Zombie

What a refreshing and brilliant Jazz-funk album.

Excellent jazz from a really interesting person

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.

Great record. I love Fela Kutis music.

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

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.

I love everything about this.

LP

There's really nothing that sounds like Afrobeat. And this is the quintessential album of that genre. Obviously it belongs on the list, and I happen to love it already. Easy 5.

Fela is amazing, Zombie is that one

Fela Kuti belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

This is awesome. I don’t know a lot about jazz, world music or the Nigerian politics that went into this album, but that didn’t affect my listening experience. This just rules.

Powerful politically charged music, Kuti as his most essential.

A classic. Zombie alone would give that all 5 for me.

funky funky funky

Fun and colorful

My second Fela Kuti album and this one is another masterpiece, I love how a protest album can have such a great vibe to it. Mental to think how brave it must of been to release this album and the consequences he then faced due to speaking out. The least I can do is give him the full 5 stars.

Funky album. Nice and fun

Groove

Very cool in or out of context.

Great album, cheered up Tuesday

Klasični fela

Great jazzy record. Couldn't spend enough time to listen to it properly but what I heard was great.

Loved. Influenced Talking Heads and later hip hop. Brave warriors.

oh goody

very cool

No one man should have all that power. Fela Kuti's commitment to dismantling the corrupt system within Nigeria was and is a testament to his ever-reaching legacy that enlightens and influences many who come across his path. With Zombie, an album released in a most tumultuous year of his life 1977, he and his Afrika 70 display with all their mighty power many of the Afro-centric musical stylings that would soon characterize the genre that would be best known as Afrobeat. That's not to mention Fela's incendiary commentary on the militaristic goons that occupied his country and its government and it was those people who would later inflict the most soul destroying act upon an artist of Fela's stature. Without that commentary, the music would still be great but would lack that necessary punch. But what a punch it is, when all is said and done. No wonder we continue to look to Fela as an inspiration for our defiance of authority and Zombie is one of the many iconic works to gravitate to.

Well, I'm no expert about Fela but I did know this album already, and it is nothing short of transcendent. Such an infectious energy here. I felt a nonplussed by that one review complaining about the "call-and-response" at the end of the title-track. Well, that's part of that infectious energy I was just talking about, is it not? "Zombie" seemed like a good place to start exploring Fela Kuti's discography. It's now high time I digged further. Thanks to all the reviewers who left suggestions about other albums here. Number of albums left to review: 641 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 181 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 84 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 101

Revolution has never been so danceable

Not just an amazing album but a very culturally significant one. Fela kuti was an insane person. music to get thrown out of a window to.

Awesome album

To me Fela Kuti is one of the greatest artists of all time so I went at this with high expectations, even though I’ve heard one of the songs before it still surpassed them. I love afrobeat/jazz/funk, it’s arguably my favourite genre. Some of the best djs I know drop these tracks in the middle of a house set and it’s incredible. I’m gonna listen to this album another 4 times this week at least

4 songs and 53 minutes long? Thought I was going to really enjoy this or really not and thankfully it was the former of the two Ended up listening to twice as I enjoyed it so much. Never heard of the guy but definitely going to listen more in the future. In fact I hadn’t listened to this genre for a few years so it was quite refreshing.

Loved it. Jazz. Great message.

loved it

Back to back funky & fresh, killer jazz music supporting a tight theme/ strong antiwar message throughout. Zombie, Mr. Follow follow, mistake (just realized that’s 3/4 tracks!) 4.5

great

This was my introduction to Fela and it's a great place to start. Never has political activism been so booty shaking. An important album for the man, his country, and music in general.

Awesome. Exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find with this.

Probably the definitive Afrobeat album - politically charged and incredibly groovy, it's such an important record and also just so darn good to listen to

Absolute fucking legend. Move your ass, and your mind will follow.

This music is fantastic, and the story behind the album is tragic and horrifying. We are absolutely enriched by artists like Fela Kuti, not just for the art they create but for their courage and strength.

I don't use the word 'iconic' lightly. The opening guitar riff on here, then the saxophone line and of course Fela himself are all the epitomy of iconic. And countless iconic moments abound. This is easily one of my most frequently played albums. The two bonus live tracks on the deluxe edition are not to be missed. Rate it 5/5 soldiers, knowing not what or who they fight for, knowing not they're already as good as dead. 🧟‍♂️🧟‍♂️🧟‍♂️🧟‍♂️🧟‍♂️

Top tier Fela, though my personal favorite remains Everything Scatter.

Ooooooojeahhh!!!!! Timangia! En oo kaikkii Felan levyjä kuullut mutta niistä mitä oon on tää yks parhaista paketeista! Diggailen. Teksi mieli antaa febonen. Hitto annan mä febosen! 5/5

Excellent album. Wonderful jazzy afro funk. Brilliant long build ups to great long groovy tracks. Fela's charisma shines through but isn't overpowering. Iconic

cool afro jazz

The funkiest album. So good it will make you want to throw your grandmother out a window.

Yesssss

Rebellious, life affirming and powerful. Music here as protest with serious consequences in the real world. Talent oozing from these musicians, jaw dropping polyphonic rhythms, stabbing horns and those charismatic vocals, some record here by Fela.

