Zombie

5/10 I think reading about this album and the resulting unrest was perhaps a more profound experience than listening to it. I'm not a fan of the genre but I appreciate this album for it's significance in the history of the Afrobeat genre. Best track: Zombie Would I revisit?: No

4 songs to the whole album. Sometimes I think that qualifies it for this list automatically. So many albums on the list that have 12-20 minute songs. Felt pretty chill though. Not sure what was special back in 1976, I imagine it was "new"

first listen bonafide classic

Very interesting, just not really my style of music.

Long improvisational jams with just the right amount of vocals and vibes for a saturday afternoon.

Colorful and interesting. One of those albums that’s fun to listen to.

NIE JAZZ

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

Impecável

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

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

Very interesting. Really enjoyed it. It's not my favourite kind of music, but this was good (and a discovery, as I had heard of Fela Kuti but had never listened to his music).

Very good album. 3,5

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

a great album with a fascinating story

Kinda feels like a lot of other albums I’ve reviewed where this is only really on here for some contextual reason and not because of the actual music. Not to say that the music on this one is bad

I just got Femi Kuti's debut literally 4 days ago, where I observed that I hadn't listened to Fela yet. What a hilarious turn of events. For how aggressive and passionate this is, this is also incredibly danceable and inspires a kind of human joy. Reading about the context surrounding this record (both before and after it was made, especially in Fela's personal life) definitely sharpens the topical edge a little more, but even without it, I think this is pretty enjoyable.

Time is short, I'll just say that this album is gripping, in a good way. Big band jazz funk - Afrobeat seems a decent label (though v broad). It's (at least) Good, 7/10.

Very good! a little wild

The songs are plenty fun and the lyrics and singing is good I just can’t listen to songs this long regularly

Afrobeat.

I liked it, but I found each track a bit too long. I fully agree with this comment from another reviewer who summed it up perfectly: "if you were to cut off ~4 minutes at the start and end of every track (leaving the call-and-response vocal bits) I'd probably rate it a lot higher". I loved discovering something new, though and I'm very intrigued to learn more about Fela Kuti. Overall, great music to have in the background.

At first I was like “ aw hell nah a 12 minute song “ but at the end I was like “ dang these 12 minute songs are lowk cool “

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

He has very long instrumental Intros in these songs. I was vibing and looking him up during the first track. Was wondering why everything I looked up mentioned lyrics when I’d heard none yet 😅

The history of this album certainly was interesting to read about. This being said, speaking on my personal enjoyment of it alone, it wasn't really my favorite. That's solely due to my not being a jazz lover. I think that, for a jazz album, this was actually pretty entertaining. I just would never choose to sit down and listen to a full hour of jazz music. Ever.

Infumable como dice L.

Garbage

Good background music.

awesomee

Heel sfeerig Love alle instrumenten

Historical and still relevant.

Definitely will be in my rotation. Gotta love long tracks that get better as the song progresses. I’ll be looking up more from Fela Kuti. Fun album overall.

This is making my headache worse.

This was fine to have in the background while working, but I would not listen voluntarily

2026.03.13

Normal, me agradou pouco

3/5 sterren Leuke vibes, soms te uitgerokken, maar dansbaar. Doet denken aan goede zomeravonden en bks

Fela Kuti is known as the father of Afrobeat, a genre that blends jazz, funk, and African folk rhythms. The genre is generally quite enjoyable, both for dancing and as a background track; this album is no exception, but the story behind its creation reads like an episode of "Parts Unknown". Kuti declared his own microstate in Nigeria, consisting of a commune and a recording studio. The government became agitated and told him to stop acting up. Kuti got angry and recorded this album, which consists of just two songs (a reissue is available online, adding two more). In my opinion, the lyrics are simple and rather toothless, but the government was overly receptive to this ragebait and sent the army to burn down the rebel's house. During the process, the soldiers beat the artist and threw his mother out of a window, killing her. Kuti responded by sending the coffin containing his mother's body to the then-president's residence. Basically, this scene (https://youtu.be/UajTvU3sjrY) from "The Boondocks" perfectly describes the whole situation.

Inte min kopp

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.

6.5/10

J'me possède pus quand j'écoute ça.

