae/roots community with the release of a self-titled EP in 2005, and then on the Conscious Roots compilations in recent years, The Kingites are finally releasing their first full length album. Guitarist Stephen Forbes talks to Andrew Hughes about 'Feathers of Peace', where they came from, trying to provoke awareness with their conscious lyrics and defying genre conventions.
It seems, these days, that when describing the general sound of a band, one must assign their sound to a box, or compare the group to famous historical counterparts. Groups with a diverse sound and range of influences can pose a problem when one endeavours to achieve this basic descriptive task. This is one category The Kingites and their new album 'Feathers Of Peace' fit neatly into.
You can't really label the eight/nine-piece as reggae, rock, hip hop, dub or soul. They derive their sound from each of those genres while creating a musical plethora of experience and good taste.
"We've been loved by that whole reggae scene because of the Conscious Roots compilations that we've been on," Steve explains when we sit down for a chat at K' Rd's Thirsty Dog. "With The Kingites we've never sat down and said, 'This is what we play', we all come from these different backgrounds and if we play something and think it sounds phat then it becomes a track."
Hone 'H1' Manukau created the band in the late 1990s, initially seeing it more as a social activity. As a pick up band, the group featured many musicians coming and going, as Steve elaborates.
"I met Hone in 2001 and just played half a dozen gigs with the band at the time. We bumped into each other about two years later in 2003 at Galatos, and we were watching this band and thinking, 'Why aren't we up there doing this?' So Hone said, 'Well why don't you get the band going again?' So it's really been since 2003 that we've been together."
Since then the band have gone on to release several singles along with an EP in 2005, and toured extensively throughout the country, involving themselves in festivals like Parihaka and Soundsplash among others.
The band members all have stand-out credentials. Vocalist Rahxx has worked with West Auckland-based hip hop label 833 Records. Drummer Daniel Harawira is a member of Unity Pacific while also working with Che Fu and 12 Tribes of Israel. The band's newest member MC Ren (aka The Infinite Rensta) is a solo hip hop artist in his own right.
H1 was also a founding member of Dam Native who played support for acts such as Ice-T, The Fugees and Ben Harper during the '90s. His musical experience and local knowledge is thorough and enlightening. Lyrically Hone handles much of the album's songwriting duties and incorporates strong messages, none resonating more than on Rampant, "… they're dying overseas, from friendly fire and blood money…". He makes references to the Polynesian Panthers, the global food shortage, the influence of the mass media on society and the continued struggle of day-to-day living. His lyrics are thought provoking, piercing and emotive.
David Allen, who runs A Moving Production, (the label to which The Kingites are signed), met the group while compiling tracks for the 'Conscious Roots' series of reggae compilation albums. Allen offered the group the opportunity to record an album at York St. in June 2007, as Steve Forbes remembers.
"The guys at York St, the assistant engineers, Simon Gooding and Ben Mayer were really good to work with. Nic Manders was the engineer, he's really professional, I couldn't top Nic at all, he certainly knows his stuff. He worked on Katchafire's last album, he did Unity Pacific 'Into The Dread' and 3 Houses Down 'Dreadtown'".
"It was all done in a week, and you lose a day setting up equipment… so basically we did it in about four days."
"Most of it was cut live and Hone and the other two vocalists did scratch vocal tracks with SM-58 mics. We cut all the rhythm tracks live, bass, drums, guitars and keys. Then all we went back and overdubbed was the vocals, guitars and keyboards really. I did all my guitar overdubs in 45 minutes; all the leads and everything are all cut live."
'Feathers Of Peace' was mastered at the world-renowned New York studio Masterdisk by Andy Van Dette.
"Dave had done Unity Pacific and 3 Houses Down and their albums had all been mastered at Masterdisk Studios and Dave was looking at the options over here and over there [in New York]. The difference was only a couple of hundred dollars so we got it mastered over there. Masterdisk have done everything from Deep Purple to Brooke Fraser," Steve continues, saying the mastering gave the album a "broader stereo sound" and it is "louder" than many other albums, giving it more definition.
Notify, the group's first single received solid airplay on Kiwi FM and made its way into their weekly Top 10. A video was created with no additional funding that features still photos and footage of the band on tour. Inspired by a video for The Roots, the band sought a cost-effective solution, and found one in mutual friend Gabor Kukucska's computer.
"I showed Gabor the video, so we uploaded 24 to 25 CDs of images onto his hard drive and totally overloaded it and then he set up this montage."
