Track Listings (7) - Disc #1| All Artists: Fela Kuti Title: Music Is the Weapon (W/Dvd) Members Wishing: 1 Total Copies: 0 Label: Wrasse Records Original Release Date: 1/1/2005 Re-Release Date: 3/22/2005 Genres: International Music, Jazz, Pop Style: Africa Number of Discs: 3 SwapaCD Credits: 3 UPC: 5060001271507 |
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Search - Fela Kuti :: Music Is the Weapon (W/Dvd)
 | Fela Kuti Music Is the Weapon (W/Dvd) Genres: International Music, Jazz, Pop
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, althou... more » |
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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 Similar CDs
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CD ReviewsArt + Politics = Power Justin S. Lukenbill | 05/19/2006 (4 out of 5 stars) "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. " |
