Zombie

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

Great album did not expect that jazz sound. Beautiful

Interesting

Some decent jazz. Fun and different.

Some of it was good

Jazzova.

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

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

Meh

Cool vibe

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

fajny afrykanski jazz xd

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

африканский джаз! прикол

Quite liked this. 3.5

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

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

c'est du jazz mais exotique un peu

Groovieee

Liked it but didn’t jump out to me

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

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

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

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

6/10

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

Nigerian afrobeat, criticized government Zombie

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

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

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

Fun but I cannot digest 12 minute songs

ayt

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

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

This felt jazzy and fun. 3.5/5

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

Cool sound, not my style for so long

Solid enough

A good album but no real standout songs.

3.5

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

Never would have checked this out. Pretty good.

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

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

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

Probably great if you enjoy Jazz.

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

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

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

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

Jazzy and long

Afrobeat is cool!

Whole ass meal and more

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

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

Groove awesome but politically a bit challenging

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

Really fun, just not my style

The instrumentals are good and are especially great on the title track "Zombie". My only complaint about them is the weird electric keyboard (organ?) on the track "Mistake". The vocals aren't bad, but they're definitely the weakest part of the album. The two bonus tracks "Observation is No Crime" and "Mistake" are not as good as the original. They're still decent though.

Throwback to high school academic decathlon - really good music that doesn’t feel as long as it is.

If I could give this negative stars I would

AfroJazz. Protest. Long jam session can be too long. And someone mentioned he had 27 wives? Listened before? N Saved tracks? N ⭐⭐⭐🥱 3 stars and a yawn

I enjoyed this more than the love album. It’s like tribal African jazz. Will totally revisit.

Nice background. Pretty good for jazz and idk what they called it but better than most like this. More interesting

I'm sure it's really wonderful but it's not for me.

A great listen. Propulsive and fun (even if it was a protest album). Would happily return to it, even if that doesn't seem too likely for me.

Mielenkiintoista uutta kuultavaa. Auktoriteettivastaista musiikkia.

Interesting sound on this, not quite jazz but really fun. I dont hate it.

I was apprehensive about this one after seeing it was 53 minutes over just 4 tracks, but it landed much better than I expected. I didn't love it, but it was not hard to get through. It might even be good if you like jazz. 3.3

3.0 RYM

I was not looking forward to this one but was pleasently surprised by it. Fun, groovy album to have on in the background. Reading about the history of the album and governmental response makes me like it even more. He had to have known this would cause an uproar but he did it anyway, risking his family and friends lives. There’s nothing more punk rock than that.

Just discovered him this past year. Some really cool stuff.

Now I know where Talking Heads got a chunk of their inspiration. The best feature of this music is the willingness to find a groove and just sit in it and explore. I found this to be a good listen. I'm not much of a fan of angry political music. But, in this case, I make an exception.

Not bad.

Was unfamiliar with this artist and genre (Afrobeat). Looked him up on google and found out the guy had 27 wives that were all members of his commune. “After the devastating army attack on his Kalakuta Republic, marrying the women offered them legal and social protection from police harassment and false kidnapping accusations.” The guy lived one hell of a life and advocated for human rights so that makes him cool in my book. Music wise this is the longest album this has generated, 53 minutes spanning over only 4 songs. Very danceable but easy listening. Lively. Loved when the words would come in with the almost call and response chorus. Sounds like community and culture. Fav track was the title track, loved the live element of Mistake as well. Not a huge jazz listener but I respect it, and the rhythm of this is undeniable and kind of addicting.

Dritlættis grom musikk. Skikkelig smittende rytmer, perfekt på en soldag på jobb!

