The Pilgrim
Tracks:
Musicians:
Release information: April 2005, Wolmer Records, F1000408 (distributed by Bowline)
Buy this CD online from
Vagabond Music.
Rock Of Ages One of the finest rock albums to come out of this country in years is Jack Hammer's "The Pilgrim". A landmark album for the perennial blues rockers "The Pilgrim" is right on the money: production, songs and performance all come together to make one of my fave albums of the moment. Take a listen to "Headlines", "G8" and Piet Botha's stunning interpretation of the Freedom's Children gem "Tribal Fence" ... a must for any true blue rock fan! The Independent On Saturday... listen to 'The Pilgrim', the band's latest CD, and it'll blow you away. Real rock music, with influences of Dire Straits (when 'Morrison Hotel' started, I thought I was hearing Mark Knopfler), and the title track, 'The Pilgrim' - shades of 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. CD Wherehouse Celebrating Jack Hammer's 21st anniversary, veteran blues rock general Piet Botha guides his band of brothers beyond the valley of "boere" blues and into the realms of 70's power rock protest song ("G8") and progressive rock anthems ("The Pilgrim") that map the psychic migration away from decaying inner city ruminations ("Headline").Read a review on MWeb. 
iAfrica.com Toast Coetzer 14th June 2005 This CD begins on the outside, for sleeve design (and execution thereof) like this is something we seldomly see on local releases. It costs plenty of money to print like this in design biz they call it a digi-pack, which is basically just the cardboard CD cover and holder, instead of the plastic thing. Whatever, it looks stunning. All sepia-toned black and white imagery shot in Namibia, it resembles a string of postcards written from the desert, with the lyrics printed on the back. It's a worthy jacket for a brilliant album, old stalwart Jack Hammer's first studio album since 1996.
'G8' kicks it into being, simultaneously a powerful musical and political statement: While the tempo is varied throughout with the chin-up reggae of 'Rock Steady' and slow numbers such as 'Morrison Hotel' the intensity never wavers. Another thing that continues to astonish is Piet Botha's skill with lyrics. What initially seems sparse and conversational gradually reveals textured layers, much like the many thousands of kilometres of road this band tramples every year in pursuit of gigs. This landscape which starts explicitly on the cover, with a lonely road stretching towards the horizon is cultivated throughout as the new Africa we know, the one we can reach in our 4x4s, Mozambique, Namibia, Zanzibar (on 'Bury Me When' the place where Botha wants to be buried, "and the tide can do the rest") and where we can continuously escape to in our dreams. Jack Hammer deserves credit for taking their style of music unapologetic rock and moulding it seamlessly, and to the benefit of both, with the continent they live in. It's a matter of the medium soaking up the messages in its immediate vicinity, instead of a dreamscape-America, a faroff place that this kind of rock is often bothered with. "We've travelled so far with the sun behind us/ but our journey has just begun", Piet sings on the title track, and you know he means it. During, before and after the recording of this album, the band also went through some trauma, which ended in long-time guitarist (and co-author of several classic 'Hammer numbers) Johnathan Martin leaving the band. Knowing this makes a certain resilience become evident in the music displayed here. Jack Hammer has been with us since the 1980s and while they might fear to "come home in the headlines" ('Headlines'), one feels they might return even from that.
Oeg, if you're looking for a tough-love lovesong, look no further than 'Lady Amber' (I suppose by implication, the possibility exists that she might trap you): 'Russian and Chips' is one of two Freedom's Children numbers on the album, featuring a blinding intro of guitars firing at full throttle. To be more precise, 'Russian and Chips' is an interpretation of Freedom's Children's tune 'The Kid He Came From Hazareth', with some random Russian folk tune thrown into the mix first performed in this fashion by Botha's early 80s group, Wildebeest. Lanie van der Walt's production is exemplary throughout, one even suspects he had a hand in the prog-like intro to 'The Pilgrim', where guitar, piano and Paul van de Waal's drums follow an unusual rhythm before the vocals, backing vocals included, suddenly crashes into being. 'Tribal Fence' is the other Freedom's Children (both are available on the FC album Astra, released in 1970, but now available on CD from Fresh Music) cover and brings this album to a rousing close. It again features interesting production work you'll either love or hate the vocoder voice effects and that milling sound of looped/FXed organ (I think either way, it annoyed my ear a bit) which builds and builds until the song spirals to a halt. My favourite track is 'Mozambique', a beautiful praise-song to our neighbour, clearly a place which, like Namibia, Jack Hammer feels at home in: "Far from the black city/ where the dragon wants your soul". It's boosted by soulful backing vocals and the mention of "Gito", which one can only assume refers to legendary Mozambiηan bassist Gito Baloi, who was killed in Joburg last year. This is big, open-book music for fans of finely distilled rock music which stands as Jack Hammer's best work to date, or damn near close to it. If they take another decade to make the next album and it's as good as this, then we should thank them for being such perfectionists. Hats off to the Hammer. * 'Russian And Chips' is a cover version of the Freedom's Children classic 'The Kid He Came From Hazareth' (yes, Hazareth!) combined with a traditional Russian folk song. It was originally performed like this by Wildebeest, featuring Piet Botha on bass guitar, in 1981. Freedom's Children MP3s In 1970 Freedom's Children released the classic 'Astra' album which included the Ramsay Mackay-penned 'The Kid He Came From Hazareth'. (The SA government of the time insisted they change Nazareth to Hazareth - to quote Ripley's: "believe it"!). In 1981 Wildebeest featuring Freedom's drummer Colin Pratley, Boet Faber, Karlien van Niekerk, the late Dave Tarr on violin and one J.P. Botha (better known nowadays as Piet Botha), recorded this song live as 'Russian And Chips' and released it on the 'Bushrock 1' album. This version has long been a part of Piet Botha and Jack Hammer's live repertoire featuring Jonathan "The Kid" Martin on lead vocals. And here is a recent demo recording of Jack Hammer's version of 'Russian and Chips'/'The Kid He Came From Nazareth' which just might appear on the new Jack Hammer album scheduled for April 2004.More Piet Botha and Jack Hammer mp3s available at MWeb.
ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY
|