Awesome funky afrobeat jazz. Loads of groove and very very tight rhythms. Brilliant title track. Slower second. Extended album featured the excellent live “Mistake”. Nonetheless, Zombie on its own is so good.

Very cool!

Amazing jazz album. Could re-listen to this at any time.

Completely new to me, an unexpected treat. Fun, funky afro-jazz, with huge history

Love this. It is hard to listen to knowing what happened though.

A very good album with a very intesting backstory. I never would listen to this if it wasn't recommended to me. It was neat learning and researching this album Each song is around twelve minutes longs with nice jazzy sections and sing song type vocals. The song ZOMBIE has some some very unique intro mental. Then it break out into some protest vocals. If I has to critical of this album the song MR. FOLLOW FOLLOW Is kinda of boring in some place, but other then that this is probably beat on generated for me so far

Sonzao nask

I only knew this album from GTA series before, but listening to it all the way through for the first time this is excellent Afrobeat.

Wow what an amazing album. The title track is a true de force of infectious African poly rhythms and jazz melodies. An amazing song. The rest of tgealbum; more of the same. Reminds me of the revelation of my first listen to Miles' In A Silent Way 5 🌟

Love it

Fela had the winning formula; Half an hour, 2 tracks, all groove

Ömm... dansade hejvilt till denna...

Thank you for giving me this. It's the album I need to play when I'm in a certain mood, but didn't know it existed, so I played some twaddle instead. Mint.

Seems like this list has a real preference for jazz that is heavy as shit. I'm not complaining. Just observing.

Oh, this band is so funky... I did some searching to see what other reviews were out there, and some that I came across (sound collective, I'm looking at you) found the consistent rhythm, the pidgen lyrics, and rough recording style difficult. I love all those aspects. The mixture of African polyrhythm, jazz and funk is infectious and compelling. The political content of this album is powerful (so much so that it prompted violent retribution from the Nigerian armed forces). Fela is the real deal, no compromises, and funky as hell while he is doing it.

Goddamn what a fucking tour of force this album is. Insanely catchy, insanely influential (on both the global scene and on the country in which it was created) and nothing less than a masterpiece.

This music PUNCHES AND FUCKS.

Great but sad story behind this album. I love being able to trace history through music, and this certainly delivers. Fantastic afrobeat tunes

OH YESSS love a bit of afrobeats, this is the real stuff. Holy shit though I can't believe the levels of controversy in the history of this album and I'm so sad to hear about Kuti's mother, heart breaking. That kind of sums up exactly the message he was trying to send out with this album... I can't believe the juxtaposition of how happy this makes me feel but also how sad it truly is. That's art!

I'm not sure what happened, I totally lost myself in the music. Fantastic!

It turns out that I love afro beat! Really fun, engaging, and interesting to listen to, and not as dense or challenging as I would have thought. Brilliant, hope to hear more from Fela and his various bands. P.s. read the Wikipedia page to see how his government reacted to the success of this album - showing why it was needed.

Funky

As a fan of progressive jazz and acid jazz this took it to a whole new level and I can't believe I've never heard it before! The afrobeats and percussion that go along with it it is just amazing

Wish there was more like this on the list

Geggjuð plata, stórfenglegt afróbít!

Hah hah yes! Awesome! By turns funky, chill, groovy and banging. An archetypal afrobeat album. Fave track - "Zombie" for upbeat, "Mr. Follow, Follow" for chill

The title track alone makes this an album worthy of classic status. But there's much more here than just that epic. Each of the 5 songs are worthy exercises in jazz / afro beat greatness. 5 🌟

fuckin dig it. some mad cowboy bebop vibes in the first couple songs

Brilliant album!

Knew this was one of the best known Fela Kuti albums but never got to listen to it. A few days ago I made a mistake with giving a +2 score for Os Mutantes way too early. Did not want to make the same mistake. So listened a few times to Zombie - only two songs after all :-) - and really started to like them: great rhythms and hardly noticed the second time that they both last for 12 minutes or.

Outstanding album by Fela. A stunning act of political courage on his part, and a testament to the power of music. Fave Songs: Zombie, Mr. Follow Follow

epic!!

This is the kind of music that deserves 5 stars just because of its existence. It's not the best Jazz album that I listened to here on this list, but that has very good songs with some meaning. The Wikipedia article here is essential to understand the album.

Endlessly repeatable. Great great afrobeat album.

5/5. Historical, crazy backstory, great percussion n bass. Might be fav Kuti

Amazing

Really loved it, never heard of him but got pleasantly surprised. Only 5 songs in the album, but around 12/13 mins each. Early rock/soul vibes, very chill with good riffs, loved it.

Loved this!

Class

Killer funky afrobeat album with a powerful antimilitaristic message on top. Definitely a classic worthy of this project.

groovy spunky specfunkular, even 10/10

great music if you like jazzy tunes

1978 - Funky reggae JAZZ!

Otra joya de estos masters

Saved Prior: None Off Rip Tier: 2. Mr. Follow Follow 1. Zombie Overall Notes: This was really really good. Brave politics and boomin' beats. 25 minutes of vital music.

