Zombie

More fun than I expected!!

A groovy afrobeat sound that features delightfully funky horn and woodwind interplay. If I have only one reservation, it is that the album's tracks begin to drag because each track on average is nearly 13 minutes in length. It is clear that Kuti loved American Jazz. I added the title track to my collection, the cheeky improvised "Taps" tagged onto the outro of the track in particular brought a smile to my face. That very rare protest album that makes sure to entertain first before making any political criticism.

I enjoyed the variety of instruments. (Do I hear english horn in Mr. Follow Follow?) Nice beats and riffs. Has a minimalist feel.

yes

This is African music inspired by funk, a genre that is itself inspired by African music. A weird musical spiral or just cool? Why not both?

This album is a great example of why I wanted to do the 1001-days exercise; the opportunity to hear something that I've previously experienced previously. An artist that I've never heard before, in a genre that is adjacent to other music I like, with catchy hooks, delivering a message. Really enjoyed this album and it will have it playing again in the future.

Enjoyed it a lot. 4/5.

Good inclusion - I enjoyed the music, there's an interesting history around it, it's an underrepresented genre, and I wouldn't have encountered it outside this list.

Not too many people can make an anti-war album so good the military retaliates against you. Fewer still can do that with an album that sounds this good musically.

The sounds that emanate from Zombie are Kuti & Co. giving a great big jazz-infused middle finger to the Nigerian government, and enjoying themselves whilst doing so. Aside from its politically-charged excellence, it is a straight-piped global translation from Afrobeat groove to the listener’s ears, enabling a ‘get up and dance’ attitude even in the harshest of post-colonial West African political landscapes. Art and musicality through hardship, a concise yet effective punch of jazz to rouse spirits. There’s no better medium.

I really enjoyed this - fun upbeat music, a party for the ears. Reading the wiki and learning the backstory made the record feel sadder though.

Not my favourite of the Fela albums but what a legend.

A true and prolific artist.

haven't spent much time with this area, has a good beat

Honestly pretty good jazz album

When I was younger, I spent a lot of time at a hookah bar in Ohio. The owner played nothing but Fela Kuti, so FK hits a very specific vibe for me. I can’t imagine how incredible this would have been to see live. These songs are each an odyssey, ten minutes of crazy drums and horns, introduce Fela and his back up singers, and rinse and repeat all day long.

I love long songs. I love everything about this. Favourite songs: first and third. Overall around 8/10

Really enjoyed this, and one of the few on this list that was actually too short! There were bonus tracks, but I typically only listen to the original releases.

Even if you avoid political music you should listen to this one. Passionate and powerful.

That was weird but cool

Funky Afrobeat with sprawling jams. High energy, good recording, and despite the nearly indecipherable lyrics enjoyable to listen to because the passion of Kuti expresses what needs to be conveyed.

Like the other Fela Kuti, this one surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. It's very funky and fun and I'd listen to it again.

What a fantastic album. Such a great listen, thoroughly enjoyed.

This was really good

Jag gillade verkligen detta, att höra historian bakom det gjorde det ännu bättre. Rätt kort(25 min) men jag är oftast inte så stort fan av sådan här musik så tror det hjälpte mig förstå verket.

the horns are crazy

Loved how fun and jazzy this little album was

First time of listening to this album and I am impressed.

As ever, energetic vibrant & so danceable, would have loved to have watched them all live in a sweaty smokey club.

3.5

When I was in grad school I saw the musical Fela. I wish I listened to some of the music beforehand (or since). The sound is intoxicating. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Enjoyed listening to this album while wondering why there are not more like this on this list. Thr afro-world beat was a nice change from the pop that is a mainstay of this list.

Better than his last album even. Very fun genre good plate-loading music

「Zombie」很有趣，前面的簧樂不用說，後面人聲的部分很吸睛。這張專輯裡特別注意到簧樂的部分，很突出。

Surprisingly excellent!

Long tracks, feels like Latin jazz mixed with second line. Great solos!

Afrobeat. Entretenido. Venga, un 4.

Fun, groovy, interesting world jazz music

I like that the challenge suggested this and Machito one after another, a great couple of records to clean the house

Great, not listened before, liked it very much.

Fascinating history behind this incendiary album. Powerful music.

Really liked this. Great focus music.

Couldn’t help but get into this with the beats and rhythms, doesn’t feel like almost an hour at all. Really enjoyed this one!

I really liked this album!

long time favorite I love Nigeria

Super fun. Reminded me of something that a Martin Scorsese soundtrack would introduce me to.

Loved, 🧟‍♀️

Groovy

I'm not a fan of Jazz, but I like Afrobeat. Not sure if the politics of this album is partly responsible for its inclusion in this list, but I'm not complaining. Liked it.

Zombie by Fela Kuti is a funky, politically charged Afrobeat classic. It's a groovy protest song with a biting critique of the Nigerian military regime.

About halfway through Zombie I was ready to declare this a 5-star album. It is easily one of the best jazz fusion songs I've ever heard. But, just like football, a game lasts four quarters. And in this case, it cost Fela Kuti the game. While I was completely in love with Zombie, it was discouraging that the rest of the album essentially followed the same formula: James Brown-esque funk guitar riff, add a thumping baseline and rhymic drums, and then some horns that would make Dizzy Gilespie's hair raise; about halfway through the song, come in with a repetitive African chorus. It's good. Don't get me wrong. But it felt too much "rinse and repeat" to make it a 5-star for me. Plus, each song just seemed like an inferior version of the previous one and went on for far too long. I don't know if the songs actually got worse or if it was just the result of me growing tired of the formula. Still, a must listen for jazz fans and an album worthy of this list. By the way, don't forget to read his unhinged bio on Wikipedia.

