Rodriguez
Searching For Sugar Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Reviewed by Jake Vitasovich on 1 October 2012
Rated 7 out of 10
Key Track: Sugar Man
Listen to music now on MOG
“I’ve played every kind of gig there is to play now/I’ve played faggot bars, hooker bars, motorcycle funerals, in opera houses, concert halls, halfway houses”
The opening lyrics from ‘A Most Disgusting Song’, originally released on Rodriguez’ 1971 album Coming From Reality speak volumes about the career of a man who, despite writing some of the most timely and profound songs of his generation, went largely unnoticed by mainstream music culture.
His debut album Cold Fact all but faded into obscurity the moment it was released, and only a few years later, Rodriguez himself went down the same path.
If it weren’t for a handful of bootlegged LPs which made their way to apartheid South Africa, sparking an entire generation of disenfranchised youth to copy, distribute and share his revolutionary music, Rodriguez would have been lost to us forever.
Searching For Sugar Man, to be released worldwide on October 4th 2012, is a film which tells the astonishing tale of two South African fans who, despite tales of onstage suicide and untimely death, set out to discover the truth about their idol.
The soundtrack to this film is a collection of tracks from Rodriguez’ various recordings dating from 1970 to 1973.
Opening with the iconic Sugar Man, a lament for the free and uninhibited days of the 60s, the album rambles through a plethora of Dylanesque, revolutionary-style numbers. Unmissable tracks being ‘This Is Not A Song, ‘It’s an Outburst: Or The Establishment Blues’, ‘Sandrevan Lullaby’, and ‘Inner City Blues’.
If you haven’t heard Rodriguez, the lyrical content alone is enough to make this a worthy listen, and even if some of the songs are a little overdone musically (too much session-band, not enough purity) this is definitely an era-defining collection of music from a man who was once thought to be long dead and forgotten.
Recent Record Reviews
Miss Elm
Idle Away
Released through Footstomp, 2013
Miss Elm’s sophomore EP release Idle Away is a fresh taste of their signature addictive pop. With a mix of quirk, jazz, and all things in...
2 days ago
Savages
Silence Yourself
Released through Matador / Remote Control, 2013
The long-awaited album from Savages is a purposeful, intense and at times epic affair. Having only formed in 2011, their debut singles ‘Flying To Berlin’ and...
1 week ago
Wiley
The Ascent
Released through Warner, 2013
It’s hard to imagine now but Wiley was once the great hope of UK grime, arguably the only non-US hip-hop derivative to ever gain credibility on...
1 week ago
Orchestral Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark
English Electric
Released through BMG, 2013
If there had been any concerns that after thirty years Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark couldn’t pull off a reformation, they’ll be well and truly dispelled with the...
4 days ago
Primal Scream
More Light
Released through First International, 2013
What’s that? Are you finding yourself compelled to throw on your best pair of denim overalls and bucket hat, pick yourself up a VHS copy of...
1 week ago