I reviewed Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker’s Live! album exactly 901 albums ago. As someone who came into this project completely ignorant of Fela, and not very knowledgeable about African music in general, I didn’t have many strong opinions on that album, other than the fact that I enjoyed listening to it, and I gave it four stars. I have a good idea of what to expect from this album, and as luck would have it, I listened to an episode of Radiolab a couple of weeks ago that talked about Fela and his venue The Shrine, so I feel like I have some extra insight to add to my experience this time. Overall, I thought Zombie was a good album. I enjoyed how these songs utilized the same structure to draw the listener in: a long instrumental introduction, followed by the lyrical message of the song. I thought this structure was pretty effective for the messages that Fela was trying to convey on each song. The lyrics were really great, and I felt like it put into perspective the things Fela and his fellow Nigerians were seeing and dealing with while living under an oppressive regime. Musically, while I appreciate what Fela was trying to achieve with his long introductions on each song, I found myself a bit bored at times on these songs. I’m sure that when Fela played these songs live at The Shrine it was a totally different experience, but for me, listening to it on an LP got a bit stale at times. Some notes on a few of the individual songs: I liked the guitar groove on “Zombie.” That groove was really infectious, and it really hooked me in immediately. The horns were great too, and I loved the militaristic call and response of the vocals and backing vocals. The reveille at the end was a really great touch too, just to add an extra jab at Nigeria’s government. “Mr. Follow Follow” really kept up with the Zombie theme of the lyrics, which I really liked. There was a rhythm to the music that pulled me in here as well, but not in a dance-like energetic way like the title track. I liked that “Zombie” was more of a call to action lyrically and musically, whereas this song was more of a direct social criticism of people who went along with the things that Nigeria’s government was doing. I really lided that piano/keyboard part towards the end too. I loved that keyboard intro on “Mistake,” and Fela’s vocals sounded really good here too. The live aspect of this song really conveys the energy that the whole album was trying to achieve, and this song made me wish the whole album had been live. This song brought the album full circle for me, in terms of energy. I think that Zombie is an incredibly important album in terms of its historical impact, and the influence it had on other musicians, but listening to it was a bit of a chore at times. But from a cultural and historical standpoint, Zombie is definitely worth a listen.

There’s a lot to get your head around when reading the biography of Fela Kuti. The sexiest son of a legendary Nigerian feminist, born into a family of notable polymaths and even a Nobel laureate, raised under the ambition of medical practice, serially unable to accept things happening to him and so entirely self-directed toward a career as a musician. A literal military attack was sanctioned by the Nigerian government in response to this record. The thousand soldier strong attack on Kuti’s compound resulted in his mother’s murder, dying from injuries sustained while being defenestrated by the “Zombie” soldiers her son had so recently, and so funkily – I don’t mean to be glib here, but it’s a worthy paradox to observe – ridiculed. The music here is a special brew of influences, but distinctly Kuti. In that sense, Zombie runs parallel with Kuti’s biography – a global citizen with a dream for elevating Africa’s role in the world. I enjoyed this album. It’s a teasing (cajoling, if you’re the then military government) proposition, full of blasts of horns that ricochet around the rhythms like … well, you know. As protest songs go, these are surely among the most successful.

not exactly my vibe, but a pretty good vibe!

without this record, we have 1) no afrobeat, and 2) significantly less jazz fusion overall. My incredibly lukewarm take is that you can just listen to the title track and be done, but as far as jazz fusion is concerned, this is really quite good. There’s *so* much miles Davis influence here it’s nuts. If we’re not gonna pull an actual miles Davis record (I think or at least hope Bitches Brew is on here?), this is I guess a reasonable substitute jazz is my favorite genre so part of this rating is influenced by my desperation to get a real jazz album soon. still, even though i really do like it, i don't know how often i'd put this one on by choice. i feel it requires a specific mood.

The story surrounding this album is wild and it absolutely heightened the listening experience. Without it, I don't know that I would've listened to this outside of The List existing. But with it, I was locked in. Being a sub-30 minute album made this easier as well. I liked the music as well. It's definitely not the kind of music I would typically listen to. But I had a good time. I'm probably not listening to it again unless the very specific vibe required has been met.

nice. sounds like he might have been misogynist?

Better than Live!, but much of it sounds like falling down the stairs with a load of drums strapped to his back. Seems he was a weird chap.

Like solid album, don't get me wrong. The original issue has two 12-minute songs on it, which like. 24 minutes is short. Plus it's good world music and vocals, but to me at least, didn't exceed the "decent sounding enough, not bad, nothing great" 3 star stage.

Kind of like jazz but way more upbeat and fun

Such a tasty-looking zombie, yum.

Not as compelling as the self-titled album earlier on the list from Fela Kuti; I think the titular track is still the winner here. Insane to read the Wikipedia page on this album while listening. The impact it had just feels so decoupled from the content itself. Certainly makes me feel appreciative of the freedom art has in the west.

Greta reggae grooves!

An extra point for the 27 wives...

African jazz fusion that was written in protest of the Nigerian military government. It was fine, good beats and instrument work. Album was only two songs long (20 mins total), so it didn’t overstay its welcome. 3/5

De ersti track sehr nervig. überfüllte unruhige funky song. Aber de zweit isch smooth as fuck. Funky mit chli reggae und african instrumental gmixt. Vlt gib es 3.

This isn't really my jam, but tough to deny the talent.