Afrobeat protest jazz, yes please!

Christ: 4 songs, 53 minutes Groovy tho Overall good background music, but I wouldn't particularly listen to it for its lyrics lol Apparently Fela's ideas found their way into acts like the Talking Heads, which is cool. A Nigerian musician, producer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, he did a lot and was massive in the 70's. Did a lot of political writing in his lyrics, both about the USA and his home country. He was apparently incredibly popular with Nigeria's poor. After he returned home after touring the US, he took on the name "Anikulapo", meaning "he who carries death in his pouch", which is metal as fuck. Since his lyrics reflected ideals that were against Nigeria's "military junta", they tried to silence him, starting from when he arrived back to Nigeria all the way till his death. They hounded him, jailed him, harrassed him, and nearly killed him in an attempt to silence him. 1,000 Nigerian soldiers attacked his compound in 1977 (the second government-sanctioned attack), where Fela suffered a fractured skull and other broken bones. His mother was thrown from an upstairs window, a fall that would later kill her. The soldiers set fire to the compound and prevented firefighters from helping. His recording studio, all his master tapes, and musical instruments were destroyed. He started his own political party, the "Movement of the People", and at the turn of the decade he renamed his band from Afrika 70 to Egypt 80 (Very creative). He prospered while Nigeria was under civilian rule, but after military rule returned he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, starting 1984, on charges of currency smuggling. He was freed in 1985 with help from Amnesty International. Fela was also known to be just extemely sexist. So far from progressive when it came to relationships with women or any form of patriarchy. I'm not sure how, as his mother was one of Nigeria's early feminists. He died in 1997 due to complications with AIDS, his death being described as: the silencing of a musical and sociopolitical voice on par with Bob Marley. Credit to "John Dougan, Rovi" for information

First 2 are peak. Last song is amazing. third one, well..... Observation is no crime is the only one I didn't really like. As these songs are long, this doesn't really affect the others, but I feel like this brings down this one. Everything until the 7 minute mark for me just felt slow and boring, due to how long it went of for. Everything after the 7 minute mark is peak tho, just the first half the song I feel just brings this album down As 3.5 of the 4 songs in this album are fucking AMAZING, I would give it 9/10. but i cant, so 4 stars :D Not perfect

Felt the rhythm in my bones

A solid album. Great instrumentals, but not particularly ear catching. The lengthy tracks make it hard to pick a fave, as overall I liked bits and pieces from each one. I'll go with 'Observation No Crime' though.

I like how it flows. The rhythms, the horns, the groove. Lovely stuff. I imagine it was brilliant to watch live.

Lively, inspirational, beautiful. So many elements to Fela’s music and this record is no different. Each track has its own mood and really capture the attention of the listener. Such a festive and beautiful harmony.

great jazz. my roommate's dad actually recommended the title song to me a few weeks ago and it was great. 8/10

Some good jazz with lyrics. Spacious. Not much to say about it besides that. Standouts: Zombie and Mistake.

Love it. Zombie is a great track 4/5

A great mix of political criticism and good music.

Gets a bit tiring after a while, no?

Funky, experimental jazz

JAZZZZZZZ!!!!

Very cool listen. The story behind this album is super interesting, too.

Pretty fun

- Not familiar with Afro beat, but this is slick as hell. I feel like I just fell into a heist movie. - A mixture of jazz, funky, soul, and West African influences? Sign me up. - The first track (the titular "Zombie") goes hard--it is 5 star level music. The rest of the songs do not quite live up to the infectious nature of that song, but I appreciate the overall groove of this album. - Do yourself a favor and look up Kuti's activism, including the history of this album. Wow.

Na een eerdere plaat nog meer Afrikaans vrolijk getoeter, met koeienbel nog wel. Niet eerder werden zombies zo blij bezongen, denk je dan. Tot je leest dat het allemaal razend kritisch op de lokale politiek is bedoeld. Dat haalde ik er met mijn Westerse oren niet uit.

Ik word wel vrolijk van dit getoeter. Het tweede nummer geeft me zelfs een beetje een Efteling gevoel. En natuurlijk, het is echt niet heel gelikt. Maar je vergeeft het heel makkelijk. De zang in nummer 3 zit me wat in de weg, maar het breekt wel even en ik lees dat ze nogal een boodschap hadden. Al met al een bovengemiddeld luisterplezier en iets wat ik zonder de 1001 nooit luister. 3.5 ster.

We hebben eerder een album van Fela Kuti gehad en toen was ik positief verrast. Ik kan nu niet meer zeggen dat ik verrast ben, maar ik vind het nog steeds lekker vrolijke muziek. Ondanks de blijkbaar nogal maatschappijkritische teksten die een stuk minder vrolijk zijn. De muziek is meer dan 50 jaar oud en toch klinkt het niet gedateerd. Het kan aan het genre liggen natuurlijk. Of dat ik daarbij de kwaliteit van de opname minder opmerk. Maar toch vind ik dat altijd knap. Ik luister dit met redelijk veel plezier en zou er weinig moeite mee hebben het nog een keer op te zetten. Dan verdient het gewoon 4 sterren.

WOAHHHHHHHHH Title track is INSANE. Love the buildup with the flowy jazz and then the rich singing. It's just so melodic. I really want to listen to his other stuff bc of that. Second track I thought was a little slower, but still really damn good. Learning about the history and aftermath of this album was also very interesting, made me want to learn more about Nigerian history.

