Zombie

Jazzy, rhythmic, intense. Lyrically political and anti-government.

It was fun and interesting at first but I started to realize that, after the first song, all the remaining ones were following the same formula over and over, which made it get boring

Smooth tropical background music. Receptie muziek

Melodischer, eingängiger Jazz der 70er aus Nigeria. 3 lange Stücke und eine Live-Aufnahme. Die Trompeten in Stück 3 sind anstrengend.

Afrobeat is a very compelling genre to me. There’s a lot of music I love that has afrobeat influences but I haven’t listened to very much straight afrobeat. It’s basically everything I love rolled into one. I wish these songs were a bit shorter because I’d be more likely to add them to my regular rotation.

great record

An iconic African musician.

Quite cool music - I like it.

still not mine...

Solid!

I really liked it idk what else to say. It’s nice to put on while doing art or housework.

This is recorded much better than I’d expected. Great fusion of funk and jazz. Had never heard of it before but was surprised at how thoughtfully composed it was

Long but good

4.1 - Imagine writing a song so incendiary it gets you beaten half to death and your own mother killed via defenestration.

Commanding grooves, as one expects from Fela - just irrisistable. Not to mention the story around this album is mind bending. Since the album criticized the Nigerian military and became a massive hit, it naturally pissed the government off. They responded by going to his commune, beating him to near death, and throwing his mother from a window, injuries from which tragically resulted in her death. You would think an experience like this might silence a person. Of course we know, for Fela, it did anything but.

One of Fela's most significant tracks. They're all jams of course, but this one caused such an uproar that the government raided and destroyed his home/commune, beat him within an inch of his life, and killed his mother. Did this stop him? No, he kept right on at it without missing a beat, making even more pointed songs directed at the very same government/soldiers responsible for those heinous acts. And this was simply the boiling point after years of being harassed, abused, and intimidated. He wasn't making this stuff inside the safety of freedom of speech and artistic expression. He was making truly daring and powerful music that mattered. It had consequences, and he knew it. Fela was absolutely fearless in his music and his life.

Deliciously groovy. Fela Kuti has a well earned reputation.

Excellent! Really good soundtrack for housework. 3.6

The album criticised the Nigerian government; and it is thought to have resulted in the murder of Kuti's mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and the destruction of his commune by the military. 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

Definitely not my normal type of music. Loved the Afro-Caribbean vibe to it all. It started to get a little repetitive by the end. Feels like something that would be good on a repeated listening or as background music at an outside party. A little too joyous for chill music. 3.5

Read the story behind this guy, and this album. Wild stuff. Great music

Really interesting combination of jazz and African beats

I like the inclusion of the organ. I don't hear that a lot in African music. This album is a vibe

This Fela groove start so strong. Reminds me if Headhunters in that the first two tracks are excellent and memorable. Second two are kind of boring. Still a great record

not my style, but cool music

superb

3/5. Was a lot of fun and better than many mainstream albums within this journey.

Fela Kuti is a name I'm familiar with but whose body of work I hadn't actually explored until today, but I loved what I heard. I had known he was a major influence on the Talking Heads, but not being able to speak the language and knowing so much of it was about being critical of the regime in Nigeria, I hadn't made time for it. These polyrhythms make the momentum of each track unstoppable and the band's energy is just kinetic, talk about a pocket. Seeing them live, if the last track is any indication, would probably have been incredible. This feels like one perfect set, to me. Eminently listenable. Kuti is the definition a complicated figure - a genuine hero of the poor in his home country, he was an outspoken critic of the junta, for which he was constantly harassed, jailed and nearly killed - this album alone resulted in 1000 members of the military raiding his compound, cracking his skull, and tossing his mother out the window to her eventual death. Unfortunately he was also deeply, wildly sexist in his views towards women. But back to the music, this is very much my shit and I don't see any reason to not award it the full 5.

Good in the background, a little long.

This reminds me of Tito Peunte. Very AfroCaribbean sounding with great horns. I like the instrumental sections best. My favorite song was Zombie. I think this would be really good as background music for a party.

