Zombie

Well well well Another banger!

I think the best albums sharpen the people who hear them. It doesn't have to be moralistic, it can just make you stronger by making you happy, but as we live and breathe through whatever fugging Reich we're in now, we need to bang our drums and wake up the zombies. It's not just a political choice to rant and rave here, the album is fantastic. The band is so cohesive and lively, the lyrics are scathing, and the energy is palpable. I regret that I didn't know much about Fela Kuti before this, but I'll rectify that as I live and breathe.

An excellent chunk of Afro-funk. 5

Flea, the god of afrobeat. This is probably his most well known collection of songs, but rightfully so. The beat and groove here is infectious, you cannot help but dance. The raspy saxophone, the meandering drums, Fela himself barking over the songs - just perfect.

Favorite track(s): Zombie, Mr. Follow Follow An unbelievable blend of revolutionary politics and the greatest grooves you'll ever hear. He's a legend for a reason. Heard before Previous rating: 9/10

5 de 5 Afrobeat con ritmos funk hipnóticos, que combina trompetas demasiado vivas y saxofones intensos, haciendo un gran complemento las congas y letras provocadoras; un álbum con fuerte crítica hacia los militares nigerianos y su obediencia ciega al régimen, provocando que este último, atacara y destruyera la comuna de Fela. Un clásico de la música de protesta y de la lucha por la justicia social.

Now this is what I wanted!

#123/1001 🇳🇬 I feel a bit ashamed that i've never listened to this before. I've heard Zombie (the track) before and other odd tracks by Kuti but never fully sat down and listened. This might be only 4 tracks long but its an almighty record. It starts with Zombie which is undoutedly the key influence on Remain in Light by Talking Heads. Track 4 - Mistake is a live cut and has so much power and energy. Just infectious. Best Tracks: Zombie, Mistake. Edit: just read Wikipedia. This was originally the first 2 tracks, the other 2 appear on the reissue.

Great classic album 5/5

Electric, dynamite really

Banger after banger Reminds me of jazz poetics Literally lost myself in the sauce

Majestic

I listened to this album as I was waiting for my coworker to get back from their lunch break so I could take mine; they were stuck behind a train. I was unfamiliar with the concept of Afrobeat as a genre prior to this album, but I immediately understood its purpose and appeal the moment this album began. The African drums provided a steady rhythm to bob my head along too while the horns went absolutely crazy on top of them, keeping every part of my brain occupied; the final isolated horn line on Zombie is particularly incredible. I had fully expected the album to be instrumental, so I was pleasantly surprised by the sudden appearance of vocals. The group chants provided a sense of community and resistance to the music, made even stronger by the blunt and provocative lyrics. This album is the sound of upheaval in the form of an artistic statement, and it serves as a testament to the power which art and music can hold when it comes to pushing for social change. Highlights: Zombie, Mr. Follow Follow

Infectious and interesting

I loved this so much I listened twice back to back and several more times since.

It's Fela. It's a Five.

This album makes me wish I would've become a drummer in the vain of Joey Waronker or Tom Skinner thanks to Tony Allen's drumming. I love how on Fela's albums the length of the songs gives you no choice but to listen to the album in full. I assume that most of the record is a live recording, what an amazing experience must have been to be present during the sessions. I'm sure that Fela's leadership in the band expanded and guided all the places the music went on during each song's journey. Can't pick a favorite out of the 4, they're all amazing. The dancey Zombie, winding Observation is No Crime, classic afrobeat of Mister Follow, and the live version of Mistake.

Excellent. Totally chilled out to this.

I already knew I loved Fela Kuti, but this album even surpassed my expectations. The mastering is so good, it really makes him and the band shine.

Discazooooooo nad mas qeu decir aguante el afrobeat

Good beats. Worth committing murder over? Now there's the real question.

The GOAT...you already know

This album and artist have a hell of a story. You know you're doing something right if your own corrupt government sends the military to kill you. Speaking out against colonialism and a brutal regime is very punk. Kudos. Also, good music. Great texture, great energy. Most fun protest music I've ever heard. I, for one, love cultural exchange: here's this guy picking up jazz and funk and soul and going "you know what? Also West African traditional folk!" And boom, new genre! Very cool. I have it on "good authority" (some guy at work XD) that Fela Kuti's music is very influential across several genres. Looks like he's being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame for "musical influence", so I believe it.

:D a nice discovary, i like it, a Jazz with some Afro drums with Funk, awesome.

The king himself... Maybe some of the songs are too long but when they're this good it doesn't really matter.

Another of those "either you're dancing or you're dead" albums. The sort of slinky hipped, sexy, slithering afro-jazz funk that Paul Simon dreamed he was making during the Graceland sessions. And then you read the story of what happened after the album was released and you think "Holy Hell!" And then you read about Kuti's life and realise that there's so much more here than a toe tapping good time. No skips, no lowlights.

This was cool. Learning about this album was interesting and I really liked the songs. I’m a fan of jazz and I was into this the whole time. The use of repetition in the guitars almost felt like I was in a trance and it really pulled me in.

I'ma be honest with you Fela. You may be a Kuti patootie but everything that comes after "Zombie" isn't the best. That title track tho. Hot dayumn. I could jam to that all day, all night.

großartig!

This is an album I almost certainly would have not found on my own and I loved it. There was so much energy and musicianship. Certainly a better listen than almost all of the psychedelic rock on this list. This album makes me wish it had more amazing hidden gems like this overall, to make them actually worth listening to before you die.

однозначно поднимает дух

This is literally everything you could want in an album. Words that matter, big band with complex chords, and it just makes you want to dance. You cannot sit still with this album. Highlights: The Whole Thing -- it's really only 4 songs

The album made such a strong political statement in criticizing the Nigerian military that it led to thousands of soldiers attacking Fela's community building and killing his mother. Rest In Peace. And what a story. It makes the impact of the music even more powerful. Somehow it conveys so much emotion with such little words. At the same time, it's some of the most infectious and fun jazz music around. Fela Kuti IS Afrobeat, and this album IS Fela Kuti.

Classic Afro-funk jazz. Absolute groove monsters.

Måste nog citera Sixten: Ouff.

En av världshistoriens ballaste individer. Finns inget jag uppskattar mer än folk som kan trans-vampa i 12 minuter utan att man någonsin tröttnar. Älskar formen att kötta på i 8 minuter plus innan sången kommer. Kan lyssna på det här groovet hur många gånger som helst. Solklar 5a.

Den här rytmen vill bara ha din kropp!

Oneofmy favourite albums of all time and the first fella I heard. Hearing afrobeat for the first time was a revelation and showed me how powerful music could be. The title track led to him having his fingers broken so he couldn’t play and his mother was thrown from a second storey window and later died from her injuries. Or at least that’s what I remember reading. Fela is one the great 20th century musicians. Weirdly, he was inspired by James brown and so James also had a had in creating afrobeat.

What a blessed day, Zombie is one of my favourite afrobeat jazz pieces 🔥✨

So good

I really enjoyed this. It was a fascinating listen and an equally fascinating read about its background, influence, and impact. If no more albums of his appear on this list, I will happily investigate further independently.

Could be criticised for lacking variety and for being too long, I don’t care, I could spend an hour in a pocket that is that funky. Dynamic, has so much groove, and showcases everything that jazz influenced afrobeat can be. Great that there is being found by new audiences through bands like Ezra Collective, long may it continue.

wooow, really need to look into why he was so scrutinized by Nigerian government

Fela can pretty much do no wrong, and this is a great example of his music. I'm not sure I've listened to these songs in this order, but it's great expanding my knowledge of his works.

I recently listened to the podcast, Fear No Man. It’s about Fela and his life and music. So this couldn’t have came at a better time. Zombie is thee song/album in Fela’s catalog. The groove all over this album is just so good!! If you don’t want to move or dance or feel happy, you might be dead. On top of that, the message of Zombie is so poignant and still lives on today. But of “soldiers”fighting in wars and killing other human beings pretty much only because they’ve been told to…zombies…no brains of their own

I miss when music was political

Impecável

The colossal energy of this! The influence on Talking Heads is so obvious here. Massive album.