I’ve been a Fela fan for a long time, so was really happy to see this album. Love side one (that’s song one and two for you youngsters who didn’t grow up on vinyl). Side two was good, but didn’t have the catch of the other two songs. The interplay of the Sax, organ, drums and guitars are phenomenal. I even like the brass here; usually horns are not my favorite. Afrobeat jamming at its best. This is a 4.5, but I’m rounding up due to the artist and the album’s superiority to Kate Bush and Super Fury Animals. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Listworthy? = 👍

First two songs definitely the standouts, but this whole album is a jam. Remember dad playing this, horns and drums killer and the limited vocals all hit hard.

Afrobeat legend

Quizá mi calificación para este disco sorprenda, pero hay una justificación interesante: el estilo musical de Fela (al menos en este disco) es una mezcla de Jazz y Funk con ritmos tradicionales Yoruba, y la música afrocubana tiene una influencia importante de los ritmos Yoruba. A pesar de que sus canciones "duran mucho", tienen una musicalización y una vocalización que las hacen muy agradables, casi casi dan ganas de bailar, lo cuál contrasta significativamente con los motivos de su letra. Seguramente la situación política de Nigeria en los 70's fue muy complicada, y no justifica lo que el gobierno hizo con Fela, pero la verdad el amigo si estaba medio loquito. Es una fortuna que su "locura" abonara a la creación de este disco tan interesante.

Huge fan of this album, iconic material.

It feels awesome, so it is awesome

i fucked with this heavy, it took a couple days to get to but this is going right in the study music rotation

Had an absolute vibe to this whilst was studying. Firm favourite.

Really great, really groovy

I love this album. A jazz maestro at his peak, blendign African rhythms and backing with his own genius playing.

Absolutely slaps to high heaven.

Can’t go wrong with some Fela in your ear.

Fela is god

Really enjoyed this.

so much fun! great vibes. love all the brass

Deadly jazz album

Yes yes yes. love it

So good.

Good Afrobeat

Deadly album, great to put on in the background and chill with a cup of tea.

How have I never heard of this guy?

Fuhhhh

awesome

Pretty tight, I guess I like Jazz

Caught me by surprise. Amazing stuff.

Rhythm is gonna get you.

Awesome! 4 songs of funky goidness!

Zumbi

The first song reminded me of the first time I listened to the Stray Cats for some odd reason and I just got all types of fired up

fantastic, nog nooit so naar afrobeat geluisterd en wat dit album heeft gedaan voor nigeria echt top genieten van begin tot eind

So good, great rhythms and beats.

This guy used his craft to stick it to the man and paid the ultimate price for it, then got back up and did it again. An incredible story. The songs are bangers, too. Best track: Zombie

1. "Mister Follow Follow" 2. "Zombie" 3. "Observation Is No Crime"

This album is a great example of why I am doing this - I’ve never heard of this guy, nor his band Can, yet there is so much to love about this album. The first track is completely wacky, the rest are great prog/experimental pieces with interesting soundscapes built up of flamenco guitar, synth lines, and some spidery bass lines. The vocals continue to be a bit wacky throughout but that’s only a minor distraction. Excellent album.

Excellent album, and brings me memories of a love story that was just starting.

Reaaally like it Je l'ai écouté en marchant dans Paris et vraiment l'impression d'avoir une bo de ma vie Zombie est vraiment super

Interesting, but songs are way too long.

My attention span has been ruined by the internet, I guess! I felt sure I had heard Mr. Follow Follow multiple times but it was just much longer than I was expecting. I appreciated the variation within the song—riffing on the established musical material for an extended time was very cool and I found myself bopping along to the beat and the vocals.

I can see why David Byrne is such a big fan. 4.5/5

Good fun

Fela Kuti is both incredibly talented and has great integrity of character, a rare combination in this world… I bring this up because it isn’t uncommon to bring morality into reviews on this project. Lots of people shoot down great work from artists like Michael Jackson, John Lennon, etc. who were very talented but of rather poor character. I won’t get into my thoughts on the negative aspect of the art and artist relationship, but I think works in Kuti’s favor here. He’s a passionate man who combined his passions into a single, conjoined work, and you can really feel all that passion in his albums.

This was a really pleasant listen! Cool find!

Overall: 8/10 This is a great jazz fusion album with political substance and it's so interesting to listen to. I'm glad I looked up the context before diving into it, I feel that it gave me a greater appreciation for the music itself. Fav Song: Zombie

Hea gruuv, täiega festivali vaib. Kujutan ette, kuidas ma joon Pühaste Sun Cityt ja lihtsalt terve tunni vaibin selle muusika saatel. Elav afrobeat/jazz muusika, mis lihtsalt paneb õõtsuma. 3.6/5

Good album. Super danceable, way upbeat just a fun listen. Jazzy Afrobeat is always a great listen. Its an album for when you want some energy.

Sometimes one track just outshines everything else so much that even excellent music can be rendered pedestrian-sounding. Zombie is a 5-star all time track. I got a very solid 4-star feeling from the rest.

I hadn't heard of Fela Kuti before today (or if I have, I've forgotten him), and this caribbean/african jazz style is definitely not my typical genre, but I loved this. It was so groovy and just very smooth and sounded like it was recorded last year, even though it's about 50 years old. I loved it, but only really had the patience to listen to it once all the way through. Four stars.