An album with great rhythm AND military criticism? HELL YES!

Fun, but got bored after a while

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

nice tunes.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

3 Stars. Being disconnected from the time period/culture/politics of it all hurts this one a little and that's probably unfair, but it is what it is. I love the jazzy bits, but could do without the vocals.

This was nice. Love a good jazz record.

Great

World class Afrobeat

Joyous dancing in a field music

Fine as background music

Infectious mix of jazz and beats. And great fun given the hard hitting nature of the lyrics. A foot tapping 4*

Enjoyed this one. Powerful stuff and great rhythms and playing.

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

People have been telling me I should listen to Fela Kuti. Those people were right.

Just some regular old African-American horn-heavy stuff.

Bounce cálido, repetitivo, invitando a soltar, relajar. Chakra garganta juego. Mucha presencia de trompeta y saxofon

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

Good jam with a fascinating history.

This album was good, not entirely my vibe but I did enjoy it. On the ultimate plus side just another good use case of this project. I wouldn't have ever known about this artist, but now I know this is the African Bob Marley and grandfather of Afrobeats which is huge today. Musically I will give credit to the instrumentation in this, all jazzy and good, and the bass line is slapping.

Never knew how much I needed African Jazz until today. Incredibly fun and energetic listen, ideal for a friday morning.

funky, groovy, it was alright. though i'm not much of an afrobeat fan

not my vibe at all brodie

A musician with real shit to say. I expect that I’m gonna be hearing a ton of album by musicians who are just postering being politically dissident or, even worse, actually thinking they’re making a difference by just writing songs without any real action outside of music to back it up. Kuti is the real deal, targeted by the authoritarian regime in Nigeria because of his lyrics and his action. The fact that he also largely created a new genre at same time is even more impressive. Gotta listen to more afrobeat now.

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.

Never heard of it. Didn’t get it. Good music thiugh

I love Fela. He's the master of the Afrobeats.

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

J’ai compris l’idée mais j’ai pas kiffé pour autant

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.

In terms of political music, no one does a funkier job than Fela Kuti. This album shows how one can be so outspoken against the government while having an audience dancing and clapping along. Aside from the albums overall message, the horn work and arrangement of every track kept me engaged, especially "Mr. Follow Follow"

Not into that style of african music, but it had a decent rhythm

Me gustó

A satisfying and interesting Jazz album with Fela’s lyrics behind an upbeat jazz track. Very enjoyable, interesting hooks, an interesting mix of African music and jazz

Not a single miss here

Groovy as hell.

So peak

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

This is actually great. It's jazzy, and bouncy, while still sounding true to the African roots. Also, check out the Wikipedia page, this album was the catalyst for some wild, tragic shit.

Imagine how hard this would go in the middle of the summr

The Wikipedia article for this is surreal. Someone a lot smarter than me could make a whole paper out of this albums political rhetoric, and it could be a fantastic read. Fela Kuti aims his criticisms not at the decisions made by those who hold power, but by those who follow orders. The ending of the title track “Zombie” with the horn playing the ‘charge’ theme is a thoughtful touch to a jam track about how the Nigerian soldiers mindlessly acted on command at the time. Track two stayed on the same topic, but I loved the pocket its instrumental found. “Observation No Crime” took a more hands off approach, seeming content to let the horns do much of the talking. It’s as if he truly wanted you to give way to the songs namesake and just observe for a while. Surprised at how well a live song bookends this otherwise-studio-recorded album so well. 4/5, this didn’t have to be anywhere near my wheelhouse for me to praise it. Neat blend of Nigerian heart/rhythm with some jazz instrumentation

If I don't have this on CD I do have it on MP3 - nice to listen to the full album again for the flow/vibe

More endless Jazz noodling...

-cool sounds -very chill background vibe -might listen again

Great performances and rhythms, but things start to drag on at points. Highlight: "Zombie"

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

I'm not very knowledgeable about the genre, but I know I dug this.

Too long for me. I agree; it's fun, it's new, and it's refreshing for this shit list. Even though it's not my jam, today I heard something that I wouldn't have been able to find on my own. THIS IS WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS LIST SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I know about the story behind the album and I get that it's really important, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna enjoy my time listening to this. It's too much of the same thing. I'm actually really sorry for my rating, but it has to be done.

