Meet the Mahotella Queens

Released in 1966, this was the Mahotella Queens' debut, comprising their first seven singles plus B-sides recorded over the previous three years and put out in South Africa at the time as old-fashioned 78s. Now re-issued on vinyl for the first time in more than 40 years, it's lovingly presented in its original packaging, complete with quaintly period sleeve notes – ‘Not long ago the country was swept by a craze for a fantastic new kind of jive… the charm, vivacity and ultra-modern, go-ahead spirit of these vital young artists full deserves to have captivated.’

The term mbaqanga, which later came to describe the driving township beat of the Queens, is not used and instead we get references to ‘jive mgqashiyo’ and ‘a wild crazy jive called S'modern.’ Nor at this stage was Simon ‘Mahlathini’ Nkabinde getting separate billing for his basso profundo ‘groaning’ voice, which plays call-and-response with the sweet harmonies of the three female voices. Backed by the Makgona Tsohle Band and the dancing guitar lines of Marks Mankwane, it is fair to say that what may have sounded ‘wild’ and ‘crazy’ half a century ago today seems rather gentle and sedate. Yet it's still lovely stuff that evokes a bittersweet nostalgia for a simpler age.