Energetic Funk. Sadly a little more tame towards the end 8/10

i like some of the songs on this ep, but its mostly music i wouldnt sit down and listen to, mainly bcus the songs are really long

4/5. Fela Kuti’s life story and music is a rabbit hole that I would reccomend any music lover goes down, so much bizarre and fascinating stuff there. This album sees him use his signature afrobeat sound to satirize the Nigerian military, something that the military did not respond kindly to as they burned his “compound” to the ground and severely beat both him and his mother. Aside from the story of the album, it also just sounds great. The opener and title track is a danceable banger, and same goes for “Mr follow follow.” I especially love the vocal chants on the former where a lot of the satire comes in with lines like “go on kill” and “go on die.” One of many essential listens in Fela Kuti’s discography and an essential jazz/afrobeat album in general.

4 songs in 45 minutes we love to see it. This was great I really loved it!

Like the live album with Ginger Baker, this was another Fela Kuti album that I've really enjoyed, even had a second listen, which is rare! In the studio, he maintains an infectious energy he has live and which propels these 4 songs through the near hour that they inhabit without them outstaying their welcome.

Yeah this was interesting. Fun music and great to work to. What I found really fascinating was reading about his anti-establishment views and his 27 wives.

reading up on fela kutis life holy shit this guy was nuts. dope ass album fuck the nigerian military (idk if they still wack idk shit about that stuff)

First two songs were amazing, the last two didn't catch my attention that much. As a artist and pioneer, definitely 5. For this specific album: 4.

saw this cover art pop up and went "what the hell is this." was possibly thinking about skipping, but saw it was only four songs so I jumped in the lore behind this album and this man is absolutely insane The album was an attack/protest on the Nigerian government and military. They attacked a commune that he had set up, burned it down, and threw his mother out of a window (rip). Then he married 27 women 😎

Oh yeah I fucks with this heavy

Really cool, the kind of stuff I started the challenge for. I love the jazzy elements and it's so interesting to hear about how historically important this was, although sad.

Never heard of the guy two weeks ago, but between his stuff and his sons music I’m a huge fan Just good ole Afro-jazz, have to love it. I love the progression for the songs on this album; starting off swinging with some good instrumental portions that let the individual musicians show off some great solos, then building up to the halfway point when the vocals finally kick in, which I think lets you get more of a chance to grow attached to what’s behind the vocals before letting loose. Usually would be a bit apprehensive about each song being 10+ mins but I think it works well in this case. Dudes a great vocalist too, forgot to mention that. First track was probably my favorite but all the tracks are really nice My main problem is the relative lack of variety, which is pretty hard to fix with a genre like this that’s pretty strictly defined. If the album was like 10 mins shorter I think I could get over it easier but either way not a huge complaint Easy 9/10 for me, but I don’t think it quite has enough to push it over the edge for a 5 for me. Still though, really respect this guys music and what he did for the genre as a whole; will definitely listen to this one again

This guy is pretty good. Wish it had some more bones

Funky and Furious I've never heard the name Fela Kuti, never heard the sound. And honestly? This was one of those recommendations that I instantly liked and appreciated. Not my typical genre at all, but the sheer energy brought to music on this album is infectious. The story behind it is insane. This album led to the army attacking Fela's compound, beating him up, and killing his mother. If an album can do that, it truly needs to be heard. Always love a native anti-capitalist artist. "Zombie" starts as a really funky jazz afrobeat piece. Then the vocals come in with that call and response style. Not something I'd listen to regularly, but I still really like it. Top tier, and I really vibe with the message. The keyboard is so fun. The sax at the end plays the motif of an army march, a nod at who zombie is referring to. 7-8/10. "Mr. Follow Follow" is supeerrr groovy. Less bombastic than Zombie but still a hypnotic groooove. The bass is awesome. There's a strong prevailing melody theme that keeps repeating. It's smooth and pretty much impossible not to move to. The way the chorus says "follow follow" is addicting. UGHHH this is so good. 8/10. "Observation Is No Crime" is a little jazzier, with a slower beat. A mix of bongo drums and horns. Not quite as catchy as the last two. 6-7/10. "Mistake" is a slower piece. Much more jazzy. The organ keyboard is awesome. . The lyrics are probably the most biting out of all. 7-8/10. Zombie is an incredible album that still holds relevance to this day. It can resonate with people from all over the world. I wish the 1001 Albums list featured more albums like this, I'd rather listen to this than generic Britpop. It's a record that feels alive, dangerous, and necessary. Not something I'd throw on every day, but I'm genuinely glad I heard it. Rating: 7/10

4.5/5

Groovy, catchy, funky !

Another brilliant groovy album from Fela Kuti who is becoming one of my favourite discoveries from doing this list. Was interesting to read of the political context behind the album as well

Undeniable groove right here. I slightly prefer Expensive Shit, but this is almost quite as good. 7/10

Cool. Subtle yet powerful..good stuff. 4/5.

very funny that wikipedia doesn’t know which number album this is for fela. i have the boxset of all of albums somewhere… i bet they know in there. big fan of fela. i don’t like this one as much as the live one with ginger baker on this list tho. it is still great however. my favorite of his is “afrodisiac”. all jams.