Such a great record - so much going on musically. 4.5/5.0: Excellent

a great album with a fascinating story

What a great album. I listened to it several times at work and had several people comment and groove to it. Fela Kuti is amazing

awesomee

Heel sfeerig Love alle instrumenten

2026.03.13

Four songs, 55 minutes, political Afrobeat album from 1976. Buckle up. Groovy and challenging. Oh and the Nigerian government at the time considered it so inflammatory that they raided the compound Fela Kuti lived (and recorded and ran a free medical clinic) in with his family and band, resulting in the death of his mother (Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti). It's important to listen to on two levels: one, it's a jam. Two, it's worth listening to what kind of art is deemed worthy of government violence. It's worth reading a bit about Fela Kuti, his mom and the regional politics of the era. It's absolutely fascinating. The album is catchy as all hell. Well worth an hour of your time and a wicked introduction to a style of rhythm guitar playing that I've never been able to adequately describe but has bedeviled me since I first heard something like it from Ray Phiri on Paul Simon's Graceland.

J'me possède pus quand j'écoute ça.

this is so good and now i need to listen to all his other stuff!! finding albums like this is why i love this project

World class Afrobeat

Love this! Great Jazz… Great for a energetic run or an afternoon get together

I really liked this. I'm craving politically-charged music at the moment and this scratched the itch. 5 stars.

This is brilliant. It is an energetic exploration of funk and jazz, matched with African rhythms. Apparently it was a political statement as much as a musical one. Will listen again.

Any actually bad music from Fela Kuti? This would get me dancing even in my most darkest hours.

Aimed squarely at the military ‘zombies’ that ruled Nigeria, the album – one of the highpoints of both Afrobeat and Fela Kuti’s career – stirred up a lot of shit and brought lots of attention to Kuti from both fans and the Nigerian government. The latter had the most impact, as his compound was raided by soldiers and burnt down, his elderly mother was thrown from a window – she later died – and Kuti was severely beaten. As for the album, the original version contains just two tracks, the irrepressible, entirely essential title track and the less crucial, though still gratifying, “Mr. Follow Follow”. If you only ever listen to one Fela Kuti record, this one’s as good as any, but be aware, his catalogue is extensive and there’s plenty to like. 9/10

Amazing songs but too many wives

An absolute musical explosion, with an astounding and tragic impact. It could live just on the merits of its sound, with a rocking band that sounds as heavy as an orchestra, and one of the greatest riffs of the 20th century. But unlike many other albums which are political in lyrics alone, this record has a direct and real political life, one which also put the musicians in the path of great harm. I love my punk music, but this album really puts things into perspective.

Not a single miss here

So peak

Now that's what i've been waiting for!

Nothing clever to say about this one. Just that it rules

Um tipo de jazz q me agradou mt, devido a ancestralidade e o ritimo com instrumentos africanos... o melhor album q já ouvi até agora

Absolutely beast of an album!

A strong album in perhaps the strongest catalog - long before the big charity concerts, U2 whinging about shit, etc, this guy was out there integrating the whole modern dumb world, musically, politically. Amazing formula, amazing drumming, fantastic musicianship.

This is a treat to listen to. I've listened to a lot of Thievery Corporation (who did a song with one of Fela's sons) and the inspiration they take from music like this is very clear. There's an awesome groove to it. There's a lot going on, but it doesn't feel busy or overwhelming. The lyrics are powerful. The songs are long, but it doesn't drag the experience down - and the album is pretty short overall. Awesome album.

It's fucking great. Giving a bonus star to because it's protest music that's both meaningful and good (a rule I made up just now). RIP Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who died because music has power.

I will not include the CD reissue bonus tracks in this review. I've heard of Fela Kuti before, but never sat down to listen to his music until now. I recognized his influence as the principal pioneer of Afrobeat, a genre rooted in West African rhythms and melody with the harmonic nature of funk and soul, and the improvisations of jazz. What I did not learn until now was his political strife, a torch he carried from his mother, women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. During the 1970s, Fela and his backing band, Africa '70, recorded and released several records with striking political commentary, inspiring his audience to stand up against the oppressive military-controlled Nigerian government. Tensions reached a boiling point with the success of this record, Zombie, which infuriated the government to the point of burning down Fela's commune and fatally injuring his mother. Given the content and messaging of this record, it's hard not to see the spark. Relentless, upbeat sonic jams of chicken-scratching guitars, blaring baritone saxophones, and shuffling percussion establish an enlightened identity minutes before Fela and his backing vocalists came in with their call-and-response. It is such an immaculate groove that they had in their pocket that they could maintain this energy for over 12 minutes each track. Not to mention how hard-hitting the lyrics were, using the zombie metaphor on the title track to criticize the Nigerian military's blindness as they followed corrupt orders, and "Mr. Follow Follow"'s doubling down on that theme while also suggesting to open one's eyes and realize the error of their ways. An opportunity to think critically in the face of propaganda and political division, should they choose. Both tracks were equally hypnotic and biting in their compositions and lyrical content, and I could sympathize with Fela's plight. Yet I've wrestled with this record longer than I expected, because it's only the two tracks. This was not the only time in Fela's discography that an album had only one or two tracks, which I noticed when checking out Confusion and Expensive Shit on the same day. I was contemplating whether it was a problem that I wanted more out of a single record. Perhaps there was a necessity to get these tracks out as quickly as possible, given the presumed limitations of recording technology at the time and the oppressive government that loomed around the corner. It would have been hard to know when the last record would truly be the last, whether getting arrested for dubious reasons, or getting raided because the government was looking to censor, but would claim otherwise. But then another thought came to my mind; perhaps a fire was lit inside me from listening to these records that ignited that desire to hear more. It certainly feels resonant these days to partake in art that expresses a free spirit against political tyranny. Maybe that's the takeaway I should have. That, to me, is how powerful and poignant Zombie is as a record, and I'm glad to have finally sat down and understood Fela Kuti's legacy.

Ultra geil

It's been a minute since I've heard the tracks on this record, but I know it'll get a 5. Such a fun and different sound, I'm glad I was introduced to Fela.

Excellent. Tight, focused, concise.

Love love love this funky shit

10/10 goat

I’m not familiar with its political background, but musically the album is great. Made me want to dance

Nothin' else like Fela.

Timeless classic, more relevant than ever.

so good I didn't even realise it's over

Another great Fela Kuti's album. What a great musician.

Not typically a fan of Jazz and it's derivations but this is a classic that should be heard by everyone.

Loved this. Great album to put on while you’re making dinner with all the windows open in the Summer. I miss Summer. I can’t wait to listen to this again in a few month, with the windows open, while making dinner.

Short, sweet, groovy, excellent

Very good album though the songs are a bit repetitive after a few minutes. Its not a huge issue on the original which was only 2 songs but I'd likely drop the extended reissue by a point for this.

In your heaaaad in your heaaaad. Zombie, zoooombie, zoom bie ie ie.

It’s hard to digest this as the protest music that it was, because to my ears the music is so upbeat, groovy and joyful, which is often in contrast with the lyrics. I don’t know if there are other artists like Fela who made similar great music but just didn’t break through the way he did, but he certainly feels unique in his style and his impact on other genres. I’ve seen complaints about the song lengths, but I think the two album tracks are more than engaging enough to earn their runtime. The first bonus track on the reissue plods on a little too long though.

Backstory is insane

Amazing. No words. The play with multiple instruments is beautiful.