It got repetitive and annoying after a point. Likely just not my style

I mean personally I don't think I would every listen and like go out of my way to listen to an album like this, but it was still super enjoyable. I think the fun music throughout with the vibrant energy and the live track played into the enjoyment a lot. I felt myself humming along or bouncing with the loud trumpets and drums. Really solid.

A good album, a toe tapper. Not a great album, a hip swinger.

This was very good. I dont know if there is a different version I was supposed to listen to, but this one was an EP with two tracks a long and short version of the Zombie song. Either way very good song. Looking into the history of the song, everything about it is crazy!

The meaning and history of this album alone are incredible. Jazz is the kind of music which give me thoughts of 'I should maybe listen to this in my free time in the background more often' when I hear in a cafe or bar, but never do. I kind of had the same feeling with this album. Now, I do agree with some reviews saying that the songs are a little too long and you can probably shave off the first and last couple of minutes from the songs. Yes, it is very nice to listen to, but at some point it just gets repetitive and gets drowned out in my head, so to speak. The parts with lyrics I liked (I might have a bias to political music, and this hits hard). Would not hate listening to this more often but would rarely select this album to play when I need to decide what to listen to. Normally I would hesitate giving this a 3 and maybe give it a 2 but the meaning behind it makes me give it a solid 3.

3.4 Not my usual cup of tea but I can appreciate it. First track was the stand out one, saved it down to a playlist. The rest I thought were a bit less interesting, but not bad.

Sadly, I couldn't hang with this. I really liked the other Fela album (Live! w/Ginger Baker), but here... I honestly don't understand what he was thinking tonally with his saxophone playing. The grooves are great and obviously, this is a historically important album. I'll take it as my own failing and give it a 3 and maybe revisit this in the future, perhaps it just hit me at an off moment.

The history of this album is super interesting, and I enjoyed the sound enough, but it was a pretty passive listen for me. The jazz sections were really long and sort of went in one ear out the other. Still cool to listen to though.

Really good and unique. Just the right amount of vocals for this genre.

It’s alright but good to see this album on here

Jazz.... Was really good but 30 mins was too much would revisit though

Appreciate everything that's happening on this album, the story is killer; just kinda died outs towards the end. Zombie is a straight banger of a track. If you can find it somewhere Monkey Banana is solid. Would much rather listen to The Best of Black President 1/2 Had a blast and appreciate this was recommended. 3/5 stars

Fun and lively. ★★★

Pretty chill and relaxing to listen to.

Very interesting jazz album. Every song is like 10+ minutes but it’s able to keep you hooked through out the whole album. Now it wasn’t anything too crazy but I did thoroughly enjoy this and think it does deserve a spot on this list. I wouldn’t say this was the best jazz project I’ve heard but it was still great with insane instrumental in your ears for an hour and just lifting my mood. This is right up my alley so I’m giving it a 7.7/10 3.8/5

3.5

É um disco muito importante e cheio de camadas musicais. Experiência interessante. QoA Vesper.

Enjoyable.

Decent

Zombie oh Zombie!! Nigerian party music!! Pretty fun

not bad but a bit boring

Fela Kuti has made his way onto many of my jazzy playlists. I ended up listening to this album all day, turns out it’s a great soundtrack for being lost in thought as you scurry through New York. I want to give this a 4 because I feel Fela Kuti was such a revolutionary man in both his politics and his sound, paving the way for afrobeats and so many future artists. You can hear it on Zombie, but the whole album as a package didn’t make me want to add the songs to my playlists. So. Gonna go listen to more of his other work today (the Los Angeles sessions!) Side note: so much good music has come out lately it’s been hard to be motivated to keep up with this. But doing my best 🫡

Fun jazz record. Some slip ups, but a good change of pace

Its okay. Kinda generic music that would play in a restaurant.

Not bad!

Solid

Wasn’t bad, not my style

OK

So my biggest gripe with this album is the songs have a lot of buildup. Sometimes it takes up to 4 minutes for the song to hit its stride. I always struggle with aggressively repetitive music, which typically only is a problem for electronic dance music. That being said once the songs got going, they were GOING. Super fun and kind spirited, this would be the type of jazz I’d put on to try and get a younger kid into jazz. This is much more fun and accessible as opposed to like a traditional sounding jazz band like Bill Evans Trio (which coincidentally was the album I got before this one, which also highlighted how much funkier and sillier this is than regular jazz. Definitely check this out if you struggle with most jazz artists, I think this is much more fun and accessible than most traditional jazz artists.

