Zombie

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.

i don't know how to rate this, but it FEELS awesome, so i bet it IS awesome. Also this dude had like 27 wives

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

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.

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.

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)

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

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

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).

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 album is gripping, in a good way. Big band jazz funk - Afrobeat seems a decent label (though v broad). It's Very Good, 8/10.

Very good! a little wild

Afrobeat.

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 “

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.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

This was nice. Love a good jazz record.

Great

Joyous dancing in a field 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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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"

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

Groovy as hell.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!

Enjoyed a lot

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.

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.

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

This is really good. Terrible to read about the aftermath

Loved this. Amazing sax and great grooves

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

yeeaahh this kicks ass

Nice groove

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

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

favourite track - Zombie Super good!!

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.

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

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

Groovy

Great musician, great person.

Strong 3,5

I was completely unaware of the Kuti family before starting this project. Even though I’ve never heard of them, I completely understand why their albums made the list. This four-track, fifty-minute album is a great listen

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

need to re listen but fun and long songs

Already knew Zombie but good!

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

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.

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.

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

easy to listen to

God I love jazz

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

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

Fun music despite serious subject matter.

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

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.

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.

cool

Deducted a star for 27 wives at the same time.

3.5

Dancey jazz. Nice mix up from the last two

8/10 Favourite: Zombie Least Favourite: Everything Scatter

Топчик.

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

This is why we do this

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

Great trumpet, great music, bit samey. Would listen to this on a busy saturday

I probably would have never discovered this album on my own, and after reading about the history behind it I have even more of an appreciation for it it. So groovy and immediately made me want to dance, knowing the deep political meaning behind it fuels it even more.

Zombie is an amazing record. Music is just so well done. You really get drawn in. Then come the lyrics. You really focus on the words because the groove is so good. This music caused a raid on his compound and a riot at a concert. Such power.

A searing Afrobeat from Fela Kuti; strong thematically while maintaining its addictability.

This time we're gonna get funky Everybody clap your hands Clap, clap, clap, clap your hands Clap, clap, clap, clap your hands Alright we're gonna do the basic steps Slide to the left Slide to the right Take it back now y'all One hop this time Right foot lets stomp Left foot lets stomp Cha cha real smooth Now turn it out To the left Take it back now y'all One hop this time Right foot lets stomp Left foot lets stomp Cha cha now y'all Now it's time to get funky To the right To the left now y'all One hop this time, One hop this time Right foot two stomps Left foot two stomps Slide to the left Slide to the right Criss Cross, Criss Cross Cha cha real smooth Let's go to work To the left Take it back now y'all Two hops this time, Two hops this time Right foot two stomps Left foot two stomps Hands on your knees, Hands on your knees How low can you go Can you go down low All the way to the floor How low can you go Can you bring it to the top Like you never never stopped Get funky with it Ooooooooh yeah (Come on) Cha cha now y'all Turn it out To the left Take it back now y'all Five hops this time Right foot lets stomp Left foot lets stomp Right foot again Left foot again Right foot lets stomp Left foot lets stomp FREEEZE Everybody clap your hands (Come on now y'all) (Check it out y'all) How low can you go? Can you go down low? All the way to the floor How low can you go? Can you bring it to the top? Like you never gonna stop? Can you bring it to the top, One hop! Right foot now Left now y'all Cha cha real smooth Turn it out To the left Take it back now y'all One hop this time One hop this time See upcoming pop shows Get tickets for your favorite artists You might also like In My Room Insane Clown Posse SexyBack Justin Timberlake Electric Boogie Marcia Griffiths Rever (Reverse) Slide to the left Slide to the right Reverse, reverse Reverse, reverse Cha cha now y'all, Cha cha again Cha cha now y'all, cha cha again Turn it out To the left Take it back now y'all Two hops two hops Two hops two hops Right foot lets stomp Left foot lets stomp Charlie Brown Turn it out now Slide to the right Slide to the left Take it back now y'all Cha cha now y'all Oooh yeah mmm, yeah do that stuff oooh yeah I'm out y'all Peace!

This puts the FUN in Funky… Get it?!?

First two tracks really rocked me, but I lost some steam by the end of the album. Nevertheless I was tapping along to the entirety

Very, very cool. Political activist African jazz-rock? I'm in. The songs are a bit on the repetitive side by my money, but it's still a powerful and surprisingly fun listen. Fave track: - Zombie

Fela Kuti with another master class on how a good rhythm and arrangement of instruments can catapult your music to another level!

Nicht schlecht, aber ...

Fun, groovy, enjoyable. I'd listen again.

Funky

Politisk afrobeat-album som kritiserte det nigerianske militæret, og som angivelig førte til at moren til Kuti ble drept. Wow. Zombie er en fantastisk sang.

4 seems appropriate. 5 for his courage.

Simple yet effective writing. All four songs follow similar structure. Rhythmic drums, jazzy horn, lyrics begin mid song. Overall enjoyable. A little too long for my liking. the entire album was fifty-three minutes long and it was just four songs. I give it a 4.

A classic! I used to play a prank where I'd pay to play zombie back to back for hours at time at a bar on the jukebox.

Funky stuff, found the first song very enjoyable and the closing live track to be fantastic and mesmerizing. Cool to listen to something that fuses so many American styles of music into African music rather than the other way around. Feel like this would fit in nicely with Jazz and funk albums that are great in the background but still get you moving when you focus in and listen.

I love the stylistic range. I am in a chill bar when I listen to this.