| 1. Can't Get The Best Of Me (Radio Edit) |
| 2. Highlife (UK Radio Edit) |
| 3. Do You Know Who I Am (LP Version) |
| 4. Can't Get The Best Of Me (Video Version) |
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
UK version of second single off the hit rap trio's 2000 album, 'Skull & Bones'. Three tracks not available on the German, 'Can't Get The Best Of Me' (Radio Edit), 'Highlife' (UK Radio Edit), 'Do You Know Who I Am?' (exclusive new track, LP version) & 'Can't Get The Best Of Me' (CD-ROM video). 2000 release. Slimline jewel case.
Songs like Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense and Unknown Soldier really show his political passion and message. If you're into political stuff, get this artist because he is very clear and outspoken about his political views. Fela was (mentally) very involved with Nigerian politics and sung of the corruption and lack of leadership that plague the nation's government even today.
Just as in Nigerian literature, Fela Kuti also sings of the nation's dislike of British colonialism, and the philosophy of the "white man's burden," which is the thought that other races are inferior to whites and that, through colonization and interaction, the whites can "educate" and culture the blacks.
If you aren't into that stuff, you should still get Fela, because he's that good. Now bear in mind, his music gets a little repetitive and "jam band-ish," so don't be surprised if you hear the same riff throughout a song. Songs like "Beasts of No Nation," and "Jingo" are very good and the orchestra's sound plays a large role in this. The accompaniment of horns and trombones and trumpets produces an infectious melody and makes you want to stand up and dance.
It's also very easy to see the roots of Fela's music. The African beat and pulse is what makes his music unique. As said earlier, he blends traditional African music with rock and jazz, concocting a mixture so delightful you will beg for more. His music is upbeat, but calming. It is calm, but urgent. It is arbitrary, but is carefully crafted. If a picture is a thousand words, then Fela Kuti is 9 billion. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not deifying him, because he also has some songs that don't shine so brightly and other songs get repetitive. However, ninety percent of the time, Kuti produces gold.
If you like Fela Kuti you should also check out Fema Kuti, his son. Unlike most movie sequels, this successor does his father, the precedent, justice and is almost as good. Ultimately though, Fela Kuti is the real deal.
This selection of his music is a good intro (much like the RED HOT & RIOT CD, which contains intreptations of Fela's Afrobeat by the likes of Macy Gray, Maxwell and Sade), but you really need to get the original albums just to see how he was rolling with his album cover art (talk about political art!), the way he dressed and carried on -- like nothing you've ever really seen.
Oh, get the DVD on Fela MUSIC IS A WEAPON to see the man perform live and drop his knowledge and what's up with Nigeria, the West and the world at large!
I recommend Coffin For Head Of State, Zombie, Expensive Sh^t and Original Sufferhead, but others might tell you diffent. To be truthful, you can't really go wrong with a Fela purchase.
All I have left to say is that I have (unintentionally) converted several friends and family members who got hooked from me listening to it. I used my others disks so much that they became scratched beyond recognition. I was NOT satisfied until I went and bought another dual set. Don't sleep.
I won't say this is the best "world music" CD I've ever heard, or even the best Luaka Bop production, but it is very good and very unusual. Let's say certainly well above average - as are the lengths of many of the songs. The music is hard to compare to anything else... maybe psychedelic reggae? Maybe not. Anyway, if you're broad-minded, musically speaking, chances are you'll like it, so buy it.
"Open and Close"'s 3 tracks are of a similar level of quality and imagination (and intensity). Track 2 is the most amazing of the three; when Fela got those horns going on creative lines, there's nothing quite like his band. This probably is a good place to start investigating Fela's music. It's an extremly fine collection of music, and the sound on this reissue is clear and strong and beautiful.
I got this album in the early seventies because of the album cover alone. That was enough to pique my interest. The music was surely not what I expected but it has a groove to it that I liked. This album was especially good with heavy incense, a black light, and that cover done over in dayglo paint. The good old days!