This is how you do a 4 track album. Varied, interesting, catchy and fun

This was really good. The instrumentation was interesting and enjoyable. I could've gone for less singing, but it was still decent. 4.5/5

4☆/5 10.09.2024

Perfectly lovely

I wasn't expecting to like this, but I did. The story of what happened because of this album is crazy!

Zombie

A cheerful album - enjoyed it a lot

That was a fun find!

Rockin'. He's always good for vibes.

Wat een vent joh

I am scoring this as someone who is not really a fan of jazz. I am pleased I listened to this knowing the political context as that added another layer. For me, as someone who isn't a massive fan off jazz, I would have preferred the instrumental parts of the songs to be shorter to get to the lyrics sooner as once we were there, I loved this. I appreciate this is a me problem rather than a critique of the album. I am grateful for the learning that listening to and understanding the context of this album gave me.

I really liked this album, but doubt I will be coming back to it. It's really interesting, and very different, but just didn't hit me. But I am VERY certain it has an audience that loves it. That's why it will be getting a four.

Jazzy ambient music

Was groovy. Nice to chill to. But I couldn't tell you how a single song went except for the elephant sounds.

Excellent

Här finns backstory så det räcker och blir över. Har tidigare haft ett album av en av Fela Kutis söner, Femi Kuti, och då lärde jag mig en del om Femi, hans far Fela, och Felas mor Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. Detta album skrevs som en kritik mot Nigerianska regeringen och dess armé, hur soldaterna beter sig som zombies som endast följer order. Efter albumet släppts gick armén in i byn där de bodde, misshandlade Fela och kastade Funmilayo ned för ett fönster mot sin död. Mörkt, men ack vad kraftfullt kontexten gör albumet. Musiken då? Skitbra! Albumet består bara av två låtar på knappt 13 minuter vardera, och båda inleds med ca. 6 minuters instrumentellt intro innan Fela tar ton. Tänker såklart inte beskriva afrobeat som att det "svänger", men ni fattar. Spännande för egen del är också att jag för några veckor sedan såg Seun Kuti, Fela Kutis yngste son, uppträda med bandet Egypt 80, Felas gamla band som Seun nu leder. Att ha allt detta i bakhuvudet gjorde den upplevelsen klart starkare! Bästa låt: Båda jämna, men Mr. Follow Follow snäppet vassare.

This was a lot of fun.

So good. Soooooo good. Sitting in my chair supposed to be working. Just bopping and rocking. Reading the lyrics just provides extra impact. Four stars.

Cool jazzy vibes. Never really listened to Afrobeat before.

Loved it - Fela Kuti is one cool cat. No idea if he is the father of Afrobeat, but given how much I love other modern artists in that genre, I doff my cap to him if so. Fully expect another generic 70s white dude album tomorrow though :)

Not really my genre, but it was super interesting with a strong fuck the establishment vibe, which I dig. 3.7 stars

Each song being ten minutes and over initially felt daunting but overall the album kept you entertained and was definitely worth listening to. With only four songs none were really highlighted above the rest, all songs had similar vibes but still unique in the fact that the album didn’t feel ‘one note’. At points I was reminded of Damon Albarn in his ‘solo more experimental music’, though this connection doesn’t reflect the whole album or even whole songs. The Nigerian jazz genre is definitely something now I’ll start to look into and explore, this album being a good gateway into that world of music.

Jazzy, conscious and cool. It's interesting to hear an album that you can tell was written from a place of anger, but still sounds so catchy.

Good upbeat jazzy album. I like that this is a protest album too. Enjoyable listen.

from the first moments with that guitar rhythm and the percussion coming in bit by bit i could tell this was special. whole album was extremely groovy with some cool tongue-in-cheek vocal chants. great album.

I love Fela. Unique music with roots in american genres I love (funk and soul). High energy, charasmatic and interesting. All that said, I don't think this is his best work, but its still good. I would say 3/5 but bumping a point because of the political implications of this album. "The album criticised the Nigerian government; and it is thought to have resulted in the murder of Kuti's mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and the destruction of his commune by the military." One of my favorite albums ever is "Live!" performed with Ginger Baker.

3 stars for the album, 1 for being a literal revolutionary (read his bio). I like Fela’s unique but accessible sound (mostly zombie) but am really excited to read Sean’s review. He is the biggest kuti guy I know

Fun grooves and solos of a little repetitive. Fun break from the US/UK shuffle of the list. Closer to a 3.5 for me, rounding up for variety.

Nice sax melodies. Percussion is interesting and complementary. Overall very chill and vibey.

This was a really cool discovery. The album blends Afrobeat, jazz, funk, and soul, driven by complex polyrhythms and repetitive structures that give it a hypnotic feel, pulling you right into the groove. Even though it has a strong rhythm, the vibe is chill and laid-back. Lyrically, the album serves as a powerful political statement, challenging the Nigerian government. Sadly, it led to a violent backlash, where the military raided Fela’s compound, severely injuring his mother and arresting many of his followers.

Trumpet jazzy funk. Track 1 (Zombie), oosh, starts off really strong intro. Loving the jazzy funk, with African tribal chorus. Funkalicious and energetic. Where has this been all my life?! Track 2 not as strong. Slower, more subtle... nice relaxed vibe. Same with track 3. Probably good background stuff for cool coffee house vibes. Track 4 is a live track.

Please read the wiki entry on this album - even if just the first section. Sometimes the right album hits on the right day - this is one. Righteously political and fantastic music yet without a lot of vocals (a plus; no knock on Fela); gave it 2 spins today while working and on the 2nd I got to kick back and just enjoy it all. I think I really like African jazz and this is a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

I like me some Afrobeat and I like this. Sorry to read about the consequences that resulted from the government not accepting the criticism.

