WHEN a band of young Suva boys recorded Fiji’s first all original reggae album in 1984, they had no idea their songs would make waves across the Pacific.
Nor did Exodus — the name the group became known as — dream that the thunder of their one drop, capped with rich harmonies, would still reverberate across the region today.
Fact is, the debut album Music Is The Food Of Love, took the Heatley and Moore brothers from the streets of Suva to countries they had never dreamt of visiting.
“We had no idea or plans to become famous, we just wanted to hear our voices on the radio,” chuckled bass guitarist and band leader, Leo ‘Basspear’ Heatley.
“Everything about Music Is The Food Of Love was done as a group, all the songs were written around the grog bowl with everybody giving one line each.
“And when we approached Procera Music, Ramesh Hargovind who was the engineer there, he did not even think twice when he heard the songs.”
Hargovind said the magic in their music was a reflection of their camaraderie as a band that had a first-hand relationship with the struggle to survive.
Every member of Exodus were introduced to the harsh realities of everyday living very early on in their lives.
“When I heard the songs, I knew they were going to be big because the lyrics were very real,” Hargovind shared.
“They were singing about their circumstances and all the difficulties they had been through.
“There was no fiction and I think that’s what really touched the hearts of the listening public.
“The timing of the release was also very crucial.
“Music Is The Food Of Love was a huge hit for the group, but Unite Fiji Unite, the album that was released immediately after the 1987 coup was a life-changer.
“It brought messages of hope and faith at a time when Fiji was going through a lot,” said Hargovind.
“I can honestly say that this album was what kept Procera alive at that time because sales had really dropped during this period.”
Most of the songs on the group’s albums were co-written by Leo, Michael, Bobby and Steven Heatley and one of the most popular songs, Youth Of Today was composed by Pauline Kamali.
Exodus hit the road, ballooned by the success of their music and overseas promoters came with offers for the young musical freedom fighters to share their magic in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
“We travelled to New Caledonia three times and when I think about it now, it seems like that was a lifetime ago.”
Vanuatu beckoned and Exodus packed up and took off to the Melanesian islands where they were received as royalty.
“The crowds in New Caledonia and Vanuatu were the biggest we had ever played to and I am really humbled that our music made such an impact and touched people’s lives in such a big way.”
Exodus success on the recording and touring scene was no fluke.
Since the group’s inception in 1981, long before the Heatley and Moore clan thought up a name, they had drawn a growing and faithful following.
Leo and Michael Heatley used to jam along to Bob Marley and the Wailers records at a place called Chinatown — a long wooden building on Stewart St now occupied by Rup’s Big Bear.
“Michael used to bring Bob Marley records from the only rastaman in Fiji at that time, Victor Singh, and we used to have a basin or two and jam along with me on bass and Mac on guitar,” Leo recalled.
“After that we would go down to the Golden Dragon and listen to the band from outside and choro chord there too.
“Sometimes the band boys would spot us outside and invite us in for a jam — and that’s how we developed our skills.”
Aided by a friend, Leo took up the bass with Michael on rhythm guitar and they roped in Manoa ‘Scatter’ Nabiri on drums and his brother Eddie Nauluvula on keyboard, Henry Moore on guitar and Tony Heatley on lead vocals and they began practising at a garage situated directly opposite Indian College (now Jai Narayan College).
Leo and Michael came up with the band name.
“Exodus was one of Marley’s biggest hits and it was one of our favourites. And one thing about our band was that everywhere we went, people would follow us around.
“So that really struck a chord with me because Marley’s song was about movement of the people and that’s how we chose the band’s name.”
Exodus fame spread far and wide and tales of the group’s musical endeavours developed cult status.
Over time, the line-up would change with the passing of Tony and introduction of Freddy Moore as the lead singer.
Scatter was also replaced by Tall John on drums after the band met him at the Mighty Sparrows nightclub in Nadi (now Deep Sea).
I met up with Leo at The Bounty in Martintar recently. He performs there weekly while Freddy Moore has taken up farming in Navua. Tall John has re-emerged with Akuila Qumi and Mike Reymond in a blues-rock outfit. The group has performed at the prestigious and popular Uprising Music Festival in Pacific Harbour and the Fiji International Jazz and Blues Festival.
Steven Heatley plies his musical trade in the Land of the Long White Cloud and Henry Moore is involved in the construction business.
I caught up with Henry in Suva recently and meeting him was like winding the clock back 20 years in time.
Unfazed by Exodus success, Henry said it was always about the music.
“Every time we would meet, we would start jamming and creating music,” he shared.
“Back then, we were all single and our focus was the music but when the boys started getting married one by one, they began to focus on bringing up their children and that’s how the band slowly began to break up.”
Far from calling it quits, Leo said there were plans to get Exodus back in the studio again.
“I’ve written some songs and Michael also had some before he passed away last year, so we have a lot of material.
“And after a long break we got together to perform a few times and found that the feeling was still there. We still can make good music together and so we began planning a comeback and once we can get everyone together under one roof, we will start practising and putting the songs together.”
So if you grew up listening to timeless reggae classics like Music Is The Food Of Love, Monkey Man, Youth Of Today and Brother Bob Marley, get ready for a remake of some of Exodus best plus some brand new reggae one drop straight from the streets to your stereo.
