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Product Description
Review
Shortly after the disastrous Biafran war and before the profits from Nigeria's oil boom were completely squandered, laundered, sequestered or stolen, Nigerian music was on a roll. By the mid '80s, the home grown recording industry would be in serious decline, but this entertaining 2CD set reminds us how vibrant things were, mining a vein overlapping that of Honest Jons' 2005 releases, Lagos Chop Up and Lagos All Routes - with the added bonus of informative sleeve notes that you can actually read, and reproductions of colourful cover art. Compiler and label boss Miles Cleret avoids the obvious juju/apala/Afro-beat scenes also very active at the time, concentrating as the title indicates on the rather psychedelic, 'western'-influenced Afro-rock and the more gentle, loose-limbed highlife typical of the period, mostly by musicians from east of Lagos. Even serious Nigerian music heads will know only a few of the bigger names such as Victor Uwaifo, The Funkees and Celestine Ukwu, but the lesser known artists are in no way overshadowed.
Highlights are multitudinous, but the first track that really catches the attention on disc 1 is the surging Amalinja, by The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination with its insistent sax work. The Funkees weigh in with the funkily chugging Afro-rock Akula Owu Onyeara, boasting prominent bass, searing vocals, wah-wah guitar and noodling organ. Dele Ojo and His Star Brothers band are rootsier; Oja Omoba being a percussion-rich treat, while the swinging highlife of The Harbours Band's Koma Mosi may be the model for King Sunny Ade's Easy Motion Tourist. Other standouts include gloriously mellow highlife from St. Augustine & His Rovers Dance Band and The Sahara All Stars of Jos, whose 'Feso Jaiye' floats along on a languid groove decorated with sweetly muted trumpet, sax, sublime vocal harmonies and what sounds like a vibraphone. To close, there's a smouldering Afro-jazz instrumental by The Tony Benson Sextet, featuring the kind of luminous organ solo that might have been ground out by The Spencer Davis Group or suchlike a few years earlier.
Disc two opens with the slinky, Fela-influenced Asiko Mi Ni by The Nigeria Police Force Band. The bass-line strongly suggests Dave and Ansel Collins' reggae smash Double Barrel (from two years earlier) and the organ solo is straight out of bedlam. Opotopo's jaunty Belema features Fatai Rolling Dollar, who recently made a comeback working with Tony Allen, and then there's Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band of Aba, who sound like they learnt a thing or three from New Orleans funkmeisters The Meters. Two other highlights are Collins Oke Elaiho & His Odoligie Nobles Dance band - whose hypnotic Siminyi-Yaya features yet another monster bass line and an infectious vocal hook - and The Hykkers' Afro-rock instrumental I Want To Break Thru, with its wonderfully crazed guitar grooves.
One could go on, but there wouldn't be room to write even half the bands' names. This compilation pulls off the trick of being a fine place for the curious novice to start, but also of great interest to specialists. --Jon Lusk
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CD Description
This compilation presents some of the best un-reissued and forgotten sounds from Nigeria, covering the amazing vibrant and diverse styles that emerged and flourished at the time. Everything from Highlife, Jazz, Afro Beat and Blues to more traditional styles are represented. The 32-page booklet covers a history of the time plus in-depth information on the artists and musicians, as well as a look at the striking pop-art cover designs of Nigerian records. CD1: Ayamma - Anambra Beats / Okwukwe Na Nchekwube- Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National / Amalinja - The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination / Akula Owu Onyeara - The Funkees / Oja Omoba - Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers Band / Koma Mosi- The Harbours Band / Nekwaha Semi Colon - The Semi Colon / Osalobua Rekpama - Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestros / Onwu Ama Dike - St. Augustine & His Rovers Dance Band / Feso Jaiye - The Sahara All Stars of Jos / Ema Kowa Iasa Ile Wa - Mono Mono / To Whom It May Concern - Tunji Oyelana & The Benders / Ugali - The Tony Benson Sextet CD2: Asiko Mi Ni - The Nigerian Police Force Band (“The Force 7”) / Torri Wowo - Godwin Ezike & The Ambassadors / Belema - Opotopo (Easy Kabaka Brown) / Alabeke - Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band of Aba / Arraino - Popular Cooper & His All Beats Band / Simini Yaya - Collins Oke Elaiho & His Odoligie Nobles Dance Band / Buroda Mase - Bola Johnson & His Easy Life Top Beats / I Want A Break Thru’ - The Hykkers / Business Before Pleasure-George Akaeze & His Augmented Hits / Omo Yen Wu Mi - Shadow Abraham with Mono Mono Friends / Blak Sound - Leo Fadaka & The Heroes / Eguae Oba - Osayomore Joseph & The Creative 7 / Akpaisong - Etubom Rex Williams & His Nigerian Artistes Also available on vinyl LP1: SNDWLP009A & LP2: SNDWLP009B
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I didn't have great expectations of this album when I initially ordered it, given that there are a fair few albums focused on West African music from the seventies and they are of distinctly varying quality, in my experience. Fortunately on its arrival I was pleasantly surprised to find a double album that was beautifully put together in terms of packaging and one of the most interesting and informative accompanying booklets I have seen for a while. The music was pretty good too.