Wow! I know he’s not Columbian but what a soundtrack to listen to while driving through the country. Yes the songs were long, but I don’t feel like they dragged on. Instead, Fela Kuti and his band slowly develop and grow the groove for as long as they need to. I did some reading and learned how political and controversial this album was in his home country of Nigeria which is pretty cool. Also, the horns in “Zombie” sounded familiar to me, and it turns out that’s the sample in Beyonce and Jay Z’s “Deja Vu”.

Love this album, such energy

Not a dancer but I was dancing

jazz 👌👌👌

Amazing!

Never heard of this guy before, was sold before the end of the first track. This is a really great album and is the kind of stuff I signed up for. Only complaint is all 4 songs follow a similar structure

Sehr cool! Kannte ich noch nicht. Könnte super als Hintergrundmusik bei einer Party laufen

This was fun to listen to, a good relaxing background music album. I want to hear more.

Political Funk Jazz, absolutely loved it

Pretty rad jazzy album. Reminded me a lot of a Bebop tune. It was fun to listen to. A nice 3/5

I haven't listened to much Fula Kuti, but this was good, nice rhythms and feel. 4 tracks on the album, so quite long tracks but all good.

I was ready to get quickly fatigued by this LP, but it's a great album. A true classic.

So cool. Best one so far.

Such a positive, lively album. I don't know if I've ever sat down and listen to Afrobeat but I'm certainly intrigued.

I enjoyed that.

Me likie da afrikan muzic 4.5

mildly bad

Chad Sax

Really really repetitive. After twelve minutes of Mr. Follow I couldn't bear the rhythm anymore. Zombie was a little bit better (maybe because there was more singing ?) but the rest was overall very boring.

Was surprised. But the four songs was produced so long even though they where so long

Ruddy Banger!

Incredible front to back. That's all that needs to be said.

Could be a fun time

Close to a 3 but jazzy stuff not my bag

Great akbum

I feel like I'm on some sort of drug (or should be) during these. 4 (long) songs on the whole album is crazy.

Great Afro-beat album that marked Fela's breakout in both West African popular music and Nigerian politics. This album also showcases drummer Tony Allen's talent. Wish the album were longer.

Unlike no others, but many like him. Feels right. This record is a good representation of that.

Ohhhh yeaaaaaaa

really?

Would listen to again. Super chill afro jazz.

Rentoa afrojazzia, hyvää taustamusiikkina. Nimikko kappale Zombie oli paras ja ihan hauskakin

Not my bag

Not my go-to but I do like a bit of Afrobeat. Amazing backstory.

Very groovy, almost trancelike quality to his music

I love me some African funk. Feels like a soundtrack to an 80s cop movie including high speed chase scene - song 1, cop walking into seedy bar - song 2, and stake out - song 3. 4/5

Mucho jazz.

This is great. Not sure it's really classifiable as a full album but hey, not really my place to judge.

I quite enjoyed the energy behind this album and I do love a long track like Zombie. Not my usual thing but I’m glad I listened to it. awful to think that this album led to the murder of his mum :-(

This was fun and funky - but I found the songs a bit too long. Not the kind of thing I'd think to listen to, but I can see myself listening to this one with my Jazz loving kid! Fave track: Zombie

nice

Fela kuti has never disappointed. It's always fire.

Le iba a dar un 2, porque era un poco rollo, pero resulta que son los de Time Of The Season.

Some really good elements

Le iba a dar un 2, porque era un poco rollo, pero resulta que son los de Time Of The Season.

Another one where I had no idea what to expect, but ended up enjoying it lot. Really chill jazzy world music. A nice album to have in the background.

SENSATIONAL. IT MADE ME DANCE. FUNKORAMIC.

Extended jams, they were alright, jazzy

Good! Very jazzy and upbeat.

Afro jazz madness. 4 tracks, 53 minutes. Pretty cool.

Vampire is awesome. Rest of the album less so.

protest afrojazz

4-5/10 Some shit that would play in a movie when the idiot character has an epiphany and goes on a productive montage

I think it's impossible not to like this album, especially with how important it was at the time and all the history surrounding the release of this album. I enjoyed it, but I think the songs are far too long and it didn't really did it for me, but objectively it was good. 3,5/5

Enjoyed this album, and everything that played after on autoplay. This is what I love about 1001 albums generator.