I have not heard this or their first album in thirty years yet I can still remember the melody to Woyaya. I suppose if you are a World Music freak then this album is for you. They were original, and they were unique and there has never been anything quite like them since. The combination of Wendell Richardson and Teddy Osei had magic that still shines through today. To me, Osibisa is the exception to the rule and I highly recommend them even for rockers!
This is one of the grooviest and funkiest records out there, assimilating African rhythms, blaring horns, and waa pedals into the form of Afrobeat, Highlife, and Fuji music.
I liked this record so much that it inspired a trip to Ghana. But this is really the music of a bygone era- good luck finding *any* of the tracks or bands on this CD anywhere else- even in Ghana! I couldn't even find a record by the 'king of highlife', ET Mensah, on Amazon. Economic and political circumstances forced most of these musicians abroad, and those highlife musicians that do remain in Ghana play unpaid gigs in gospel churches (which are dance halls in their own right).
To best appreciate this record, you've got to play it at high volume. Some highlights include "Funky Hi-Life," "Maa Jo," and "Joromi."
But my favorite piece on this CD is "Mistake", which was recorded live at the Berlin Jazz Festival of 1978. I had watched this on video many years ago, but now it is issued on CD. This demonstrates the prowess of Fela's large band. This particular piece is a strange and unique creature indeed. The drumming is big and expansive with the seeming chaos of an overloaded mamiwagon, seemingly untidy, but with an inner, buoying coherence that floats the listener like a boat on gentle waves. This only becomes apparent after repeated listening. You now know why Fela's master drummer at the time Tony Allen, is still considered the best drummer in popular music.
Then, there is Fela's solo lyrical saxophone evoking echoes of highlife, jazz and Lagos life. It also has the least incendiary lyrics of all the songs in the album, socially conscious but almost pleading and gentle. Although the lyrics are in pidgin, I consider this to be one of his most Yoruba pieces in its sensibility and the dignity of its flow.
It is long and leisurely- classical fela. Fela did not do short records. He wringed the music out of any tune in a pop symphonic fashion.
Still, others may tell you about his music. People will tell you that he created that elastic Afro-beat style you may have heard other musicians using as an umbrella for their styles of music.
But the problem today is that we love to categorize and box things off into a corner, and while he did invent Afro-beat and he should get credit, it needs to be mentioned that there is also an intangible quality about Fela Kuti's music.
In Ghanaian 'Osibisa' means 'criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness'. Now, how one word can say all that I do not know, but that is exactly how the music sounds, and they are the very words that introduce the first song on this, Osibisa's first, album aptly titled "Dawn".
Like a breath of fresh air, Osibisa's music first came to prominence with the release of their first single "Music for Gong Gong'', included here on their first album, which was released at the tail end of 1970. It is a piece of music that will get even the most conservative of souls out boogieing on the dance floor. So it was great expectations when their first album was released in the early days of 1971 and the boys did not disappoint, arriving as it did when Prog-Rock was in its heyday. Each of these percussive driven songs blew away all the pretensions of those serious minded twiddlers in the likes of Yes, King Crimson, etc. Osibisa's unbridled enthusiasm was so infectious, you could not help but be dragged along by the sheer exuberance of it all.
Although Osibisa's main strength was in their live concerts, they could also drum up a storm (quite literally) in the studio. Nobody at the time could have realized how influential their music was going to be in years ahead. Osibisa today is still known as the Godfather of 'World Music', and the effect of their big hit single "Sunshine Day" (1975) was to change the disco scene for ever. But this, their first album, was to set the template of the Osibisa sound for eternity. The band is still going today, albeit with only two of the seven original members left, which actually is not bad by today's standards considering that the band is now in their 35th year.
Many of the songs on this collection are still in the band's live repertoire today. Like all good albums, the songs on this set play like a live concert. Opener "Dawn", which begins with the immortal translation of Osibisa, builds on a rhythm of percussion until giving way to let the individual soloist bring the song to a rousing conclusion - some seven and a half minutes later. You then get five other songs of criss-cross rhythms before being brought to a riotous climax by "Think About The People".