Wonderful. The full grooves of funk and afrobeat, stretched out to epic lengths, with glorious jazz instrumentation and enough unusual choices to distinguish from standard western approaches. I'll be revisiting this vibe. 4, only missing on 5 because it didnt stick with me long after listening.

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

To be listened - sick

Just a great album by a great artist, and something I hadn't heard before.

I really am surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. An afrobeat album where the vocals/lyrics largely take a backseat, however they weren't particularly needed as the songs were able to lock into some mesmerising grooves, and the warm, jazzy instrumentation was able to paint vivid pictures for itself. When there are vocals throughout "Zombie", they feel purposeful and carry weight, particularly when you factor in the socio-political context informing the album. I was having a brief read on Wikipedia, which yielded some rather interesting yet tragic accompanying information, intensifying the cause for this to be an album to hear before you die due to the historical fallout that it caused.

Absolutely beast of an album!

Well that was pretty wonderful. I've never listened to a Fela Kuti album before - more fool me, hugely enjoyable. I made the mistake of listening to this in the gym - I'm knackered now.

I came to this having no idea who he is, which probably says more about me than anything else but a thoroughly enoyable bit of what is probably called World Afrobeat or something. Upbeat, uplifting and glad I spent time with it.

nice

Fun and interesting, love being exposed to new kinds of music. Didn't love some middle tracks here.

Dans la sonorité me fait penser à Shakey Jake de Joe McPhee

I can't wait to read some silly review trying to say this album isn't good. The tracks are long but the music is there and there's a lot of emotion and talent in here. 4.5/5

Some wonderful rhythms on this one.

Amazing!

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.

Before listening to Fela Kuti’s Zombie, I read a bit about him and the album. It helped — knowing what was happening politically in Nigeria and the risks he was taking made the whole thing hit harder. The title track, “Zombie,”. It calls soldiers… zombies. They “go and kill,” “go and die,” just following orders. It’s blunt and repetitive, but that’s the point — the repetition really sticks with you. I wasn’t super familiar with Afrobeat, so it was interesting to hear. The long grooves and repeated sections didn’t always click for me; sometimes they dragged a bit. But I get why they’re there — it drives the message home. I probably wouldn’t have picked this up on my own, which is why the thousand albums project is fun. I could see this growing on me with another listen, especially knowing the history behind it. Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 — more respect than personal enjoyment, but glad I experienced it.

africa sounds

I enjoyed this on in the background, particularly love the funky feel and afrobeats. But it would be too repetitive for me to sit and actively listen to I think.

Again there is interesting stuff here but far too jazzy for me.

Great beat. Lively jazzy tunes and nice brass sounds. Overall a good album.

Not for me.

Not for me

not a massive fan of jazz tbh, would be closer to a 3.5/5 if this site allowed half stars

First song is great Good jazz vibe, just gets a bit boring tho

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.