I really enjoyed this. Upbeat and happy while mostly being smooth and chill. I often find chanting in different types of music can become tiresome quickly, but they didn't overdo it on this album, which was nice.

I absolutely loved this.

Great instruments!

I've heard Fela Kuti before, but not this full album. This was great! Really enjoyed the solos

4 canciones preciosas. cowboy bepop vibes. apreciando el jazz improvisado

Another classic!

gostei não. Achei longo e tedioso apenas

Tá aí algo que eu nunca iria ouvir na minha vida normal

Its ok

I enjoyed this. Fela Kuti has been on my radar for a while but this the first of his albums I've listened to. It probably wouldn't go in my regular rotation but I'd listen again.

Hade samma artist i förrgår. Så jäkla bra är det ju inte.

What a great album. A light jazz with a touch of funk and African harmonies. Love this. Going on my favourites list.

Zombie // Mr Follow Follow // 3.5/5

Interesting, wanna dance

Very long and repetitive

I've never heard of Fela Kuti and I'm glad that I did!

tons of fun, super jazzy

The artwork made me expect something completely different than what I got. Instead it was just a bunch of funky horns for like an hour straight. Got a little boring after the full length of the record, but damn I love me some horns. I'm getting some political vibes from this but because I know absolutely nothing about where this record comes from - all I heard was horns go beep.

Interesting - something I wouldn’t listen to at all but immediately like the vibe. Afrobeat album from 2009, only 4 tracks but each by is about 13 mins. Afrobeat - Nigerian music genre combining African music with Jazz/Soul/Funk. Enjoying it as nice background music, wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it directly but not disagreeing with it!

Recognized some of these songs from a local coffee shop playlist! Definitely a good vibe for getting into a productive mode.

Get bored the third time

Funky. Lots of brass and sax. I really dig it.

很chill的黑人音乐

Yes fantastic Afro fusiony jazz which he invented!

...Very interesting, album I would say. I understood nothing in it. But the very chaotic and kinda crazy music in the background is throwing me off,..probably wouldn't listen again. But it ain't terrible.

This album was a major surprise. Expectations were low, but what a fantastic record of afrobeats and jazz. Maybe some of the best jazz we’ve ever heard. And the title track “Zombie” was definitely a song we’ve heard before, but couldn’t place where so it was a nice revisit to something trapped inside our heads. This album moves and flows, bobs and weaves, and with a tight runtime and 4 songs it’s just really masterful at letting the music evoke an emotion and a story. And the backstory to it, as a scathing rebuke of the Nigerian government and the consequences that led to, just heighten the mystique and appeal. What a great, unique piece of music.

Zombie

Doesn't go anywhere, akin to background music. Could dance if shitfaced. Not a good album. Every song sounded the same

Funky afrobeat, minimal gaps between songs means it's an hour of groove. Feel good tunes.

Amazing rhythm, very calming groovy music. Reading through Fela's bio on Spotify was fascinating. The songs tended to be too long for my personal liking, but still very good!

This is one of those albums I feel like I need to know the history of but I liked it. Oh my gosh I just read about it. Holy crap.

I can get down to this

Suprised me. Such a groove.

This was beautiful

Jazz, some vocals - first couple songs reminded me of my world music CDs from when I was a kid.

Absolute banger

"Zombie" is a studio album by Nigerian Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti. This is Afrobeat album which criticized the Nigerian government and it is thought to have resulted in the murderous Kuti's mother and the destruction of his commune (Kalakuta Republic). The zombie metaphor describes the methods of the Nigerian military. This album has two songs both in the 12 to 13-minute range. "Zombie " opens with a funky guitar, a jazzy beat and multiple horns. This is a good song example of Afrobeat - the fusion of jazz, funk and blues with Western African musical styles. Fela's vocals come on midway through where starts repeating "zombie" and "murder." The next song "Mister Follow Follow" has mutliple horns which takes the lead. There's more of a African beats at the start which turns more jazzy. Similar to the first song, the vocals come in midway. The music is on this album is compelling and one the best fusion styles I've heard. It's hard to completely appreciate the conditions and political nature of Fela's situation at the time but given the reaction, it put more into my listening experience. The re-issued CD has two additional songs which are also worth a listen.

