Am 30.04.2010 werden auf Soundway nun die beiden Alben von Sweet Talks und Hedzoleh Soundz veröffentlicht.
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Sweet Talks
The Kusum BeatSweet Talks were amongst the top five most popular bands in Ghana during the 1970s having recorded a string of hit albums. ‘The Kusum Beat’ was originally released in 1974 and became a household favourite with heavy emphasis on the ‘Afro’ through its traditional rhythms and motifs, blended together into a modern mix that combined highlife, funk and Afrobeat.
Like a small handful of seminal Ghanaian albums, The Kusum Beat has stood the test of time and sounds as original and unique today as it did back in 1974. Original pressings are in high demand and can be found on record exchanges for significant prices. This was the second album from the band formerly known as ‘El Dorados’, later to change their name to ‘Medican Lantcis’ before settling on ‘Sweet Talks’ – they were live residents at the legendary ‘Talk of the Town’ nightclub in the port town of Tema near Accra. It is here they established a name for themselves as one of the most exciting young bands in the country.
Due to the popularity and commercial success of their first three albums – Adam & Eve, Kusum Beat and Spiritual Ghana – the band began touring on a regular basis and made it as far as Los Angeles. They went on to record what was to be their biggest selling record, the Hollywood Highlife Party LP, as well as some straight disco recordings aimed squarely at the burgeoning American market.
The Kusum Beat is far from typical of their trademark sound but shows just how versatile an outfit they were – able to turn their hands to any one of a number of styles. It’s a great reminder of how open-minded, experimental and curious the music scene in Ghana was in the first half of the 1970s.
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Hedzoleh Soundz
HedzolehHedzoleh Soundz were one of the first and most original ‘Afro’ bands from 1970s Ghana playing an unusual mix of traditional music from across the country tinged with western rock. They were residents at the notorious Napoleon nightclub where they met South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela in late 1973. The music for the ‘Hedzoleh’ album would later be used by Masekela as the backbone to his afo-jazz classic, “Masekela – Introducing Hedzoleh Soundz”.
Masekela met Hedzoleh Soundz through an introduction from Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti. In the early 70s, he had been thinking of recording with West African musicians as he was tiring of the American jazz scene and Hedzoleh fitted the bill perfectly. All but two of the compositions on Masekela’s album were written by Hedzoleh so it could be argued that Masekela’s classic was in fact Hedzoleh’s album with Masekela acting as the guest!
Managed and created by the enigmatic producer Faisal Helwani, Hedzoleh were originally formed in 1972 and consisted of musicians from rock and pop backgrounds plus individuals from the Ghanaian Arts Council’s traditional music troupe. By 1972, the group had recorded only two 45s on the tiny Bibini label in Ghana, and had a minor hit with the song Rekpete. The original leader of the band Lash Laryea (formerly of the afro-rock band The Aliens), had just quit so Stanley Todd, the bass player and vocalist from ‘El Pollos’ band, stepped in and it was at this point that they recorded their self titled LP at the EMI Nigeria studio.
The original trumpetless Hedzoleh sound hasn’t had a chance to be heard for nearly 40 years…until now.
Beide Alben werden als LP und CD veröffentlicht. Das Vinyl kommt mit jeweils einem Downloadgutschein.
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Wann kommt Horst Lichter mit dem Händlerkärtchen und knallt mich ab?