Enjoyed a lot

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’ve heard the name Fela Kuti for a long time, but not sure I’ve ever heard a song from him. I do know he's African and a horn player, but beyond that, nothing. I've listened to some African psychedelic rock and roll and some funk, and it was incredible. So hopefully, this album will be a good time. Track 1, Zombie, just comes right out of the gate with horns, horns, horns. Kuit was one of the creators of what is called Afrobeat, which takes West African music and meshes it with funk and jazz. And Kuti does it well. Zombie is a funky, upbeat jam. It’s not giving me zombie vibes at all, unless we’re talking about the ones from 28 Days Later. Oh! Here are some lyrics. “Go and kill! (Joro, jaro, joro) Go and die! (Joro, jaro, joro) Go and quench! (Joro, jaro, joro) Put am for reverse! (Joro, jaro, joro)” The lyrics talk about how zombies don’t do anything unless they're commanded. They don’t think unless you tell them to think. Kuit was a political activist and was an outspoken critic of Nigeria’s ruling military force. He was hardcore as the government tried to kill him, and did kill his mother. He was also put in jail for a time. What a badass. Zombie is a powerful song. You put a political message to a groove, and you can win over a ton of people. Look at the 1960s, Rage Against the Machine, Springsteen, how much great music has risen out of protest? Thankfully, we’ve still got some people who aren’t afraid to speak on injustice in the world. Zombie was 12 minutes of a funky wildfire. Track 2, Mr. Follow Follow, is more of the same. Great funky horns and a groove with powerful lyrics. It’s about people blindly obeying authority figures or societal trends without question or thinking about what they’re really doing. Hmmmm, sounds like most of history, or at the very least today. TikTok? Social media? Influencers? People just blindly follow these idiots. Kuti says blind obedience leads to the people just accepting the way things are rather than actually doing something about it. Damn, I need to get Bob Marley and Kuti together…Oh, they’re both dead? And have been for like 30-40 years? Nevermind. I assume Kuti has been sampled heavily in hip-hop. His music is ripe for theft. Oh snap! Track 3, Observation Is No Crime, is so damn funky. It’s got me storyboarding another grimy, 70s cop movie in my head. Every one of these songs starts out with like five minutes of music to just put you solidly in the groove. This has been such an easy listen this morning. I can hear a lot of reggae in this music. But, there should be African grooves and beats in both this music, which is actually from Africa, and reggae, which was brought from Africa with the slave trade. I don’t think people really realize how much popular music has a solid base in music from Africa. There would be no blues, no jazz, no rock and roll without African music. Hell, I’d even go so far as to say that without African music, there might not be any bluegrass music, which to a native Kentukian like myself, is our heritage…well, that any bourbon and college basketball. Kentuckian Bluegrass would just be old-time country music without the blues, which Arnold Shultz, a black bluesman, introduced to Bill Monroe when Bill was just a youngster. Track 4, Mistake, is the last track on the album and the longest track on the album. It’s also live from the Berlin Jazz Festival. Like the other three songs on this short, but very enjoyable album, it begins with about five minutes of straight horns. While I dug the song, by the end, I felt it was dragging just a bit. They could’ve shaved about three or four minutes off, and it would have still been great, even more so, I think. And just like that, it’s over. What an enjoyable album. This was one of the easiest albums I’ve listened to in a while. I found myself just listening and working without thinking about writing any observations down. I also loved the message of Kuti’s songs. Again, I’ve always been someone who bristles at authority, whether right or wrong. I’m not a militant or a get out in the street type, but I always try to be smart about what the "man" tells me to do or how to think. This is a must-listen for me. I highly recommend it. It’s definitely going in my rotation. I loved Bob Marley’s Natty Dread, but I believe I liked Zombie more. Do with that what thou wilt.

Great album did not expect that jazz sound. Beautiful

Listened to this while playing Harmonies solo. I won! This was fantastic. Totally enjoyed this, and hearing the history of the album is pretty incredible. I know he was a huge influence on their sound, and not the other way around, but I was reminded of so much of Daptone Records, and it was hitting in all the right ways.

Interesting

Its not my type of music but I would listen to it more often

This is really good. Terrible to read about the aftermath

Some decent jazz. Fun and different.

Some of it was good

Jazzova.

Loved this. Amazing sax and great grooves

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.

The record was a bit overwhelming. I appreciate the energy, but it is not an album I would listen to on a daily basis.

Me gustó el disco. Muy interesante. Me dio vibes del 'Exodus' de Bob Marley pero versión africano. No se si el afrobeat es alguna fusión entre el jazz y ritmos africanos pero suena mucho como si así fuera. Un género que seguramente he escuchado pero que hasta ahora me pare a analizar y tiene muchas cosas muy padres. Compases rítmicos sencillos y a su vez va jugando con una polirritmia muy interesante que funciona como un motor para que los instrumentos melódicos (y armónicos también) puedan improvisar y relucir su virtuosidad. Algo así como el jazz precisamente jaja. El trabajo del ensamble coral sumado a la voz principal es increíble. Carece de momentos vocales pero cuando estos aparecen hace toda la diferencia. Muy buen disco.