Really solid jazz/afrobeat. Great grooves, and overall a lot of fun.

Fijne afro-jazz

Solid maybe a 4 star

Not my cup of tea

Great longform jazz album. There's a bit of funk in here, and overall greatly enjoyed this. 10/10 would throw on at a dinner party.

Me - only four songs? Nice. Also me, half hour later - how am I only on song two?! Not a bad sound. There could be a time and place for this.

Something different and pretty cool - a nice change of piece after that Dusty Springfield album

3.0

Had no idea I was a fan of Afrobeat until now. I love how long the songs are; it really lets you live in the groove. The musicians are all in the pocket, but maintain a looseness so that the music keeps its heart and authenticity. The call and response vocal style serves to bring you into the music even harder.

They’re all good songs but they all follow the same formula, which makes it harder to listen all the way through.

Well right off the bat I recognized the trumpet lines that Beyonce sampled in her Homecoming tour, so that was a great hook for me! I really liked listening to this even though it was quite short. It got me wanting to move! Listen again:yes Purchase for my collection: maybe Favourite Song: Zombie

What timing! Went to a west African restaurant last night and was digging Water (No Get Enemy) and thinking about how it had been a while since I had listened to some Afro beat. It’s impossible not to tap my toes or bob my head when listening to Fela Kuti.

🤙🏼

I just love Fela Kuti. Very happy with this album suggestion

Okay I guess, but it dragged on a bit. I didn't really understand much of the lyrics, but I see this is some sort of anti-dictatorship stuff.

Funky jazz

First of all, what badass history -- somebody died because this music was made? Having never listened to afro beat before, I really enjoy the rhythm with other instrumentals (this is reminiscent of Samba Jazz). I enjoyed the album and introduction to the genre, 3*. Favorite track: Zombie

So… i just checks the album length and it’s 53 minutes. but there’s like 4/5 songs, i didn’t do the math but that’s an insane song length each song, hats off to you mr fela. and a bit of exuberant jazzy high life on a dreary 8am morning in london isn’t bad i guess. i get why he’s legendary, and i can see the influence he has had, so i think a song has to be 12 minutes, not really, but i’ll forgive it for Mr Fela.

Immaculate vibes

Not like anything else I've listened to. Adrobeat +politics + I'm not sure what.

I didn't walk away humming any of this but the groove of most of these songs was pretty undeniable.

An album so potent that it provoked the Nigerian authorities to attack Kuti's commune, an assault that led to the fatal defenestration of Kuti's mother. Putting the white hot politics aside, this is a cracking album of itchy, hypnotic afro-funk. Essentially two tracks long (in its original format), the length of each cut enables solid grooves to be established and provides a platform for some romping improvisations. Not my usual food and drink musically; maybe this might prompt me to delve further into this sound?

I can dig, I can dig. Title song is pretty great, but "Mr. Follow Follow" should follow follow something else, because it kinda took me out of the groove. Also, I now know that Berlin has/had a jazz festival. Who knew!

grooves

Cowboy Bebop in Africa!

Yeah i like it! really nice that there came unexpected vocals too. not doing too much and for me jazz is a hit or miss thing

An enjoyable listen. Great background music.

Lite jazz. Alla låtar har typ samma struktur. Först spelas massa solon, sedan sjunger dom lite, sedan är det fler solon, sedan kanske dom sjunger lite mer. Allt detta händer ovanpå en musikalisk grund som inte riktigt ändrar sig genom låten. Säkert jättekul om man typ äter på nån restaurang eller nåt, men det kan bli lite tråkigt om man lyssnar för noga. Mr. follow follow var väl bäst, men alla låtar var typ samma sak.

Det gick fort nog med tillräckligt mycket sväng för att man kna lyssna på det i bakgrunden. Ganska nice då

First exposure to Fela Kuti. Read his bio and liked him even more. Great for background music while cooking or just chilling.

Classic Afro funk sax

3 étoiles

a bona fide classic from one of my all time favorites. joyful and powerful and what music should be

Jazzy but surprised that I would like it. Would listen again.

