Amanaz- Africa

Label: Now-Again

Reissued 4/10/2026, Originally released 1975

Issued in 1975, this is the articulation of Zambia’s Zamrock ethos. While other albums - Rikki Ililonga’s Zambia,WITCH’s Lazy Bones!! - are competitors, it’s hard to best this album as it covers each major quadrant of the Zamrock whole: it came from the mines; its musicians were anti-colonial freedom fighters, it envelops Zambian folk music traditions, and it rocks - hard. It is a perfectly arranged album, from the dichotomy of Mpofu’s and Kanyepa’s lead and rhythm guitars, to the vocal harmonies, to the rhythm section’s sense of space and time, which allows Africa’s funk to build. Inexplicably, Africa was given two separate mixes and two separate presses: one version is dry, with the vocals and drums mixed loud, the other slathered in reverb, with the vocals and drums disappearing into the mix, and with the guitar solos mixed much louder. We’ve presented them both here as they each have their appeal: it’s up to the listener to pick the one he or she prefers. This is a highpoint of the Zamrock scene and we hope that this can be seen as its definitive reissue.

Track listing:

1. Amanaz
2. I Am Very Far
3. Sunday Morning
4. Khala My Friend
5. History of Man
6. Nsunka Lwendo
7. Africa
8. Green Apple
9. Making The Scene
10. Easy Street
11. Big Enough 
12. Kale
13. Amanaz (Reverb Mix)
14. I Am Very Far (Reverb Mix)
15. Sunday Morning (Reverb Mix)
16. Khala My Friend (Reverb Mix)
17. History of Man (Reverb Mix)
18. Nsunka Lwendo (Reverb Mix)
19. Africa (Reverb Mix)
20. Green Apple (Reverb Mix)
21. Making The Scene (Reverb Mix)
22. Easy Street (Reverb Mix)
23. Big Enough (Reverb Mix)
24. Kale (Reverb Mix)