So shockingly for the 2nd time in this project I have had slight familiarity with the album at hand, not through hearing it before but by it's effect/influence on something else I know. In this instance "Zombie" is heavily sampled by another, more modern, Nigerian artist named Falz on his song "Follow Follow" and my elation on realizing that was great That said I think Zombie and Mr. Follow Follow are incredible both musically and in their lyrical context. Unfortunately the other 2 tracks don't garner the same enjoyment from me

Ultra geil

Africabeats zum Küche aufräumen höchst empfehlenswert. Ein Album so gut, dass anscheinend das nigerianische Militär Kommunen zerschlagen musste, der Interpret abschließend 27 Frauen heiratete, um danach ein Rotationssystem mit immer zwölf Frauen etablierte... Oder so ähnlich

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.

This was just fantastic. Impossible to not dance to, politically striking. Zombies indeed.

Meh

not the best

Not my vibe

Awesome complex rhythms with lots of callbacks and repetition that somehow stays fresh. The English lyrics are spare but very powerful, and the political message made me like this album even more. Loved the hook in "Mr. Follow Follow" and the lyrics in "Zombie," and the recording of "Mistake" live at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival sounds great.

This is why I signed up for this project. Awesome music from someone I had never heard about. Great vibes all throughout the album.

Love love love this funky shit

Paul Simon heard this and fell in love. And honestly so did I. Its less like jazz and more like vibey world pop. Good time

Bongo bongo funky jazztastik!

I don't like jazz but I liked this. Guess I like jazz now.

Super jazzy and interesting

I vibe with this - political, energetic, unique.

Cool vibe

Whatthefreak?

Afrobeat from the top drawer. Political too. Immersive and at times hypnotic music by a complicated genius. The drumming!

10/10 goat

yeeaahh this kicks ass

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

Nothin' else like Fela.

Nice groove

Timeless classic, more relevant than ever.

Нудная долгая африканская чушь….

liked this more than i thought i would, tis pretty fun favorite song: zombie

Short, simple, fun enough, no complaints.3/5

I am liking Fela Kuti since he's come up on this list more than once 2

Too much sax and too many other squeaky brass instruments. love the vision, but I don’t like the sound.

O segundo disco de Fela Kuti que pego na lista, e novamente me pego impressionado mais uma vez com a sonoridade viva e colorida dessas faixas. Seu primeiro lado é mais agitado, com um gingado inconfundível digno de um príncipe nigeriano. O álbum já te agarra pelos ombros no ínicio, e mantém o ritmo irrefreável por alguns minutos até que os vocais marcantes de Kuti se iniciam, denotando uma crítica ao comportamento inumano do exército nigeriano, com seus soldados seguindo ordens cegamente como zumbis. É uma crítica mordaz a um problema sistêmico presente até os dias de hoje, e acompanhada de um backing tão maravilhosamente intrincado e rico, acaba sendo uma faixa memorável e histórica. No segundo lado o disco desacelera um pouco e nos apresenta com um groove quase que funebre. O baixo se casa com uma guitarra rítmica de ótimo gosto e ambos juntos mantêm um ritmo marcante no qual um delicioso sax derrete por cima. Uma canção muita cinematográfica, e os vocais de Fela Kuti novamente fazem críticas ao poderio militar. É um exemplo suprassumo de uma canção de protesto, brilhantemente executado. É necessário mencionar também as duras e sangrentas consequências que Kuti teve que lidar depois do lançamento e sucesso deste disco. A história por trás é realmente triste e tocante, e acaba empoderando ainda mais este LP. Pela primeira (e possivelmente única) vez nessa lista, eu senti que este disco é curto demais. Apenas as duas faixas representando os dois lados, resultando em cerca de 26 minutos. Gostaria de ter um pouco mais pra afundar meus dentes, igual tive no álbum anterior dele, o Live. Por conta disso vou ter que deduzir em uma fração a nota. Uma pena! É pouco, mas o que está aqui é fantástico. Impecável. Outro disco que eu preciso urgentemente achar e adicionar à minha coleção. Uma escuta rica, densa, repleta de história e poder. 4.5

fajny afrykanski jazz xd

favourite track - Zombie Super good!!

At a time where the protest song has returned in strength, it’s fitting to listen to this protest album. Kuti rages against the corruption of the Nigerian government. But where western protest songs tend to be earnest things this is angrily and relentlessly funky. The songs are call and response shouts at the government, but this is politics you can dance too

Ei oikein iskenyt. 1,75/2.