4 stars a great album

I loved this album. It starts with so much energy I was trying not to dance in the office. The percussion is great, the brass is great. The tracks maybe run a bit long for my personal taste, but when I was listening as background music in the office that didn’t bother me. I listened to the 4 track version which is apparently a bonus version. I think the songs that are on the original album are my favourites, but I enjoyed the bonus tracks as well. Fav song: Zombie Least fav: Observation Is No Crime

Afrobeat Favorite Songs: Technically all three as all three of these songs are excellent in their own accord, but Zombie has to be my #1 favorite song of the bunch. Least Favorite Song: If I have to pick, it might be Observation Is No Crime, but again, it’s still an excellent song. This was a fantastic album that protests the government within his home country; specifically the Nigerian military. While it has a strong message and protest behind it, it’s accompanied with some funky African style of beats that doesn’t alienate the audience and draws people in. Definitely worth the time to listen to this record. 9/10

This is slightly long-winded, even for me, but I love the trumpet work on this album. I assign a 4 since I liked his live album more.

Uff. Muy entretenido album. Tremendo, la mueve el chabon. El tema zombie es increíble. 8/10

Not quite what I was expecting, which is a good thing. Kick ass funky jazz with African blends. Pretty good, but perhaps not something I'll go back to frequently.

That was a great Jazz/Afrobeat album.

Very groovy. I’ve loved the Fêla Kuti stuff we’ve been pointed to, so I need to investigate further. Also the Wikipedia entry for this is very “interesting”reading! I’m giving this a four but it could be bumped up to a five as I get more time to listen to it, especially if you only consider the original 2 track, 25 minute album rather than the extended version. Short and… sweet?

Fantastic!

Fresh!

4.5 Short album but really lively, the story behind it is incredible too

Blind album and artist. Funky jazzy cool 😎 feel bad this album got his wife killed by the government, but this dude also had 27 wives... idk...

I enjoyed this album. It had different vibe that I don’t think I would have found on my own.

Com certeza fora da zona de conforto. Mas muito divertido e dançante de um jeito muito envolvente sei lá. Gostei

incredible music

I liked this more than I thought I would.

Back in 1984 I had the pleasure of seeing Fela Kuti headline Glastonbury. My first introduction to Afrobeat music and one of my first introductions to live Jazz (although I had seen Weather Report that day. It was great. I mainly remember his many wives being out in the crowd (so much smaller in those days obviously). They were trying to buy Dope from the local dealers and laughing in their faces at the prices. Anyway. This album is great with four nice extended pieces to get you in the groove. I enjoyed it

Koliko je toga moćnog čovjek stigao odraditi u 25 minuta!

When we were all in Talking Heads someone brought this to the club and went: This is the original! Love it!

Musically, fabulous. African rhythms plus jazz; hypnotic. I actually realised I was waving my arms above my head at one point, without having noticed. (The other album of Kuti's that I've heard, as part of this project, suffered from too much Ginger Baker. I knew we didn't need him. This was much better.) I kept thinking how much it's influenced Talking Heads. I wasn't expecting that bio: it's appalling to hear that the success of this led to his mother's murder.

muy bueno para salir a caminar. 4/5.

very nice. groovy, fun. very different from what I normally listen to. a whole mood in a good way

Love this type of album, fun to discover and jam out to

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Zombie, Observation Is No Crime Even without the overt political overtones, this album hits really hard, but once you understand the lyrics are about the Nigerian government, and the implications of what happened as a result of the album being produced (both the actual events and surrounding rumors), the album rises to a new level. And, say what you will about the artist and his societal and political opinions, but Fela Kuti and the band sure can play.

I dig it.

Great album. Really enjoyed the listen. Good atmosphere, good vibes.

Fela is the king, danceable, groovetastic. The title track was probably the standout to me but it almost feels silly to pick favorites when the music is long-form like this. Each piece is an exploration on deceptively simple rhythmic and melodic forms and themes, drawn out to their (mostly) logical conclusions. A lot of fun.

I liked this. Different and interesting.

Funky ah album. Muy fresquito y reivindicativo, con un ritmo infeccioso que se te mete en el cuerpo.

Funky and upbeat. Love the brass but not a fan of the improv bits which felt quite long. 4/5

Interesante. Algo que jamás hubiese escuchado de no ser por esta lista. No es algo que volvería a escuchar pero que disfrute de escuchar.

Just a bit too long for me, but I appreciate the boppiness of the music truly. The first track was my favourite rather

Very enjoyable album. Loved the beats and occasional vocals. Extremely unique and each song is around 10-15mins. The background and history behind this album proves how meaningful and political it is. Isn't my usual cup of tea but still loved it.

intoxicating and robust! still trying to develop my skills in music criticism so i’m still learning to differentiate between repetitive and cohesive… but alas i don’t mind. i could listen to this all day. another win for jazz and afrobeats!

I stripped this down to the original album release, which is just two tracks. Decent enough, perhaps a little too jazzy to be really up my street, but different enough and with enough Afro vibes to get me there.

Liked this album. It's not something I would have normally listened to. The history of this album is pretty incredible. Glad to have heard it.

