778 Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1985)

 778 Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1985)

Compilation Album - World Music


About the Album:

This album preceded Paul Simon's Graceland album, and did a lot to lauch these styles of South African music into a wider stage. Apparently the styles featured are Mbaqanga, maskanda, mqashiyo and isicathamiya. To me it sounds like South African bouncy pop stuff.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

If you know Graceland (Paul Simon), the general sound of this will be familiar. It is a bouncy thing with jangly guitar, and simple, repetitive chord sequences. To be honest, since this album was released there was an explosion of interest in World Music, and if you have been at all interested in that, then you have heard music like this. It is a range of artists, most of whom I don't think I have heard of (apart from the great Ladysmith Black Mambazo), and while they differ in sound, the general style is consistent.

Most of the songs are in non-English languages, a couple are instrumental.

And the bottom line is, if you enjoy this kind of thing, then this is a great collection of examples of it. If you are not that bothered, it might leave you cold. I don't have a copy of this but I have many go-to albums of similar stuff, because world music has been one of my things. If that's not the case for you and you want to give it a try, this is a good collection.

7.6/10


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcvHVZNCB2NaR-UeeghfUU2-DpzbH_xbE

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indestructible_Beat_of_Soweto




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