африканский джаз! прикол

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

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

Quite liked this. 3.5

6.0/10 Liked the groove of this.. but a bit too repetitive for me. 4 songs - each over 10 min long was too much for my attention span

I managed this to a point. But 12-14 minute songs are arguably not essential.

Door de repetitieve en zangloze mega lange delen wordt het een beetje achtergrondmuziek en verwatert de belangrijke politieke boodschap

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

Great music for use as a intro in any concert while people arrive to the venue

c'est du jazz mais exotique un peu

Long jazz is always so kick ass

Big fan of the jamming and riffing. Had heard Fela’s Riff before and this must be the Fela they borrowed the riff from! Favorite song: Zombie

Peak cafe music (complimentary). Groovy jams that you can lose yourself in. Favorite song: Zombie.

Groovieee

First two songs are so good. Really good jazz album. This was a really good album to listen to, my only problem with jazz is that most of it sounds the same and I can't tell the difference between two good artists. Still a lot of fun to listen to and would listen again.

Didn't know what I was expecting when first listened to Thai, but wow I don't think I've heard a jazz album I've enjoyed more

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

Cool and fun, I actually preferred his soprano sax playing over the tenor and I thought whoever played trombone on this was fantastic

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.

Groovy

Liked it but didn’t jump out to me

Great musician, great person.

Strong 3,5

Nice beat... aww, fuck... there's a sax... lots and lots of sax... damn, I really hate sax... wait, this track is 12 minutes long?! I don't think I'll make it... oh, a voice! Thank God - something different! Uh... tinkling zombies? OK, I think we're done here. Fortunately, I listened to the original LP version and lost only 25 minutes of my day.

Not for me. It gets a bump for at least being interesting to read up on the summary.

Solid, an icon. Not my biggest cup of tea, but can respect it. High 2s.

I enjoyed this but not as much as the last Fela Kuti album i had on this list. Excellent muscianship.

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

Fun and lively, but had a hard time enjoying it after reading up on this guy. Music is good tho.

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.

Im not a huge fan of Afrobeat, but reading about this artist and the impact this album had made listening to it very special

who is actively listening to this? its like background music I can appreciate the background of the album tho

I wasn't able to listen to this album in its entirity but I listened to the first 3 songs. I definetly see why it is a favorite for folks.

Another album to thank the gods of the Generator for. Jazz + world + protest = My Jam.

Zombie is iconic. The opening self titled track is a song you know without even knowing. The album can make even the whitest of whites want to move 6.6/10

need to re listen but fun and long songs

Already knew Zombie but good!

African protest music? Now we're talking. This is definitely an album I probably never would have come across if not for this list, which is what I was hoping for. The genre and topics are well out of my wheelhouse, but both still resonate while listening. Plus it's a just pretty good album. The music is fun, which helps with the length of the songs. There are set grooves that persist through each track, kind of like with American funk. The vocals come in and fill the middle section while there are extended sections of just beat and groove that begin and end each song. The lyrical topics were generic enough to be subtle, though I'm guessing they were plainly obvious to his intended audience. Clearly they made an impact based on what the wiki says about the aftermath. My main negative was that there just wasn't much there. Going off the original album, it's only two tracks. They were good, but it made the album feel incomplete while running short (a little over 25 minutes). It came off more like a half-album than a full one. I guess I could evaluate it with the two CD bonus tracks, but they didn't get added until way later (20+ years, if Google is to be believed). I'm hesitant to rate something based on tracks that weren't part of the actual product. In all, I liked both the music and that it had a deeper meaning. The style isn't my usual listen, but I still enjoyed it. Had it had more to it, I think I would've ranked it a bit higher. As it is, I found it a pretty good album and I'm glad I heard it. Overall: 3.6/5

Backstory is insane

I have little doubt that this dude went through awful hardships that no-one should and that this album is important because it was an act of defiance. But it's just a pile of brass parps and near tuneless jazz, such is the way with the genre. If this is someone's favourite album, then more power to you and I bow to the elemental wonder of music. But for me it was repetitive and impossible to connect with. Also, there were no 'cute fellas' or zombies.

