Wednesday, November 9, 2011

FELA KUTI & AFRIKA 70 - ZOMBIE





Track 1 - Zombie
Track 2 - Mister Follow Follow
Track 3 - Observation Is No Crime
Track 4 - Mistake ( Live At 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival )

Aside from being an almighty slab of Afro-Beat from the godfather of the genre, the creation and subsequent reaction to this album is both fascinating and disturbing. Here is the Wikipedia entry...

"The album was a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian Military. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic (a commune that Fela had established in Nigeria), during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Kuti was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. Soon after Kuti's mother had been injured, the commanding officer defecated on the elderly woman's face. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Kuti's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Kuti claimed that he would have been killed if it were not for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten. Kuti's response to the attack was to deliver his mother's coffin to the main army barrack in Lagos and write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" and "Unknown Soldier", referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.

Kuti and his band then took residence in Crossroads Hotel as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978 Kuti married 27 women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic. Later, he was to adopt a rotation system of keeping only twelve simultaneous wives. The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song "Zombie," which led to Kuti being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Kuti's musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Kuti was planning to use the entirety of the proceeds to fund his presidential campaign."

Politics aside it is one hell of an album and with the tracks all clocking in over 12 minutes there is plenty of time to immerse yourself in the groove. It really is a must have for all good music collections.