When a band starts off its career with such a strong album, it is often difficult to keep up the standards set by its debut (especially with an ever changing line-up - Wendell Richardson, the band?s simply stunning lead guitarist, was at one stage lured away by British rockers "Free"). So it is perhaps true to say that Osibisa's studio output has been a little patchy since then, although their live concerts have never been short of marvelous, always led by Teddy Osei out front on drums, sax, fluttering flute, and vocals. This, their first album, is nothing short of a diamond. A must buy for anybody who likes a shot of fun with their music.
Pawed by Mott the Dog
Re-Chewed by Ella Crew
drop of old time Santana for spice. Mostly in a language I don't
understand. Yet so much more. Loved it!
Thank you,
Tom
UK version of second single off the hit rap trio's 2000 album, 'Skull & Bones'. Three tracks not available on the German, 'Can't Get The Best Of Me' (Radio Edit), 'Highlife' (UK Radio Edit), 'Do You Know Who I Am?' (exclusive new track, LP version) & 'Can't Get The Best Of Me' (CD-ROM video). 2000 release. Slimline jewel case.
Highlife,Cypress Hill,Sony Int'l,5"CD Singles,Pop,Rock
Average customer rating: 
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Juju Music
King Sunny Ade Manufacturer: Fontana Island ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Nigeria
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000003QI0 Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Ja Funmi
- Eje Nlo Gba Ara Mi
- Mo Beru Agba
- Sunny Ti De Ariya
- Ma Jaiye Oni
- 365 Is My Number/The Message
- Samba/E Falaba Lewe
Amazon.com
Quite possibly the most beautiful and influential West African record ever released internationally, Juju Music remains a revelation. With a phalanx of electric guitars that functions like a percussion section, and talking drums that sound like a gossipy Greek chorus, Nigerian juju star King Sunny Ade and His African Beats, all 20 of them, proved that African music could be as complex, dramatic, and symphonic as any European ensemble. Some thanks must go to French producer Martin Meissonier, who took the basic elements of Ade's sound--unison guitars, Yoruban drumming, seamless song medleys, and self-reflexive lyrics--and added a diverse assortment of Jamaican production techniques to heighten, deepen, and psychedelicize a sound that, with Ade's deliciously sweet vocals and the haunting strains of Demala Adepoju's Hawaiian steel guitar, was plenty wild to begin with. A masterpiece. --Richard GehrCustomer Reviews:
Historical, but conceptual innovation may overshadow a little of the content.......2007-05-29
classic and infectious.......2006-03-12
perfectly great music.......2003-11-23
I hope this review has been helpful to you!
postmodern africa.......2003-05-08
Regal Juju.......2003-01-24
Average customer rating:
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The Best Best of Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Nigeria
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00002ZZ2P Release Date: 2000-02-01 |
Tracks:
- Lady
- Shakara
- Gentlemen - Edit Version
- Water No Get Enemy - Edit Version
- Zombie
- Sorrow Tears & Blood
- No Agreement - Part 2
Tracks:
- Roforofo Fight
- Shuffering And Shmiling - Part 2
- Coffin For Head Of State - Part 2
- I T T - Part 2
- Army Arrangement - Part 2
- O D O O - Edit Version
Amazon.com's Best of 2000
There is nothing subtle in the roiling Afro-funk of the late, great Fela Kuti. His twitchy, stomping rhythms are up in your face, his brass section sounds ready to skirmish with the JB Horns, and his confrontational, politically charged lyrics make modern punk or hip-hop sound like parlor chatter. This phenomenal collection from an artist easily the equal of Marley, Hendrix, or Dylan is nothing less than essential. --S. DudaAmazon.com
Political activist, outspoken radical, and inventor of Afro-beat, Fela Anikulapo ("he who carries death in his pouch") Kuti left behind him an incomparable legacy of music when he died in 1997. His struggles against the Nigerian state became the stuff of legend in his home country; his denunciations of world leaders such as Reagan and Thatcher gained him notoriety abroad. But his music remains as his supreme achievement over and above the details of his amazingly courageous life, even if many (most) of his lyrics are angry condemnations of politicians. His vast output of recordings can hardly be distilled onto two discs, but Black President (named after a classic 1981 album) is nevertheless a good introduction to this extraordinary man and his music. The album lacks any personnel details and fails to indicate the origins of each track, but it scarcely matters: Fela's band, Africa 70, was a large and always flexible group (it rarely actually boasted 70 members), with the only constant presence being his 30 backing singers, most of whom were also his wives! Throughout, the beats are solid, the solos are never overpowering, and the rhythm--the powerful, hypnotic rhythm--is always preeminent. If, in the end, it's impossible to divorce Fela Kuti's music from his life, it is at least a real pleasure just to play this album and let his grooves possess your spirit. --Mark WalkerCustomer Reviews:
Fela - The King.......2006-01-27
Songs like Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense and Unknown Soldier really show his political passion and message. If you're into political stuff, get this artist because he is very clear and outspoken about his political views. Fela was (mentally) very involved with Nigerian politics and sung of the corruption and lack of leadership that plague the nation's government even today.