I don’t listen to jazz but I really enjoyed this album

9/10 Afrobeat is a wide-ranging and somewhat difficult to parse genre for people more familiar with western music traditions. Its stylistic and regional spread has resulted in it covering a wider range of musical output than the earlier categorisations would cover, but it all started with Fela. He pulled influences from American jazz, funk and soul and injected a dose of Nigerian and Ghanaian rhythms and vocals to create a musical style that persists to this day. This album was a bold statement against the Nigerian military, one that came at significant personal cost to him, his family and the wider Nigerian people. But while the historic and political importance of the album is significant, it would be nothing if the music wasn’t up to scratch. Luckily it’s absolute killer stuff. It moves and grooves throughout, flowing effortlessly through various phases, with so many excellent performances from Fela and his band that it’s hard to really appreciate everything in there in a single sitting. This is music to savour and to lose yourself to. The grooves are infectious, the vocal sections engaging and hooky and the performances strike just the right balance between loose and tight that it feels incredibly organic and drags you along with its flow. While it's not a perfect album, and focus on the small moments where things get a touch too loose a brought into sharper focus by its short length, it is pretty damn close and it may even get there when I listen to this again and again. And again. Zombie - The groove on this is great. It’s all a little bit loose, but that makes it feel so organic and full of life, and they bring everything in nicely for the key rhythmic hits. People sometime accuse jazz playing of being a bit sterile and technical rather than emotional, but you can really feel the drive behind the playing. It’s infectious and engaging in such a satisfying way. The opening third is funk infused jazz, but it becomes more funk focused for the vocal section in the middle. It’s got so much feel and it moves with so much groove and passion. The keys into the final third are a touch high in the mix, which exposes the looseness a tiny bit, but it’s a minor gripe and it doesn’t last long before we’re back in the funky groove. Mr Follow Follow - It’s a change of pace into the second half of the record, but it’s such a compelling groove. It’s so smooth and pretty much impossible not to move to. All of the musicians throw in little moments here and there, with the drumming being a highlight. There’s so much movement and feel in the playing. I could get lost in music like this for hours. I can imagine that some would find it repetitive, but there’s so much actually going on that just organically shifts and moves as they play but could easily get lost with background listening. Again, he has a vocal section in this one and he does so much to inject feeling in, with the call and response style of the main theme creating a solid and memorable hook. I bet Fela was ridiculously good fun live.

The inspiration I need to get out there and protest ICE in my neighborhood, but it's a little alarming to get this today.

Like James Brown before him, Fela was orchestrator, arranger, & vocalist, so that when you listen to his music you're really listening to the music of a collective consciousness. For every Maceo (saxophonist) James had, Fela had his Tony Allen (drummer). Allen was, to be fair, director of the music, but Fela was the mind and cultural foreman of Afrobeat. Unlike American funk, heralded by Brown, Afrobeat is overtly political, i.e., you're not getting 'I'm Black and I'm Proud' on Zombie, you're getting an immediate, immersive response to the situation at hand. In this sense, Afrobeat is like reggae, tho the sound is derived from jazz and funk, not rock 'n' roll. It so happens that Zombie is an all-time classic of the genre, a rhythmic + shrewd sensation.

I'd heard of Fela Kuti before and probably heard some of his music. This is the first time I've actually sat down to listen to an album. It is great. He sounds just like my favourite Ottawa band, the Soul Jazz Orchestra, only 40 years earlier. Hearing stuff like this is exactly why I am doing this project.

Lotta stuff happening here! Having this immediately after Earth Wind and Fire kind of blunts the impact, and while I like EW&F, this is a head and shoulders above in creativity and execution. A mix of like, ten different things in a big stew that gets you moving and thinking and grooving and moving and well, that's what music does. Definitely forcing my kids to listen to this.

A lot of fun: upbeat, chill, mostly instrumental

Excellent. A great introduction to this kind of music. Funky and, in its own way, rockin'. I'd listen to this again happily.

Intoxicating, invigorating, unknown yet I have heard its influence many places. The call and response lyrics are a surprise, and once you read the background, you understand how truly remarkable they are. My first 5 star review.

Now, that's more like it! This is my jam! Perfect to restart my hiatus after pregnancy leave.

A masterpiece and one of the most impressive examples of the political power of popular music that we have.

Una brisa para el alma

Welcome to the new year! It's always exciting to see what the first album of the new year is. 2024 and 2025 made some of the best first impressions I could've gotten with Illmatic and Rumours respectively. So, going into 2026, I was very curious to see if my "peak music" streak would continue. Well, I obviously can't put this at quite the same level as Illmatic or Rumours seeing as those are two of the greatest albums ever made, but that doesn't make Zombie a bad album. Far from it actually. This album is super cool! It's kinda crazy that I got two albums in a row that come from Africa, but between this and that Songhoy Blues album from yesterday, I vastly prefer Fela Kuti. The energy here is palpable. I guess this is where the discussion of afrobeat as a genre starts. Fela Kuti is THE Afrobeat guy. His influence is unmatched by anyone else in the genre, and that influence is pretty strong. Afrobeat music, specifically the work of Fela Kuti, has seen influence on other parts of music history, perhaps most notably on Talking Heads on their 1980 masterpiece, Remain in Light. Now, as I mentioned in my final review of 2025, Remain in Light was the best album that I listened to for the album project last year, so to hear the music that influenced its style is pretty cool! But yeah, the musicianship on display is quite enjoyable. The vocals fit the vibe well. It's very authentic, which is the exact kind of thing that an album like this demands. But do you want to know what I respect most about this album? It's the politics. Yeah, I'm one of those kinds of people, and my biggest source of respect in regards to this album is the album's heavy criticism of the Nigerian government. Protest music is something that is vital in times of corruption and political struggle, and it's something that I think is sorely lacking in the current music world seeing as the "leader of the free world" is a narcissistic bigoted pedophile. The writing of this album is perfect in that it clearly represents the Nigerian culture and the specific issues of that country at the time of recording, and yet it's also understandable to any modern-day English-speaking listener with any sense of reading comprehension. It's the exact kind of thing that appeals to me. The scathing political commentary and the up-lifting energy of the music itself are perfectly balanced, which is quite valuable in music with a message as it helps make said message more palatable for the average listener. It's kind of like System of a Down in that regard. Shit, this thing is making me think about System of a Down and Talking Heads? Maybe I do really love this album after all! I have one problem though. It's too short! Yeah, that's not an issue that's come up very much on this list, has it? I get albums that are too long all the time, so to get an album that I actually want more of rather than less of is a change of pace for sure. I'm impressed. I think this is one of those albums where my respect is slightly higher than my enjoyment of the album, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy this thing. Zombie is a blast of an album, but not a meaningless one. I mean, Fela Kuti literally rage-baited the Nigerian government by releasing this album. If that's not bad-ass, I don't know what is! This thing rocks. Low 5/5.

Favorite Tracks: Zombie / Mr Follow Follow / Mistake Rating: 4.4 Only day 3 for me with 1001 Albums, but this is the kind of exposure I was hoping for from this exercise! I'd never heard of Fela Kuti and found this album super interesting and enjoyable. Will definitely dig more into his discography, and reading about Fela on Wikipedia was fascinating, what a story!

A 5. Fantastic and unique sound & delivery that the inspired James Brown. Each song is a timeless groove.

Moments into this thing you can just immediately tell these people can see atoms. They are tuned into the rhythm of the universe. Their playing is as natural as the wind in the trees but more beautiful because they let you see what is special about the moment you are in. This music drives, drives you wild. Everything is cooking and eventually cooked to perfection. Everything that’s wrong with music industry is contained in the fact that this album, or Fela Kuti’s other work, is not routinely seen in the top of the top albums lists. This album makes the 1001 albums list look good.