Vibrant, great horns, groovy

4.5

Not the kind of thing I usually listen to, but I really liked this.

Love the horns, funk, and fun!

I normally find jazz boring, but this held my attention so it must be pretty good.

Jazzy with lots of horns, loved!

Good jazzy vibes, I enjoyed this one.

Favorite Track: Zombie

Albumi #35, 01.09.2024 Viihdyttävää nigerialaista afrobeatia itseasiassa vuodelta 1976 (levy julkaistiin Euroopassa vuotta myöhemmin, kuin Nigeriassa). Levy on kantaaottava silloista Nigerian sotilashallitusta kohtaan ja nimi Zombie viittaa kovaotteisesti hallitusta palvelleisiin sotilaisiin. Levyn julkaisun jälkimainingeissa Kalakutan tasavallaksi kutsuttu Fela Kutin kotileiri jyrättiin matalaksi valtavassa sotilaiden ratsiassa. Loistavia biisejä nämä, mainioita muusikoita ja hyvää meininkiä vakavasta aiheesta huolimatta. Ostan varmuudella cd:n hyllyyni, mikäli tulee vastaan.

I remember watching a documentary on Fela Kuti a few years back and was fascinated by his life, struggles and activism. While the music he and Afrika 70 made was incredible without this knowledge, it definitely didn’t hurt to have some backstory. For me Fela’s music makes for inspired background listening but I find myself stopping what I’m doing and admiring whatever groove the band gets stuck on, it’s hypnotizing. Glad to revisit this one.

I'm not a connoisseur by any means, but anytime an African jazz or afrobeat song has filtered its way to me, there's like a 90% chance I really enjoy it. And I enjoyed this album. I'm always going on about how I wish more pop music had horns, and again this album made me have that thought. The songs were quite long, but I was vibing to the instrumentals. The singing, well, I didn't understand much of what was said, so I can't really comment on the lyrical comment. I would have been happy with just all instrumental. Also, after this album ended, Spotify began playing similar music from other artists, and I have to say that I liked some of them even better. So is Fela the best in this genre? Was he the first? Or was he the most important because of his political activism? Either way, glad to have listened to this today and been reminded about this cool genre.

Imagine creating such an anti-government/military album that you get yourself severely beaten and your mother killed as a result, all while pioneering the Afrobeat genre into popularity. Reading the background of this album and immediate aftermath was eye-opening to say the least. Fela Kuti was one of a kind, standing in the face of corruption from the Nigerian government and military complex, sharing his views via a music genre in which he largely created. Just goes to show you how powerful music can be as a weapon, commanding everyone's attention whether they want to hear the message or not.

Energetic african jazz. I wanted more, it was too short. Stand-out: Zombie

Solid afrobeat (of the better kind)

All about the energy. The rhythms pull you in, and the beats are so infectious you can’t help but move. The horns are loud and proud, giving it a funky vibe that reminds me of something James Brown might have done, but with a sharper edge. It’s bold, it’s powerful, and it’s got a rebellious streak that makes it stand out.

Really enjoyed this despite it not being what I’m really into and the songs being pretty long.

Odd album art but good tunes.

Ascoltare Fela Kuti é sempre un'esperienza religiosa, sciamanica. Questo disco é inoltre carico di istanze sociali e politiche. Profondo, intenso, pieno di trasporto, da vivere più che da ascoltare.

very good

Of the four Fela records I've heard, this one is pretty easily my favorite. I can occasionally struggle with the Afrobeat repetition as well if I'm not in the mood for it, but both of these songs feature more than enough moving melodic parts to "offset" it. The passion in his voice is quite striking as well; I can see this one growing on me if my appreciation for the genre grows a bit. 4/5

This is a cool vibe throughout.

Pretty lively and fun. Nothing beats a good horn section

Great album. One i have.

Pochi di questi generi sono tra i miei preferiti ma questo album è riuscito a essere appassionante e ad avere un grande messaggio. Chapeau

Really fun sound. Really sad to hear what happened after this album was released.

This is the kind of album I'd love to make if I had a modicum of talent

So fun and so full of life. This album is a treasure!

3.8 - Yeah I enjoyed a lot of this but I think I wanted more and less of the same. Tracks were too long and could have been more concise.

Really good, would only like it to be a little more diverse across the runtime. 4.2/5

Very nice!

It's a good album, and I learned something about Kuti in the process. I never knew his political leanings and fight for non-military rule in Nigeria. Music-wise, some really great afro-beat. 4/5!

try not to shake yo ass

It's albums like this one that I was hoping to find through this site A very enjoyable album and an even more interesting wiki to go with it! A good find! 4 ⭐️

Zombie is a studio album by Fela Kuti, originally released in 1976. I just recently got another Fela album from this list, the one with Ginger Baker. That album was all live tracks, so I was interested in how they would fair in a studio setting. I think this record in particular represents their live act well. There are 4 tracks on here: clocking in at over 10 mins each. The band is exquisite. They commonly go into these funky and soulful jams not unlike The MGs. Fela’s lyrics are more on the political side here. They mostly deal with the military and how they are built to “shut up and take commands”. It wasn’t surprising to hear that Fela’s commune was raided by military before this album was recorded. The live track at the end was a surprise. Can’t go wrong with Fela live. The band is tight and energetic. I’d love to travel back in time to visit a gig.

This is going to become a regular for summer bbqs in the garden. Fantastic.