Vibes ass music. Super even keel. Very repetitive though. A music that’s very good at what it does and has its place. That place is not in my playlists though.

Grei proggemusikk

That's some serious trumpeting with a Rasta style chant in the background.

Booo

It as an okay Album. Only the beggining track caught my attention for awhile

It was fine, but not my deal

Fabulous.

Really dig the instrumentation on this...particularly the saxophone. "Zombie" especially sticks out to me — it's a 12-minute insult!

Listened to some, great rhythm

I like the idea of Fela Kuti more than the experience. Songs are all jams but also damn long.

Goede muziek voor tijdens het leren, in mijn vrije tijd zou ik het niet gauw luisteren. Het klinkt op een gegeven moment allemaal toch best herhalend, maar misschien komt dat omdat ik deze genre niet veel luister.

Doesn't do it for me, but it's good music

I was very excited to see this album come up. There are not many 12+minute songs I can stand to sit through let alone enjoy every second of but Zombie has me grooving through four of them! (Atleast on the reissue version I heard). There’s something so magnetic about Zombie. Learning of the aftermath is heartbreaking and makes this such an important album to absorb.

Hi

Great album

Fantastic

Loved this

smash

Another example of how the greatness of the music is sometimes in the story. I can't think of another album that may have led to an artist's parent's death or a national political movement. In 2 songs. Wow. Wish I'd gotten this before the other live album.

This was much like sitting through a reggae album.

Two track original, or four track rerelease? I went for four, and it was largely worth it, although I do think the first track was the strongest. His back up singers seem a little sharp sometimes. Maybe it's on purpose, who knows.

I listened to the extended version with 4 tracks on it. When I first saw it was just 4 long tracks, I was already excited because I really like these kinds of long jammy songs because you get to really appreciate the musicianship of all those that play on it. Overall enjoyed this one very much.

You support the Nigerians federal government actions from the 1967-1970 civil war if you don’t highly rate this album. 7/10

Wonderful back story to this Album. If this was America’s Got Talent, it would be given the golden buzzer. However this isn’t that and I’m not Howie Mandel. Whole lotta trumpet 🎺 and Saxophone 🎷 almost too much. This is for Jazz listeners. I actually wanted more singing!! The singing was wonderful. Great voice and I enjoyed the choir. Song length… a wise woman once told me 12 minutes is a long time. Overall I had some fun with this album although it did feel repetitive in some sections where they could have added more variety. I do like working to Jazz and found myself listening to more songs from the artist throughout the day. Nothing over the top, just decently good. 6/10

Wow this is just some of the most intricate uses of jazz and funk I've heard in a long time. Most of the tracks are led by 2 baritone saxes which is kind of unheard of for this era of jazz but it works extremely well. The king of Afrobeat drops an enjoyable listening experience from front to back and this will 100% be going into my playlists for when I want to relax and chill out. 9/10

Got scared when I saw how long the songs were. There are three different saxophones on this album. The vocals came in so late on Zombie that it actually startled me. Mister Follow Follow is the epitome of night time driving through the city with the windows down music. After two really long songs, I did find myself tuning out. A body can only take so much sweet saxophone and this pushed me to my limit. I thought perhaps this would be the album that I made an exception to long songs, but no, it was not. 6/10

Enjoyable. It had a good rhythm.

4 songs at > 12 minutes each...ahh. I think if I had listened in a different mood this would have been better received.

Me reading about the context of this album: :o 7.5/10 Fave track (there's only two): Zombie

Fela rules. Loved this record, very groovy. There are records of his I like better, so I’m holding back that last star, but pop on any Fela Kuti album and it’s pretty much guaranteed to bang.

Highly recommend a read of the Wiki if you haven’t checked it out. All time favorite of mine, fascinating record. Incredible sound, loose and groovy, I was so excited to see this come up. I could go on and on, but it’s a privilege to get to listen again.

Maybe a 4, but I’m vibing with it this weekend. Gives me big William Onyeabor energy, plus the history really elevates this album

Not as familiar with afrobeat, but this makes me want to be. Sparky polyrhythmic grooves, evolving layering and horns like nothing else

Album was solid. Not a huge fan of the third track.