Before listening: I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. I haven't heard of this album or band/singer? Completely in the dark. The album art is interesting, I'm seeing a public speaker failing to connect with this audience of soldiers. The artwork is a collage similar in feeling to a comic strip of the time, creating a lighter feeling to what is very somber. You cannot see the soldiers faces aside from their eyes. I assume the album will feel political, it feels connected to violence. The sharpie text Zombie is childlike connecting with the comic book imagery. It's all very juxtaposed. Listening: Funky. I was not expecting jazz. I'm vibing for sure. Loving the saxophone solo. I don't have a lot to say but I'm enjoying the album. I am aware based off comments that this a political statement and I'm not reading lyrics so I'm struggling to understand the message but it feels uplifting in spirit. I think I'm getting it, maybe. I like it either way. After listening: Really good, I don't think I've ever listened to a jazz album in its entirety before and this was really great. It sounds like an insult but it was great background music and i think that's a good thing. 9/10

If someone asks me what afrobeat is, this is the one I reach for

Conocía el nombre de Fela Kuti y lo asociaba a un estilo afrobeat que jamás había llegado a escuchar. Una vez hecha la escucha… madre mía qué groove! Es como James Brown pasado por un túrmix de jazz, funk y sonidos afrocubanos que da como resultado ritmos sin fin y canciones que se van fácil más allá de los 12 minutos (en otros discos más largas todavía). Pero si indagáis más en la vida de este músico nigeriano vais a ver que estamos hablando de un personaje luchador por los derechos civiles perseguido por las juntas militares de su país y con múltiples contradicciones (machismos recalcitrantes incluidos). Me he tragado el documental “Finding Fela” del tirón y os lo recomiendo encarecidamente. Bueno, buenísimo el artista.

i’ve never heard of this album before but it was so good, i’ll definitely have to listen to more by them.

Amazing music from someone who had a turbulant life! I'd recommend to read the Spotify biography

Amazing album, best to be listened to on a good headset.

Mesmerizing, tight grooves with great horn arrangements. I enjoyed reading about the sociopolitical history surrounding Fela and all he went through in his life.

Great EP. Love the rhythm it really grooves.

Banger.

This is fun. Great rhythmic feeling. Not exactly my taste, i.e. I would not go out of my way to listen to it. But I will keep it in mind and if I hear it somewhere I will enjoy it. Of course it's very well composed, produced and played. Great album to expand my musical horizon.

go and die! go and kill! go and quench! yay! yea i had to read about it after reading your reviews and this is so awesome. really sad that so much awful shit happened but the message and encompassing situation is awesome as f. Zombie itself is an awesome song, especially the go and die go and quench go and kill put am for reverse part lmfao. Mr. Follow Follow is a great vibe as well, the backing vocals are my favorite part (g'boing-boing-boing please) I just know being at the Berlin Jazz Festival for that performance was probably the height of many people's lives. that organ is sick as hell. Overall, with the history and the message and everything surrounding this album, I'm going to have to give it a 5, even if I won't be saving these songs and listening all the time. the vibe that would require listening to this album again is extremely specific, but Inshallah it finds me

Excellent album art and excellent music. Fela blended the instrumental with the vocals well, a rarity compared to some previous instrumental-heavy albums we have listened to. I would have likely never found this album without the list. I read the album's history after listening, and yeah, it added a greater appreciation for the album. Some people make music for fun, others for money... Fela's musical critique on the Nigerian government resulted in his commune getting razed.

Funky, fierce, and inspirational. This album unlocked many new chambers of music exploration for me, and countless others. What’s this guy’s story? What other non-Western sounds am I missing out on? Who are the rich, unconventional influences of other artists I listen to? I’m telling ya, so much to discover behind those 3 queries. If you liked Zombie, check out these fantastic afrobeat / world artists that would not exist without Fela: - Mdou Moctar (Nigerian guitar-driven protest music) - Antibalas (US-based afrobeat) - Budos Band (afro/70s stuff) - Polyrhythmics Plus some other artists that fuse non-Western sounds: - Khruangbin - Altin Gun - Kikagaku Moyo - Hermanos Gutierrez - Glass Beams

I listen to most of these albums at work and this is the first one that noticeably increased my productivity. I’ll definitely listen to this again soon. 5/5.

protest art turns me on

I’m actually addicted. This album sounds so cool, and I love the combination of guitars and extended horn solos and everything. It’s such a unique sound that I could genuinely listen to for hours. When the vocals come in too, they’re incredible. I love the call and response (and ORGAN!!) of “Observation is No Crime.” Also learning about this album’s influence on Brian Eno and Talking Heads’ work was really interesting. It surprised me initially, but it makes so much sense. And the deep message of the album being a critique of mindless soldiers, who can’t or won’t think for themselves (which can also be applied to the fears of AI in our modern world) really adds the icing on the cake to an already incredible-sounding album. Favs: Zombie, Observation is No Crime, Mr. Follow Follow Dislikes: none.

This works in so many levels - it's fun, artistic, it's political, it works as background music but you can also get lost in it's complexity. Simply great

Exactly what I came to discover here.

Fantastic

Opens with a hard driving funk tour de force, a thick steamy dance party with endless layers of brass, percussion, keyboards, and a relentless bass - an undeniable groove with call and response vocals delivered forcefully, woven between sax lines and trumpet stabs. Mellows out into a slower jazz fusion number to breathe, a patient groove with slinky melodies. The band is huge and with so many parts locked in together it creates a kaleidoscope effect, ever shifting, always a new element or detail, fractal funk.

From the album cover alone I knew this was going to be something good and then I started reading about it. I might not have rated the music as highly without the context (I still really liked it, it would have been at least a 4 anyway), but I do think who an artist is can make the music more interesting. Anyway this is my review so I get to give it 5 stars

Incrível. A versatilidade, abrangência e dinâmica do som de Kuti foram o que mais me surpreendeu. Já entrou para minha lista de melhores que conheci este ano.

insane banger

A complete groove that is only more remarkable in the fact that all that booty shaking music is political protest music!

actually very alive.

Great fun one to listen to again

Genre: Afrobeat Unfortunately, this album got Fela Kuti’s mom killed… Nigeria was in a truly god awful place in the 1970s. Kuti’s scathing critique of the Nigerian military as zombies was an absolute smash hit in the country of Nigeria. So much so that the regime made their way to Fela Kuti’s commune and destroyed it, killing his mother while nearly beating him to death. It’s tough to engage with this record with knowledge of what transpired afterward. The music itself though is intoxicating jazz fusion. Funk, rock, jazz, African rhythms all blend to create a really magnificent listening experience. Tremendous playing at every turn. Simple but powerful lyrics. An absolute triumph. 5/5

Amazing, punchy, funky, African jazz. I love it.

How do you rate a certified real-life folk hero, warts and all? The mythology surrounding Fela Kuti is stronger and stranger than even Bob Marley, the only other artist who could approach the revolutionary acts and art of Fela. We have to be cautious when judging art through the lens of the character of the person who made it. But in Fela's case, there is no separation. His art was a revolution project as much as his revolution was an art project. Even his clothes were an act of protest. He often appeared in either badass, skin-tight jumpsuits, which I would describe as African glam, or in only his underwear, a shirtless counterpoint to Africans who adopted Western dress; "Africa hot," he jeered sarcastically to these "gentlemen." Is it any surprise that every track he made sounds like sex and war? And so it is with "Zombie," the lyrics a direct satire of the individuality-suppressing ways that Nigerian soldiers, in Fela's view, lined up and did exactly as they were told. "Mister Follow Follow" continues the theme of viciously criticizing those who sacrifice their individuality to the will of others. The lyrics to these songs are clearly situated in Fela's time and place, but they apply to any historical context in which the listeners find themselves, the proto-authoritarian United States in 2025, for example. The price he paid for releasing these songs, the raiding and burning of his compound, the Kalakuta Republic, and the murder of his mother, strengthens my feeling that we can't separate the songs themselves from the context in which they were recorded. Fela's response to the invasion, documented in "Coffin for Head of State," drives his history into the truly legendary. I actually love Fela's music on its own terms. He is credited with inventing Afro-beat, and no label has ever so accurately and succinctly described a musical genre. I remember how I learned about Fela. In the very early 2000s, my friend Griffin introduced me to Antibalas, a band she accidentally stumbled upon while they were playing in a small club in Brooklyn. I was immediately in love with their first album, Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1. A year or so later, I found myself stoned out of my gourd, sitting on the living room floor of some white Rastas I knew from work at a local organic bakery. Too baked to socialize and with no family dog in sight, I noticed a random reggae mag under their coffee table with an Antibalas article advertised on the cover. Throughout the article, one name was mentioned repeatedly as the progenitor and primary influence on the band's style: Fela Kuti. I kept that name in the back of my mind (can't imagine how I remember anything from that day) until I could learn more about him. When I finally heard his music, I was floored. I had never heard anything so raw and hypnotic. Twenty-five years later, and I still haven't. Personally, I think Zombie is A-tier Fela, not quite the best of his catalog, but still representative of his legendary status. Five stars.

doesnt get much better than this Fav song: Zombie

Fantastic swing!