Yeah this is excellent. Truly great listen.

Afrobeat. I liked this better than Live! There's so much energy and passion, infectious. Should listen to more of them. 4/5

Honestly was gonna give it a 3 cause it didn’t hit too hard for me, but I feel the insane lyricism and influence give it that deserved 4.

I’m just not an instrumental guy. On that note. This album sounds like the Superfly soundtrack if it had a sequel. Funky jazz? Is that what a person would call it? This album is short. Just enough for me to listen all the way through , which must be a record for how long I’ve listened to music with no words. Decent Choice cut: Mr. Follow Follow

-yes!! yes!! finally a jazz / jazz-adjacent album! The guitar is splendid -Apparently the guy who made this had his mom killed because of the social commentary?? The Nigerian Hail To The Thief -Favorite is Zombie

4.0

This shit’s cool as hell

Just a fun, groovy album. Pretty sure I enjoyed previous album(s) by Fela Kuti also! 4.5

Every instrument pulsates with so much life

Finally, a jazz (or ‘afro beat American jazz’ or something) album that I actually enjoyed! I think the backing rhythms and intensity really drive the songs and add the excitement (and temper the jazzy trumpets), compared to some of the slower ploddy ‘jazz classics’ we get on this list in which the backing bands are key but not the major player in the mix. After my hearty approval of Songhoy Blues, it appears west coast African tunes are the unexpected way to go for me!

Wow, I should have listened to this years ago. 1970s in west Africa was a crazy time and zombie sums it up. Amazing track and I might put it on most mornings. Didn't realise political repercussions of the record. More afrobeats for me please.

This album left me wanting more. I loved the rhythms, the brass/sax and the rhythms - since there were often more than one at a time.

This album rocks; the context behind it all is suoer crazy too

Very good! Not what I was expecting but pleasantly surprised by the whole thing.

✊🏿 🖕🏿🐖 🧨🕺🏿🎉

Funky! I guess it was ok. It was fun to listen to though. I guess it’s cool.

Really liked! Loved having nice long tracks that have enough length to develop as you listen. Also can't ignore the backstory of the artist and album

Incredibly interesting reading about Fela Kuti’s story. Really loved the album and I’m glad to have discovered it here!

Now **this** is some damn good shit. I'm not sure what I expected out of it besides political commentary and criticisms I wouldn't 100% understand (and maybe I still should, though it's maybe a little too late for that), but this funk/jazz Afrobeat thing it's got going on it just amazing. I hardly even mind the fact it's made up of two tracks each nearly 13-minute; they're just that enjoyable to listen to. I don't even have a proper closer for this little paragraph excpept to repeat myself: this is **damn** good shit.

Groovy as hell world music. Great but not much to say on it.

Since this is obviously Fela Kuti’s most well-known and revered album, it makes sense that it was my gateway to his music. All I know is that you don’t necessarily have to be a zombie to be a soldier, but it seems to be the way it works out for most people. Whereas Shakespeare once wrote, “the tongues of mocking wenches are as keen as is the razor's edge invisible,” in this case, it’s the tongue (and saxophone) of a different kind of bard that cut and thus infuriated an entire army.

Fela made the first booty shaking diss track and it was directed towards the military industrial complex we have no choice but to stan

Sick

BEL-LIS-SI-MO. un concentrato di jazz e funk, ma soprattutto: rivendicazione sociale!!! il sito dice che questo album è praticamente un dito medio al governo nigeriano e che potrebbe essere la causa per la quale la madre di Fela Kuti è stata assassinata. non mi sono annoiata manco per un secondo, e i cojones che ci vogliono a fare un tale album di denuncia vanno premiati.

Non mi ero soffermato sui testi, grave errore

Pochi di questi generi sono tra i miei preferiti ma questo album è riuscito a essere appassionante e ad avere un grande messaggio. Chapeau

A very fun and groovy album. This is probably my favorite album from Africa so far from this list. Some sections could be trimmed a little, but overall a very enjoyable album.

New to me, interesting, and cool. Repetitive, yes, but I was feeling it.

Never heard of this artist before, very cool fusion of soul and jazz. Not my normal musical choice - not much on this list is - but I enjoyed it.

Ég var mjög hrifinn af þessari plötu. Ég mun pottþétt setja hana aftur á og hlusta oft og mörgum sinnum á hana. Ég myndi gefa henni fjórar og hálfa stjörnu ef ég gæti af því að mér finnst ég þurfa nokkrar hlustanir í viðbót til að komast upp í 5 en þetta var barasta mjög gott stöff.

When I started the record immediately thought “I’m not in the mood for this kind of record” but then I was.

So rhythmically pleasing. Overall a really enjoyable album. His bio was a good read as well

Brand new genre to me in afrobeats. Very groovy and an enjoyable listen

Fela Kuti at one of his peaks

Liked this quite a bit better than the other Fela Kuti album I got, which I did still enjoy. This was one great and I found the music to be more engaging. Overall a really solid album.

I’ve always admired that Fela Kuti spoke truth to the political situation in his native Nigeria, regardless of the personal cost. By expertly combining African and American musical styles, be compelled people to listen and made a difference.

You know how Drake and Kendrick are creating diss tracks? Now imagine if you wrote one about a whole government and they came and burned down ur house. What a bad ass

Would have never known about this group or this album but so enjoyed their entire vibe and this record.