Just as in Nigerian literature, Fela Kuti also sings of the nation's dislike of British colonialism, and the philosophy of the "white man's burden," which is the thought that other races are inferior to whites and that, through colonization and interaction, the whites can "educate" and culture the blacks.
If you aren't into that stuff, you should still get Fela, because he's that good. Now bear in mind, his music gets a little repetitive and "jam band-ish," so don't be surprised if you hear the same riff throughout a song. Songs like "Beasts of No Nation," and "Jingo" are very good and the orchestra's sound plays a large role in this. The accompaniment of horns and trombones and trumpets produces an infectious melody and makes you want to stand up and dance.
It's also very easy to see the roots of Fela's music. The African beat and pulse is what makes his music unique. As said earlier, he blends traditional African music with rock and jazz, concocting a mixture so delightful you will beg for more. His music is upbeat, but calming. It is calm, but urgent. It is arbitrary, but is carefully crafted. If a picture is a thousand words, then Fela Kuti is 9 billion. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not deifying him, because he also has some songs that don't shine so brightly and other songs get repetitive. However, ninety percent of the time, Kuti produces gold.
If you like Fela Kuti you should also check out Fema Kuti, his son. Unlike most movie sequels, this successor does his father, the precedent, justice and is almost as good. Ultimately though, Fela Kuti is the real deal.
Intense and Truly the Best.......2006-01-23
Just A Taste, But It's Sweet Going Down!.......2005-08-27
This selection of his music is a good intro (much like the RED HOT & RIOT CD, which contains intreptations of Fela's Afrobeat by the likes of Macy Gray, Maxwell and Sade), but you really need to get the original albums just to see how he was rolling with his album cover art (talk about political art!), the way he dressed and carried on -- like nothing you've ever really seen.
Oh, get the DVD on Fela MUSIC IS A WEAPON to see the man perform live and drop his knowledge and what's up with Nigeria, the West and the world at large!
I recommend Coffin For Head Of State, Zombie, Expensive Sh^t and Original Sufferhead, but others might tell you diffent. To be truthful, you can't really go wrong with a Fela purchase.
does music get any better?.......2005-03-15
This was a BAAAAAAD Man!!.......2004-10-02
All I have left to say is that I have (unintentionally) converted several friends and family members who got hooked from me listening to it. I used my others disks so much that they became scratched beyond recognition. I was NOT satisfied until I went and bought another dual set. Don't sleep.