Iconic Afrobeat. 2 tracks. 25 mins total Hard not love. 3.75

Så endte vi også i den helt anden boldgade. Der var kun 3-4 sange på albummet men det varede alligevel 50 minutter! Genren var lidt jazz-agtig. Overall rimelig fedt!

hypnotizing, political. long songs that somehow never outstayed their welcome fav of the bunch: zombie

I was introduced to Fela in college by my boss and have had him in my regular rotation ever since. 5/5

“Music is the weapon. Music is the weapon of the future.” -Fela Kuti

Yeahhhhhh

B- Zombie 3 Mr. Follow Follow 3 This was actually quite good. I liked Miriam Makeba better, but this was a vibe and a half. My hips were shaking, my booty was jiggling. Also, the story behind this album is nuts.

I love the propulsive energy of the title track. Relentless, maximal jazz-funk! Fantastic horns too. “Mr. Follow Follow” has a more laidback strut but the rhythm section is still strong enough to carry this song through 13 minutes. These are long songs but they flow easily and I would still jam out to them if they were even longer. "Observation is No Crime" keeps the tempo nice and easy. Again, these horns are great. And the live track "Mistake" is a nice bonus. The band has some real swagger!

Sweet music. I love an ~average~ length album that only has like a few tracks on it. Feels like a challenge to get through some of these 12 minute long tracks uninterrupted. Cool album cover too. I love the overexposed, grainy photo, and the painted-on text. Really enjoyed this one. I love the push and pull of energy and I feel like this is something I could put on and it would get me in a good mood right away. Got my hips shakin and doing things that most albums on this haven't done.

This is the reason I signed up. Not my genre of choice but enjoyable music.

not for me

Amazing Kuti, afican beats and trumpuet, a little bit more than a four. Expensive Shit.

Short but effective.

Already hitting a gem on day 2, lucky me

~ = good + = very good * = already knew the song Zombie = + Mr. Follow Follow = + Observation No Crime = + Mistake = +

Pretty nice vibe, hard to sit still with this on! Songs were a bit too long perhaps, but not much to complain about to be honest. Hard to say what could change to give it a higher rating, but somehow feels fitting with a 3 even though I can't really motivate it properly.

Can an album be too short? The original release of this was 25 min which may be slightly too short to form a proper impression. Anyhow, for the duration it was playing I enjoyed it! Groovy, upbeat and different from a lot of other stuff on this list. Still, a bit more variation would be fun as well. Extra props for the cover art which is really cool!

This and Expensive Shit are soooooo good

in another life i'm part of fela's harem getting fucked up and making sweet sweet afrobeat music in some extremely colorful pants.

One of my favorite albums. An amazing anti-war record made under a military state regime, who's release would lead to that same regime killing Fela's mother and almost killing him. Extremely powerful music that despite all of this darkness is still some of the most interesting and raucous afrobeat music ever made.

One of the things I love about this site is sometimes it gives you something crazy off the wall that is just AMAZING, and this album is exactly that.

I love me a good political album, especially with heavy jazz elements. Good shit all around

This album has two songs and last just over twenty-five minutes. One of the few EPs here! Afrobeat and African popular music are not really my styles (I enjoyed 'The Age of Pleasure', though, and I don't mind a bit of jazz, funk and reggae, which have influenced the style). Nice antiphony on the title track. Combined with the political lyrics, a very memorable song is created. (The antiphony on the other track is also good. It's one of the features that makes the album obviously African). This really reminds me of Frank Zappa's 'Hot Rats'. Someone else said this album is acid jazz, which 'Hot Rats' is as well, so maybe I'm not the only one. I thought 'Hot Rats' was great but '70s instrumental jazz is not my thing. 5.5/10.

Global jazz, long intro and build, beefy organic sound, super warm

Didn't hate, but didn't love it. The jazz was nice, some of the singing got repetitive.