Rage Against the Nigerian Machine's version of "fuck you I won't do what you tell me". Great listen, very funky blend of jazzy afrobeat sounds that I never would have been exposed to without this generator. on top of that, background story to this on the wikipedia page is a trip (Being attacked by soldiers in retribution, them murdering his mother by throwing her out a window , him taking 27 wives and rotating them, etc)

Infectious, dramatic and challenging. Another first time listen, and the first of many more

Enjoyed the horns, culture of the album.

One of the great things about the 1001 albums list is just how much great jazz is on here that I would have never heard about otherwise.

Je connaissais Fela Kuti notamment grâce à Expensive Shit. Zombie est une agréable découverte, un album dans lequel on se glisse facilement, peut-être parce qu'il sonne vraiment très actuel. Mélange de musiques jazz, soul, funk, nigérianes : il est l'incarnation de l'afrobeat. L'écoute gagne en intensité une fois qu'on connaît le message véhiculé et la répression qui en a suivi. L'énergie qui se dégage de l'album est paradoxalement joyeusement contestataire. C'est entraînant, rythmé, dansant, au final assez éloigné de l'image qu'on pourrait se faire fait d'un chant de révolte... et pourtant les paroles sont sans équivoque ! J'ai définitivement mieux saisi l'aura particulière qui enveloppe Fela Kuti grâce à Zombie.

Sad about his mother fr

Zombie is a great, great tune. All-time classic. The rest of the record is very good but not as compelling. Recommend looking for video of a live performance of this era - tunes like Zombie make more sense when you can see what's going on.

This album gave me a huge burst of energy and picked up my mood despite its critical, political content. I love his rhythms and orchestrations and general vibe here though I like his live album with Ginger Baker more.

Pretty solid album. The songs are quite long so it’s pretty much only good for full album listening. I like the jazzy instrumentals but the vocals weren’t my favorite. The backstory of the album is incredible.

Nice Jazz album.

Solid.

Phenomenal album

Very nice vibe, sound, performance. Really enjoyed working to it.

4.5

Album 401 of 1001 Fela Kuti - Zombie Rating : 4 / 5 Great album. Jazz, Funk, Soul. Has a bit of everything. ------------------- "Zombie is a studio album by Nigerian Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti. It was released in Nigeria by Coconut Records in 1976, and in the United Kingdom by Creole Records in 1977.The album criticized the Nigerian government; and it is thought to have resulted in the murder of Kuti's mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and the destruction of his commune by the military."

Funky beat. Got me dancing. Wouldve been 5 stars but dragged just a little bit in places so I'm rating 4.

Songs are groovy, instrumentation is good and musicians are all talented and then message is cool, but the songs are waaayyy too long. 13 minutes a song is crazy and there’s no developmental reason for it, the songs just kind of loop with solos. It makes sense in a live setting and the live song has that energy but it doesn’t translate well to recordings in my opinion. It doesn’t feel like it’s expressing any sort of pain or anger with the message, more like trying to convey the message in a fun, digestible way. It’s like here’s some groovy afrobeat and also the Nigerian government sucks. Also crazy that they allegedly killed his mom over it.

Passionate, furious, powerful. Anytime music can upset an authoritarian regime, you know it's good. Sadly still relevant lyrics, plenty of zombies running things and inflicting terror everywhere. The musicianship is excellent as well

The title track is 13 minutes long. Sounds great, with the early instrumentals reminding me a little bit of something that would be in the background in a heist movie. Overall the album sounds great and very impactful lyrics. 4

Some excellent Jazz beats.

super catchy afrobeat jazz fusion that is trumpet heavy and has elements of vocal lines that repeat and build. Strong african tribal influences and social commentary in song titles and in the lines. Feels very influential to a band like SAULT.

Pretty dope, I feel like I've heard some afrobeat in the past and felt meh on it. But this is the real stuff! A protest album with dire consequences.

Trumpets

This is a trip, the story behind it and the aftermath of it is wild, critique of military juntas and politically motivated deaths aside, this album is a straight up party groove. It's a strange juxtapose to be reading the wikipedia entries on the album and, indeed, Fela Kuti's life while chair boogieing to the beats they laid down.

African jazz

dope

New appreciation for his music.

This is Fela Kuti’s magnum opus: an absolutely scathing political piece which criticizes not just the Nigerian military junta but also the individuals who become soldiers and commit atrocities on behalf of their superiors. Where most anti-war protest songs you hear by American artists criticize the leaders without going so far as to criticize the individual soldiers, Kuti goes all in on pissing off the soldiers who mindlessly follow orders (aka “Zombie” or “Mr. Follow-Follow”). The story behind this album is also crazy: Kuti had a large compound (which he called a Republic) within Lagos which housed his family and musical entourage, and contained homes, recording studios, and a health clinic. After the release of this album, the Nigerian military raided his compound, destroyed almost everything, and brutally injured many of the people there, including Kuti’s mother who died from these wounds. The Nigerian military government then declared these acts as committed by an “unknown soldier”, really just playing into exactly what Kuti was criticizing. Anyway, it feels weird to dance to music that’s so angry, but the music is also just so funky that it’s hard not to at least bop your head.

Awesome uptempo afrobeat

Politically charged, yet makes me wanna party.

The Nigerian government threw his mum out of a video because this vibed so hard. Simpsons: No

Started off loving the vibes but got bored by the end of the album. Luckily for Fela Kuti, Rozza pointed out that the original album release was just the first two tracks, not the two live tracks. Therefore I'll rate it off these. He's also a mad geezer who deserves some stars for that.

Fantastic album with a great groove. Love everything I've heard from Fela Kuti so far. I also dig an album with only 4 tracks but each are over 10 mins. This is my favorite from Kuti so far.

