Fela Anikulapo Kuti – The Best of Fela Kuti, 2CD & DVD Box (Wrasse Records WRASS132)
It’s hard to think of anything to say about Fela Anikulapo Kuti which hasn’t already been said with every kind of superlative attached. The Nigerian iconoclast and master musician, whose enormous band (frequently too large to make international touring practicable) bubbled and burst beneath his heavy political rant and flailing saxophone.
Most of Fela’s work attacked the establishment, sometimes on an international level, such as ‘O.D.O.O.’ (Overtake, Don, overtake overtake!), the cover of which depicts, in usual garish order, the lady Thatcher and her old cohort Ronald Raygun, but principally the polemic is aimed straight at the corrupt shenanigans of his home country’s government.
We’re told that Fela himself chose the tracks for this selection, which has appeared in 2CD format before. This time around we have the added benefit of a DVD featuring the marvelous 53-minute 1982 documentary ‘Music is the weapon of the future’, an insight into the convoluted and highly channeled thoughts of Fela Kuti alongside some classic archive clips at his Lagos Shrine Club.
Riveting stuff and worth the price of the package alone…. ….so the two free CDs feature:
CD1 Lady/Shakara/Gentleman (edited version)/Water No Get Enemy (edited version)/Zombie/Sorrow Tears and Blood/No Agreement (Part 2)
CD2 Roforofo Fight/Shuffering and Shmiling (part 2)/Coffin For Head of State (part 2)/I T T (part 2)/Army Arrangement (part 2)/6. O.D.O.O. (edited version)
Music is the Weapon DVD chapters – : Who is Fela?/Out Of Africa/Lagos/A Night At The Shrine/Kalakuta Republic/The Queens/The Pope In Lagos/A Shrine Ceremony/Women/Kalakuta Under Attack/Prison/International Thief Thief.
Author: Dave Atkin