VERY chill afrobeat vibes songs are 12 minutes long, which proved to be difficult when listening through the entire thing but doesnt diminish the chillax vibes

4.5/5

4/5

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: I did, not my usual genre at all but this one was unique! Favourite song: Track 1 - Zombie

Jazz con algunos ritmos africanos. Variedad de instrumentos de todo tipo. Casi sin percepción de voces. En ocasiones un tanto monótono, pero agradable de escuchar

I don't like the trumpet sound and his songs sound boring to me. The trumpet is supposed to entertain me until the vocals come in but instead it's one dimensional and feels more like a music for some cultural festival rather than a song I would put on and let play for 10 minutes. He's an ok singer I wouldn't say he showcases some special level of singing skill as well in his songs. The worst album so far. Feels disconnected. If I could go lower I would.

Great stuff from Fela Kuti. Only complaint is each some is very long with long progressions.

Very cool sound. Great for backround to me

great brass! Interesting 3 stars

Fela Kuti is probably the best place to start listening to Afrobeat and you could do little better than to start with this incredible album.

Fela Kuti fucking rules man. Favorite track: Zombie

Different. Island Jazz

Just following orders

Having read the background on this album, I appreciate the intent behind it and the risks Fela, and the band, took to produce it. That said, I find this largely irritating. Each song being both very long and very repetitive, I wonder if this is supposed to be trancey, in which case you've got to be out of your gourd to appreciate it. I get that other people really get something out of this, I just have no idea why. I've never understood why it takes, for example, 13 minutes of a repeating pattern with intermittent, random, soloing to 'say' something. I suspect this will appeal to those to get Davis' 'Kind of Blue' style jazz but, with respect, not for me.

The drumming on this album might be the best I've ever heard on any studio album. Tony Allen is a master behind the kit. It doesn't sound possible with only 2 arms!

Broke my toe because I tapped it too much

I mean it isnt bad but also its only 2 songs (the other two are from a CD reissue) so its hard to rank it as an ~album~ at least in the traditional sense

8/10

After getting two Fela Kuti albums out of my four and loving them both, feels like I'm going to need to do a deep dive on their discography. 4.5/5

Wonderful jazz music that made me start jamming and realize I don't listen to enough jazz.

Seemed like a powerful anti-military message. “You will lose your soul”. Effective and very beautiful. The horns felt like singing in the rhythms were so groovy.

Solid. Steady, no groove outliers. Trumpet solos give it more of a jazzy feel. 4.5

Interesting. Pretty relaxing. Not for me, I dislike the singing. Also very long.

I can recognize the talent in this album but it's hard for me to stay focus on 12/14 minutes songs without losing focus.

The first non-Eurocentric album on this listen through. Really enjoying the vibes. I wish there was a little more evolution in the songs, but I'm pretty sure that's a style thing, a back beat with lots of solos throughout. That does mean it makes excellent background music for me.

What is there to say? One of the great masters. A trailblazer. His music is like a fire making its way through a lush forest. Important. Not much more can be said than... This is Fela Kuti. Period.

Not really my type of music, but it certainly is good music. Would recommend.

It’s not my kind of music. I really didn’t enjoy it.

The history behind this album alone gives it quite a bit but this short 2 song album is actually pretty good. Just wish it was longer. Good African jazz.

Some good grooves, but some dead spots

Really enjoyable album

Bom.

Incredible stuff.

The story behind this album is very interesting. The music itself is nice but too repetitive for me

I fw this

Really interesting mix of sounds, songs too long imo. They repeat themselves a lot with occasional spikes in interest but overall not interesting enough for me to want to hear it again. If instead of 12 minute songs Fela would've made 3 minute long songs and more I maybe would've enjoyed it more. TLDR: cool and interesting sounds, songs too long for my liking, and too repetitive for the duration of the songs.

Short but theatrical with good beats.

Lekker muziek, maar wel veel van hetzelfde

The songs were quite long and repetitive, but the parts with vocals were really nice - 4.9/10

Another good Fela Kuti album. Not music I seek out, but I love listening to it when his records pop up on the list. 4/5

Not bad. I wish the songs were not as long, though. They sorta go on and on. I would have liked 8 songs with half the length over these 4 songs. I also really like when Fela is singing. I wish he'd get to that bit sooner in the songs. 3/5

Not much to say other than Kuti kicks unbelievable ass. A

Shit is fucking fire!