Average customer rating:
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Putumayo Presents: World Party
Various Artists Manufacturer: Putumayo World Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
Mexico
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Reggae
| International
| Styles
| Music
Salsa
| Latin Music
| Styles
| Music
International
| Putumayo World Music Store
| Amazon.com Label Stores
| Stores
| Music
Latin Music
| Putumayo World Music Store
| Amazon.com Label Stores
| Stores
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ASIN: B000NI3FLA Release Date: 2007-04-24 |
Tracks:
- Ciuri Ciuri - Roy Paci
- Wote Monte - Jean-Paul Pognon
- Groovin' On A Feeling - Laid Back
- Sunshine Day - Osibisa
- Minde Se - Laurent Hounsavi
- Walk - Burning Spear
- Just One Kiss - Beau Jocque And The Zydeco Hi-Rollers
- My Love - Los Pinguos
- Gason Total - Orchestre Tropicana D'Haiti
- Cochabamba - Sarazino
Product Description
Featuring some of the worldÆs best-known dance rhythms, this feel-good collection is guaranteed to enliven any party! Artist ò Song Title Roy Paci & Aretuska ò "Ciuri Ciuri" Jean-Philippe Marthely, Jean-Paul Pognon & Jean-Luc Guanel ò "WotF MontT" Laid BCustomer Reviews:
Good background music!.......2007-06-27
Great rocking music to drive to.......2007-06-08
A Fun Exciting Album.......2007-05-20
A fair CD.......2007-05-19
Average customer rating: 
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World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing
Various Artists Manufacturer: Luaka Bop ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Soukous
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
Psychedelic Rock
| Classic Rock
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007NMKSK Release Date: 2005-03-08 |
Tracks:
- Minsato Le, Mi Dayihome - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou Dahomey
- Love's a Real Thing - Super Eagles
- Keleya - Moussa Doumbia
- Ceddo End Title - Manu Dibango
- Porry - Sorry Bamba, Sorry Bamba
- Guajira Van - No. 1 De No. 1
- Better Change Your Mind - William Onyeabor
- Allah Wakbarr - Ben Ofoedu, Ofo & The Black Company
- Awon-Ojise-Oluwa - Gaspar Lawal,
- Zinabu - Bunzu Sounds
- Ifa - Tunji Oyelana & The Blenders
- Sanjina - Orchestre Regional de Kayes
Amazon.com
The American psychedelic movement was bound to produce unexpected progeny--including the 1970s, which began as a mainstream attempt to absorb the "free love," recreational drug use, and sartorial eccentricities of the previous decade. But there were parallel repercussions elsewhere in the world, and nowhere was this phenomenon more fascinating than in West Africa. As LPs became cheaper and readily available, local musicians began to incorporate the fuzz and wah-wah guitar vamps, cheesy organ riffs, blatting saxes, and fat, funky bass lines of sixties R&B plus Santana-influenced Latin rhythms and the extended, destination-free guitar solos typical of the San Francisco sound. These were not emulated by rote but freely adapted by younger Africans, mostly students, whose own acoustic traditions had already been transformed by exposure to urban technology. The resulting amalgams, whether they evolved in Benin, Nigeria, Gambia, Cote d'Ivoire, or Mali, remain incredibly lively, funny, inventive, and surprising. --Christina RodenCustomer Reviews:
Neat Collection.......2006-12-16
I won't say this is the best "world music" CD I've ever heard, or even the best Luaka Bop production, but it is very good and very unusual. Let's say certainly well above average - as are the lengths of many of the songs. The music is hard to compare to anything else... maybe psychedelic reggae? Maybe not. Anyway, if you're broad-minded, musically speaking, chances are you'll like it, so buy it.
Love it love it love it love it.......2006-09-21
Funky and Original.......2006-08-10
Real Music.......2006-04-19
Funky For the Money.......2005-10-19
Average customer rating: 
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Expensive Shit/He Miss Road
Fela Kuti Manufacturer: Wrasse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Nigeria
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000CCZQI2 Release Date: 2006-01-24 |
Tracks:
- Expensive Shit
- Water No Get Enemy
- He Miss Road
- Monday Morning in Lagos
- It's Not Possible
Average customer rating:
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Open & Close/Afrodisiac
Fela Kuti Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Nigeria
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004XT21 Release Date: 2001-07-17 |
Tracks:
- Open & Close
- Swegbe And Pako
- Gbagada Gbagada Gbogodo Gbogodo
- Alu Jon Jonki Jon
- Jeun Ko Ku
- Eko Ile
- Je'Nwi Temi (Don't Gag Me)
Customer Reviews:
Kicks Out Some Serious Jams.......2005-08-08
"Open and Close"'s 3 tracks are of a similar level of quality and imagination (and intensity). Track 2 is the most amazing of the three; when Fela got those horns going on creative lines, there's nothing quite like his band. This probably is a good place to start investigating Fela's music. It's an extremly fine collection of music, and the sound on this reissue is clear and strong and beautiful.