What an album. Short, to the point, all of the energy.

La combinación perfecta entre una música disfrutable y un contenido político fuerte. La relevancia histórica de este álbum yace en crítica política que hace Fela Kuti contra el gobierno y ejército nigeriano y las salvajes repercusiones que esto conlleva para Kuti. Lo interesante es que de no saber la historia detrás del álbum, o de no leer las letras que canta Kuti, uno podría asumir que es simplemente un álbum de afrobeat, enérgico, alegre, bien ejecutado y grabado. Por supuesto, el arte de tapa del álbum es bastante claro en sus intenciones, tampoco es que haya que leer demasiado entre líneas, es cuestión de prestar un poco de atención. El punto interesante a notar es que a diferencia de otras músicas de protesta, como por ejemplo muchas músicas de Bob Dylan, en lugar de acompañarse de un tono melancólico y deprimente, el afrobeat busca energizar la protesta con groove, con vientos, con muchas voces, y tampoco es agresivo como podría ser por ejemplo la música de Rage Against The Machine, renegando con alaridos y distorsión sobre el sistema. En fin, un álbum corto, significativo y excelente.

Trump and his goons are the zombie scourge of the earth. Donald, please don't kill my mom by throwing her out of a window.

Transformative, exciting, relevant almost 30 years later. One of the great listens of recorded music. Want to start a party? Put this record on. Want to get inspired to fight the power that corrupts your world? Put this record on.

This album is a crucial cornerstone of music history. It's not just an amazing album its a masterpiece.

Yes, yes, this is exactly why I started this project: to discover new music from artists I’d never heard before now. I LOVE the jazz riff on the opening track. The notes on Spotify mention the influence Kuti had on the Talking Heads, and I can hear it!! And man, in comes that horn again to close out the title track. …I think what this project has shown me is that I just love jazz…

Afro jazz. Just fantastic, probably the best from Fela Kuti. Favorite track: all tracks in the album really

Top drawer jazz

Huge fan of this. Zombie—I was grooving hard when the lyrics started around 5:25, and the groove grew even larger. I love the persistent background guitar riff and the electronics that start around 9:20. The ending jazzy/military trumpet solo is the perfect way to put the funk to bed—sexy big band finish. Mr. Follow Follow— heavy bass opening + brass, very cool. Horns line the track. Lyrics start around 7:18, call and response with a group (very fitting for the name). I like the bounce on this one. Observation Is No Crime— from the jump, the energy and sound on this track is really cool. A mix of bongo drums and horns brings together old and new and I think it all blends in a timeless way. Mistake— I am really enjoying how this album gets more political as it goes. What a great song to end on. BIG fan.

Even if Fela hadn’t been Ada’s jolly jumper soundtrack from approx. 0 to 2, I would fucking love it. But I showed her how to dance to it (badly), I showed her how to play her plastic drum to it (not terrible), and she loved it too. So this is an easy sentimental 5 for me, and a reminder to bring it back to our speakers and see if she’ll take a break from Taylor Swift and jazz out to Afrobeat.

I loved this! No surprise here, this is very much my jam and I did jam out. Will listen again. The cover is a bit of a puzzle, just not sure what's going on and it suffers from less than stellar quality, it's a 2/5.

Good stuff

What an honor! Ive always heard the name and seen his influence in other artists but I havent made my way to his music yet. Love the high energy and great fusion beats

(93/100)

классно, но долго ахахха

simply the best

I’m very aware of Feli and his influence but this may be the first time i actually sat down and consciously listened to an album. What a treat.

9/10 Just feels important. Even without reading the history and aftermath, you KNOW this funked some shizzle up and rattled some cages. Musically not in my normal wheelhouse, but it's funky and inventive and, unlike a lot of jazz (to mine ear, obvs), it has a point. Hoorah!

holy shit im cruising

### **In-Depth Review: *Zombie* by Fela Kuti** Released in **1977**, *Zombie* is not just an album—it’s a **political weapon**, a **musical manifesto**, and arguably **Fela Kuti’s most incendiary work**. With his band **Africa 70**, Fela crafted a record that would shake the Nigerian military dictatorship and reverberate globally. The album originally featured just **two tracks**—“Zombie” and “Mr. Follow Follow”—but its impact was seismic. --- ### 🎶 **Musical Style and Production** Musically, *Zombie* is a **masterclass in Afrobeat**, a genre Fela pioneered by fusing **Yoruba rhythms**, **highlife**, **jazz**, and **funk**. The album’s **groove is hypnotic**, built on **Tony Allen’s polyrhythmic drumming**, which anchors the entire soundscape. The **basslines are deep and looping**, the **guitars interlock in circular riffs**, and the **horn section**—sharp, bold, and brassy—acts as both melody and weapon. The **production is analog and raw**, capturing the **live energy** of Fela’s performances. The tracks stretch beyond 12 minutes each, allowing the groove to evolve organically. This is **not music for passive listening**—it demands immersion. The **call-and-response vocals**, a staple of African musical tradition, are used here to **mobilize and provoke**, not just entertain. > “The low end is relentless, a wave that pushes through the chest and into the spine... the groove becomes a landscape, one you can walk through and discover new details each time.” --- ### 🖋️ **Lyrics and Themes** Lyrically, *Zombie* is **scathing satire**. The title track mocks Nigerian soldiers as **mindless automatons**, using the metaphor of a zombie to highlight their **blind obedience to authority**: > “Zombie no go go, unless you tell am to go / Zombie no go think, unless you tell am to think.” This was **not just artistic expression**—it was **direct confrontation**. Fela’s lyrics, delivered in **pidgin English**, were **accessible to the masses**, and their **subversive power** lay in their simplicity and repetition. The song became an **anti-military anthem**, galvanizing public dissent. The second track, **“Mr. Follow Follow”**, continues the theme of **blind conformity**, critiquing not just soldiers but **society’s willingness to obey without question**. --- ### 🔥 **Political Impact and Legacy** The **Nigerian government’s response** to *Zombie* was **brutal and immediate**. In retaliation, **over 1,000 soldiers raided Fela’s Kalakuta Republic**—a communal studio and residence—**beating residents**, **raping women**, and **burning the compound to the ground**. Fela’s **mother was thrown from a window** and later died from her injuries . Despite the **tragic aftermath**, *Zombie* became a **rallying cry** for resistance. It **galvanized a generation** of Nigerians and **inspired global activists and musicians**. The album’s **influence can be heard** in the works of **Talking Heads**, **Brian Eno**, **Sons of Kemet**, and even **Beyoncé**, who sampled Fela’s chants in her 2018 Coachella performance . > “Zombie proved how powerful Kuti’s word really was... the military junta’s actions only reinforced its critiques.” --- ### ✅ **Pros of *Zombie*** - **Musical Innovation**: A landmark in Afrobeat, with complex rhythms and layered instrumentation. - **Lyrical Courage**: Bold, satirical, and politically charged lyrics that challenged authoritarianism. - **Cultural Impact**: Sparked national conversation and became a symbol of resistance. - **Timeless Groove**: The music remains infectious and powerful decades later. - **Production Quality**: Analog warmth and live feel enhance the immersive experience. --- ### ❌ **Cons of *Zombie*** - **Length and Repetition**: The long, repetitive structures may not appeal to listeners used to concise song formats. - **Accessibility**: The heavy use of pidgin and cultural references may require context for full appreciation. - **Niche Appeal**: Afrobeat’s dense, groove-based style can be an acquired taste for some. --- ### 🧠 **Final Thoughts** *Zombie* is **more than an album**—it’s a **historical document**, a **political act**, and a **sonic revolution**. It captures Fela Kuti at the height of his powers: **musically inventive**, **lyrically fearless**, and **morally unyielding**. The album’s **pros far outweigh its cons**, especially when viewed in the context of its **cultural and political significance**. To listen to *Zombie* is to **witness music as resistance**, to feel the **pulse of a people demanding freedom**, and to understand why **Fela Kuti remains immortal** not just as a musician, but as a **revolutionary**. --- **Rating: 9.5/10** **Essential Listening For**: Afrobeat fans, political music historians, and anyone who believes in the power of art to challenge oppression.

