Where the revolution started
a b akinsiku | london England | 12/12/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Its very difficult to define the gem that is the Koola Lobitos/Nigeria 70 Fela set without placing a comparism with felas later music. While i wont go into the details of the background to this re-release, I will state that for years I have hoped and prayed that the Koola Lobitos/ Nigeria 70 era of Felas music would be made public and i am glad it finally happened.
This CD is broken into two segments.
The first segment is the HighLife laced koola Lobitos set from 64-68. This a Fela devoid of Polictical rhetoric that came to distinguish him from his peers.
The Cd kicks off with 'highlife time'.A standard Trumpet fueled Highlife pop tune in the tradition of music veteran Bobby Benson, that wouldve rocked many west African parties in the 60s. Its followed by 'Omuti Tide'. A somewhat cautionary tale about a drunkard.
This is also an infectious higlife tune with a youthfull vocal application by Fela.
The Next track 'Ololufe Mi'is a love ballard thats awesome in its simplicity. This song re-appears later on in the Cd as a the re-vamped Nigeria 70 song called 'Lover'.
Next is 'Wadele wa rohin' and the blazing 'Wayo'( also a prototype song to be later reinterpreted ).These early songs are all pretty much party songs, sang and played with a youthful effervessence that Fela later lost in his Egypt 80 years.On track seven, we are already in Felas next evolutionary phase.
Due to passage of time and recording faciliteis ther is a clear difference in sound quality between this an the previous songs.From here onward the music is tighter, the vocals more consciously funk oriented in its bottom level grunts and call and response.Yet the music is still very distictly West African.'My Ladys Frustration' is a melancholic and reluctant ode to Felas African American lover/ somewhat polictical mentor Sandra Isidore.This instrumental is very inspired and shows the very genesis of the Afrobeat style.
'Viva Nigeria' is the only weak track on the album and ironically the only song that can be called semi-polictical.
Its anti nigerian Civil war proclaimation at the begining of the song is corny at best and It is alledged that Fela penned this song starving and despirate to raise money in LA. I guess that explains this anomaly of a song.
'Obe' is a return to form. A song about the delights of hot and spicy Nigerian Stew, it is fast, rasping and passionate.'Ako', 'Witchcraft' and a reinvented and punchier 'Wayo' follow in suit as equally paced, scorching songs, pushing the Afrobeat sound further and further into the sound of what would be known as Africa 70.
The interesting thing about this Cd is that while Felas music progressed later on both technically and song writing wise, Vocally Fela was probably at his peak in the 60s and early 70s.
The sounds on this Cd are also less layered than his later music.
Felas distinctive keyboards are missing. So are the swimming and interveaving sax sounds and solos.However the trumpet here atkes centre stage and gives this early fela a distict character of its own.Also and probably most importantly, all the songs are of conventinal length...all hitting the 4 min mark.That would make this album a lot more acceceble to the new innitiate.Also there seems to be a sense of urgengy and intense energy in the young Fela that was lost in his later sound.
Overall this is a must buy album that stands out as visionary and unique."
Essential early Fela
R. Riis | NY | 07/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The first six tracks are unreleased sides from Fela's first group, circa 1964-1968. The rest are from the 1969 Los Angeles sessions. All are horn-driven danceable pop numbers that foreshadow Fela's 1970s jazz-inflected work minus the prominent keyboard textures, which, actually, I miss. Uncharcteristically for Fela, these tracks run only two to five minutes each. Excellent, ebullient music, though, and an essential part of Fela's recorded legacy."
This Music is Incredible
Mikael M van Loon | San Francisco, CA USA | 08/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anyone that can listen to Fela and not be moved truly doesn't understand music. This album, representing some of his earliest work, is a view directly into his High Life beginnings. It is perky and upbeat, the horns are remarkable and the drum work is still to this day impossible to imitate. Although every song is incredible, you should feel good about spending the money on this album for the song Ololufe Mi. It could be the most soulful and moving love song ever set to some kickin'... horns and a massive beat."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1