This is fine. Again, I don't feel genre-qualified to rate it above or below a . . .

Okay, but not great. Don’t know the genre much.

3.5/5 - Enjoyed the listen, but this didn't grab me quite as much as the first Fela Kuti that came up on this list. Probably more my mood than anything. Still this is full of fun grooves, and I'm a fan of the sound.

What is the substantial difference between this collection of distended grooves and those on the Eric Burdon album we listened to a few months ago? The Burdon record was a studio indulgence, a project; this sounds like the document of something that was happening, whether the tape was rolling or not. There is a world and a culture that exists beyond the LP, and though it may be exhausting on record, it is also sweaty, alive, and unavoidable wherever it is actually happening. 3 I shouldn’t have read anything about this album. It is very difficult not to build in credit for Kuti’s courage in the making of a political and moral statement here - given what ‘Zombie’ would cost him personally. I don’t want to give in to that temptation. There are different forms of courage everywhere in music making. In the Jazz albums we have encountered so far there is often obvious musical bravery and a spirit of bold endeavour. I give these Jazzers no extra credit for any of that. Context is always important and useful but ultimately I try to keep the stakes no higher than here is some music, what do I think of it. Jazzers usually get 2/5 or so. To give extra marks even for risking life and limb in making your album would unfairly disadvantage those artists who are unlikely to have their family thrown out of a window regardless of the content of their record. So where does that leave Zombie? It is certainly not as dull as an album with this much musical repetition ought to be. The grooves are delicious and the unpolished horn sound has an especially nice edge to it. The simple episodic structures also make this much more digestible over long track lengths than most jazz tracks of similar length. So it is dance music but also much less boring as pure listening material than dance music. Still it feels rather slight somehow. These 4 tracks aren’t quite enough to build a sense of narrative shape over 50 minutes. Obviously the album has musical and lyrical identity but from my scant knowledge of him and his work I suspect that most of what Fela Kuti produced had that built in. 2.5/5

I wasn’t sure why Mr. Follow Follow was named as such until 7 minutes and 18 seconds into the song Fela says Mr. Follow Follow

3.6 Dude is just clowning the troops over some funk guitar. I’m with it

Fine. The amount of songs Fela has on movie soundtracks is wild.

Zombie was fun and full of vibe, but I preferred the jazziness of Mr Follow Follow. In total the album was to short for me to make a n affirmative decision. I see I gave the live album a 4 star rating, but I am not sure this warrants that. I enjoyed it but not that much. 3 stars

4 songs 54 minutes ?!

Amazing artist, great sound and presence - but those songs do go on, especially when they get onto the solos

A decent short album, but I like Femi's works more.

Without Fela Kuti there wouldn't be Femi Kuti, but I feel like where Femi Kuti landed gracefully Fela Kuti is not able to stay afloat - the songs aren't as wonderful, they're too long, but they do have the magic style.

Fun music but always want lyrics

'Zombie' by Fela Kuti is a frentic jazz/Afrobeat album from continential Africa that pulls no punches in calling out the Nigerian government and military. This album resulted in his mother being murdered, himself severely beaten and his commune, the Kalakuta Republic, being burned to the ground by militia. Who knew music could create such a stir like this, but I guess when you refer to soldiers as "zombies" and call out their inhumanity within the confines of a military dictatorship (which Nigeria was under at the time), you're bound to endanger yourself, and that's what Fela Kuti did here. Musically, the album is essentially a straight jazz fusion record featuring just the two songs: 'Zombie' and 'Mr Follow Follow': and without any contextual knowledge, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's just another ordinary jazz record. But when you read into the context behind the album, the brutal fallout that followed its release makes for quite unbelievable reading. In this commune of his, Kuti married 27 women to mark the first anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic to apparently protect himself from claims he was kidnapping women. He also continued to be a thorn in the side of the Nigerian government in the 80s and 90s, with jail time and various other legal trouble a constant companion. Certainly one of those albums which probably wouldn't be that significant were it not for the story behind it. Best songs: Zombie

i am truly in despair about not liking this more

I'm not a fan of songs that exceed ~5 minutes, so I had a scare when I saw this album is 4x12m, but it was really pleasant to listen to.

This was some fine brassy jazz that had elements that reminded me a bit of a New Orleans brass band I used to listen to a bit called Rebirth Brass Band. A fine enough way to kill an hour, but ultimately not something I'm left feeling a lot about afterward. Each song jams in its own right, though I did find the synthesizer to be quite overpowering each time it made its entry. Also really enjoyed the funky guitar licks throughout Mr. Follow Follow. Solid, but not something I'll be back to quickly -- 3 / 5.

