Dudu Pukwana - Dudu Pukwana and the Spears (test)
Cover
thumbnailthumbnailthumbnailthumbnail

 
 

DUDU PUKWANA
DUDU PUKWANA AND THE SPEARS (TEST)


recorded 1969-05
issued 1969
Atlantic
Atlantic
made in USA
produced by Joe Boyd
matrix box 3
matrix box 4
33 rpm
test pressing
source: Sean Conlon

TRACK LISTING

 

1.1Pezulu (take 1)

(Dudu Pukwana)

1.2Pezulu (take 2)

(Dudu Pukwana)

1.3Half Moon

(Dudu Pukwana)

2.4(unknown)

((unknown))

2.5(unknown) (take 1)

((unknown))

2.6(unknown) (take 2)

((unknown))

2.7Church Mouse

(Dudu Pukwana)

2.8(unknown)

((unknown))

ARTISTS

 

DUDU PUKWANA - alto sax
MONGEZI FEZA - trumpet?
LOUIS MOHOLO - drums
HARRY MILLER - bass
RICHARD THOMPSON - guitar
SIMON NICOL - guitar
MANHATTAN BROTHERS - vocals?

NOTES

 

Many thanks to Sean Conlon for sending me the information about this record.

The disc is a US Atlantic test pressing of recordings from the classic Dudu Pukwana and Spears sessions produced by Joe Boyd in 1969. It includes eight tracks of which four (at the moment) are unidentifiable and perhaps unissued tracks from the same session (we think).

The only track that is identified on the label is Church Mouse which was issued in 2006 on Joe Boyd's compilation CD While Bicycles.

Track one and two are two different takes of Pezulu. The first take was used on the classic LP: Dudu Phukwana and the Spears, and is the full recording running at about 20 seconds longer than the album version.

Track three, also from the album, is either Half Moon or Kwa Thula. In trying to identify this track, I realised that both these tunes are nearly identical on the original album. Which is super odd. The hi-hat cymbals on Half Moon are on the right hand side of stereo whereas on Kwa Thula they are on the left. Other than that the two LP tracks appear to be almost identical.

The four unidentified tracks have a particular mbaqanga slant and two include male and female vocals. In his book White Bicycles, Joe Boyd talks about the session and mentions that he and Dudu Pukwana recruited the Manhattan Brothers, who were exiled in London at the time, to take part in the recordings. It is very likely that the male voice on track four and five is either Joe Mogotsi or Nathan Mdlelde.