Joyful and just excellent. What a breath of fresh air.

You can feel the anger in this music, and the desire for improvement.

Great, not that special but easy listen

Jesus

Very smooth

Zombie no go go, unless you tell 'em to go Righteous. 4/5

ok this was uh… different

Groovy!

Are you joking me? This SLAPS.

What a refreshing and brilliant Jazz-funk album.

3.5 stars. This was nice jazzy afrobeat. More good background soundtrack than anything,but had major political implications in Nigeria.

This was a really cool jazz album, the experience of listening to explicitly political music from another generation and culture was enriching and fascinating.

Excellent jazz from a really interesting person

Good as background music, not much else.

9/10. Really great album, especially if you just limit it to the original LP. Plus, I'd feel bad giving an album less than 5 stars when his mom was fatally defenestrated because of it.

A really good listen. 8/10

Afrobeat cool as hell

really good album

Not my cup of tea.

Great record. I love Fela Kutis music.

I hadn’t heard of Fela Kuti before so I went for a look on old trustworthy Wikipedia. It seems that this album was written in protest the Nigerian military, and actually led to them reacting by throwing his mum out of a window to her death. That’s pretty over the top, isn’t it? Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Zombie I’m not sure I’ve listen to much music like this before. There were jazz elements but was generally a lot more upbeat and happy sounding. The lyrics were very blunt (Zombie no go think, unless you tell 'em to think) which I can see getting some ire from the military. Musically, this was a pleasant listen but definitely had the dark overtones brought by knowing the reaction it caused. If there don’t like this album, it’s still worth reading about.

Repetitive and Jazzy. Good music but not my thing. Great saxaphone.

S'écoute bien, je ne pensais pas que l'afrobeat pouvais être autant jazzy. Pas grand chose à redire, très solide, très intéressant, à réécouter. 8/10

This was unexpectedly fun. It hit all the right spots for me.

Le iba a dar un 2, porque era un poco rollo, pero resulta que son los de Time Of The Season.

Cet album a été une belle surprise, tant par sa Groove et son saxophone hyper maîtrisé que par son message engagé

Visionary message over earth-shaking grooves? Of course I'm going to love this. Only issue is I don't love the second half as much due to its less exciting melodic and lyrical content.

go off, fela kuti!! in my book, when you anger your country's military with your music, odds are you're on the right track. i loved hearing this scathing criticism, even if i didn't understand it fully without the societal context. musically, kuti's zombie has more jazz fusion than the other albums i've heard. the horn usage was just delightful!

While this wasn't ultimately my jam, I just love how Fela's music is steeped in cultural heritage. It makes for such a fun and unique listening experience!

I gotta give it some respect, but I didn't think much listening to it. It was very short, which was nice. I liked this more than his other album I got on here. My favorite song was Zombie.

Super energetic, cant stop moving listening to this.

interesting its only 4 songs, but the songs are pretty long! OOOOO i really like the sound rn, and its only the beginning :( just read that his mother was killed ooo is this all instrumental? or maybe just the first piece? it sounds amazing i'm favoriting this album for sure ooo ok now theres vocals! cant wait to read the lyrics for this one i really like this type of music, i'm actually going to have to search more like this hes apparently the pioneer of afrobeat i wish i had more notes but im vibing too hard

Stella gostou bastante tambem

Wasn't feeling it. Loved few of his songs a while ago, must go listen to them then return to this record.

I do not have the attention span for 12-minute songs.

Nice mix of jazz and funk but tails off after the first song

Not my style of music. I don't doubt his talent or influence - I just don't like it.

Criminally underexplored on my part is Fela, given how much I love what afrobeat I have heard. Another example here of why that was not clever of me. Absolutely stunning stuff. Tony Allen, too. 18 albums, what? In one year? You maniac.

zombie is a really good track, the rest is pretty good too but it's the obvious highlight

That was fun!

I love everything about this.

looking back I am a bit sad that I gave Live! by Fela only a 3 but with this I get a second chance and I will take it. I really love the live feeling of the other one but this one is better in terms of quality... I personally prefer Live! but this is also good af. 4/5