There is some cool stuff in here but its kinda buried behind pretty repetitive parts. It just goes on and on for 10 minutes but then the vocals come in. And the male and backup female vocals are both so good. Maybe its the accent that ill never get closer than Africa but its so great. Also some cool variations on the main themes of each track. But again those sections are too few and far between for my tastes. Still good though. The highs are very high to be fair.

Starter lidt syret ud, men især anden halvdel af sangen Zombie får virkelig én i dansehumør.

Nice nice afro

7/10

I am sure this is better than I am rating it. The deficiencies are all mine.

C'est comme assez fun et dansant en général, mais les winds sonnent faux, particulièrement sur la toune live, et ça ça m'agresse. 27 femmes faut le faire pareil!

Fun. Jazzy with some afro beats.

Never heard of the bloke now 2 albums in 2 weeks

First Fela Kuti album I've listened to and honestly dig the grooves in this. Though I feel like the consequences and history of this album release was more interesting.

i was very intrigued to hear the father of afrobeats! i was not sure if i would like it once i got into the first track, but if you put it on as background music it's actually really fun i would play this to set up the scene in an old vigilante cop movie while shots of the city flashed on screen, giving the audience a feel for the energy and tension to come

Dude, the history behind this album gets me pumped! I wanted to like this before I even listened! Also, guy married 27 ladies. This is a level of charm that might need to be studied. But perhaps it hasn't because he divorced most at once because he ended up thinking that marriage breeds jealousy. Nevermind only having one. This guy released an album speaking against his government at a time where that was deadly. Maybe he thought hiding the message between funky jazz sections made it tough to get to, but that funky jazz was good. The result being what is thought to be the murder of his mother and the destruction of his entire commune. Music is the weapon

Good world music

3,1

fela has a ton of great albums, this is probably his best

so much jazz on this list. I liked it okay but it doesn't stand out to me

Good beats. Definitely not what I expected. Give the album’s Wikipedia page a read if you haven’t!

This album has some really cool percussion, saxophone, and brass. I appreciate the jazz influence on the afrobeat sound. All of the songs feel pretty chill, but it is actually quite a political album (thanks Kerri for referencing the Wikipedia page about the album - the backstory is wild). Fela Kuti seems to have been an important political activist in Nigeria. He also apparently had 27 wives at one point. Knowing the context, I can definitely see why this album is on the list. My favorite song was Mistake. 7/10.

This was an interesting album. The instruments were really cool and same with the rhythms. The vocals and lyrics were very repetitive

Ihan leppoisaa Africa bambaatta rytmimusaa.

Fun album!

Há que se fazer uma consideração importante: o álbum original (1976), de pouco mais de 25 minutos, é composto pelas faixas 1 e 2. São temas mais centrados na mistura de música africana e funk. A versão do Spotify é de um CD lançado em 2010 com duas faixas extras é bem mais interessante, com destaque para os elementos jazzísticos. A última faixa "Mistake" (ao vivo no Berlin Jazz Festival - 1978) é o ponto alto do disco.

Prima

Interesting groove throughout, great musicianship. Not quite my fave but worth listening to.

# 562 : Zombie Zombie – Funky, Political, and 20 Minutes Too Long What a groovy, fun album! Zombie kicks off with its title track—upbeat, politically charged, and somehow still makes you want to dance. It’s a combo I can get down with. The energy is infectious, the groove is undeniable… and then it just keeps going. And going. Four tracks over 53 minutes means you’re getting a lot of jam for your buck—but if you shaved off about four minutes from the start and end of each track, you’d have a banger. Instead, it’s another one for the “why is this on the must-hear list?” pile. Verdict: Three stars for the groove. One for the patience required. If you have to listen to this, look out for : Zombie Listened: 05/09/2025

Fela Kuti delivers a powerful message, even if the music itself doesn’t resonate with me personally.

Hypnotic and really drew me in.

Again jazz, mainly instrumental, nice for background music, nothing memorable.

Nice afrobeat tunes! I’d give it more like a 3.8 out of 5 :)

Not my thing musically, but not bad.

Interesting story and politically charged lyrics. Not my favourite, though I had a good time with it

Nice, soulful, Afro-beat jazz.

good vibes

Yeah it seems like just one good song

I listened to this while cleaning and it made time go by faster. Loved the music I just don’t think this was made for me and that’s okay.

Not bad, I'd consider looking this up again.