Fela Kuti lets the good times roll.......2003-02-27
Glad to see a new reissue of this material.......2001-11-16
Now Open and Close appears together with the enormously funky album Afrodisiac (I don't remember what it formerly appeared with), and the pairing combines to make what is probably my favorite Fela disc. The horns are bright and fiery, the grooves are tight, and they range from super fast funk to molasses-slow grinds. When Amazon finally gets around to making an "Essential Fela" list (it's about time!), I recommend they include this.
The Sound of Revolt.......2001-11-15
Average customer rating:
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Woyaya
Osibisa Manufacturer: Aim Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Ghana
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Caribbean & Cuba
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
General
| Soul
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
International
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
R&B
| Imports
| Stores
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Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000G5XA Release Date: 1993-12-13 |
Tracks:
- Beautiful Seven
- Y Sharp
- Spirits Up Above
- Survival
- Move On
- Rabiatu
- Woyaya
Album Description
Their second release from 1971 with original LP cover art.Album Description
Aussie edition of the world music sensation's 1971 album. 7 tracks.Album Details
1995 rerelease of this classic, ethereal 1971 West Indian / Afro-funk / world beat recording. Features the musica genius of band leader Teddy Osei (tenor sax, flute, African drums, vocals).Customer Reviews:
Just as I remembered it........2007-05-10
Blast From The Past.......2005-12-21
I got this album in the early seventies because of the album cover alone. That was enough to pique my interest. The music was surely not what I expected but it has a groove to it that I liked. This album was especially good with heavy incense, a black light, and that cover done over in dayglo paint. The good old days!
I have not heard this or their first album in thirty years yet I can still remember the melody to Woyaya. I suppose if you are a World Music freak then this album is for you. They were original, and they were unique and there has never been anything quite like them since. The combination of Wendell Richardson and Teddy Osei had magic that still shines through today. To me, Osibisa is the exception to the rule and I highly recommend them even for rockers!
"Back in time".......2005-10-26
Better have good speakers.......2004-11-10
BEYOND AWESOME!.......2004-05-27
Average customer rating:
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The Rough Guide to the Music of Nigeria and Ghana
Various Artists Manufacturer: World Music Network ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Ghana
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Nigeria
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
Africa
| Compilations
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Africa
| International
| Indie Music
| Stores
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ASIN: B00005Y48M Release Date: 2002-03-04 |
Tracks:
- Okin Omo Ni (The King Of The Children) - I.K. Dairo
- Maa Jo - King Sunny Ade & His Afican Beats
- Funky Hi-Life - C.K. Mann
- Asiko - Tony Allen
- Neribalankina - Captain Yaba
- Fuji Shuffle - Adewale Ayuba
- Bra Ohoho - E.K. Nyame
- Joromi/Monkey Yanga - Sir Victor Uwaifo
- Day By Day - E.T. Mensah
- Matutu Mirika - Eric Agyeman
- Oyolima - Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe
- Fakye Me - Sweet Talks
- Baawo - Amanzeba Nat Brew
Amazon.com
With 400 ethnic groups in Nigeria alone, The Rough Guide to the Music of Nigeria & Ghana (from the Rough Guide series) covers a vast canvas. So it's no wonder--and probably a sensible idea--that Fela Kuti, the Nigerian singer best known in the West, should not be included (on the grounds that his records are ubiquitous anyway). What is included here is dominated by that quintessentially mid-20th-century style known as highlife, best exemplified by its undisputed king E.T. Mensah. With his old-fashioned diction and immense charm, Mensah rides along on a gracefully Westernized instrumental sound. King Sunny Ade, who displaced him (and who was briefly picked up by Western promoters as a potential West African Bob Marley), prefers hard-driving rhythms and clean a cappella choruses. But on this superb CD charm is the key element, with a multitude of variations on local rhythms and instrumental combinations. Check out the two-string gourd molo, as played with brilliant panache by Captain Yaba; or revel in some of West Africa's best-loved party tracks, including those by C.K. Mann and Eric Agyeman. There's up-to-the-minute stuff from expatriate bands in America, and a wonderfully atmospheric gig with the most recent highlife king, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe. --Michael ChurchCustomer Reviews:
great dance music of a bygone era.......2006-04-24
This is one of the grooviest and funkiest records out there, assimilating African rhythms, blaring horns, and waa pedals into the form of Afrobeat, Highlife, and Fuji music.
