Original Suffer Hea
Fela Kuti
Wrasse Records (USA), 2006
1 CD
Catalogue #: 76
EAN: 0875232003224
UPC: 875232003224
You save: 20%
Nearly every one of MCA's twofer reissues of the best albums in Fela Kuti's discography is worthwhile, and this pairing of 1980's I.T.T. and 1982's ORIGINAL SUFFER HEAD is no exception. By the early '80s Fela had already honed his intensely polyrhythmic Afrobeat sound to perfection, and these two recordings feature all of the extended vamps, roiling rhythms, searing horns, call-and-response vocals, and political invective he was known for.
ORIGINAL SUFFERHEAD marks the debut of Fela's Egypt 80 band, an ensemble that continued the thread of Fela's earlier albums while adding an increasing musical complexity. As is the case with much of Fela's work, the lyrics here address the political injustices of Nigeria at the time, satirizing public officials while commanding the people to get up/stand up. But the real revolutionary tenor of this music comes through in its sprawling grooves, whether on the relentlessly driving "Original Suffer Head," the chill, jazzy "Power Show," or the roiling, polyphonal "I.T.T. Pt. 1 & 2."
Tracklist
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti was the controversial and unapologetically political creator of Afro-beat. With his charismatic presence, he presided over a teeming collective of musicians, which frequently made him a target of the authorities in his native Nigeria. A composer, singer, and musician, Fela cited the Black Panthers as a primary influence, and his innovative style reflected the influence of both African and Western music, particularly the jazz he had absorbed during a visit to the U.S. in the late 1960s. In live performances, he filled the stage with dancers, singers, and musicians in glamorous, glittery costumes, and his recordings offered marathon jams riding on the crest of an unshakeable groove and Fela's scathing broadsides.
