8 used & new from £12.98

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Best of Fela Kuti
 
See larger image
 

The Best of Fela Kuti [Double CD]

~ Fela Kuti
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


5 new from £15.55 3 used from £12.98

Special Offers and Product Promotions


Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
   Fela Kuti CDs opens new browser window
www.cdconnection.com  -  Huge selection of Fela Kuti CDs in stock at discount prices! 
  
 

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Expensive Shit/He Miss Road

Expensive Shit/He Miss Road

~ Fela Kuti
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £7.48
Zombie

Zombie

~ Fela Kuti
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.98
Mustt Mustt

Mustt Mustt

~ Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
3.7 out of 5 stars (6)  £4.98
Dimanche a Bamako

Dimanche a Bamako

~ Amadou & Mariam
4.7 out of 5 stars (11)  £7.48
Ethiopiques - the Very Best of Ethiopiques: Hypnotic Grooves from the Legendary Series

Ethiopiques - the Very Best of Ethiopiques: Hypnotic Grooves from the Legendary Series

~ Various Artists
4.3 out of 5 stars (11)  £7.98
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Audio CD (1 Nov 1999)
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Format: Double CD
  • Label: Talkin Loud
  • ASIN: B00002ZZ2P
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 34,599 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Disc: 1
1. Lady
2. Shakara
3. Gentleman
4. Water No Get No Enemy
5. Zombie
6. Sorrows Tears And Blood
7. No Agreement
8. Roforofo Fight
9. Shuffering And Schmiling
10. Coffin For Head Of State
See all 13 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Roforofo Fight
2. Shuffering And Schmiling
3. Coffin For Head Of State
4. ITT
5. Army Arrangement
6. ODOO

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Political activist, outspoken radical and inventor of "Afro-Beat", Fela Anikulapo ("he-who-carries-death-in-his-pouch") Kuti left behind him an incomparable legacy of music when he died in 1997. His struggles against the Nigerian state became the stuff of legend in his home country, his denunciations of world leaders such as Reagan and Thatcher gained him notoriety abroad. But his music remains as his supreme achievement over and above the details of his amazingly courageous life, even if many (most) of his lyrics are angry condemnations of politicians. His vast output of recordings can hardly be distilled onto two discs, but Black President (named after a classic 1981 album) is nevertheless a good introduction to this extraordinary man and his music. The album lacks any personnel details and fails to indicate the origins of each track, but it scarcely matters: Fela's band, Africa 70, was a large and always flexible group (it rarely actually boasted 70 members), with the only constant presence being his 30 backing singers, most of whom were also his wives! Throughout, the beats are solid, the solos are never overpowering and the rhythm--the powerful, hypnotic rhythm--is always preeminent. If, in the end, it's impossible to divorce Fela Kuti's music from his life, it is at least a real pleasure just to play this album and let his grooves possess your spirit. --Mark Walker


CD Description

Fela Kuti is generally considered to be the inventor of Afrobeat, a propulsive, highly danceable music that borrows from American soul, R&B, funk, and jazz, but is deeply rooted in traditional African folk as well. This superior, two-disc compilation collects material from across the Nigerian performer's stunning career, beginning with a handful of recordings from 1972 and continuing up to 1989. Funky, passionate, and technically precise, yet free-spirited and given to extensive improvisation, Fela's music runs on webs of percolatingpercussion, bobbing bass, wiry funk guitar, cacophonous andsultry horns, and call-and-response choruses.
In addition to being a musical visionary, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Fela was also a fiercely political figure. A socialist and revolutionary, Fela protested oppression in all its forms, touching on everything from police brutality to Pan-African identity, and THE BEST BEST provides a sampler of these themes. The only drawback here is that some tracks have been edited down to fit the compilation (Fela's jams could last upwards of 20 minutes). For this reason, dedicated fans may want to seek out the original albums. Still, THE BEST BEST is nearly unbeatable as an introduction to the irresistible power of this world-music icon.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars ., 10 May 2003
If you like world music, jazz or funk - this is the album for you. Relentless high energy with some tracks going on for near-20 minutes each! Combined in Fela's life story (outlined on the sleeve), you'll be hooked.

Fela's gone now, but his son Femi is keeping the sound alive and contemporary with other great releases and rare live UK performances. But it was his daddy set the standard.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Anti-authority Afro Funk at its best!, 6 Feb 2002
By Darryl Still "daxvondrac" (Bucks) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
The death of any major artists always causes a major re-evaluation of their work. Whether Fela Anikulapo Kuti would consider his music of more importance than his political harrassment of the forces that he felt were holding his country (and continent) back, we will never know. But his music is the only legacy we have, which makes it extra fortunate that there is so much of it and that it is so damned fine. Almost every track on this excellent value for money double CD runs well into double figures in minutes racked up. Early period masterpieces like Lady and Zombie still sound as funky today as they did when first released and some of the mid period political tunes get a highlight too, such as Coffin for Head of State and Army Arrangement. Put the CD's on and sit back for the evening. This is music for all the senses. Jazz, Funk, Afrobeat and pure dance bliss.

Fela Kuti is second only to Miles Davis is his importance to the world he inhabited. May he funk in his heaven! He rool cool!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, 31 Jan 2000
By R. Burgeman (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Not bad stuff from Africa's main man - he's baaaaad. But (and I'm afraid it's a bit of a big but) this stuff only really covers his early to mid stuff. Where is Politician - one of the greatest songs ever - and why not a funkier version of Lady?

As a compilation of Fela's early stuff, though, it's great. I, for one, will never forget seeing him at the Brixton Accademy with, yes, thirty two people on stage, including two people playing a log and one guy playing what I can only describe as a large bag of marbles. Ahhhh, memories.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Spiritually excelent.
Fela is a legend that can hardly be forgotten by the african people. This collection shows how he used the weapon he knows best to tell the whole world about the situation of the... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2000 by gboyelahlar@hotmail.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! I bought it by chance... and was really lucky
When you are stuck somewhere waiting for a train or a plane browsing in a record store is always good. When you stumble across something like this it becomes more than that. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2000

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Crack the code II 1775 51 minutes ago
Hard to say I'm Sorry 1563 2 hours ago
Any DJ's and whats your style? 19 2 hours ago
The Carpenters: BBC4: 21:00 PM & 02:55 AM 10/11/09 4 2 hours ago
The One Track Club (on tour) 31 3 hours ago
where is the young audiance 45 4 hours ago
emperors new clothes 12 6 hours ago
   
Related forums
  • dance  (62 discussions)
  • jazz  (36 discussions)
  • music  (1023 discussions)
  • pop  (412 discussions)


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Best of Fela Kuti
49% buy the item featured on this page:
The Best of Fela Kuti 4.6 out of 5 stars (5)
The Best of the Black President
25% buy
The Best of the Black President 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£9.68
Expensive Shit/He Miss Road
15% buy
Expensive Shit/He Miss Road 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£7.48
Zombie
6% buy
Zombie 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£7.98

Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject







i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.