Listened to Home Is Where The Music Is by Hugh Masekela just before this. 40~ years difference, but some very similar music styles and instrumentation! Instrumental Jazz, with musically African influences. I liked it!

Ended up being very good “driving around Hawaii” music 3.5 Stars

Good

Found this interesting but very long

Zombie no go go ... unless you tell am to go! Zombie no go stop ... unless you tell am to stop!

3 Good music but boring and old for my taste.

Fancy shit, maing

Nothing memorable in there for me.

I would rarely choose to listen to instrumental music but actually quite enjoyed this. Enjoyed the vibe and felt like I should be on holiday with a cocktail rather than driving to Erdington

This is fun! I enjoyed it

I like jazz music when I hear it live, but this is the first time I’ve ever listened to a full album. I enjoyed it - think it does a good job of capturing what jazz feels like live.

Always a joy to hear and tap along to, but for some reason I never go back to this on purpose. Too many wives I think.

Like it. We saw Femi Kuti, his son, play at The Festival Hall a few years back.

Energetic, great beats, not my vibe, but I get it.

Groovy and powerful.

A short, but extremely fun switch of genre. Normally, I'm not a big fan of long songs. I was thoroughly shocked by how much I enjoy the music from the first song. Zombie had such an upbeat, but casual sound to it that I just totally got lost in the vibe of it. Once the vocals came on around 6 minutes in too, it was a great change of sound and really elevated the song. Then the next song was way laid back too which I loved even more. Although the next two songs didn't live up to the other two, I loved what I heard at the start of this thing. These songs had a Cowboy Bebop like sound to it that really hooked me since it had a jazzy sound with a blend of other genres like afrobeat. Due to this, the music was simply fresh sounding and fun. Its not my go to music, but I definitely wouldn't mind jumping back to this again especially if I had a long car ride.

Good zombie.

Kinda fun

It's very dynamic jazz.

i don’t like jazz but if I had to listen to it, this would do. groovy infusions

Definitely not an artist I had listened to before, or even heard of unless I had been doing this list. So I'm glad for that. I liked the music, but it just doesn't do much for me. Another "Nothing bad, nothing great" album.

Yeah pretty good stuff. I liked Water No Make Enemy and now learning about the reason he made this album is pretty cool and adds some context. Afrobeat is cool.

Good atmosphere. Can't say that is my cup of tea, but it's good and authentic. Can recommend.

liked mistake the most, it was the least repetitive would be fun to dance to live, but really repetitive music

It’s jazz not my thing but still nice beats

Cool Jazz.

Loved the energetic beats and the groovin' melodies. Favourite Track(s): Zombie Least Favourite Track(s): Mistake

Liked it overall, upbeat, good vibes. Standout song: Zombie

Jeg nød at tingene fik lov til at folde sig ud, og bare være fede så længe hvert nummer kunne. Besøgstiden for albummet er perfekt for mig, dog var resten af bilen rasende over hvor monotont det var.😅

Afro-Beat kan et eller andet. F.eks. er det ret godt mens man slår græs

fun and overall good

Nice Jazzy African music

it's really good jazz but not background moody jazz. it's jazz you focus on listening to.

Second album by Fela Kuti, and yeah: I’m officially a fan. 7/10

jazzy

Sympa sans être ce que je préfère

Jazz... but funky. Which makes it a better jazz. I wish I enjoyed jazz more, but generally when I hear it all I hear any more is Andy Samburg in Brooklyn 99: skiddley be bop, jazz! This at least I can put on and find bits I enjoy. The first track in particular is fun, and as people have pointed out, I bet this really shines live. 2.5 rounded up.

A fine album. I enjoyed it a decent amount although I have gotten more enjoyment out of other records from Fela Kuti such Afrodisiac.

3.2! Fun jazzy tunes

Super politically charged, but made me want to dance. If you make a military protest song and they send the military to bear you and your mother up...you probably hit a strong message with your lyrics. Great work on this. Jazz is normally not the music I just want to vibe to, but this was great. These songs are catchy. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Other than "Zombie" not much else stood out to me, but it was still fun overall! Actual rating...3.5 Liked Song: "Zombie"

Very interesting 3.25

A Nigerian musician, this album criticised the Nigerian Government and is thought to have led to the murder of his mother and the destruction of his commune by the military. Funk / Soul / Jazz / Afrobeat. The opening track (there are only two) Zombie, was a metaphor for the Nigerian military. Greatly influential album for the genre. Amazing musicianship.

