‘ZX Dan’, the opening track from the ‘Into The Night We Slide‘ album, is a wonderful piece of new wave space-rock whose similar lyrical theme is a nod to David Bowie‘s 1972 smash hit, ‘Starman’. The song was also inspired by the 1977 Stephen Spielberg film ‘Close Encounters Of The 3rd Kind‘, and has a more polished production than the rest of the album, which is a closer reflection of the band’s raw live energy.
‘ZX Dan’ is still considered one of South Africa’s greatest pop rock songs of all time. In “The SA Rock Digest/Amuzine End Of The Century Big Vote” held at the end of 1999, ‘ZX Dan’ received the second most number of votes in the “All time favourite SA song” category, just behind Bright Blue‘s classic, ‘Weeping’.
‘ZX Dan’ was released as a single (backed by ‘Rocking’) and it entered the Radio 5 (now 5FM) charts at number 15 on New Year’s Eve 1978. The song implores the listener to “turn up your radio, and play me that rock and roll”, and it seems that is exactly what the public did. The song scuttled up the charts until peaking at No. 2 on 28 January 1979, where it stayed for two weeks. It was kept off the cherished No. 1 spot by Michael Jackson.
The original album version of ‘ZX Dan’ featured a brilliant, lengthy play-out guitar solo by Jonathan Handley, but sadly this was edited on the single version, which later appeared on the ‘Best Of SA Pop Volume 2‘ CD.
All the songs on ‘Into The Night We Slide’ were generally written by Handley in the Wimpy Bar, The Palladium, and a café in Springs. The album contains references to some very weird and wonderful characters and places, based on his observations of life in this East Rand town. ‘Plague Cafe’ is about a real place on 3rd Street and ‘A Visit To The Cinema’ is a reference to the old movie house ‘The Palladium’.
My name is ZX Dan, I am a spaceman. My galaxy is doomed, so I’ve moved to your moon. So turn up your radio, and play me that rock and roll, Stop feeling so blue – I’m coming down to you.
I’ve watched you on my screen, you’re sweet, sweet sixteen I’ve monitored your mind, You’re just the loving kind… So turn up your radio, and play me that rock and roll, Stop feeling so blue – I’m coming down to you.
Meet me tonight at your window; Dress warmly for absolute zero And I’ll come down as quiet as the snow And we’ll go for a glide in my U.F.O.
The whole of outer space, is tuned into the human race From pole to frozen pole, your world transmits rock & roll So turn up your radio, and play me that rock and roll, Stop feeling so blue – I’m coming down to you.
Written by Jonathan Handley 12 April 1978
Die Lemme – ZX Dan feat Radio Rats, released 10 October 2013
Radio Rats Family Tree | Brian Currin, November 2002
Killville was released in 2019 and features 13 classic new Rats’ tracks.
This is a really strong album with good songs and it is so cool to hear a group on top of their game and enjoying themselves. Drummer Riaan Esterhuisen has turned out to be a really inventive musician and he changes his style to fit the mood with ease. Guitarist Gil Gilchrist is also producing some really good licks and riffs and his solos are well executed and controlled. Jonathan Handley has come up with some really good tales as he always does and Dave Davies gives them the heart felt delivery they deserve. Dave’s Jagger/ Pop/ Beefheart vocals are perfectly offset by Jonathan’s higher pitched Marc Bolan-esque backing vocals and that is one of the Radio Rats most endearing qualities. The songs are mostly pop-rock and reminiscent of early Stones and Kinks but there are also a few slower almost lounge jazz songs which are a treat. Lets examine those songs in more detail….
The album gets off to a strong start with the Zappa/Beefheart-esque “Secret Evil Beam Gun” which is harder here than on the live album. “Nicely Crazy” is classic Radio Rats with it’s irreverent humour and it is a really nice and sleazy pop rocker with a really nice brush beat….”she don’t need pills or electricity/to me she is just nicely crazy/the one who’s really coocoo is me” “Bodyguard with a Guitar” features some fine guitar work and solo from Gill and it is quite Stones-ish at times. “Sinister Sister” features Dave doing some Iggy Pop type crooning which works really well with the subject matter. “Haunted” is a semi-acoustic love song before we get to the lounge jazz/swing style of “Azure”. “Cool Breeze” is another lounge jazz styled song with Iggy, I mean Dave crooning again. “Shoulder of the Highway” is a very good Stones/Kinks type pop song with clever lyrics, but then most of Jonathan’s lyrics are clever. “Sweet Suburbia” is another Stones/Kinks styled pop song and like me, you may find the characters sound familiar. “A White picket fence/will be no defence/against a bookless bookcase/ and no common sense…Sweet Suburbia, is only a dream…” “Plastic Trophies” is a good rock song with more good, clean guitar work from Gill. There are two gentle pop/rock songs towards the end of the album and “He Lost His Heard” has more great guitar work while “Days Melt Away” sticks to it’s gentle groove quite irresistibly. The final track, “Let’s Get Rolling” is a bit of a rocker about going down to the sea with your guitar…”on a happy beach/with a happy song/that’s the place/that I belong”.
All in all a very enjoyable album with some really good songs but I just wish that the CD included a lyric sheet or book as the best part of most of these songs are the lyrics. I would give this 4 out of 5 rating, would have been 4.5 if there was a lyric book.
Radium Wreckords 