Essentially this is a compilation of rare tracks that the compiler felt were worth trying to bring to a wider audience. Predominantly it explores the highlife scene of early 1970's Nigeria but without being exclusive. Furthermore, thanks to the excellent sleeve notes, it puts it all into its linguistic and cultural context.
There are some really brilliant individual tracks on here as well. In the vein of deep Afro-rock grooves, Mono-Mono's "Ema Kowa Iasa Ile Wa" is a real winner, as is the Don Isaac Ezequiel Combination's "Amalinja" and "Asiko Ni Mi" by the Nigerian Police Force Band. "Akula Owu Onyeara" by the Funkee's deserves to be a funk classic and "Okwukwe Na Nchekwube" by Celestine Ukwu and His Philosophers National is a wonderful demonstration of what Highlife music, as Nigerian pop, can really be all about.
This is obviously not an album that will appeal to everyone, and as with any compilation there are some tracks that will remain in the memory longer than others, but this is a record of real charm and intelligence which brings to life an interesting musical scene without over-indulging on one or two artists who have achieved more success.
Essentially this is a compilation of rare tracks that the compiler felt were worth trying to bring to a wider audience. Predominantly it explores the highlife scene of early 1970's Nigeria but without being exclusive. Furthermore, thanks to the excellent sleeve notes, it puts it all into its linguistic and cultural context.
There are some really brilliant individual tracks on here as well. In the vein of deep Afro-rock grooves, Mono-Mono's "Ema Kowa Iasa Ile Wa" is a real winner, as is the Don Isaac Ezequiel Combination's "Amalinja" and "Asiko Ni Mi" by the Nigerian Police Force Band. "Akula Owu Onyeara" by the Funkee's deserves to be a funk classic and "Okwukwe Na Nchekwube" by Celestine Ukwu and His Philosophers National is a wonderful demonstration of what Highlife music, as Nigerian pop, can really be all about.
This is obviously not an album that will appeal to everyone, and as with any compilation there are some tracks that will remain in the memory longer than others, but this is a record of real charm and intelligence which brings to life an interesting musical scene without over-indulging on one or two artists who have achieved more success.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A wonderful and intelligently compiled collection of Nigerian electric highlife and Afro-rock from the early 1970's. With a four panel digipack case, a well written and informative booklet and 2 discs of impossibly rare music, excellently mastered for CD reissue, this is an absolute bargain.
Unlike many of the recent reissue collections of Nigerian music this one bypasses the more well known Afrobeat selections and concentrates on some of the more obscure sounds created in the nation's most fertile period. There is irresistably infectious highlife, there's embryonic Afrobeat style workouts and there is straight ahead rock sounds, although with a definite African influence.
The compilers deserve a big pat on the back for releasing such a varied, but consistently excellent album. Hopefully they have plans to extend this series and uncover further selections of some of the most joyous music on the planet.
If you're a fan of Fela, Femi, Franco, Nigerian, Ghanaian or Congolese music the there is very little chance you'll be disappointed by this set. And at just over eleven quid it's an absolute steal
Unlike many of the recent reissue collections of Nigerian music this one bypasses the more well known Afrobeat selections and concentrates on some of the more obscure sounds created in the nation's most fertile period. There is irresistably infectious highlife, there's embryonic Afrobeat style workouts and there is straight ahead rock sounds, although with a definite African influence.
The compilers deserve a big pat on the back for releasing such a varied, but consistently excellent album. Hopefully they have plans to extend this series and uncover further selections of some of the most joyous music on the planet.
If you're a fan of Fela, Femi, Franco, Nigerian, Ghanaian or Congolese music the there is very little chance you'll be disappointed by this set. And at just over eleven quid it's an absolute steal
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If someone is interested in Nigerian music this is the place to start
2 CD's of music from super stars to one hit wonders it captures the range and vitality of Nigeria and its recent musical heritage
Every home should have a copy!
2 CD's of music from super stars to one hit wonders it captures the range and vitality of Nigeria and its recent musical heritage
Every home should have a copy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Buying because of 'Welcome to Lagos'?
Perhaps, like me, you are thinking of buying this because you have found out that some tracks were used in the BBC Documentary `Welcome to Lagos'. Think again. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Supporter
This is
one of the best records I've ever heard in my life. Why didn't I hear this music when I was young?
Published on 28 July 2008 by Bo Anders Karlsson
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