Fela Kuti, the political rebel, polygamic badass who died of AIDS while denying it til death. This album is iconic.

Heck yeah, zam rock but Nigerian

absolute heater. gotta listen to more of this

feeling the kuti

Loved this!! Did not know this artist before

An interesting album to say the least for a guy who has a pretty interesting background (read up on him before the listen). This album is pretty ahead of its time, but not in instrumentation, in messaging and protest. While protest music did exist, this one really antagonized Fela Kuti's country of Nigeria and their military specifically. It was a brave and bold stance for Fela Kuti, considering the aftermath of this album's release. With the messaging in the album, it infuriated the Nigerian government so much to a point where his mother got killed by the military, his village being destroyed, and his studio getting destroyed. Fela Kuta was an activist at heart and a musician by soul, these events really showed what he was willing to do to expose a corrupt and authoritarian regime. But, I think I would be remiss if I didn't mention how great this album sounded. It's groovy and head bopping in all the right ways. It is a pretty inspiring listen and definitely something you should listen to as well because I had a good time listening to it. Favorite Songs: Zombie, Mr. Follow Follow, Mistake Rating: 5/5

Great stuff. No notes.

To me Fela Kuta always sounds like nothing I've ever heard, even when I've heard his stuff before

This here is exactly why one does a project like this. I'm in my mid-60s. I listen to a lot of music and many different genres (admittedly my faves are punk/post-punk bands) and today I received this gift from the music-gods (as unreal as any other gods, but there you go). Thank you sky-genies for bringing this into my life. Yes...5 stars! (Now I will check out his/their back-catalog...more music for my MP3 library!)

Genial

Amazing!!

5 stars. Really enjoy Fela Kuti, and only a few days ago learned about his son Fema Kuti and his album. This is definitely an iconic album.

Total classic, Fela Kuti creates a groove like no other

One of the strongest albums by one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century

Quel personnage que Fela Kuti. J'aimerais lire plus sur sa vie mouvementée. Un rebel et contestataire. Des passes moins claires comme la fois qu'il a marié 27 femmes d'un coup (protection de sa communauté vs polygamie très machiste). J'écoute quand même assez souvent du Fela Kuti parmi ses 46 albums studio. Faut le faire quand même. Mon frère Gerry Love a il y a quelques années été dans je ne sais plus quel musée à Paris et il m'avait envoyé une photo d'une vitrine d'exposition avec une bonne quinzaine de slips ''speedo'' colorés de Fela.

Sensational album, no flaws. His 27 wives provide great backing vocals. The story behind the aftermath of this album is slightly horrifying but yeah. This is going into the permanent rotation

Feels like a defiance to the dictatorship while also grieving for the passing of his mum.

i knew the title track but had never listened to the whole record. i'm glad i finally did!!!! shout-out tony allen.

I love just about all Fela, bit this one's pretty special. I don't think my favorite stuff is even here, but I'll never get sick of it.

Wowza. What a record. Immediately downloaded. Great to listen to when doing work. Googled him later and found out he once married 27 women in one day - what a geezer, but NOT a sleaze. Go 'ed Fela. 5 stars.

This album is like heading home from hanging out at a park with your friends, and finding a street carnival is going on just around the corner. The sounds are vibrant, and the air is thick with the aroma of street food. You senses are overloaded with the smell of meat cooked in a wide array of spices, while your eyes are greeted with bright colours everywhere you look. You can hear people chanting purposefully near the band a few hundred metres away. You can't make out what they are saying, but it sounds purposeful. Heat is rising from the asphalt as children run around chasing a soccer ball. Even though the sun is at it's hottest, and you know it has been four or five hours since you last applied the Hawaiian Tropic, you can't pull yourself way from this mini carnival. A man with a straw hat and a huge smile offers you a beer and thanks you for coming out and showing your support. You feel too sheepish to tell him you don't know what you are supporting, especially as he might take that ice-cold beer back from you. You decide to stick around for a bit, and before you know it the sun is coming down. After a few more beers and some amazing chicken and rice covered in spices your palette doesn't recognize, a woman grabs the band's microphone and thanks everyone for coming out today. She finishes her quick speech by boasting that there's no way they can't hear us now. You're not sure who 'they' are, but you really hope they listen.

Fresh, Jazzy, Funky. A great ride. Goes by fast despite its moderate run time and leaves you wanting more. While other jazz influenced albums can be all pomp, pretentiousness and show offy, there is none here. All feels authentic

Amazing.

This album is partially responsible for me being able to finish writing my master's thesis, so a five-star rating comes naturally from my end. Personal experiences aside, afrobeat never sounded as fun and hypnotic as on this album.

Fela Kuti is a force of nature, and this is Fela at the height of his powers. Nigerian Afrobeat is fully a force by this album. The political message super on point, the long grooves are everything you want and need. The title track is obviously the standout here, but Mr. Follow picks up on a more deep cut groove right after. Everything flows together smoothly as could be expected. These guys are the kings of vibe. If only Fela was better known in the West... but then we wouldn't have all the 15 minute jam songs. Mistkae is an underappreciated deep cut that definitely bangs. Clean 5/5, and props to Dimery for having two Fela albums on this list (so far!).

Have been a Fela fan for a long time but I don't think I've actually sat down and intentionally listened to Zombie before. He has this quality where you know from the first bar that its a Fela Kuti song and you just get into a particular headspace where you're like 'yep, time to lose my mind'. Aside from the funky madness that you're guaranteed with Fela the other thing I love is how he lets the band speak for itself. Five minute long instrumental intros really let you move your body before he hits you with some consciousness. All political activists should remember this - you aren't trying to win hearts and minds with your protest songs - you're trying to win feet.

Fela is one of my favorites and this is one of his best. Plus, it's only 25 minutes long! Funky, angry, tight... Love it!

Tycker Fela Kutis musik är så himla häftig. Groovig, fantastiskt att ha i bakgrunden om man vill men också otrolig att lyssna på. 5/5!

Noice good stuff. Very cool and fun and swinging. The first song is the hit for sure.

This album reeks of contempt for the Nigerian government. Just 4 tracks but each with their own unique approach. Banger, need more like this. 9/10

One track in and this shit rules! This rocks. Must listen to more

ZOMBIEOO ZOMBIE ZOMBIEEE BRRRAPP BRAPP

Love me some afrobeat, and it's very interesting Nigerian history, but I played this album to death a couple of years ago

Absolutely brilliant. I didn't really start listening to Afro-beat until later in life, and have known that Fela is an absolute legend, but haven't heard much of his music before. The original 2 song album would have been a 4, but the 2 added tracks on the remastered CD (particularly the live recording of "Mistake") bring it up to a 5.