3.5

It's mostly interesting as a document of a distant political struggle, though its criticisms are universal enough to be understood by pretty much anyone. The title track is the essence of the album, and it's great - funky and direct, with the timbre of Kuti's voice is such that it comes across exceptionally rich and crisp on record. The rest of the record's 4 tracks never really expand on that though, so if youve heard Zombie youve heard the lot. An appreciative 3* from me.

Bit harsh but overall interesting

Mostly fun and interesting

Super repetitive, but some cool instrumentals

Entertaining, more than I was expecting.

Christ, looked at the backstory to this. Don't know if I can separate story from the art here, found it really interesting in that context but don't know if I'd have had as good a time without it?

2.5 for me, some great music on here but doesn’t half drag on…

Sad story behind this album, but the beats are great and the heart is big

I liked this one a tad bit better then the other album Live!

Long jazzy

Day 1 listen & not really my thing, trumpet too blarey However in listening at a different time of day it was better 2nd time round. Unlikely to return, but still good for it's genre.

Fun, but might have overdone fela at uni

Ok saxophone album.

as far as our afrobeat albums have gone, i thought this was a weaker one. not to say i didn't enjoy it. i was definitely jamming to it, but it didn't particularly blow me away. still had a great time with it overall.

Interesting afrobeat sounds, timeless.

It took 34 albums, but we now have our first repeated artist: Fela Kuti. Zombie is a groovy Afrobeats listen, but the sound didn't jump out of the speakers in the same way that Fela’s "Live!" album with Ginger Baker did. It's more mellow and refined, but it doesn’t match the infectious energy of his earlier work

Didn’t enjoy this as much as the last Fela Kuti album. I have to thank him for opening up my world to more AfroBeat, and while the lyrics were poignant for the time, the music was too repetitive for me

Enjoyed this, though didn’t love it. Would listen again but it’s not going to end up in rotation

Would listen again but wouldn’t ever rush to put it on. However, understanding the political significance to it definitely made it more interesting to listen to. Knowing his personal life story made it slightly less of a choice? This man had 27 wives and when that was too many, he narrowed it down to 12 lol.

6/10

decent jazz album

Weird and unusual, but not in a bad way

This was fun with some great beats.

a really interesting fusion between afro-beat and jazz, i enjoyed the ideas and tracks overall, took me a bit of time to listen due to the long tracks but the quality is very good

I would fancy this more as instrumental

Нормально

mixing really good horns are crazy nice restrained drumming

6.5/10 Best Track: “Mr. Follow Follow” Zombie is a protest in disguise as a groove. Fela Kuti builds up layers of hypnotic percussion atop a message of scathing political critique. It’s infectious, but the record feels stuck in place for all its dynamism. Each song expands for minutes on end, frequently looping around the same musical gestures without much expansion. “Mr. Follow Follow” provides some color to the mix, with more crisp phrasing and a groove that can catch its breath. The message gets delivered with force, but the experience needs to be engaged with some patience. If you’re looking for locked-in afrobeat with a side of revolution, it delivers. If not, it wears thin fast.

It was interesting to see this album after I'd already rated his son's album not that long ago. I loved that one, so I expected to love this one too. I do like this one, and I did enjoy it, but I think his son, Femi Kuti, has a style I vibe with a little more.

Interesting, not really my thing

Very fun listen

Gestern Cat Stevens und heute diesen Typen mit nem sehr bewegten Leben. Setzt sich für die Freiheit in Nigeria ein, aber wird später AIDS-Leugner. Die Kunst vom Künstler getrennt muss ich sagen war das Album ganz ok, aber wir hatten schon bessere Alben vom afrikanischen Kontinent

Die Story dahinter verdient 5 Sterne, die Musik allerdings nicht unbedingt der Oberhammer. Von daher schweren Herzens nur 3 Sterne

Love the combo of musical styles.

Not my go to to put on, but I like the exposure, and can recognize the talent. Nigerian jazz, at it's finest

El jazz no es mi género favorito. Aún así la primer canción (zombie) está bastante bien. Un poco larga para mi gusto.

More lively afrobeat that pokes the bear for every minute of it's 2 track, 25 minute playtime.

Went on a trip while working. Good stuff, burnt on jazz for the moment

Some nice beats.

I liked the instrumental aspect a lot. Very groovy.

Som nefertiti en sommarkväll 2012

Is all jazz just background music?

2.5

3.5

I thought the first track was really cool. Second was fine, but took a while to get going. 3.5 stars overall.

