The Best Best of Fela Kuti

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. Duda

Amazon.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 Walker

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. Duda

Amazon.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 Walker

Customer Reviews:

Fela - The King.......2006-01-27

Wow. Fela Kuti. It's amazing that he hasn't become better known; his music is incredible. He blends orchestra, rock, jazz, and Yoruba music effortlessly. Fela Kuti is one of Nigeria's premier musicians and he has paved to road for Afro-pop music.

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

Bought this in 2005. Roforofo Fight has to be one of the most intense and tight songs ever recorded. It just doesn't let up! It's like Nigerian King Crimson with Eric Dolphy on alto sax! I like it like that. In some ways, I don't think American people are equipped to handle music like Fela's. We want it melodic and relaxed -- like smooth jazz -- or nonmelodic and intense -- like metal or rap. Fela is melodic and intense. I like Fear and John Coltrane and Blind Lemon Jefferson and Earl Hooker and Black Sabbath and System of a Down and Stevie Wonder and James Brown and Metallica and Ron Carter maybe that's why I like Fela Kuti. The man was a human blast furnace. He could not be tamed. And my girlfriend likes it. So that helps. Fela, in my opinion, was the man who put it all together in the 1970s. Who says 1970s music was bad? Like James Brown, Miles Davis and Led Zeppelin, Fela put out his most out-there, kicking, mindroasting music in 1975. Long live the 25 minute song !!!

Just A Taste, But It's Sweet Going Down!.......2005-08-27

Overshadowed by Bob Marley, Fela Kuti is the true non-American Black Musical innovator. Not to take anything away from Tuff Gong's claim to fame, but Fela is a Black Panther/Eldridge Cleaver mixed with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix.

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

of course songs like "lady" and "gentleman" are problematic, but the music is so infectious that you can't help but love fela kuti. okay, so he married however many women at once and immediately divorced them. okay, so he thought aids wasn't real. okay, okay. the man was a brilliant musician and if you don't move your body to the music when this double cd (especially the first one) is playing, something's wrong with you. recommended for people who love to dance.

This was a BAAAAAAD Man!!.......2004-10-02

I have been listening to Mr Kuti's music for years. If anyone has any doubts whatsoever about world music, this is a great place to start!! From slower tempos to faster beats, no matter what track it is, I am jamming, jamming, jamming!! What I also like about his music is that there are messages to be learned. Even though I am in the USA, when I listen to some of his lyrics it's like I am traveled to the plight in his day and time. I know that he wrote most ofthe songs 30+ years ago on a totally different continent, I can identify with many of the lyrics today.

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.

Music Is the Weapon: The Best of Fela Kuti

Average customer rating:

Art + Politics = Power

Music Is the Weapon: The Best of Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Manufacturer: Wrasse Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Africa | International | Styles | Music

Nigeria | Africa | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Underground Spiritual Game
Fela In Concert
Live!
Expensive Shit/He Miss Road
Zombie

ASIN: B0002UJND8
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

Lady
Shakara
Gentleman [Edit Version]
Water No Get Enemy [Edit Version]
Zombie
Sorrow Tears and Blood
No Agreement, Pt. 2

Tracks:

Roforofo Fight
Shuffering and Shmiling, Pt. 2
Coffin for Head of State, Pt. 2
Itt, Pt. 2
Army Arrangement, Pt. 2
O.D.O.O. [Edit Version]

Tracks:

Music Is the Weapon [DVD]

Amazon.com

Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938-1997) was a Nigerian colossus, a prolific singer-composer who played keyboards, trumpet and saxophone. Like so many men of the people, he was the well-educated son of a middle-class family, although one famous for its revolutionary iconoclasts. He was repeatedly harassed and jailed due to his outspoken political views and a pan-African philosophy that began with Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah and Malcolm X and hit the ground running. After years of experimentation, Fela hit upon what he called Afro-beat, a seductive, explosive groove wherein highlife and Yoruba folklore were fused with American jazz, R&B and funk, then capped by confrontational pigeon lyrics. Performed by a huge troupe of musicians, more than twenty female back-up singers and/or dancers (many of whom were also Fela¹s wives and were literally barefoot and pregnant) and fronted by the face-painted, spliff-puffing bandleader¹s priapic, larger-than-life presence, Fela¹s tunes were often extended epics that never seemed long enough. By the time of his death from an AIDS-related illness, he had recorded more than 70 albums, toured the world and transformed African music for all time. Every opus collected on this double-CD set ideally exemplifies a crucial facet of the phenomenon, although not everyone will agree with the producer¹s choices (or omissions.) The accompanying DVD of the seminal documentary, Music Is The Weapon, is a revelatory must-have; it overflows with fervent live performances, frank interviews and exudes genuine Lagos street cred, circa 1982. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews:

Art + Politics = Power.......2006-05-19

There is nothing bad I can say about Fela, there really isn't. The man was a cultural and political phenomenon inspiring countless amounts of fellow Africans to take a stand. Think in the terms of Bob Marley, but do I dare to say Fela was more important? Uh, yes. (Meanwhile, I just made the entire faux post-hippie movement choke on their bong smoke).

"Music Is The Weapon" prooves to be the perfect title for Fela's 'best of' songs. He fought soley with art and became so powerful at it that he opened and performed religiously at his own night club, using it as a politcal pulpit. After gaining international acclaim, Fela was eventually gunned down after a concert so he could be kept quiet, only to survive and continue his fight. Parallels could be noted about Marley, however, Nigeria had more urgent problems than Jamaica.

Fela was a versatile musican, not only did he sing and write his own compositions, he played keyboards and saxaphone while directing his band and singers. Many people compare him as Africa's James Brown because the music uncontestedly FUNKY. It is a fair agreement. JB is the Godfather of Soul and Fela is the Godfather of Afrobeat, although Fela is much active in his human rights awareness. And smarter, seeing that James Brown endorsed Richard Nixon.

In whole, this collection is a great starting point for getting into this truely one-of-a-kind artist. It acts as a 'greatest hits' despite the two problems I have with this release:

1- It does not highlight the broad range of music and time eras Fela recorded in, but remember, the music selections are by no means poor examples of greatness and originality.

2- Many of the track selections are only parts or edits of the full-length versions, but keep in mind that some of these 'edited' versions are still 8-14 minutes long. If they were not cut, we would be looking at half an hour jams right up there with electric Miles Davis funkiness.

"Music Is The Weapon" also contains a third disc that documents Fela's musical life and political beliefs on DVD while displaying live performances and interviews with the man himself. Fela's mission was to make you aware while making you dance, both in a gracefully artistic manner.

I suggest researching the life of Fela. In turn, the music will make more sense to us living in western society.