Such an amazing disk, fela kuti has an interesting story

This project has revealed that in fact, I do like jazz. Even better that it's against the backdrop of of those high energy beats. Need to listen to more Afrobeats. Respect for someone who walked the walk and paid the price for speaking out against injustice.

Clearly sick - 'nuff said.

Low 5 Best song: zombie

Заслужено Куті є в цьому списку. Дуже життєствердна музика, енергія пре просто

Легенда!

He just does it better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

*****

Good

So nice I listened twice

Pepite

Fucking yes man, sitting in sunshine with my 4th pint of the day and this on. Absolutely fucking glorious. What a groove.

Li conoscevo di fama, ma è la prima volta che li ascolto bene. Un misto di sonorità che mi ha colpito da subito. Da riascoltare e approfondire

98/100. A masterpiece of texture and rhythm, blending jazz with hypnotic Afrobeat grooves.

a captivating album with tracks that are full of energy and excitement. it's bluesy, jazzy, funky and is rife with innovative melodies. few vocals on most tracks but they're impactful and politically-driven when they appear. reading into the background of the album made its listen very inspiring. will definitely be listening again.

not yet

Absolutely incredible.

Love the fusion of jazz with West African music. Had no idea that was a genre called Afrobeat, so glad to learn that from hearing this. And fascinating that it was so divisive - people loved it and the government hated it. Powerful stuff!

Les dieux du générateur sont sont une fois de plus satisfait, continuant le streak de quatre 5 étoiles d’affilé avec le roi de l’afrobeat turbo funk Fela Kuti! Mr Kuti sera aujourd’hui le représentant de l’afrobeat/jazz africain en tant que genre sous représenté de la liste, ayant pourtant contribué au dévelopement du hip-hop et même du disco. Pour revenir sur Zombie, c’est une sorte de transe funky, une méditation par le rythme et un autre chose que j’arrive pas à décrire, en plus d’être un puissant message politique contre la dictature. Bref, c’est toute des affaires que j’aime!

I like this one a lot.

Perfect amazing kicking off my Afropsychedelic phase

The fact that this two track record with some really catchy afrobeat caused this man his commune, his mother and nearly his life is insane. Dissing the military and making it slap; Fela Kuti everyone (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

23/1001 Fela Kuti - Zombie Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ Ever since hearing Fela Kuti on 6 Music, I loved his music and this is the only physical album I own of his. The fusion of West African music with jazz and funk work so well together. The vocals on this aren't going to be for everyone, but works for me, in this hyper political album.

I like to say protest music as a concept is overrated. It merely reflects how people are already feeling, it doesn't spur people to action. But then there's this album which is an obvious counterargument. I think the reason it works is that it doesn't insist on anything intellectual or frivolous. It is fun. It is memorable. Everybody in Nigeria irrespective of tribe or city could sing the words to Zombie because it's so damn simple. It's not a dirge, they know they are better than their oppressors.

Now this is EXACTLY the kind of thing I expect from a "1000 albums to listen to" list

really good again. fela kuti is a sleeper star. it’s giving “big band”. big fan of that. 5/5.

Fantastic, both historically and musically. Zombie!

Loved this!

My first pick and it was one I knew! Rolled my eyes, but ended up putting it on, in the spirit of the project, and kept it on all day. I mostly listened to this is the mid-aughts and filed it away as great and moved on. It is fantastic. Knowing the back story of Fela and the song only adds because the entire thing stands strong in its own. It was a nice gift to drive around listening to this all day, and not one that I knew I needed.

Yeah

It’s a 5 with and without the bonus tracks for me, its a perfect Afro-beat album and has probably the best (and horrible obviously) contexts to an album I’ve ever seen which really emphasises its message. Overall 9/10.

The don

Absolute hell yeah. This is the most fun I’ve had listening to an album on this list in months. (Ignore the fact that we’ve taken a months long break, this album is still an absolute riot to listen to.) It’s groovy, it’s funky, and it’s downright delightful. This is the kind of record you can put on in the background and it immediately makes any task or activity an order of magnitude more enjoyable. The fact that 4 songs can pack in 54 minutes of music, and when it was over I was hoping for more, really says something. I will admit I’m not well versed in.. I think this is Afro-beat? So I’ll save myself the embarrassment of trying to review this from an actual technical point of view, but man was it ever a good time to listen to. 5*

Not only is this a fantastically enjoyable album and one of the definitive afrobeat albums of all time, but this is such an important album. Fela Kuti's mother was thrown from a window and his studio + compound destroyed for the political statements made on this album. About as metal as it gets imo. Musically it's as groovy, jazzy, funky, hypnotic, exciting as you could ask for. It's one of those albums that just has to be experienced and it's exactly the kind of album that this list should be all about. More of this, less stale britpop please.

Trailblazer. Just thankful his music lives on.

Gold standard for afrobeat. Zombie is such a powerful statement the Nigerian government raided his compound. And Tony Allen on drums oh my

Amazing.

Exceptional. The band is very cohesive and the steadiness of the rhythm section and the sharpness of the horns work really well together. Fela is one of the great musical savants of our time and this is one of the more polished offerings by him and Afrika 70. 5/5 Will definitely listen again often

this is the kind of album that should be on here

This was the first Fela I ever heard. Loved the man instantly. What a dude. The horrific history of this one sadly makes it all the better. Goes beyond being a 'protest'.

I mean this is one of the greatest records of all time but we know this. I know it, you know it. It should be mandatory listening for people with ears.

Magic.

funky and awesome 10/10

So great! Never heard this before. Talking Heads ripped him off!

This was basically just one song but it fucking slapped. I love Afrobeats now

I think this album deserves 5 stars - the funk, the groove, the lyrics, the meaning, and what it entails. This is the type of album I hoped to learn when starting this project. Brilliant!

When i was a young man in my 20's... i would always find myself in my car... for a job... or just driving... and at 2 or 2:30 PM every Tuesday, i think it was, a show would come on... "Afropop Worldwide with Georges Collinet"... and i started making sure i had it on and listened to every show... i learned about zouk... and soukous... juju... etc... and that's where i first heard the genius music of Fela Kuti... this album... is GREAT... it has four "songs" all over 12 minutes long... even though his lyrics are political... and being American i had no idea about that... but... the grooves... the beats... the playing... the singing... the pure joy of music... even though there is an underlying tone of anger... is truly amazing... FIVE Stars...

The sort of album I wanted to find when I started this. Would have probably never listened to it otherwise, and very glad I did.

Jazzy grooves that were the perfect backdrop to an afternoon of outdoor working.

First off, while I’m not quite sure what’s going on in this album cover, it slaps hard. This is the second four track jazz album from the seventies I’ve gotten in a row. Title track starts off strong before getting into its rhythm. However, right before it gets too repetitive, Fela comes in with his coarse voice and simple, yet evocative lyrics. He begins his criticism of the Nigerian military government with a song about how the soldiers are zombies who can’t and won’t think for themselves, reflecting on the danger of that situation. Ultimately the whole thing concludes with a wonderful finale of trumpets that feel both triumphant as well as distorted. “Mr. Follow Follow” is another twelve minute epic that builds to its first word from Fela. This time, speaking about the importance of leaders in relation to their followers. Some people that are followed are cockroaches, rats, ikan (termite?), and darkness. So, brother, if you end up being followed, you must keep your eyes, ears, and mouth to be able to use your senses. This is where the original ends, but it feels a hell of a lot more realized with the additional two songs on the reissue, so that’s the album I’m rating. “Observation Is No Crime” continues the trend of waiting until the middle of the song to start singing. Fela fakes confusion about why the government becomes irritated when the citizens observe what they are doing in detail. The instrumentation is invasively groovy. Every beat, note, intonation, and timing is perfect. Finishing again in an off kilter feeling harmony of trumpets. This takes us to the final song on the album, “Mistake (Live At the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1978)”. I really like the decision to include a live song on this album. It’s important to hear the voices of the masses. To feel how voluminous the oppressed are. Obviously, we’re in Germany, so the people Fela is singing for are thousands of miles away, but the effect is still appreciated. By me at least. The audience cheers when Fela takes his trumpet for a solo. There’s a feeling of togetherness that he achieves. It’s only when everyone feels unified that he starts singing that “everything is alright” before reminding the crowd to remember that “everything is all wrong”. He explains if you make a mistake, you can fix it and still stand tall afterwards. If not you will be ashamed to walk down the road and that’s when you get things like colonial and slavery thinking and army killing students. When he gets to the end of these verses and the chorus takes over we can hear the crowd roar up again as a reminder of the importance of standing together. This album finished with a cacophony of instruments all working to achieve a feeling that everything can be alright if people start to fix it, but the cacophony fades out rather than building to a finale. The song feels unfinished, the album feels unfinished, the work feels unfinished. There was still work to be done and the fight wasn’t over and it still isn’t. I really enjoy this album. It’s funky and you can groove, but it’s also really important and moving, especially given what Fela had just gone through personally with the government killing his mother. One of the best jazz albums of all time and perhaps the best Nigerian jazz album of all time. I love this thing so fucking much, man. 5/5

