DESCRIPTION:
The other week it suddenly occurred to me whilst discussing world music with Naomi Okada, who is an important cog in one of Southern Record Distribution's long standing export partners / customers, that I actually worked a short stint with Cooking Vinyl Records.

Due to my being there for just a matter of weeks, this experience seems to have been shifted to the part of my brain labelled; "You can't remember nuttin' bruv".

During the All The Madmen Record days when All The Madmen Records left the beautiful squalor of Hackney and arrived at the equally beautiful squalor of Kings Cross, we shared the building with Better Badges on ground floor, and Geoff running Fuck Off Tapes above us on the third floor.

Geoff eventually left the third floor of this crumbling building and left an office space vacant for Martin Goldschmidt and Pete Lawrence who a couple of years prior to joining 'crucial corner' in Kings Cross had formed Cooking Vinyl Records. They also managed Michelle Shocked (a Canadian folk singer whom I would pass on the staircase quite regularly) and several other bands.

As All The Madmen started to wind down in early 1988, Rob Challice was invited to help manage Michelle Shocked and other Cooking Vinyl bands like The Oyster Band.

That was Rob sorted. Gummidge started Rugger Bugger Records, and I did not have much to do apart from just disappear.

Cooking Vinyl ended up somewhere (but I am buggered if I can actually remember - Kilburn or Kentish Town maybe).

Rob rather gallantly, put in a good word on my behalf to Pete Lawrence (I think) and suddenly I was a Cooking Vinyl intern for about four weeks travelling to the office, somewhere in London that I have completely forgotten about.

Walking into Cooking Vinyl for the first time, I noticed a familiar face.

Andy Morgan who was in Blyth Power between the end of 1984 to the end of 1986.

I got to know Andy from my days at All The Madmen Records who were looking after Blyth Power, after I had volunteered my time to All The Madmen Records towards the end of 1985. I had gone to see Blyth Power gigs a year prior to joining All The Madmen Records.

I looked over the table and I recognise another person. Sarah (second name long forgotten) whom, and I kid you not, used to go to my old comprehensive school and used to know my younger brother (they were in the same year - one year down from me). For a company that employed only half a dozen people that was quite a coincidence.

Anyway, this stint at Cooking Vinyl was never a long term deal, so I did not stay long.

Shortly after Cooking Vinyl, I started King Penguin Distribution, and shortly after King Penguin Distribution, started work at Southern Studios / Southern Record Distribution, where I am still based today. Thirty years after walking into All The Madmen Records.

As Naomi was discussing world music, I remembered all the above, and banged on about The Four Brothers from Zimbabwe.

I was given this album, uploaded onto this YouTube post, along with several other Cooking Vinyl releases while helping out in the office for those weeks in 1988.

I already knew The Four Brothers sound as John Peel was heavily promoting the band, alongside another 'Jit' band from Zimbabwe, The Bhundu Boys.

Andy Kersaw also supported the band, and many other bands from other parts of the world.

This album is my favorite record by The Four Brothers. It contains early tracks licensed from Gramma Records in Zimbabwe. Tellingly the album includes their first big hit in Zimbabwe, ‘Makorokoto’, celebrating Zimbabwean independence. Makorokoto means ‘Congratulations’ in the Shona language.

This album has the strength in the music to uplift you even on the dullest of days.

The band 'survived' British rule, when it was illegal to perform traditional 'Jit' music sung in the Zimbabwe language, Shona.

By 1980, after independence, The Four Brothers and other Zimbabwe bands could relax, and came into the open performing in the bars in the townships around Salisbury (now Harare) and elsewhere in the country.

I can only imagine what that rush of celebration would have been like for The Four Brothers back then in 1980.

I think it was John Peel who said that; "If you don't like African music you're a cunt".

I made that quote up, but I agree with the sentiments!

John Peel had The Four Brothers in for several BBC sessions, and when John Peel conducted his interview for the World renowned Desert Island Discs radio show, he offered up a song by The Four Brothers, 'Pasi Pano Pane Zviedzo', as one song that he would always want near him among a dozen more songs chosen.

A decent judge John Peel was.

I went up to Nottingham once and saw The Four Brothers in a city park in the afternoon one summer.

They were great, as is this album.

Tracklisting:

Makorokoto
Rugare
Wapenga Nayo Bonus
Ndakatadzeiko
Sara Tasangana
Pamusoroi
Nhaka Yemusiiranwa
Uchandifunga
Guhwa Uri Mwana Waani
Ndakatambura

Dedicated to Naomi Okada.