Atlantic City Soul Step (1969-74)

Anyone for a little call and response? I was racking my brains on what to post today and found myself drifting towards Chris' wonderful Young Lovers post from last week. I have recently digitized a great deal of the flatinternational archive and thought the time was ripe to visit some 45 RPMs issued on the electrifying Atlantic City label.

Perhaps with the exception of City Special no other label captures the sheer vitality of the 1970s soul jive scene in South Africa. With David Thekwane as producer this Teal label hosted some of the brightest, craziest organ infected dance music of the day. Notables artists include the Flaming Souls, the Young Lovers and the VIPs. The music is raw, repetitive and intoxicating and at moments I find it drawing me back to some classic live Velvet Underground recordings. I would recommend mega-bass if your amplifier allows for it!

ATLANTIC CITY SOUL STEP (1969-74)
Compiled by flatint for Electric Jive
FXEJ 19









01) The Young Lovers - Organ A Go-Go - Atlantic City - AYB 1050 - 1969
02) The Flaming Souls - Soul Underground - Atlantic City - AYB 1066 - 1969
03) The Yupps - Yupps A Go-Go - Atlantic City - AYB 1083 - 1970
04) The Daffodils - Organ Tornado - Atlantic City - AYB 1089 - 1970
05) The Soul Crusaders - Simply Sweet - Atlantic City - AYB 1096 - 1970
06) The Yupps - Ikageng Soul - Atlantic City - AYB 1083 - 1970
07) Long John - True Monkey Soul - Atlantic City - AYB 1054 - 1969
08) The Young Lovers - Soul Ma Java-Java - Atlantic City - AYB 1100 - 1970
09) The Young Lovers - Fire Works - Atlantic City - AYB 1100 - 1970
10) Soul Explosions - Shiela - Atlantic City - AYB 1109 - 1971
11) The Brights - Soul on Soul - Atlantic City - AYB 1110 - 1971
12) The VIPs - Scare Them - Atlantic City - AYB 1132 - 1972
13) The VIPs - Spin Out - Atlantic City - AYB 1132 - 1972
14) The VIPs - Uncle Champ - Atlantic City - AYB 1135 - 1972
15) The Strollers - Sweet Ruth - Atlas City - ATB 703 - 1974
16) The Strollers - Congo's Corner - Atlas City - ATB 703 - 1974

Soultime With the Flaming Souls (1969)

Here is another important (and great) record in the slowly emerging picture of South Africa's under-documented "Soul" history. Nineteen Sixty-Nine was the year where it all ignited - with at least five locally produced LPs - two from the Flaming Souls (and another in 1970), two from The Beaters, and one from Almon Memela ... and we are still counting.

"The Anchors"  and "Almon Memela" appear to have got the ball rolling, with both their recordings being the either the first or second vinyls pressed by the subsequently successful City Special and Giant labels respectively.

If it is correct that the demise of The Anchors saw Simon Twala, Philip Malela and Herman Fox going on to form "The Flaming Souls", then these musicians recorded at least three albums in 1969. Pepsi Rapoo might be another, as he was a member of the Anchors, and is credited with writing five of the ten tunes on this album.

The Flaming Souls also feature  on four different record labels in 1969, with "Soultime" being released on both Colombia and then, within the same year, on budget label Music for Pleasure (MFP) - thanks Eddie at Soul Safari. for the MfP cover. The Colombia pressing is a pristine vinyl, but unfortunately does not possess a cover.

"She's Gone" by The Flaming Souls was released on the "Atlantic City" and "Up,Up, Up" labels in 1969. While I do not have any hard evidence to support me, my guess is that "She's Gone" was the second of the two recordings - being a vocal album and a little more expansively produced.

So - in all, it is fair to conclude that 1969 was a great vintage for Soul music in South Africa.You can find the third album from the Flaming Souls, the 1970 "Alex Soul Menu"  here.

Soul Time with the Flaming Souls

Colombia 33YE 1005 (1969)

LINK HERE

She's Gone: The Flaming Souls (1968)

James Brown certainly reached South Africa – and is found reflected in this recording in the mood, energy and Philip Mallela’s vocals to match! It really is a thrill for me to share this gem of a recording with you today, the Flaming Souls’ debut album – thanks to Electric Jive visitor and Facebook friend Kataquomb Braka for sharing. Note: a new mint copy of the album has found its way to me and has now been digitised. If you downloaded the previous version with the skip in "She's Gone" - try the new version available from the link at the bottom of this post.