Kult nok

Pretty good

This was a history lesson - and an insane one. This album caused the government to storm his house and kill his mother, after which he delivered her coffin to the president and vice president, and then release an album called Coffin for Head of State? Insane. Music changes the world. I haven't listened to much afrobeat, this feels like an important introduction. Very much enjoyed it.

Excellent album, I love the upbeat rhythm and percussion.

Kesöy

W pierwszych minutach słuchania albumu myślałem że będzie typowo jazzowy, a jazz sam w sobie nie jest muzyką z której czerpie przyjemność. Jednak idąc dalej w pierwszym utworze okazuje się że nie jest to typowy jazz, na pewno wyróżnia się tutaj perkusja i bębny, które skojarzył bym z kontynentem afrykańskim i miałem rację. Afrobeat czyli gatunek do którego jest zaliczany ten album przypadł mi do gustu bo oprócz jazzu mozna było również usłyszeć inspiracje z funku czy soulu. Sam album jest nietypowy ma tylko 4 utwory a mimo to trwa 53 minuty, posiada długie instrumentalne wejścia, samego wokalu tutaj nie jest dużo, jednak niesie przesłanie, tego co dzialo się w kraju z którego Fela Kuti pochodzi czyli Nigerii. To zachęciło mnie do poznania tła powstania albumu, tła które okazało się bardzo mroczne, miało w sobie śmierć, represje, sam autor został dotkliwie pobity przez nigeryjska armię, stąd też pochodzi tytuł albumu i pierwszego utworu "Zombie", nawiązujący do sposobu zachowywania się armii w czasie nalotów na plemię Fela Kutiego. Dzięki temu album wywarł na mnie jako słuchaczu jeszcze większe emocje podczas słuchania.

Any Fela/Afrika 70 you can just sink into, but this one is just so chock full of horns and polyrhythms and politics (people would go "Zombie!" when they saw soldiers in the street) and the man, the persona, the hater of zombies and lover of life. I love it.

I really enjoyed this album, despite it only having two long tracks. The best of the two is the title track, "Zombie". "Mister Follow Follow" is also really good. Classic Afrobeat is a very underrated genre. It's a shame that it's overlooked in the West. 4 stars for "Zombie".

Cooles jazziges Album

Pretty groovy

(5/7) groovin'

This is a vibe

3.8/5

Fun afrobeat jazz “what is it Mardi Gras in here?”

I'm vibing. I've gotten to know Fela Kuti through the 1001 albums

Loved this one. Not an everyday jam, but a very solid jazzy pseudo-reggae album. Scratches the Marley itch.

Great vibes.

Uplifting in summer. Knew rhythms for jazz

Not sure I would return to this but if you’re looking for a cool Afro Beat album this is it.

Fela's most explicit condemnation of the Nigerian government is also one of his most upbeat triumphant songs. Go figure. "Zombie" is simply a can't miss moment of jazz funk, with its biting, sardonic description of law enforcement, both domestic and abroad, and its damning critique of political systems so fragile to abuse and corruption, and for the average person's willingness to be walked over by those same systems. On the other side, this is the album that ultimately proved Fela's undoing; the hostile reaction to this album by the Nigerian government led to his compound being destroyed, his mother being thrown out of a window(!) and the disbandment of the iconic Africa 70 backing band. While you would think this album and the next few that followed would retain a dour atmosphere, Fela kept going at the corrupt system guns blazing, with the music as upbeat and defiant as ever. To say nothing about this album musically, it's the perfect fusion of the African rhythms and jazz-funk, half-and-half instrumental-vocal style that made Fela the all-time great bandleader he was. The only thing that detracts is that the next 2 songs on this don't really match "Zombie" in intensity and commentary. A must-listen in Fela's very large discography alongside Expensive Shit, Gentleman, Coffin for Head of State, and my personal favourite, Roforofo Fight.

horn heavy jazz, not unfamiliar. good

45 seconds and I’m sold. I can get all the way down with this. I’ve come to really enjoy this type of music. One of the cooler parts about this list for me is learning about the artists and the albums, so to find out that this guy not only pioneered African jazz but was also a Bob Marley type cultural figure in Nigeria is so dope, and adds so much depth to his music. I’ve only recently, maybe in the past year or so, been introduced and taken to Afro-beat/afro-soul/afro-jazz, so to find the guy at the bottom of it is really cool, and I’m excited to work through his discography.

Love a good protest album. Shame that the Nigerian government retaliated against his family. Some good grooves here.

I’ve been looking forward to exploring Fela Kuti, this is right up my street and exactly what this list should all be about. The influence on Talking Heads is really apparent here and as such, it felt quite familiar for a first listen, I will no doubt be back to listen again.