Another area of strength for The Kingites is their live performance, of which we will no doubt see more over this summer. Encompassing experienced musicians playing instruments of historical significance such as a "Gibson Les Paul double-cut running off a Vox AC30 and Marshall JMP50 head", and a Fender Rhodes, fellow musicians can't help but be intrigued. It's hard to deny the diversity the band can offer in a live setting.
"We've got more tack live than we have on the album," says Steve. "Some people come to see us as a reggae band, and we're not. There's all that hip hop on it, there's rock influences, so it's pretty electric. We always goes for a pretty cranking live sound."
Notes from Nick D'Angelo: "In 1989 Auckland University radio station ('college radio') 95bFM released a compilation rap cassette called "AK '89 - In Love With These Rhymes", made up entirely of unreleased local artists from Auckland, New Zealand (Aotearoa).
The title was a riff on the seminal NZ punk compilation "AK '79" (Ripper Records) and the classic NZ alt-music compilation "In Love With These Times" (Flying Nun Records)
Some of the tracks submitted were from unsigned artists, and others were neighbourhood rappers selected from the BFM Rap Contest, held to find a local support for Run DMC. The latter were recorded in BFM's production studio by Mark Tierney (Strawpeople) and Eddie Chambers (Nemesis Dub Systems and Unitone HiFi).
The BFM radio jingles included on the compilation feature Fiona MacDonald (Headless Chickens and Strawpeople), Otis Frizzell & Mark Williams (MC OJ & the Rhythm Slave), and the scratch talents of Pasene Faifua.
NB: these Soundcloud recordings were transferred from a 25 year old cassette tape so audio quality may vary! And whilst the influences on the rappers are obvious, we felt it was important to get them into the studio and allow them a chance to demo their talent.
I saw RNZ Music pay tribute to Chris Knox on Instagram the other day in honour of his birthday. They highlighted some key moments, like the Enemy, Toy Love, and him getting a four track recorder and making records with the Clean and the Verlaines to name but a few of the FNun rabble.
It reminded me that the first album recorded with his four track wasn't a Dunedin band, but Auckland act the Techtones. Their one and only album 'TT23', from 1981, has just had a digital reissue.
Knox got his four track reel to reel (a Teac A3340s) in 1981, after getting a $2500 inheritance after his Nanna passed away. It was being sold off by Mandrill studio, where Toy Love had recorded, and he recalls it was a guy named Dave [Hurley] who played in bands in the 60s who owned it. Knox can't remember his surname tho.
He did a bunch of recording experiments to learn how to use it, which his flatmate Doug Hood iniststed he release as his first solo album, Songs for Cleaning Guppies (1983). He told that story to The Wire in 2008, here:
Audioculture's Gary Steel says "It’s hard to imagine in the 21st century, with every other musician
working from their home studio, but in 1979 there was only one way to
record an album [for Toy Love]: In the often oppressive environment of a "real" studio.
It cost a bundle of cash, and an inexperienced group had to do
everything the producer and engineer told them to do. It was an
atrophied situation with the wrong hands holding all the power.
Knox
– with the help of Doug Hood and a few others – changed all that, when
he took a 4-track recorder down to the South Island [in 1981] to get their essence
on the go. Roger Shepherd formed a record company around the results of
those recordings, Flying Nun, and the rest is history."
A new profile of the Techtones has gone up on Audioculture: "Despite being offered a five-album recording deal by CBS who, earlier in
1981, released the single ‘State of Mind’, the group decided to go it
alone. Most of TT23 was recorded by Doug Hood and the band on the legendary Teac 4-track tape recorder belonging to Toy Love’s Chris Knox. The “studios” included a dilapidated Auckland hall [on Bond St] where The Clean would later employ the same 4-track, and Hood, to record the revered Boodle Boodle Boodle EP."