I liked this record so much that it inspired a trip to Ghana. But this is really the music of a bygone era- good luck finding *any* of the tracks or bands on this CD anywhere else- even in Ghana! I couldn't even find a record by the 'king of highlife', ET Mensah, on Amazon. Economic and political circumstances forced most of these musicians abroad, and those highlife musicians that do remain in Ghana play unpaid gigs in gospel churches (which are dance halls in their own right).
To best appreciate this record, you've got to play it at high volume. Some highlights include "Funky Hi-Life," "Maa Jo," and "Joromi."
A Wonderful Collection.......2004-05-20
Average customer rating:
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Zombie
Fela Kuti & Afrika '70 Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
Nigeria
| Africa
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00004Z4YM Release Date: 2001-07-24 |
Tracks:
- Zombie
- Mister Follow Follow
- Observation Is No Crime
- Mistake (Live At The Berlin Jazz Festival 1978)
Customer Reviews:
Powerful!!!!.......2007-07-01
But my favorite piece on this CD is "Mistake", which was recorded live at the Berlin Jazz Festival of 1978. I had watched this on video many years ago, but now it is issued on CD. This demonstrates the prowess of Fela's large band. This particular piece is a strange and unique creature indeed. The drumming is big and expansive with the seeming chaos of an overloaded mamiwagon, seemingly untidy, but with an inner, buoying coherence that floats the listener like a boat on gentle waves. This only becomes apparent after repeated listening. You now know why Fela's master drummer at the time Tony Allen, is still considered the best drummer in popular music.
Then, there is Fela's solo lyrical saxophone evoking echoes of highlife, jazz and Lagos life. It also has the least incendiary lyrics of all the songs in the album, socially conscious but almost pleading and gentle. Although the lyrics are in pidgin, I consider this to be one of his most Yoruba pieces in its sensibility and the dignity of its flow.
It is long and leisurely- classical fela. Fela did not do short records. He wringed the music out of any tune in a pop symphonic fashion.
Prime-Grade, Funky.......2005-08-04
Very Powerful Album.......2004-04-19
Still, others may tell you about his music. People will tell you that he created that elastic Afro-beat style you may have heard other musicians using as an umbrella for their styles of music.
But the problem today is that we love to categorize and box things off into a corner, and while he did invent Afro-beat and he should get credit, it needs to be mentioned that there is also an intangible quality about Fela Kuti's music.
Zombie has to be one of my favorite albums of Fela so far. This album, like all of his other albums, require a lot of patience and stamina and acquired taste, but for those of you who find meaning in Jlo, Ludacris, or pretty much most things that people are told to like, then you can still appreciate Fela's music, but it will take time.
Pop music is instant gratification music, and that's why I've always hated it. Fela's music is more like real life, and that's why it conjures up more powerful images and feelings then "I'm still Jenny from the bloke."
This album is charged with political satire. The rhythms build up steam, as does the horn section, the singers, and Fela Kuti, and the songs explode into melodic progressions which are lengthy and get reapeted in a hypnotizing way. As a result, the songs can sound wistful, angry, un-well, or anything else that a human feels like. All of the songs have an urgent and agressive feel, and they can completely hypnotize you, while at the same time (and with Fela's lyrics) can heighten your awarness.
