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The Aeroplanes

by The Aeroplanes

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    Video of "South African Male" made by Robyn Aronstam and Neria Cohen
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National Madness ___________________ National Madness bring out your dead Babylon crumbles as it was said national madness national suicide killing the brothers things left unsaid things left unsaid National Madness a curse on the land Jesus was murdered by his own hand national madness national genocide they that have none the mark of the land Angel of mercy shine down on me national madness swallowing me national madness a beast stalks the land all our defences crumble to sand national madness national regicide the old king is dying no son is at hand Angel of mercy shine down on me national madness swallowing me swallowing me
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I Got Style 03:09
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Sally 03:22
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Black Samba 03:27
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about

Produced and recorded by Warric Sony 1986
Remixed by Willem Möller at Sharp Studios 1997

credits

released June 6, 1986

Musicians:
Michael Rudolph: Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar
Carl Becker: Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar
Robert Muirhead: Keyboards, Guitar, Saxophone
Gary Rathbone: Drums, Guitar

Additional Musicians:
Ian Herman: Drums
Willem Möller: Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar
James Whyle: Vocals
Sean "The Animal" Taylor: Vocals, Additional Male (on "South African Male")
Johnny Blundel: Guitar Picking
Tonia Selley: Percussion
Warric Sony: Lead Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Sampling and Rapping
Joanna Weinberg: Backing vocals
Natalie Gamsu: Backing vocals
David Butler: Additional Male (on "South African Male")
Nicky Rebelo: Additional Male (on "South African Male")

Release information:
1986: Gross National Products / Shifty Records
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Review:

The Aeroplanes were never going to set the world alight. Their style of music was not commercial enough. But hey, that's usually the best kind of music. This is great Indie music from the '80s. The tunes are understated and simplistic, the production is minimal, the singer is sometimes a little off-key, yet this collection of raw pop-rock tunes has an airiness about it and a seriousness about it to make you feel good and melancholic, happy and sad, politically aware and totally carefree.

There is the serious, almost vitriolic "National Madness" which featured on the "Forces Favourites" End Conscription Campaign compilation and then the lighter, bittersweet "Hat Check Girl". In amongst this is the Rawhide-esque "Cowboys Don't Cry" which is a hilarious take on the macho deep-voiced country singers, exploiting every cowboy cliche, including the cry "beans and coffee made America great!"

Every song has a great tune. Simple yet effective (remember a lot of the Beatles material only used 3 chords), you will be singing along by the time the second chorus comes along despite never hearing the song before.

The political issues dealt with encompass the local apartheid problems but weaves in the global issue in the '80s of the nuclear threat. This is dealt with in the song "Sally" which starts with the lyric "Sally, don't worry, the bomb will never get to us here" and then goes on to talk about the dangers "creep a-creeping so near".

"South African Male" despite being sung by a bit of a cats choir, encaptures so acutely all the lekker things of about being a South African male ("May the smell of boerewors always be with you") as well as some the not so lekker things ("South African Male you've got a uniform"). This is followed by "Hey Where's The Jol?" (another lekker thing) to a funky, semi hip hop tune (but listen carefully to the lyrics, it's not as lighthearted as the title suggests).

Raw, simplistic, funny, serious, tuneful, biting, bittersweet are a few adjectives one can use to describe this but be warned, some of the politically charged lyrics are not for the fainthearted.
(John Samson - SA Rock Digest #88 December 2000)

All info supplied by John Samson, April 2002.
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Links:
1001sasongs.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/south-african-male-the-aeroplanes/

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yg64x_yHiec

1001sasongs.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/south-african-male-the-aeroplanes/

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The Aeroplanes Johannesburg, South Africa

The best unknown South African band ever!

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