Herbs win classic record prize, 34 years on

Herald online

8 Apr, 2015 12:17 AM2 mins to read

Herbs in the early 1980s (from left) Dilworth Karaka, Spencer Fusimalohi, Fred Faleauto, Phil Toms, Toni Fonoti.

It's official: The 1981 debut by New Zealand reggae pioneers Herbs is a classic.

The mini-album What's Be Happen? will be given the Independent Music NZ Classic Record award at next week's Taite Prize ceremony.

The Taite Prize is an annual independent award for best New Zealand album which now also includes a retrospective recognition for past albums.

Herbs' singer-guitarist Dilworth Karaka said the belated recognition was much appreciated.

"It was our first bunch of songs that we'd ever recorded and was a strong indicator for the political material we would carry on to do - the memory has carried on, and it's still our most popular record."

One of the panel judges, Peter McLennan said: ""Herbs' recording debut What's Be Happen? holds up as a vital slice of our cultural history and a landmark for Pacific reggae.

"Dropping in the dark days of the 1981 Springbok Tour, the mini album showed the band pulling together a strong set of six originals ... it's still a crucial recording, to this day."

The album's cover was an aerial shot of protesters being surrounded by police during the 1977-78 Bastion Point occupation.

Among the six tracks, the songs addressed the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa (Azania) as well as police harassment of Polynesian kids in Auckland (Dragons and Demons), while Reggae's Doing Fine was written as a tribute to Bob Marley who died in May 1981.

The first classic record prize in 2013 went to the self-titled album by The Gordons and last year it was awarded to the punk era compilation AK.79.

The main Taite Music Prize event will be held in Auckland on Wednesday April 15. This year's ten nominated albums are:

@peace - @peace and the Plutonian Noise Symphony

Aldous Harding - Aldous Harding