Oooh. This one took me by surprise. I feel like I was introduced to something I didn't know existed, but feel right at home with like it's always been in my listening rotation.

What a record! I loved this. Its progressive and aggressive, but also so smooth and flowy. The jams / reggae / rock roots are so rad. Super fun to listen to. I'm by no means an expert on AfroBeats, but this one has been one of my favs so far. It has the power of Bob Marley, but totally different style of music. Its really fluid and engaging.

This would be a 2.5 because I never really got into afrobeats and the songs are pretty long and repetitive. But this is a big political album agaisnt the nigerian government that resulted in the military persecuting them and killing his mother so im giving 4 as a political message and concept album

Groovy for my macaroni 😎

This is another example of finding a gem on this list. I have never heard of this album before or even heard of Fela Kuti before. This is a great listen. Jazzy and political, I listened to the version with bonus tracks. I will be listening to this again and checking out his catalog.

Very rhythmic. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The whole thing seems like a complete.

Boppin'.

Et af de meget få albums, der bør være på listen uanset kvaliteten - heldigvis er den stadig fed! Håber ikke, det bliver det eneste album med Fela Kuti, vi får med

Ekstremt groovy og catchy, god jazz energi!

Can’t say I’ve ever listened to Afrobeat before, but pleasantly surprised. Easy to listen to and like the lulling pace of the songs. Very pleasant.

Protest music comes in many forms-I guess there’s something in the song ‘Zombie’ that pissed off the Nigerian government, obviously lyrically-but I’m not sure I personally could be upset if more than half the song is an instrumental jam BEFORE the vocals even appear. I’d be like, “Damn, alright, this is fire instrumentally, so you’ve earned the right to cook me.”

Pleasantly surprised by this record. I had heard of the artist before but hadn't listened to anything from them.

Badass...such a moving and eclectic way to stick it to oppressive government powers. I wish it was longer and want to listen to "Gentleman" next.

I really enjoyed this, way more than I thought I would. (Even though my daughter said it sounded like a middle school band tuning up) Anyway, you should read this dude's Wikipedia entry, it's wild.

Had me bopping in my chair. I'd always heard of Fela Kuti but I don't think I'd listened before.

Great Afrobeat jams. All of the tracks are great!

It has pretty long intros but a really groovy beat. Everything is mixed really well. I love the call and response in the song. It has a very reggae feel to it but also a tiny bit of a jazz feel with the saxophone and how the instruments work off each other. A good album to just have playing in the background

Gives me some Chicago/Da’Jen eats vibes. Makes me feel like I’m on a vacation. I like the instrumental. Definitely admire the off beats in the percussion. I like the sax and trumpet vibe. Observation No Crime is my favorite.

Listened to this album while on a bike ride and the vibes were good

All of Fela's stuff is great. Just high energy, and fun! Zombie is a distinctive song, but the rest blurs together... though not in a particularly bad way.

Wow this is a super cool surprise! Exciting and mellow at the same time. Lots of horns and shakers and stuff to compliment the regular 'guitar' combo sound. Tons of improvisation. It's got that Caribbean/reggae feel, but also very rock/drum and bass. Never heard of this before today but really enjoyed it.

Gut zum mitwippen.

Wow, this album has some serious funky grooves and great horns. Well worth a dedicated listen.

Never has frightening apocalyptic doom sounded like the greatest street party ever thrown. The rhythm and the groove is so driving, so infectious and irresistible, it’s easy to see why Fela Kuti called the instant-classic opening track “Zombie,” even if he meant something else about power other than the musical kind. There’s a lot going on and the percussion and drums alone would be an Afrobeat master class. It all works together—every part sounds necessary, like blood, lungs, heart, and bones working together to make sure the listener will never become a titular zombie. It’s easy to hear why Fela’s music sounds like one-stop shopping for the casual Afrobeat curious.

This is groovy. I love the rhythms

Funky music with a deep political message. This is not the kind of music I usually enjoy listening to but that was great! Really enjoyed the songs and I have so much respect for that guy!

I liked it. The unisono parts of brass and horns hat a certain power to it and all in all it was really groovy. Nice protest songs and quite impossible to ignore.

Love the energy. Low 4.

Fantastically enjoyable music.

Sharp, muscular, jazzy funk music. Didn’t totally understand the messaging but definitely felt the music. A really solid and quick album (without the CD tracks). Best song: Zombie

Really enjoyed this. It felt like the bridge between blues and late-70s funk. Trombone Shorty must have listened to this as a kid!

Definitely a “Vibe” & “mood” listen. I really enjoy it and I added this album to a playlist for having friends over for drinks and to chill!

Classic

Die Bläserensemble gefallen und der jazzige Mix mit den Afroelementen ist eine echte Entdeckung.

It's a solid jazz. Not memorable but it's good. Good performances, good recording, good production. Strong 6/10

Reading the Wikipedia article about this album and Fela Kuti was a trip. It is crazy to think that this album inspired the government to raid Fela Kuti's commune and beat the shit out of him (and kill his mother). Also crazy, that he married 27 women a year after. But its easy to get distracted by these details, this is an important album from a musician that essentially create their own genre. Definitely important in musical history, it's also got some great grooves. I generally only review the original album tracks and skip any CD/reissue bonus material - it's funny in cases where the album consists of only two tracks. These are some jams though, so settle in. Some people might find the repetitive and extended grooves boring, but there is so much going on, and the rhythms draw you in its almost impossible not to move your body.

Love. Groovy. Reminded me a lot of dad!

Absolutely loved the first half of this. The second half is nice, but settles into its grooves more in a way that makes it less compelling.