6/10

Some nice (mostly) instrumental African music. Not fully my thing, but I can see the value of it having it present in this list. 7 / 10

The songs all start out as bangers, then become tiresome half way through.

I had never heard of this artist before. I really enjoyed this album. This is what this project is all about.

This was a welcome surprise!

I did not anticipate a Nigerian protest album to come across my feed. Nor did I expect to like said album so much. The groove and musicianship is outstanding. I'm only sad there were only 2 songs

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

Nigerian afrobeat, criticized government Zombie

When I read that Zombie was recorded in Nigeria by a label called Coconut Records, I knew it would be either total BS or an absolute banger. Thankfully, it’s much closer to the latter. On a recording level, it’s solid: raw, warm, and full of atmosphere. The groove is there, the horns bite, and everything sounds alive. Conceptually, it’s peak, funny, and fearless, turning the military into brainless “zombies” with brutal elegance. Where it falls short is execution. Not in intention, but in skill. Parts feel loose in a way that isn’t fully intentional, and the band never quite shows the technical sharpness needed to elevate the idea. The groove holds, but the playing doesn’t always convince. Still, the message, the vibe, and Fela’s presence do most of the heavy lifting. Flawed, a bit rough around the edges, but overall very enjoyable. 7/10.

Not really my thing, but verrrry vibey.

7/10

Very nice jazzy long songs to keep the mind stimulated through the day. It gives off a a great afrobeat vibe that puts you in a mental state of vacationing to a place you’ve never been before. It put me in a good mood. 3.8

The king of single day marriage is back. Just incredibly strong and unique jazz/funk groove that’s also protest music, there’s a lot that would have to go wrong for this to be bad. One of those things is how long every track is, I can almost forgive it but a four track album hitting 53 minutes is a lot, especially when most of them are vamp on the same idea for 6 minutes, drop lyrics for 6 minutes, then vamp on the a for another 6 minutes. Observation is no crime is a sick (good) message especially with everything going on with ICE right now. Mistake is equally as strong thematically and also just as pertinent. Dare I say they’re all strong lyrically.

Good musicians, just not engaging for me personally

Very good. Really nice feel all the way through, easy to listen to and doesn’t take a lot of thought, can just switch off and be in it. Love the second track. Great for background music.

Crazy instrumentals. Great vibe. It’s interesting but I’m not interested. Spencer is going to love this. Ending your album with the applause from your live show is goated.

I knew I was cooked as soon as I saw the album was 53 min long but only had 4 songs…

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

Super fun, but minus one point because no song needs to be 12+ minutes long, let along every song on the album

I like the instrumental part but kinda repetitive, not my cup of tea

Fun but I cannot digest 12 minute songs

If you're gonna make 10+ minute songs at least make them interesting. Think I fell asleep with my eyes open for half the album

How fun was this!! Cool that it was also so political. I thought it was funny how the singing would start like 9 mins in.

ayt

I liked this album. Zombie was a certified banger, others were ok. 1 song saved but a nice listen regardless.

Thought this was a cool Jazz album, liked the song Zombie a lot.

easy to listen to

God I love jazz

Murderer, rapist turd.

Pass

This felt jazzy and fun. 3.5/5

I didn’t love it but I get the appeal.

Very cool guy, very solid jazz, quite repetitive but not the worst

Each song was good for 4 minutes.

Not really my thing but can appreciate it's done well

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.

Wasn’t really feeling this one. This is my second and last Fela Kuti album on the list, following Live! With Ginger Baker. I barely tolerated that one, but this one was just sadly hard to get through. I know Fela is a prolific name in the Black community, I even mentioned him last week on another album his family had involvement with, but his music simply isn’t for me. It’s too free form to be enjoyable, and each song just goes on and on and on, and the longer they go on the quicker I just want it all to be over. This is literally 4 songs that are each worse than the last. Only listened to this one a single time before I wanted to stop listening to it. It’s not unlistenable by any means, and I can see why people who like Jazz would love this album. Sadly, that’s not me though. I did not like this one. Giving it a rare 2/5. Sorry Fela. Not my thing, but I respect it and can see why others would enjoy it though. My favorite song on this album, or rather the one that bugged me the least was the second song, “Mr. Follow Follow”. Jazz music continues to be a poison pill on my daily quest to make it through the end of this long project. I want to like it, and sometimes I do, but more often then not I just can’t vibe with it, and this was unfortunately one of the worst examples of that. I gave it a try at least. Anyway, moving on.