Band-leader Simon Jika Twala

One flame that adds impetus to Electric Jive’s archiving energies is always the potential that someone  is going to pop up and say, “hey, did you know about this one?”

Alexandra Township – also known as Dark City – has been the fountain from which many of South Africa’s musical legends have emerged: The Piliso brothers, Zacks Nkosi, Lemmy Mabaso, Caiphus Semenya, and then as the root of soul, starting with “The Anchors” – check them out here.  The Movers also hailed from Alex.

Writing in the Sowetan newspaper (2^nd November, 2012) on the occasion of band-leader  Simon "Jika" Twala’s passing, Victor Mecoamere records that this here album sold 75,000 copies in South Africa. It is further documented that the Flaming Souls played an important community building role in Alexandra, raising funds to improve local schools and clinics.

Follow-up albums are reported as “Soul Time” and “Alex Stew”. Electric Jive does have “Alex Soul Menu” which you can find here. Does anyone out there have any other recordings?

You can  find “Soul Time” with the Flaming Souls over at Soul Safari - here. 

And if you have not heard it yet – “Soul Bandit” from Almon Memela’s AM Stragglers is another important milestone in this genre - here. 

From Ray Nkwe’s liner notes:

“It was nearly one Sunday morning when I arrived home from a whole-night jazz gig exhausted and tired and all that jazz. I asked my wife not to disturb me while I took a nap. When I work up late that afternoon she told me that The Flaming Souls had been to see me, but they did not want to disturb me while I was resting. Without saying a word I called out for my daughter, but instead of her answering to the call, her mother said “SHE’s GONE”.

“What do you mean she’s gone?”, I asked.

“Well, she left with The Flaming Souls. You know she’s in love with The Souls, now she’s gone with them to Mafolo Hall for an afternoon show,” was her answer.

“Oh I dig baby, I dig. So my girl is gone with The Flaming Souls.” I said. “I’ll see that something is done about it.”

After  a few days I met Herman Fox, The Soul’s lead guitarist. I told him what had happened the Sunday when they went to Mafolo Hall via my house, and the answer I got from my wife when I called my daughter. He laughed.

“She’s gone”, he repeated. “Well soul brother, I shall surely write a song about that. “She’s gone”, and I am sure you’ll like it,” he said.

That was the birth of this outstanding album by the Fabulous Flaming Souls. The first non-white group of southern African that introduced Soul Music in LIVE PERFORMANCES. So they can easily be referred to as Pioneers of Soul.

About the music. Surely you can feel its SOULFULNESS yet MELLONESS. Take a song like SOUL WORLD,  more especially when she’s gone. This time not my daughter but the one you so dearly LOVE. Then we move to the outskirts of town, Mexico. There we meet women in colourful dresses and men with big sombreros, dancing to the soulful music played on guitars and bongo drums. How sweet SACRAMENTO is.

About the music makers.  In the year 1964, a young man by the name of Simon Twala had a brainwave which resulted in the formation of a group called The Anchors, whose members were six other Alexandra Township lads, Herman Fox, Ezrom Kgomo, Phillip Malela, Abram Rapoo, Gerard Khoza, and Collins Mashigo.

The group played together for four years and then there was a split. Simon then formed the now known Flaming Souls. These Fabulous Flaming Souls were formed in February 1968 and, Oh Boy ... since then soul has been the talk of the town. In other words Alexandra Township is the home of soul greats a la South Africa. Today, the whole country is full of soul groups.

Ray Nkwe

President, Jazz Appreciation Society of South Africa.

Cover photo: Alf Khumalo

Liner Photos: Dave Diale

Producer: Ray Nkwe
Recorded 2nd and 10th June 1969 at the Johannesburg studios of Audio Kine Africa.

Simon Twala - Leader/ Bass Guitar; Gerard Khoza - Organ & Drums; Kenneth Mosito - Organ; Herman Fox - Lead  Guitar; Phillip Mallela – Vocals & Drums.

Mediafire NEW CLEAN download here

The Anchors - Soul Upstairs (1969)

Today we have very special treat, the debut album by one of Alexandra's first soul groups — The Anchors. Under the influence of the Memphis Sound of groups like Booker T and the MGs, organ jive swept South Africa in the late 1960s and the Anchors were one of the earliest purveyors of this style of music. Last Time, a single (not on this LP) by the group, is featured on the excellent Next Stop Soweto Vol. 2 (2010) album, one of the best compilations in recent years.