Three weeks ago I had the Ginger Baker album by Fela Kuti. So I expected a lot when this came up. And my expectations were kept. Great album by a great musician.

According to the Wikipedia this guy had 27 wives and this album was credited with starting a revolution in Nigeria in the 70's. That makes total sense to me because this album is absolutely awesome. Love the chill blend of jazz horns and African rhythms. I listened to this 3 times yesterday and will probably keep it in my daytime background music rotation for some time to come.

Holy shit, this is so good! This is some of the most energetic, captivating, and fun protest music I've ever heard! I'll definitely be checking out more of his music

Few things can be political and also feel and sound so fun.

The Revolution has never been funkier. What a great record; meeses a second listen, but I get it now with Fela. The jams can feel daunting but it’s worth it for the punch. Awesome stuff.

Awesome. Favorite song: observation is no crime.

More of this please! Excellent Afro Cuban jazz

Really good. Liked the energy and social commentary. Also liked the automatic Spotify suggestions after it. Music that gets you moving

Amazing on multiple levels.

Fantastic music. Works for a party and casual listening but is also engaging. Great production

Very fun. Makes me want to drink a rum cocktail

Never heard this before. Loved it.

I’ve been meaning to explore Afrobeat because I enjoy global music like Khruangbin. So happy I was given the opportunity to listen to this. Great sound.

a jorro jaro jorro! this song is so good

Fantastic fun Afro beats

In my opinion, this is precisely the album that this list was made for. Absolutely timeless, influential to entire generations and literal nations, and all of that created and played by a one-in-a-billion musical talent.

Could get lost in this. Hypnotic and powerful. More so, when you know the profound and tragic story about the Nigerian dictatorship and how they responded with cowardly violence. Kuti had great innovation as a musician and great bravery in life. Highly recommended.

Loved it. Great political story behind it too.

Astonishing.

Thats an amazing album no doubt. The best afro-beat

First afrobeat album I ever heard! Wish I had stumbled upon this on my own, but this is why we make friends with people cooler than ourselves. Simple and powerful message, funky and primal as fuck.

I first heard Fela Kuti on the local college radio station while driving a fan as a gopher for a theatre production company. I've been a fan ever since, collecting any vinyl I could find in used record stores. He deserves five stars for inventing an entire genre of music.

Second album by Fela Kuti on this list, I think I can announce now that he may be my favourite African singer. Amazing record, such an intense, but funky music. Reading about the background to this album makes it even more impressive. Easy 5 stars, great job Fela!

Legendary album from a legendary dude.

'75-'78 must have been some intense years in Fela Kuti's life. He released 18 albums, including Zombie, an album so powerful and political that it potentially resulted in the Nigerian military murdering his own mother, was banned from entering Ghana and married 27 women. I mean.. Slow down man. Not musically though, that afrobeat shit slaps.

So good I had to play it twice. This has it all, heart, soul and funky as anything. Sublime.

Joyous, moody and uplifting. This is everything music should be. Raw emotions played out by very a tight band putting across a powerful political message. It always helps if you can dance whilst you stick it to the Man.

Excellent - start to finish

This was the first Afrobeat album I heard years ago, and it’s just as invigorating today as the first time I heard it. A great groove.

The kind of music I love finding on this list, drew me in straight away and I wanted to replay it straight away when it finished, have gotten a lot of jazz type music lately but mixed with African beats is a real winner, outstanding record.

Awesome 15min songs, I loved it!

Funky tripy afrobeat, love it

Amazing! Brought me joy

Nice short album. Goid listen for a tired drive

Funky, groovy, short album, would be happy to dance to this at a club lol

This may be the wildest Wikipedia page for an album on this list. Zombie is a hell of a track to kick an album off with. I really enjoyed listening to this and found more depth on a relisten. Cool example of why you listen to all of these albums. It's something I wouldn't have found otherwise.

The horns! What a wild story. Solid production. Great music.

brown people kino

这个小号我就爱了

Haven't ever heard of this person before and did not want this album to end. Really, really enjoyed this one. Plus the playlist that auto generated after it was done had me hooked for another couple hours. I guess I need to listen to more afrobeat!

Wow, this was so friggin cool, and what a wild story. Loved this.

Beat was novel

Fela Kuti’s *Zombie* is a seismic fusion of Afrobeat brilliance and biting political commentary. Released in 1976, the album relentlessly critiques authoritarianism, targeting Nigeria’s oppressive military regime through sharp metaphors—comparing mindless soldiers to “zombies.” The title track, a 12-minute opus, pulses with hypnotic horns, frenetic percussion, and Fela’s fiery call-and-response vocals, embodying resistance and groove in equal measure.

A good friend of mine introduced me to Fela before I was ready to really understand just how revolutionary this stuff is. Stands up as the pinnacle of Afrobeat, but also just kinda rips.

The social commentary, the timing, the Jazz, the grooves - it’s all fantastic. The musicality of everyone involved shines through.

One of the best ever.

Fela Kuti might delete later

Yeeeeeaaaaah, so good.

That's whatvim talking about! 2 days in a row! An artist I was completely unfamiliar, making interesting music (bonus that I liked it). That's what I expected more of when I started this journey. Instead I listened to 20 Yes albums and 400 Euro Electronic Repetition bands. 1001 Albums... being lackluster notwithstanding, this album kicks ass. I'm going to listen to more bu Fela if available.

Fela Kuti is like Miles Davis. I see I have an album by either and I know before I listen that it's a 5/5 (I still listen for confirmation and enjoyment).

Love it. I know 2 of the 4(!) songs. They just fly by, was very surprised to see the album is almost an hour long

One of, if not the, greatest protest albums of all time. It can be hard to strip an albums musical content from the context of when/why it was written, and in the case of Zombie, probably completely unnecessary. I can say with no doubt though that the music stands on its own, and becomes even more powerful when one digs into the context and understands exactly what it meant to release this album and why Kuti felt it was necessary.

Solid beats

Zombie is an album of sonic uprisings. On the surface, it’s an upbeat jam session; in reality, it was a declaration of war against authoritarianism—one that cost Fela dearly. With Tony Allen’s polyrhythmic drumming driving the charge, bold horn blasts, and a female chorus that doesn’t just sing but mocks and taunts, the record turns political protest into an irresistible dancefloor rebellion. It’s a masterclass in Afrobeat, balancing infectious rhythm with razor-sharp critique. Fela Kuti locks into relentless, hypnotic grooves, lacing them with biting satire that got him into serious trouble. The Nigerian military took the bait, responding with brutal violence, proving his point in real-time. But Zombie lives on, its influence rippling through funk, jazz, and hip-hop, and its message still chillingly relevant. Nearly 50 years later, it still grooves, still punches, and still refuses to be silenced.

Love Fela.

album so good that it makes an entire country mad