Good rhythm but too long for me?

Cool sound, not my style for so long

Fun music despite serious subject matter.

Solid enough

A good album but no real standout songs.

Really enjoyed this from start to finish, and it is apparently one of the first afrobeat albums ever. Badarse

3.5

Good stuff

There are times the world just gives you what you need. On a snowy winter morning after a rough week, this is what I needed and was given.

not my kind of vibe

Again, one that I know. Fela Kuti is an african legend, father of afrobeats. In Zombie, he denounces the Nigerian military and the sound resonates in all africa. I love the call back in the song, the african american influence and the long instrumental beginning.

The tracks were so long - it was like reading a book with long chapters and trying to maintain your attention span. That said, the music was kind of infectious and it grew on me as time went on. Didn’t love it; didn’t hate it; ears were opened to something new.

cool

Deducted a star for 27 wives at the same time.

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

Never would have checked this out. Pretty good.

Excellent. Really enjoyed this music. Would listen to again.

3.5

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.

4 låtar och 53 min.... alla är 12-14 min. Känns som jazz, mycket instrument och lite sång, inte helt vad jag gillar, och låtarna är för långa... Kommer ändå upp lite för det känns väldigt politiskt och starkt!

Quite the vibe. Sexy groove, warm and steady, like you just walked into the middle of a jam and decided to hang and get a buzz goin'. I’m pretty uninitiated with jazz-adjacent stuff, so I connected more with the rhythm than anything much deeper. Didn’t move me emotionally - but as pleasant background jamz? Sure! I could also see myself getting emersed in this world and turning into a douchey weirdo TBH

Dancey jazz. Nice mix up from the last two

8/10 Favourite: Zombie Least Favourite: Everything Scatter

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.

First track reminds me of the Babylon music score (high praise). Would be fine with this on the radio or in a movie, but wouldn’t elect to listen to it on my own.

The fact that this man wrote this during a war AND got it played on the radio? Very powerful. Not my type of music, but I still enjoyed listening to this the whole way though (even tho it was over multiple sessions) The man sure had some balls, making fun of the dictatorship at the time. Hell yeah man, art is such a powerful way to protest. Favorite songs - Observation is no crime Rating 1-5 ~ 3

Probably great if you enjoy Jazz.

i see the vision, but the vision is not for me. do not really recommend

7/10, werde ich aber nochmal hören und es könnten auch 4 Sterne werden. Heftige Geschichte rund um das Album...

super fun album!! 4 songs and 50 minutes long made me giggle, good vibes

Топчик.

A lot of fun: upbeat, chill, mostly instrumental

2.5/it’s jazz but like a 4 for jazz Honestly, for jazz I was pretty into it. It had a few lyrics here and there, not in English, but it was upbeat and I found myself bopping my head along to it. I could definitely do some cleaning to this music. I’m between giving it a 2 since it’s jazz and a 3 since it’s groovy

Easy to see why this was such a big influence on Talking Heads.

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

Jazzy and long

Afrobeat is cool!

Whole ass meal and more

Definitely not something I would listen to, but I liked it.

This is why we do this

African jazz and desert blues are a cool genre that fused the jazz and blues genres with that African beat. The title track was my favorite.

Not a fan

Historically significant record from one of the most socially conscious musicians of the 20th century. It's solid, unique and technically brilliant but not especially thrilling or emotive for me personally. The fact that so much of the album consists of similar call and response types of bars means there isn't a great deal of variation itself in the record. There are other records and artists I prefer for energetic jazz fusion-likes. Probably deserves a four overall.

Groove awesome but politically a bit challenging

the songs are very longgg, and its mostly instrumental.. sorry i got bored listening to it:-(

An absolute riot from the James Brown of Afrobeat. Do not sit down while listening to this. Brilliant.

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.

Afrobeats keep things interesting over the jazz. The impact of this album lends more credence to itself - it's believed that the criticism of the government through this album lead to the murder of his mother.