Dream Warriors -Ludi
Super Cat - Dolly my baby - (Bad Boy extended mix)
Mad Lion - Girlzz
James Brown - The Bose (Geisha Boys mix)
Bobby Byrd - If you don't work, you can't eat
Maceo and the Macks Cross the tracks
Lyn Collins - Rock me again and again and again
Marva Whitney - I am what I am
The Gripsweats - Ziggy's walk
Jurassic 5 - Swing set
Guts - And the living is easy
Aronas - Culture tunnels
Architeq - Birds of dub (Architeq version)
African Head Charge - Heading to glory
Adrian Sherwood and Lee Scratch Perry - Kingston tower
Morwell Unlimited - Morpheus special (Kid Loco's block party mix)
Stinky Jim - Slim shrub
Dreadzone and Dubmatix - Dread lockdown
Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band - My Jamaican dub
Miltown Stowaways - Strong and true
Snooch Dodd and the Pro Teens - I flip my life every time I fly
The Altons - When you go (that's when you'll know)
Vicky Tafoya - Forever
Yandall Sisters - Watch out boy
Taka Boom - Middle of the night
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - Head to toe
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Computer games
Sinatra and the final curtain - by Rick Bryant, Real Groove, January 1998
[As Real Groove went to press with its January 1998 edition, Frank Sinatra was near the end of his life, and the editor Chris Bourke put together a collection of memories of him by Clare Avery, Tom McWilliams, and this one, from the late Rick Bryant.]
No files on Frank
Until I was about 36 something, I deplored Sinatra. Not for his music, but because of what I thought he stood for, bogus American low-life loungism. It didn't matter that The Beatles thought he was a great entertainer, whatever that meant. Sinatra, or at least the tired, would-be enduring populist he had become, was a symbolic focus of the ridicule heaped on ‘old people's’ tastes. In the late 60s and during the 70s, his fans seemed to be a principal target of the hippest satirist of the time, Frank Zappa - whose Bizarre label, ironically, was with Reprise, the property of Frank Sinatra. If you can't beat them, own em.
But eventually life makes you confront your mindless prejudices, and so it came to pass that a friend - thinking, as friends sometimes do, that people should be forced to grow up whether they want to or not, and perhaps that my own music take a more adult, or viable, or more decorous direction – made me listen to what the knowledgeable consider Sinatra’s strongest material, the Nelson Riddle arrangements for Capitol from 1953 until he went to Reprise.
When my friend first lent me the record, I couldn't believe my eyes. Nelson Riddle? That name conjured up endless decades of 2ZB, Wellington's commercial radio in the 50s. Nelson bloody Riddle! Endless wet bloody afternoons, stuck inside watching Mum doing the ironing. Even then there was nothing to plumb the depths of ennui like mainstream commercial radio.
Changing my mind about Frank didn't take very long at all, in fact it was nearly instantaneous. Without impairing my enduring loyalty to Aretha, Bobby Bland, Wilson Pickett and the rest of the R&B pantheon, I had a brand new study
The first thing you have to notice, once you open your ears, is that Frank at his peak had soul, wherever it derived from, and the exact proportions of Sicily and Billie Holiday in the mix don't really matter. The point is his best singing is dynamic in every sense. Not a very big bloke, he had a disproportionately big musical presence, later matched by his cars, bodyguards, and legal bills for thumping the kind of innocent bystanders who just happened to be lurking near where and when Frank was feeling frisky.
So, Frank was not a wimp, or dull. How could he be? Even if he was not a lethal thug, as is widely believed, he was certainly the intimate associate of organised crime bosses. To survive in such a world, more is required than sharp reflexes. Even if you think that such a life is lived on a hyper super rodent level of cerebral function, you must concede that it is not an arena where the sluggish fare well.
So am I saying that underneath the uncompromising carapace there beats a soft but manly heart? Er, no. If you remember the look he shot Ray Charles - who may well have felt it - during Frank's 80th birthday TV special (I think it was, I'm not terribly keen on Showbiz birthdays), when Ray mentioned that Frank was a white man, in a white suit, on a white set, singing a black man’s song, you will not imagine that Frank is reduced to slippers and dribbles in the malice department.
So, putting bigness of heart aside for the moment, he had a big voice, very big. But he didn't just wave it round in public as if that was the sole point of the exercise. Not really noted as an actor, despite his Hollywood visibility, He had an actor's way with a strong lyric that made him the master rhetorician of the sophisticated, sometimes whitewashed, but not often mindless blues that comprises his core repertoire.
Anyone having doubts about his musicianship should listen to those recently released Frank-at-work tracks where he can be heard gently, firmly and expertly dealing with the complex arrangement details on the hoof. Whoever was producing on the day, Frank was on the case.
He has lead the kind of life about which misinformation abounds, and some of it is true. Possibly because of this, his musicianship and his unique instrument are now undervalued.
And he had another most valuable characteristic in a musician, which is humility. He had the good sense to realise that no matter how successful you are, in music there is the judgement of millions of manipulated consumers, and the judgement of your peers. Johnny Hartman, though not actually a household name, was one singer to whom he had to defer. When it came to seduction music, Frank apparently played Frank.
