Customer Reviews

Indestructible Beat of Soweto

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! This CD is 100% perfect. A collection of traditional folk songs from the Soweto area of Johannesburg, It is mesmorizing and totally dancable. Now, if only I could speak Zulu...

Arguably one of the most monumental collection of world music ever recorded paints a sound scope of Soweto heritage so profoundly moving, it will make you weep. It soars and swirls and educates and dances within realms of diversity and poetry. The artists range in style and dialect, sketching a portrait of historic musical significance. Hearing such a tapestry, one could understand why Paul Simon explored [and Sting and Peter Gabriel exploited] his own pop aesthetic. At the risk of hyperbole mixed in for dramatic effect/affect, I will state that this album is a wonder to behold - an absolute must own for any human being who cares one iota about what music could/should/would be. Or what music is. My grade: A+

A delightful collection of the soweto beat. Each track is as exciting as the previous. Beautiful vocals and harmonies, with the ever familar soweto guitar and percussion driving each track forward. A must for any collection. ENJOY.

The Indestructible Beat of Soweto still serves as the primer to any listener willing to move beyond the pop of Paul Simon or the commercialized and overly slick sounds of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The collection is by no means dated or reductively less visceral or enjoyable than when it was released. Radical is it? Hmm? Well, Mark Twain's use of American vernacular was radical. Chuck Berry's backbeat and guitar were radical. Elvis Presley's hip shake was radical. Today, we do not think of these men or their defining hallmarks as radical; instead, we think of them as classic. The Indestructible Beat of Soweto may not be radical anymore, but it is a classic and a wonderful starting point in discovering the lull and beauty of South African music.

To be blunt and primal: ignore that fool, Phil Sutcliffe, and his commentary. His opinion is insensitive, ungrounded, and ultimately, amateurish.

I like this so much, I think American music, in comparison, suffers from a cult of professionalism which stifles anything that might be a breath of fresh air. I don't speak the language that these songs are sung in, but there was a translation in the CD liner. Selection 4, "The Man in the Black Coat," with the final line, "He demands all my money even when I hide it," as translated in the liner, actually has the word, "money" in English in the song, so the demand is perfectly clear, and the idea that "money" is being demanded in English might be one of the things which makes that song chilling. Another one of the songs struck me as being a perfect topic. The selection by Moses Mchunu is in the middle of the CD, after an instrumental track. When the introduction of the song "Qhwayilahle/Leave Him Alone" or "Ohwahilale" starts, I'm always thinking, Are they going to start singing the funny one yet? The voices sound serious as they do the first line, but an instrumental riff peps things up and the song takes off. The translation is "Just imagine you are the only one of your age group who is not married and your peers are jealous of your girlfriends." There are enough voices involved in the performance to picture what is going on as the group hashes this one out. You shouldn't have to understand what each word means to hear the humor of that song. All the music on this CD was recorded in 1981-84, and I started listening to it when it really was new, but it is so different from the rest of my music collection that hearing it is still a novelty. Some of it seems a bit rough, but it is not an intentional punk type effort to trash their listeners because their listeners think they have heard it all before. These people sing like they have found an audience who can enjoy it, and everybody is digging it so much they are beyond teasing.

5 stars are not enough for this album. I've listened to it hundreds of times over the past decade, I'm sure. I've boughten it for people as a present. I can't imagine an album better representing its people, its country, its cultures.

One of the first compilations of South African pop released in the US, this CD introduced a whole generation to the marvels of Afro-pop. It was also the first of the 'Indestructible Beat of Soweto' series, which went on to showcase the incredible diversity, vibrancy and raw emotion of South African pop. Even today, more than a decade later, this CD is still has an essential place in any collection of African music worthy of the name. Township, Jive, Mbaqanga. Whatever you call it, this stuff presents a snapeshot of the early music pop music scene amongst the Zulu, Swazi and Sotho. Naturally, Ladysmith Black Mambazo makes an appearance in this compilation, but so do a number of less familiar, but equally talented artists, such as Mahalathini Nezintombi Zomgoashiyo, Umahlathini Nabo, Amaswazi Emvelo, Johnson Mkhalali, and many others. It may seem a bit dated today, with many new artists, innovations and styles that have come and gone in South Africa since this CD first came out, but the 'Indestructible Beat of Soweto' series is still pretty essential. If your a fan of African music and don't own this, you should be ashamed of yourself. Go out an buy a copy now. And if you've just become interested in African music, perhaps after listening to Paul Simon's 'Graceland' (which introduced many western listeners to South African pop), then this is a great CD to start with.

Amazing. Brilliant. Charming. Dazzling. Edifying.

Fantastic. Grand. Heroic. Incredible. Jubilant. Kingly. Lovely. Magnificent. Noble. Outstanding. Peerless. Quintessential. Rapturous. Sublime. Terrific. Unique. Vigorous. Wonderful. Xylophonic (kinda). Yellow (at least that guy's pants on the cover). Zigguratworthy (that is, to be revered atop such a structure).

Well, Paul Simon ain't nothin' to me, but this album absolutely ranks among the most amazing and adored of all my collection, which is prodigious.

Dig it!

And please dance, or there's really something wrong with you. Go see a doctor. Or a priest...

Are you looking to graduate from Graceland? Like many folks I became hooked on the sound of Soweto from Paul Simons great album Graceland. I've found the Indescructible Beat of Soweto to be much more real and gritty. Every culture has their hardships, joys, and sorrows. Every culture sings about them. This is just the Blues with a different beat. Buy this album. You will not be disapointed.

I have listened to this album since the 80's & it continues to be a true classic from its time in history. If you like upbeat danceable worldbeat music YOU WILL LOVE this music. Peace & Enjoy , Stephan