Congo Percussion

Artists

Album Info

Labels: Sutton, Omega Records

"This LP certainly traveled the distance to arrive at OSL 99. The front gives a number (SSU-210) belonging to the Sutton label, while a sticker covers up the original imprint to claim it's part of the "Omega Records Hallmark Series". This record did appear on Hallmark (among many other labels), but etched numbers (UTS-139) indicate the pressing is from Silver Seal (one of many Premier Albums imprints) where it was credited to Chief Walataghi and his Afro Drummers. In its many incarnations this record has also been issued as by Chief Bey, Kaino, Cawanda Group, and Sabu the Jungle Boy!

To clear up the confusion somewhat, it all began with "Jungle Beat", a release on the RKO label by Subri Moulin and the Equitorial Rhythm Group. Tops/Mayfair inherited the short-lived RKO catalog, so it went there next. Before long it spread to other labels, but with changes. Only about half of the RKO/Tops version was used; the rest of the tracks are "new" material. They may have been unused songs from the Subri sessions, or music from other performers. On Pirouette this new concoction was credited to Cawanda Group and each track acquired a left-right ping-pong percussion intro. As the migration to multiple supermarket labels continued, somewhere along the line all songs, both from RKO and wherever, were renamed to fool the unwary buyer. Omega's version has the altered names, but at least the tracks themselves are not encumbered by the silly ping-pong intros."