WITCH's rare Zamrock 70s singles tracks collected on "Fool's Ride" comp

WITCH's tough-to-find Zamrock singles have been thoughtfully compiled by Egon Alapatt on the "Fool's Ride" album from Now-Again out now.   

Here's the scoop...

The last of WITCH’s Zamrock to finally see wide commercial release – their uber-rare 7″ singles collected as an album. Pressed on deep purple coloured vinyl – Now-Again’s officially sanctioned Black Friday Record Store Day 2025 Release!

Zamrock was a bona-fide rock scene, with albums released through independent labels based in Zambia. This music scene was complete, encompassing the genres of rock, acid folk, fusion, Afro-beat, South African jazz and traditional Zambian melodies. It quickly became a uniquely Zambian movement, befitting of its name. Chrissy Zebby Tembo, Paul Ngozi and Amanaz sound nothing like other rock music from the African continent or elsewhere.

WITCH issued five albums as a Zamrock band. With ‘Fool’s Ride,’ we have collected the band’s uber-rare 7″ singles and present them as the final, golden-age WITCH LP.

WITCH’s first two, self-produced albums – ‘Introduction’ and ‘In The Past,’ released in unison with the birth of the commercial Zambian recording industry – are exuberant experiments in garage rock, and are as influenced by the Rolling Stones as they are James Brown. Their third album,’Lazy Bones!!,’ is the band’s masterpiece – a dark, brooding psychedelic opus that makes equal use of wah-wah and fuzz guitars, that relies as heavily on the stomping feel of hard rock as it does the syncopation of funk. The band’s last two albums – ‘Lukombo Vibes’ and ‘Including Janet,’ recorded after the band toured with Osibisa – make use of traditional Zambian rhythms and folk melodies. They are the most “afro-rock” of WITCH’s oeuvre. 

Get a copy of WITCH's "Fool's Ride" album on limited-edition purple wax while it's still available via Bandcamp right here.

WITCH - Fool's Ride

1. Talking Universe

2. Evil Woman

3. Sweet Sixteen

4. Up The Sky

5. Toloka

6. 81st Crowd Confusion

7. Fool’s Ride

8. Chifundo

“Toloka/81st Crowd Confusion” “Talking Universe/Sweet Sixteen” “Up The Sky/Evil Woman” 7″ singles produced and arranged by WITCH. Recorded at D.B. Applications, Lusaka, Zambia in 1975.

“Toloka/81st Crowd Confusion” 7″ originally released on Teal Record Company/Zambezi Records ZTZ 4.

“Talking Universe/Sweet Sixteen” originally released on Teal Record Company/Zambezi Records ZTZ 6.

“Up The Sky/Evil Woman” originally released on Teal Record Company/Zambezi Records ZTZ 9.

‘Fool’s Ride/Chifundo” 7″ single: Produced by Teal Record Company. Arranged by WITCH. Recorded at Sapra Studios, Nairobi, Kenya on September 21, 1976. Engineered by Detlef Degener.

Originally released on Teal Record Company WITI.