Soul Upstairs was produced by Ray Nkwe, then the president of the newly formed Jazz Appreciation Society (see JAS Pride label). Nkwe must have played a significant role in promoting this sound in the late 1960s because in the same year he also produced the first album, Soul-A-Go-Go, by another significant soul group, The Beaters (later renamed Harari).

Soul Upstairs was recorded in March 1969 at Herrick Merrill Studios in Johannesburg and issued on the City Special label. The LP appears to be that labels first project unless there is a CYL 1000 out there. Of course this label would soon be famously dominated by another organ driven soul group — The Movers. The album features at least two hits of the period: Collin Goes and Tell Me.

The liner notes reveal that the Anchors were formed in March of 1968 by Ezrom Kgomo and Collins Mashigo (Mashego) after a split in an earlier Alexandra soul group simply called The Soul. At the time of this recording, the bulk of the members were still in school and included Patrick Nkosi (who was 19 at the time) on organ, Anderson Nkosi (18) on lead guitar, Given Sabela (19) on bass, Condry Sequbu (Ziqubu) (who must have been 13 or 14) on rhythm guitar, and Dinah Mbatha (17) on vocals.

On the other hand, according to Max Mojapelo the group was formed by Kgomo and Mashego, but it included Simon 'Bra Jika' Twala on bass, Philip Malela, Pepsi Rapoo on vocals and Herman Fox on lead guitar. Majepelo goes on to say that the group was later joined by Ziqubu, Sabela, Dinah and brother Lucky Mbatha, Mbokoto Nkosi and Jabu Nkosi, son of the legendary 'Zacks' Nkosi. It is not clear to me whether keyboardist Jabu Nkosi is the same as Patrick Nkosi who plays the organ on this recording or which version of the group is the original lineup.

Nevertheless, the Anchors split in the early 1970s with Simon Twala, Philip Malela and Herman Fox going on to form the Flaming Souls, another famed soul group of the period. See their album Alex Soul Menu here at Electric Jive. Condry Ziqubu would soon replace Fox in that group on lead guitar after his untimely death by stabbing. Ziqubu then moved on to the group Harari in 1980. Both Dinah Mbatha and Philip Malela migrated to the Movers. Collins Mashego after becoming an MC would later join the SABC. Mojapelo also mentions that he produced the historic funeral of the late Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde. Given Sabela and Jabu Nkosi would also record with 'Zacks' Nkosi on his classic 1976 LP Our Kind of Jazz (not the 1964 compilation of 78s).

Interestingly at the end of the liner notes on Soul Upstairs, Lucas Molete asks Kgomo if he would like to play with the group abroad and receives this answer: "No, we don't want to play overseas. We want the cats overseas to come here and listen to us. We want them to know that there is something brewing in Africa."

View images and liner notes from the LP in detail at flatinternational.

THE ANCHORS
Soul Upstairs
March, 1969
City Special
CYL 1001

Alex Soul Menu

The Flaming Souls were formed by Simon Twala and Philip Malela when Alexandra's first soul group The Anchors broke up. They recorded two full length LPs, She's Gone (UPL2008) and Alex Soul Menu (UPL2010). Other members of the group included Gerald Khoza, Herman Fox, Kenny Mosito and Condry Ziqubu. For more details on the Soweto Soul scene check out "Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music" by Max Mojapelo as well as the sleeve notes to Next Stop Soweto Volume 2, that included a Flaming Souls tune. The Flaming Souls were produced by Teal record scout West Nkosi.

The Flaming Souls - Alex Soul Menu (UP UP UP, UPL5010, 1970)
1. Admission
2. Harvest
3. A Whiter Shade of Pale
4. Hot Pepper
5. Modupe (Thunder Showers)
6. Alex Soul Menu
7. Alex Soul Stew
8. Everybody Needs Help
9. Tell It
10. Tribute to a True Friend
11. Soul Men

Apologies for the condition of this record but we felt the historical value outweighs the fidelity.
"Praise it, condemn it, whatever, WE LOVE IT!!" (Elliot Makhaya, The World Soul/Pop Writer)
UPDATED DOWNLOAD LINK HERE