I'de write more, but I would simply advice you to get this album. In my oppinion, the best songs are the first and last--"Zombie" and "Mistake".
If you are already a Fela Kuti fan, then why haven't you bought this album yet? And if you're not, this is one of the best. Plus, the inlay has a lot of information on him. It's a good idea to read all of it before you listen to any of the songs, because then you'll have a greater understanding and a deeper appreciation for them.
Very Powerful album.
Afrobeat of the highest order.......2003-07-29
Red hot Afrobeat.......2003-07-28
Average customer rating:
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Osibisa
Osibisa Manufacturer: Aim Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
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ASIN: B00000I25R Release Date: 1993-12-13 |
Tracks:
- Dawn
- Music for Gong Gong
- Oyiko Bia
- Akwaaba
- Oranges
- Phallus C.
- Think About the People
Album Description
Their first release in 1971. An absolute classic with a mini-LP cover!Customer Reviews:
How could I have possibly forgotten how good this is.......2005-07-26
Osibisa from Africa.......2005-07-18
Mottsibisa.......2004-07-23
In Ghanaian 'Osibisa' means 'criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness'. Now, how one word can say all that I do not know, but that is exactly how the music sounds, and they are the very words that introduce the first song on this, Osibisa's first, album aptly titled "Dawn".
Like a breath of fresh air, Osibisa's music first came to prominence with the release of their first single "Music for Gong Gong'', included here on their first album, which was released at the tail end of 1970. It is a piece of music that will get even the most conservative of souls out boogieing on the dance floor. So it was great expectations when their first album was released in the early days of 1971 and the boys did not disappoint, arriving as it did when Prog-Rock was in its heyday. Each of these percussive driven songs blew away all the pretensions of those serious minded twiddlers in the likes of Yes, King Crimson, etc. Osibisa's unbridled enthusiasm was so infectious, you could not help but be dragged along by the sheer exuberance of it all.
Although Osibisa's main strength was in their live concerts, they could also drum up a storm (quite literally) in the studio. Nobody at the time could have realized how influential their music was going to be in years ahead. Osibisa today is still known as the Godfather of 'World Music', and the effect of their big hit single "Sunshine Day" (1975) was to change the disco scene for ever. But this, their first album, was to set the template of the Osibisa sound for eternity. The band is still going today, albeit with only two of the seven original members left, which actually is not bad by today's standards considering that the band is now in their 35th year.
Many of the songs on this collection are still in the band's live repertoire today. Like all good albums, the songs on this set play like a live concert. Opener "Dawn", which begins with the immortal translation of Osibisa, builds on a rhythm of percussion until giving way to let the individual soloist bring the song to a rousing conclusion - some seven and a half minutes later. You then get five other songs of criss-cross rhythms before being brought to a riotous climax by "Think About The People".
When a band starts off its career with such a strong album, it is often difficult to keep up the standards set by its debut (especially with an ever changing line-up - Wendell Richardson, the band?s simply stunning lead guitarist, was at one stage lured away by British rockers "Free"). So it is perhaps true to say that Osibisa's studio output has been a little patchy since then, although their live concerts have never been short of marvelous, always led by Teddy Osei out front on drums, sax, fluttering flute, and vocals. This, their first album, is nothing short of a diamond. A must buy for anybody who likes a shot of fun with their music.
Pawed by Mott the Dog
Re-Chewed by Ella Crew
VERY NICE.......2004-01-06
drop of old time Santana for spice. Mostly in a language I don't
understand. Yet so much more. Loved it!
Thank you,
Tom
These Cats are OUT OF CONTROL!.......2003-03-29
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- Language Arts
- Lay It Down Records: Real Deal [Explicit Lyrics]
- Lick a Shot [CD-single] [Import]
- Life on Da Block [Explicit Lyrics]
- Lock Em' in Da Trunk: Da Album [Explicit Lyrics]
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