What a great vibe. The first two songs were my favorite, I found them entrancing. I would happily throw this on any day and listen through it in it's entirety. Favorite tracks: Zombie Mr. Follow Follow

Some Dey Follow Follow 1001 Albums Generator 296 (5/22/2026) Like all of Fela's music that I've heard, Zombie is just an awesome jazzy funky vibe. Percussive afrobeat filled with fun guitar and great horns throughout. I'm basing my rating off the version of the album that's on Spotify, which is a totally different tracklist than the original (which was the song Zombie and two previously released Fela track), and it features 2 bonus tracks when compared to the original LP release (which was composed of just Zombie and Mr. Follow Follow). The lyrics are a scathing critique of the Nigerian military and as a result, Kuti's commune was attacked and his elderly mother was thrown out of a window and killed. Musically, it's more great afrobeat, but the full version on Spotify goes on a bit long. 4/5. Favs: Zombie Mr. Follow Follow Observation Is No Crime Least Fav: Mistake (Live)

Je réécouterai probablement pas ou rarement mais j'ai passé un très bon moment

4/5

Tons of energy, really good listen. Zombie is the standout.

Super fun album

4 tracks de 10min+. Pas habitué. Très instrumental, très riche. Chaque track m'a interpellé au moins une fois ce qui est une bonne chose. Je ne suis pas fan absolu de la forme mais ça se sent que c'est un grand album, chargé en émotions et politiquement, fait par de grands musiciens.

Love the horns on this! Fela's sax work is incredible, and the shots of brass have such a great texture. Bass is just a bit hypnotic and breaks the mold every once in a while, to perfect effect.

GENRE: Afrobeat FAVs: Both songs (Zombie, Mister Follow Follow) FIRST LISTEN RATING: 9/10

Interesting listen, I liked it

This is protest music, which is awesome, and the story behind the album is amazing. The band and afro beats are so so so good, this is just a nice one to throw on. The saxophone on Mr Fellow is just amazing and works directly with the lyrics. The woman's background vocals just add this level of unity, and the people are tired and have had enough and just have to sing. I think it does get slower towards the end and feels like a slog, like in observation is a Crime, " which is the point for Afrobeats. I’m sure I will hear more, but I can hear the way they influence jazz and even modern electronic in the horns I love this.

Great swinging African music

Not normally into an instrumental but this one was a party!

pretty coollll

Greta jams!

Top 5 Wikipedia articles this month

Super jazzy 70s jazz album. All instrumental. Upbeat and riveting. Very cool usage of bass to add to all the swing and spunkiness. Short (only 4 songs) but heavily enjoyed. Would love to see this live. Favorite 2: Zombie, Mr. Follow Follow

Jazz with an African influence.

A very cool discovery! Definitely want to hear more of this genre and this artist.

Good afrofunk

Nice, love that such kind of music is presented

Wonderful piece of music that has everything

I had this guy's other album, which was pretty good but not quite great. This is apparently a highly political album that contains only two tracks. The first track, "Zombie", is a very energetic and political Afrobeat jazz track. The second, "Mr. Follow Follow", is slower but no less political. The musicianship on both tracks is undeniably excellent, and they both have excellent grooves to them. The lyrics of "Zombie" primarily deal with the military and it's blind following of orders, while "Mr. Follow Follow" is a call to the ordinary citizens of Nigeria to protest their corrupt government. Both tracks have power and passion behind them, and both are great songs. Therefore, this is a great album, even if it stretches the idea and definition of "album" somewhat.

This is quite fun. Enjoyed this one.

Even without considering the historical (and political) relevance of this artist and this album, one cannot ignore that this simply is amazing music. True, the songs are all a little too long but I guess one should imagine listening to them live surrounded by a dancing crowd rather than sadly at work on spotify...

damn i forgot to save my notes. it's good. i wasn't sure what genre it would be, but the jazz is good. instrumentals are well composed, and the vocals are balanced. is that the opening bit from bugle call rag at the end of zombie? per my usual practice, i only listened to material in the original release, but on this one i may actually go back and listen to the bonus tracks from the reissue.

This is cool

i like its very enjoyable

Long form revolutionary dance party tracks that funnel funk and jazzy sounds through a West African lens. It’s a lotta fun, got a great groove, and badass.

dansbaar EN politiek geladen... top

One of the great musicians who brought african culture to the world. His own guitar style and rhythms still sound great today.

Hot damn! That is some funky jazz. Makes ya wanna dance or just kick back and relax.

A really chilled, but also interesting jazz album. I love long songs, so I was very happy with all of them. The vocals were great and Mistake played live sounded like it was being played in a studio. Amazing.

again not really my usual thing, but it was super fun

4.5

This is exactly why I started doing this album a day exercise. I would never have encountered this outside of this list. Awesome album, with so much groove, and more importantly, passion. Hypnotic, and yet, remains super fresh throughout the long tracks. Gonna be giving this many more listens.

I don't know much about jazz, but this album is cool!

Gran álbum de los mejores recomendados, hasta ahora, por su variedad, por su fuego, por sus vientos que me gustan demasiado. Con la tápame. Esperaba otra cosa algo mucho más crudo y triste, pero me encontré algo mucho más enérgico.

This shit jams

Pretty good, wish it had more of his vocals cause he great at that but otherwise one of the all time greats. glad he's finally in the rock n roll hall of fame

supa cool

Very good, thrilling and politically charged. Worth relistens though I felt it lost steam towards the end. I

*Cool world jazz/funk album

Great

Great

That was great

This was great fun but trust me to listen to it the only day it's raining

Sounds a lot like jazz. Definitely a great album that offers a different style of music for me. I really enjoyed this album. I think it should be a classic.

