BRENDA & THE BIG DUDES - Weekend Special (1983)

CCP/EMI, 12FLY(C)508

Producers: Mally Watson & Blondie

The original 12" version of the song that ushered in the bubblegum era and made Brenda Fassie its star following her apprenticeship in the family band of Blondie Makhene. Heavily influenced by American R&B and deliberately lifting from two specific tracks - BB&Q Band's 'All Night Long' and Sharon Redd's 'Never Give You Up' - in 1986 the song was remixed by Van Gibbs in New York, released internationally on Capitol and made it onto the Billboard charts (more about the song's history here). Penned by Melvyn Matthews, as was the B-side 'Life Is Going On', a timeless ballad showing Brenda's vocal power in the style of Whitney Houston. 

VA - Superfly vol. 4 (1987)

CCP/EMI, FLY(V)4051721   

Killer compilation featuring all-time classics from the day's biggest stars.

SIDE ONE:
1. Don't Hold Her Ruff - Lazarus Kgagudi



2. Feel Free - The Winners ft Lionel Peterson
3. Hamba Uzo Buyo - The Big Dudes
4. Tender Care - Brenda & The Big Dudes

SIDE TWO:
1. Jive Pantsula - Hotline
2. I Will Hold On - Mercy Pakela
3. African Man - Kamazu

4. The Boss Is Back - CJB

VA - Dinaledi: The Power in the Music vol 3 (1986)

Dinaledi, DIN3
Compiled by Patrick Meyer

Great compilation album of alternative takes of some of the biggest early bubblegum hits, credited to "The Sugarboys".

Side A:
1. Ikati pt.2 - Condry Ziqubu
2. No! No! Senor pt.2  - Brenda & the Big Dudes
3. Move Over pt.2 - Chicco

Side B:
1. O Nketsang pt.2 - Rex Rabanye
2. Another Lover pt.2 - Om Alec Khaoli
3. Brikha Bhova pt.2 - Zasha
4. (All I need is here) In Africa - PJ Powers (Hotline)/Steve Kekana

BRENDA & THE BIG DUDES – Touch Somebody (1985)

CCP / EMI/ Family
Producer: Mally Watson 

Engineer: Philip Nel

Perhaps the only track to rival “Burn Out” as ultimate SA pop song was Brenda Fassie’s breakthrough hit “Weekend Special,” first released in 1983. But Ma Brr was so full of hits, it’s hard to not get distracted. Around the time Brenda was pregnant with her first son Bongani (by Big Dude Dumisani Ngubeni), a 19-year old Yvonne Chaka Chaka burst onto the scene with “I’m in Love with a DJ” and a string of hits that threatened Brenda’s dominance. Around the same time, “Weekend Special“ was remixed in New York and released internationally on Capitol Records, entering the Billboard Hot Black singles chart in March 1986, where it remaining for eight weeks. The song enjoyed radio play throughout southern Africa. Brenda and the Big Dudes toured the USA, UK, Europe, Australia and Brazil.

Answering critics who might have suggested that she was still living in ‘83, Brenda and The Big Dudes released fresh material on local ears that same year. “Touch Somebody” was the title track and biggest hit on the four-track album. The music video for the single features Brenda in factory overalls before slipping into a black cocktail dress. Other tracks on the album were the huge hit “Bongani,” co-written by both parents, “Dizzy Love,” featuring a bad-ass breakdown three quarters into the song, and “Thrilling Love,” another winner. It’s better and more important than “Weekend Special.” I got it for 25 bucks from Revolution Records in Observatory, CT, not far from where she was born. Sadly, this album was to be the end of Brenda and the Big Dudes, with the mercurial singer parting ways with the band, wanting, deservedly, a greater percentage of royalties. Fassie continued to record the soundtrack of South Africa until her untimely death in 2004.

BRENDA & THE BIG DUDES - Cool Spot (1984)

CCP / EMI / family

FLY (E) 6
Producer: Mally Watson

Before the fame, the scandals, the drugs and the tabloids, before the legend, there was just a young woman from Cape Town, a couple of dudes and some killer synths. Cool spot is 4 track EP, including obscure classics like "Love Action" and "Mirror Mirror".

BRENDA & THE BIG DUDES - No! No! Señor (1986)

CCP / Family
FLY (E) 4051101
Producer: Mally Watson
Engineer: Richard Mitchell

 
By 1986, Brenda, her Dudes and tried and tested studio hands like Mally and Mitchell were on top of their game. Not quite as fresh as the band's earliest hits, but still better than some of Brenda's future solo work, especially on tracks like 'Let's Dance', 'Amalahle' and the timeless classic 'No! No! Señor'. Rad cover art.