Salty Dog
Strawberry Rain Rec. Salty Dog (ZAM,1976)****
Salty Dog, like many other bands from Zambia, was an acid fuzz rock band influenced by the Rolling Stones, Hendrix and Cream, while they also mentioned the Beatles, -although I cannot recognise that last influence much-, besides some locals like Rikki Illongo & Alick Nkata. Their earlier band formation was called Way Out Impression, which was a more hard rock styled trio who also did covers. This first band became very popular, especially in Lusaka. Salty Dog (-which is slang for sperm-) wanted to have more life-based songs, and also show a more positive vibe towards life. Salty Dog features Jackie Mumba on guitar, Norman Muntemba on bass and Alex Mwilwa on drums.
The first track especially is the most amazing one concerning the fuzz guitars. It contains wild, and even slightly cracking fuzz guitars, played with emotion, on an acid blues rhythm, with bluesy deep bass repetition. Some song parts of it are in English. The instrumental part with fuzz here really goes over the top. There is at least one other track that still recalls a hard rock styled accompaniment (track 4), with blues associations. The ninth track is a boogieing blues-rock fuzz-led instrumental. Also the last track has wonderful electric guitar freak-outs. The songs are simple and effective. Even though a blues touch is in all of them, I have moments that I feel the songs are indeed somewhat celebrative to life. Some songs have a more acoustic feeling. One track even has used an additional mouth harmonica. The songs have use of dual or even group singing (occasionally with harmony vocals), where we can still sense the African song ways of bringing songs to the people too, which makes the present acid-primitive feeling very grounded. It is such African foundations that can be heard in combination with those Western style loans.
It really is not difficult to appreciate Zambian rock bands like Salty Dog. I just wonder why it took so long for the Western market to discover them.
The lead single, which was released just before the album came out, is being added too.
The band still continued for another 15 years. Their second album was released in 1980. The lack of money finally caused the band to collapse. Over these years only one member has survived.
P.S. It is perhaps also nice to mention that it was British artist Trevor Ford, with whom the band had build up a friendship over the years, had designed the front cover.