This guy's backstory is absolutely outrageous. So listen I like music about dancing in the club as much as the next person, but this is art that says something.

Fantastic

A fabulous album and a powerful piece of music.

very interesting and upbeat despite everything behind it

“Fela was using repetition in a way that was hypnotic, but also political. The message and the music were inseparable.” David Byrne put it perfectly. This is what makes “Zombie” work so well. These songs are hypnotic grooves. In fact, so much so that they catch you off-guard. You think you’re listening to an instrumental track, but then after like 10 minutes, when Fela Kuti starts to sing, you realise that was just the intro. There are only four songs on the album, each track bordering on 15 minutes in length. Often, albums with long numbers like this can take a bit of effort to get through, but that’s not the case here. It’s effortless to lock-in to these rhythms and patterns, and really, really easy to enjoy every minute of it. Obviously Tony Allen’s drumming is a key part of creating these repetitive rhythms, but the repeating guitar riffs are just as important. The guitars play more like a percussive instrument, like they are another element of the rhythm section. The rhythms work so well that the polyrhythmic makeup of these tracks is hardly noticeable. Guitars, drums, bass, sax all play to their own rhythm, but everything comes together so tightly that it creates a groove that’s completely hypnotic. Fela Kuti said “I want to move people to dance, but also to think.” With a touch of satire, these songs are a scathing takedown of the Nigerian military. The resulting attack from the army on his commune is like something from a movie. It was horrific, especially the murder of his mother, but you have to admire Kuti’s spirit in the face of this tragedy, to keep going, sending his mother’s coffin to their barracks in an act of defiance. Apparently the military were trying to suggest that Kuti had kidnapped some women and that’s why they invaded his commune. So, in 1978, Fela Kuti married 27 women simultaneously. What a sentence that is. I wonder if it was one big group wedding, or 27 individual weddings? As someone planning a (singular) wedding at the moment, either option sounds like a complete nightmare. Imagine the logistical headache of trying to coordinate a guestlist for 28 people?? Or, imagine having to organise 27 weddings in a row?? No thanks. The political message and the resulting craziness is one thing, and it is important context, but it’s the music I love the most about “Zombie”. Funk blends so well with West African music, and the rhythms really suck you in. As much as I try, I can’t not mention the huge influence Fela Kuti’s music has had on modern artists that I love. I’ve spoken about Talking Heads enough, but another that took huge influence from Kuti is James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. You can hear those repetitive grooves developing through songs that don’t follow the usual verse>chorus>verse structures. Songs like “All My Friends”, “Losing My Edge”, or “45:33”. In fact, James Murphy once described Fela as the ultimate example of “repetition that never feels repetitive”. That’s exactly what “Zombie” is: politically charged and completely hypnotic.

This is great, a nice introduction to Afrobeat. Made my commute to work rather nice indeed, can't be in a bad mood listening to this stuff.

holy shit amazung jazz

Vibrante increíbles ritmos de pocas canciones pero larga duración.

Only two songs

Verrassend leuk!

Coolt, dansigt, härligt och kul att lyssna på och spännande

- Ahhh, what a nice vibe - looks up wikipedia page - DAMN

Banging Jazz, and the history behind this album is really interesting too

Un disco con ritmos geniales de afro jazz. Cuatro tracks de 15 minutos cada uno, pero que son todo un viaje para conocer de varios géneros musicales y todo el concepto que Fela Kuti manejaba. La historia del álbum es brutal: leo que, por las críticas hechas al gobierno de Nigeria en su disco, la madre de Fela Kuti fue asesinada y la comunidad en la que él vivía, completamente destruída. Y Kuti continuó con su música y haciéndo oír su voz. Qué capo.

Otrolig vibe och supercool snubbe! Jag har dock alltid tröttnat lite efter ett tag, inte som att jag aktivt vill att det ska sluta men jag är också helt ok med när det gör det. Superstark fyra!

har bara hört detta när en viss Sambo sätter på när vi ska laga middag och jag är trött efter en dag av Skolljud och Lo vill göra hundra saker samtidigt. och då har jag sagt typ ”kan vi inte lyssna på något lugnt som Sade istället”. men nu älskade jag! det svänger!

This was unexpected, I’ve never heard of the album or the artist and I was locked in as soon as I pressed play

Lively sound to it. Reading the backstory and subsequent violence is quite the trip

Never would have found this album if it weren't for this list, and that's what makes this journey fun. This was great to discover. Lots to like about it. Amazing back story. Very cool jams and it was interesting how the lyrics came in very late to really each song. Totally different and fun. 4-stars.

Fun album, easy to listen to

super cool

first listen bonafide classic

boppy, complex jams and funky jazzy beats

My only prior experience with Fela Kuti is with the other album of his on this list, so this is my first time listening to this particular album. This is exactly what I was expecting, and it's solid. I'll definitely check out more Fela Kuti albums.

banger

I like this! Would add to a playlist

Dia do trompete maluco

8/10 - Zombie is an amazing song with a deeper meaning, reminds me of Rebelion by Joe Arroyo i.e. great music to dance to but profound meaning behind... the rest of the album is ok but I like how the tracks are few but long