Very afrobeaty kind of afrobeat. Occasionally gets into a glint of a good groove over the course of its two tracks. Album very skimpy though at 25 minutes. You could put on a typical Beach Boys or Loving Spoonful album during the same timeframe and be guaranteed at least 8 or so great tracks as opposed to 0.0025.

Very solid music. Was well-timed with the background music I needed at the moment when I turned it on. I want to give it higher than a three but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Good background music. Don't need to listen again.

From Sputnik review: The government's reaction to Zombie was swift and violent. Troops set his compound ablaze; destroying his music studio, all of his recordings, and the makeshift club at which he regularly performed. Also during the raid, Fela's mother was thrown from a window, and later died of the resulting injuries. Fela continued to stir up controversy with his politcal music and larger than life persona until his death from AIDS in 1997, most notably marrying twenty-seven women, mostly his background singers and dancers, in a massive ceremony in 1982.

not my type. tracks were too long.

I am honestly not sure what to make of this. Thoroughly enjoy the beat, the brass, the sax, but it is not something I will find myself coming back to.

16/05/2025 It was okay, didn't set my world alight.

Fine album. Repetitive at times, but always very catchy and groovy. I think I’d really enjoy it if I heard it played live. I think my favorite song was the last one, which is a live recording. I really liked the atmosphere on that one.

Cool to listen to, really sad to hear about his wife. My girlfriend introduced me to other world jazz that this reminds me of. Glad I listened to it.

Listening to Fela Kuti can be weird sometimes as a priviledged middle-class white guy, especially if you knew what this guy went through. You can hear the pain and freedom-fighting in all of his music. This one is no exception. The soul, jazz and afro-beat all hit like Fela's music usually does. However, multiple 10+ minute tracks like the ones on this album can be tough especially when all our attention spans have shrunk. Overall I'm glad I heard this one. 3/5

Pretty cool. I’ll listen again.

Best project I've gotten in a while, beast

interesting vibe - solid 3.5

Very groovy

interestingly nice

I enjoyed this. Good trumpet / big band / fusion / jazz. And from a historical standpoint, any album that is critical of an authoritarian government and also popular is a "big deal". But to most of the world, the album was mostly unknown. (Yes, I know it was released in the UK also, but I'm pretty confident this wasn't playing on most home stereos around the world.) Musically I would give it 3.5, and while politically significant in one country (Nigeria), that's not enough to get me to round up.

After doing some research seems like a powerful jazz album for the time. 3/5

Funky jazzy beat. Never heard about this guy or his message behind his music. Not normally the kind of music that I would listen to but it was engaging and energetic.

Folk, carino buon sound.

Funky, but not my jam.

better w/o vocal

Not really my style, maybe more historically significant than I understand? Still, not bad by any means.

like most jazz i like it but i don't know why

I dunno, I like Fela Kuti, and I don't know if I just played it on the wrong speakers, but this didn't grab me in the way the other stuff did. I liked the grooves, but I found the format a little bit fatiuing. I went and listened to some Fema Kuti afterwards instead.

another chill musical album

Zombie was a very upbeat, groovy song. I especially love the keyboard towards the end and the sax at the end. Mr. Follow Follow had some catchy runs and lyrics, but a step down from Zombie for me. Love the percussion and saxophone on Observation is No Crime.

Decent. I know this was really influential in bringing a style of music to western audiences.

Short and sweet, wanted a little more but overall pretty fun.

Interesting style, funky but I didn't love the total length of the songs or the length to get to the vocals. Once the vocals dropped on both of the tracks I was enjoying it. I respect the bravery behind putting something like this out there and it seems like it had a real impact. 6/10

Groovy in the beginning, lost me towards the end. Was aight.

Funky

It's a really worthwhile listen, others may get more out of it, but I certainly appreciate the historical insight it has given me, and it's influence on some albums that I love. Happy to give a 3.

It’s great groovy stuff.

Really different from anything i typically listen to for extended periods of time. I really enjoy the groove and general energy, but i worry the repetitiveness of the “endless groove” might be a little boring for me. Trying to appreciate more by paying attention to details and thinking about the historical context of the album. Prime example of how art can be and is political, and why we should never be lulled into forgetting the importance of freedom of artistic expression. All said I’ve been meaning to get more into so-called world music so I’m really glad that was my first album on this site

Interesting

Funky, little weird. But good background noise.

Good stuff, made especially more potent due to the history behind it. In a way, making music can be revolutionary.

Interesting beats with a hypnotic sound over them, the songs could have done with a bit of a trim though. Essential listening for the story of the artist.

Pas ma came, mais il y a un petit côté hypnotique pas dégueu.