It's a very tightly packed and delightful 70s Afrobeat album. The funk elements certainly stick out more I'd say with groovy bass and horn lines dominating the entire forefront of the mix. Fela's vocals on this album alongside his share of backing vocals work only to add to this album's firey pace. The title track is likely the best example of this with an almost call-and-response chorus, utilizing the imagery of zombies to describe the Nigerian military at the time. They're also just insanely catchy. This album is filled with politically charged commentary (primarily relating to Nigeria), as indicated by this album cover. The following two songs on here establish two other fantastic grooves. The layers of horns at the beginning of "Mr. Follow Follow" are pleasant and I appreciate the slower pace this track takes in particular. Even the closer "Observation No Crime" is a slower track. A small thing, but I like the grandiose closing seconds of this song. While I do think the funk and jazz elements of this album stand in the foreground, with solos and brassy horn sections taking the lead, the afro-inspired percussion is certainly noticeable when establishing these standout tribal grooves. It is a solid record overall if a bit boilerplate and repetitive at times. The fundamentals, lyrical themes, and overall mood established here are still top-tier and the performances are great.

Spectacular rhythm

It really takes its time for every single song

This album is what I've been missing from the other Jazz on this list. It's rhythmic and moving in a way that a lot of other jazz isn't. Definitely my favorite of the genre so far. Best Songs: Zombie Worst Songs: NA

extremely sick album, bio on the guy/ band is wild, 5 for the impact historically and the fact that it fucks severely, unfortunately i do not have the constitution to handle 7 min instrumental jam sesh before they then go to lyrics so personal 4.5. made me less annoyed about bands/ groups that r 10 million fucking artists

Escucha la ste disco y luego di "me gusta el jazz etíope". La gente en la oficina te mirará raro, pero habrás ganado la medalla de cultureta. Por otro lado, es un discazo que sigo escuchando habitualmente.

Really enjoyed this album

Really dope jazz record, will listen again

Schönes Funk\Jazz Album

Jazzy! I really enjoyed this new album.

cool groovy tunes

Oooooooo....immediately funky! I can vibe to this. Feels like a great driving album.

Very soulful, trump wouldnt aprove

A Nigerian man with BBC and 27 wives making an album out of spite for his local government and army… this is my type of shit

Nice music on this one

This was very catchy for protest music.

Good, but probably not kill-your-mother-burn-your-house-down good.

Very cool, and the kind of thing I started this project to find. Way more accessible and enjoyable than I expected, and the story and background is fascinating too. Not sure I'm going to come back for another listen for a while, but it's very impressive nonetheless. 06/02/24

While Johnny Rotten is claiming to be an antichrist living in a facsist regime here we have Fela Kuti actually standing up to a horrifically corrupt government and paying a huge price. The music is jazzy and funky but the attitude is punk as fuck.

4 tracks that take you on an Afro-jazz journey, beautiful percussion, immersive horn section. And finished with the live track that is the icing on the cake.

Dug this big time, lazy reviews on the catch up sorry bout it

Not my favourite Fela record I have heard but all the style and appeal is here in spades. Passionate music that can also be enjoyed in a blissful relaxation kind of way - works in every way it attempts to. Fave track: Mr. Follow Follow

This can be playing all day. Fun, rhythmic, catchy, energetic, good times. One of the best to do it in his genre. Fave track: Zombie

Great Album, nice to hear

Loved it. This kind of jazz is more palatable for me than that Miles Davis album.

I recently attended a performance by an Afro-Caribbean brass band during which the band leader explained the history of that style of music. Brass instruments had been introduced to most corners of the world as part of military bands and had come to represent oppression and colonialism (redundant, I know). So by co-opting those instruments, musical styles like this, ska, rocksteady, and reggae all came to represent freedom and independence more so than just a laid-back “island” sound. I had never really thought of it in that way before, and will never look at it the same way again. I really enjoyed this album.

-I noticed a bit of a James Brown style. He could possibly be an influence -the rhythmic drone is mad bopping

Dead good 🧟

Fun rhythm, taking their time with every song.

Didn't really listen to him before. Good dance music!!!

Hmm schwierig. Interessante Musik, gefällt mir, aber vielleicht zu aufregend zum öfter hören. Ich würde gern 5 Punkte vergeben, aber es bleibt bei 4.

Fantastic Nigerian afrobeat from mid 70s - crazy history of the album and how it's release impacted fela's personal life

Woah!!! This is cool!!

Nice jazz with crazy history

Really enjoyed it. Zombie, especially.

Throw down your troubles and dance your way to freedom! Funky, political, and new-to-me. This is the kind of album I'm here to hear. Favourite songs: Zombie, Mr. Fellow Fellow

I liked it, it was a genre I've not really listened to in the past.

Fantastiskt!

Zombie is the best song which I already listen to. Even with only 4 songs on the album it's easy to see the pattern. Jam out some Jazz for 20 minutes then do some standard lyrics and chorus for the last 5 minutes Enjoyable but nothing new that hooked me

Even without knowing about the political element of this album, it remains just solid. Super fun and bright all the way through, definitely would play again and I might send it to some friends.

Immediately made me think of Donald Glovers Guave Island after reading the reviews and the political message around it. Fela Kuti. Would love to hear this live. Also interested on why the songs were so long? Is this the music genre? Still the length of an album just much longer in terms of songs.

Good album. Fun beats, great flow. Will re-listen.

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

great record

An iconic African musician.

Quite cool music - I like it.

Solid!

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

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

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

Deliciously groovy. Fela Kuti has a well earned reputation.