Nuggets II: Slaves Time by The Slaves

The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA.

Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001. It features music from countries such as Iceland, Uruguay, and Japan. I’m profiling and rating each of the 109 tracks, working backwards.

Track 78—Slaves Time by The Slaves

From: Vienna, Austria

8

Credits

3/24. SLAVES TIME – The Slaves (Austria)
(Paul Fischer)

PERSONNEL/PAUL “PAULI” FISCHER: vocals * KARL “CHARLIE” RATZER: lead guitar * HANNES “JOHN” FISCHER: rhythm guitar * HEINRICH “LIPPI” BEHRENDS: bass * HERBERT “HEYKI” RADAKOVICS: drums
Produced by HANSREUDI JAGGI
Recorded in Basel, Switzerland
Philips single #339-414 (1966) [Switzerland]

The Slaves

According to Trash Rock Archives, “Pauli Fischer had a very clear idea about what he was looking for: he wanted the city’s coolest kids to play the country’s most radical sound.” He wanted to emulate The Pretty Things, the U.K.’s more rebellious band.

Bob Garner was briefly deputized for The Slaves’ bass player before joining The Creation, and he remembers them as an odd bunch. Lead guitarist Charlie Ratzer was a full-blooded Gypsy. “He was out of this world,” remembers Garner. “He could not read or write; he would not sleep in the hotel–he always slept outside. He was about 16 years of age, and he was like a baby.” Ratzer, however, could also play guitar like nobody else Garner had ever heard. “He had a Gretsch Texas guitar and could play Jimi Hendrix like Jimi Hendrix just started yesterday–he was an absolute natural.” This was months before Hendrix’s first record.

In early 1966 Philips released three singles by the group simultaneously, all in picture sleeves. All were quite amazing, but best of the lot was probably their theme song, “Slaves Time,” a vague manifesto of solidarity for the longhairs and outcasts of the world: “Got no homes or much to eat/But that’s all right/’Cause we know/We are better than you.”

Mike Stax, Nuggets II liner notes

Slaves Time

‘Slaves Time’ is a straightforward, bluesy tune, but it’s a great record anyway. There’s a charismatic lead vocal, and some surprising guitar work from Ratzer. I especially like the weird fadeout. Most of the Nuggets II tracks sound professionally recorded, but ‘Slave Time’ is raw and dirty.

The Aftermath

The band was volatile, and quickly went their seperate ways. Their three simultaneous songs were

• vocalist Pauli Fischer moved to Germany, attempting to avoid a court case
• drummer Heiky Radakovits joined the Vienna Beat band The Mimes
• bassist Lippy Behrends became a famous Vienna DJ
• Karl Ratzer played in various bands before moving to the US.

Read More

• Nuggets II Song by Song
• 1960s Album Reviews

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