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Biography

Fela Kuti was a rebel from the very beginning. As the son of a Nigerian minister he opposed his father's strict demands from an early age.To his father's dismay and sorrow the 16 year old Fela started to sing with local bands.When his father died Fela persuaded his mother to send him to study in London. In 1958 he left for what really should have been the study of medicine, but a few weeks after his arrival, he enrolled at Trinity College of Music and began to learn piano and composition. He married the Nigerian girl Remi and formed his first band, Koola Lobitos, that did well in clubs such as Marquee and Birdland. In 1963, three years after independence, he returned to Nigeria and together with the band he began to experiment with various styles, from jazz and soul to local high life music.Through musician Geraldo Pino from Sierra Leone he came into contact with the music of James Brown. Fela took important elements from James Brown and began to call his style "afrobeat". At the end of the 1960s Fela Kuti went on tour with his band to the USA. Here, through his Afro American friend Sandra Isodore, he encountered the black civil rights movement and the Marxist Black Panther Party, along with Angela Davis and Stokely Carmichael. They were to have a strong impact on his development, and at this time Fela started to study African history, returning to Nigeria as an aware and militant political artist. In the 1970s he made over 30 albums in which he accused the Nigerian authorities of corruption, police brutality and general misrule. In 1974, pursuing his dream of an alternative society, he built a fence around his house and declared it to be an independent state: The Kalakuta Republic. The government were unmoved and continued their raids, setting fire to his house; in 1984 he was imprisoned for twenty months and tortured. But, once out of prison, Fela Kuti continued to criticize and gained even greater popularity among the poor people in Lagos, Nigeria's capital. He built up his band with a large number of musicians and dancers - at one point the members numbered 80 people. In all, Fela made 77 albums in the course of his violent and tumultuous career and exerted great influence on music, especially in West Africa. His death in 1997 was mourned by the whole nation, one hundred and fifty thousand people attended his funeral. His death was attributed to AIDS related causes, though a more popular diagnosis was that the system was sufficently weakened by the countless beatings at the hands of the authorities.
Fela Kuti's 1970s albums have been re-released on CD by Universal, with two vinyl disks on every CD.

BEASTS OF NO NATION  
Shanachie/1989

A 30 musicians’ collaboration on this disk that is comprised of two songs lasting 23 and 12 minutes. Both songs are quite funky with a basic backing that lies underneath the whole time, and where Fela Kuti sings and improvises with stanzas such as "Many leaders, as you see them, in different disguise; animals in human skin". Occasionally the brass section blows their solos. It is really amazingly laid back, considering the political content. Neither the music nor the lyrics are especially sophisticated - this is straight "agit-pop" that swings well enough.

HE MISS ROAD  
Sterns Africa/1973

Many people are not happy with CDs, for a variety of reasons. But I am, because the format and price of production mean that even more accessible albums are now being released. Simply put: it is better to have Fela's classic
"He Miss Road" on CD than not, on the whole. And this is a classic. From the
first careful percussion beat, via the slow-to-build crescendo, to the last sensitive saxophone this is Fela Kuti at his most irresistible. His afro-beat is powerful, with the song that never ends, but goes and goes and entices you into a trance-like state where nothing stands still. The magic weaves around you and you wish it would never, ever stop. Unfortunately it does stop - but these three (!) songs that together last 40 minutes have a healing effect on the soul. Besides, you know where the repeat button is!

Arne Berg

BLACK PRESIDENT- THE BEST BEST OF  
Universal/2000

Fela Kuti's production is enormous. Probably no artist could have been less suited to a compilation CD, even though no artist has ever needed one more. "Black President" is an almost perfect compromise between these two imperatives. You get a lot here: A playing time of 158 minutes! So, is this the best best from Fela's production? I can't really say, probably it would be more correct to claim that this is the best from the 70'ies, for this is the cream from Universal's reissued albums from the 1970's. My favorite from CD 1 is "Gentleman" where Fela makes fun of the dress code of the Nigerian bourgeoisie, i.e. the Western way of dressing. Which of course is too hot for Africa, with certain odours as a result. And the music swings irrestibly!
Fela Kuti's music consists of a basic rhytmic pattern created by loads of drums and bass, a new layer of guitar riffs, then the horn section make itself heard, and finally the voices of Fela and his backingchoir. It resembles big band jazz, but only partly, the complicated African rhythmic patterns are too obvious. Oh yes, here's plenty to enjoy. This CD'en definitaly belongs to the category "world classics" and should be included in any CD collection.
Tracks: (CD 1)
1. Lady
2. Shakara
3. Gentleman
4. Water no get enemy
5. Zombie
6. Sorrow tears & blood
7. No agreement
CD 2:
1. Rofororo fight
2. Shuffering and shmiling
3. Coffin for head og state
4. I.T.T.
5. Army arrangement
6. Odoo

CONFUSION/GENTLEMAN
Universal/1998

EXPENSIVE SHIT / HE MISS ROAD
Universal/1998

FEAR NOT FOR MAN / STALEMENTS
Universal/1998

SHAKARA/LONDON SCENE  
Universal/1998

Also an excellent introduction to Fela Kuti's music! This CD is comprised of the LPs "Shakara" and "London Scene". "Shakara" originally had one track on each LP side, the title track and "Lady", both coole tracks on more than 13 minutes. Without having heard Fela Kuti's full production, I would still say these tracks must be among his better efforts. "London Scene" contains five shorter songs, but also the 13 minutes long "Egbe Mi O", a beautiful song with a long el-piano solo, reminding me of "Riders on the storm" with The Doors. In the end the band's formidable backing singers joins in on the refrain with an almost sacred singing. Lovely!
This is ever green cool funky jazz that breakes down the genre barriers. It sounds as fresh today as it did 30 years ago.

YELLOW FEVER/NA POI
Universal/1998

COFFIN FOR HEAD - / UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Universal/1998

SHUFFERING & SCHMIL-/ NO AGREEMENT
Universal/1998

ORIGINAL SUFFERHEAD / I.T.T.
Universal/1998

OPPOSITE PEOPLE / SORROW TEARS AND -
Universal/1998

VIP/ AUTHORITY STEALING
Universal/1998

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