‘Afternoon of the Rhino’: The unsuspecting instrumental that was tailor-made for northern soul
DJs have gone through a depressing image change over the last few decades, so much so that it can be easy to forget the vital importance of these pioneering figures. Back in the heyday of northern soul, for instance, DJs were more akin to musical archaeologists, digging through crates of unwanted and overlooked vinyl in search of a golden sound that would revitalise the dancefloor—a far cry from the button-pushers and USB sticks of many modern-day DJs.
Northern soul was a movement that truly coveted obscure, overlooked, and forgotten sounds. Back in the 1970s, the efforts of various northern soul DJs in cities and towns like Wigan, Blackpool, Manchester, and Stoke caused a renaissance of various now-iconic tracks which had been initially forgotten. If it weren’t for DJs like Russ Winstanley, Richard Searling, or Ian Levine, to name only a handful, the world might never have known the sounds of ‘Tainted Love’, ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)’, or any of the other northern soul classics which went on to inspire generations of songwriters and music fans.
In the midst of this soul obsession, a fair few oddities were uncovered by DJs in the scene; tracks that had gone under the radar upon initial release and, despite not having much relation to the rest of the northern soul soundtrack, found favour on the dancefloors of all-nighters. ‘Afternoon of the Rhino’ was one such track, becoming a major floor-filler during the early days of Wigan Casino, without having much of a connection to the world of soul at all.
Composed by the California musician Mike Post and included on his 1969 album Fused, ‘Afternoon of the Rhino’ is an entirely instrumental, orchestral track, the sound of which had more in common with the theme from Ski Sunday than anything else being played in the scene. Perhaps the only part of the song that bore any relation to the sound of soul music was its rhythm section, typified by a driving beat and bassline which evoked the soul sounds of Motown.
Still, the track was a definite outlier as far as northern soul was concerned; aside from anything else, it was initially released as the ninth cut on an LP, rather than being in the 45 rpm format that northern DJs dealt in. Nevertheless, it was bootlegged onto a seven-inch single and soon found its way into soul all-nighters, with Ian Levine reportedly the first DJ to play the song at one of his Blackpool Mecca sets.
The rhythm of the track seemed almost tailor-made for northern soul dancing, quickly making it a defining sound of the scene during the mid-1970s, spawning an official reissue on a seven-inch vinyl. In fact, the song became so popular within the movement that its reissue reached number 47 in the UK singles chart in 1979, reflecting both its infectious sounds and the ever-expanding power of the scene.
Although another Mike Post track, ‘Bubble Gum Breakthrough’, also found some popularity within northern soul circles, the composer himself was destined for other things. Over the course of the musician’s extensive career in music, he found fame for composing television show theme tunes, most notably for The A-Team, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and Magnum, PI, among various others, thus forming an unlikely bond between northern soul all-nighters and BA Baracus.
Today, ‘Afternoon of the Rhino’ continues to be played at northern soul events up and down the country, reflecting its position among the most recognisable tunes from the scene’s heyday in the 1970s.
