Live!

I give this 28 stars--one for each of his wives.

This is why I’m doing this project to hear albums like this that I would never otherwise be exposed. This is awesome from the start.

This album has a fantastic start and then just keeps going. Very funky and jammy with great rhythms. Didn't even notice the songs are 12 min long! Just a fun, and well-rounded album.

I’m not sure what other Fela Kuti records are on this list, so I’m gonna take this opportunity to say that Fela Kuti was a certified badass. A legitimately revolutionary musician, from a political stand point, but also musically. If you’re unfamiliar with him, take a few minutes to read about his career and the oppositional force he was to the oppressive Nigerian government in the 70’s/80’s. Live! might not be his best record (that’s Zombie, or maybe Expensive Shit, in my estimation), but it’s a tight, funky firestorm that doesn’t let up across its 4 tracks.

Listened through 4 times. Morning, noon or night it's great. Just utterly outstanding danceable music. No, it's not like any Ginger Baker I've heard before, but yes it's as good as every Fela Kuti album I've heard.

Day 11 of Albums You Must Hear before you die. This serving is another live album, this one by Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa ‘70. It features the former drummer of the British rock band Cream, Ginger Baker. I’ve never heard of Fela Ransome-Kuti, nor do I know anything about Afro Beat music or the culture it rose from. Going in blind on that front! Cream, however, is one of the best bands of the 60’s hard rock era in my opinion. Their songs I’ve known all my life. One of my favorite Rock Gods is Eric Clapton. If I don’t make my personal observation of this album as short and sweet as possible, I won’t be doing either Fela Kuti, nor Ginger Baker their due respect. I’ll tell you this, I was a day late even writing this, because I fell in love with the music so much, that I fell into a research rabbit hole. I dug so deep into the super unlikely collaboration of these two, ummm, shall I say super gifted and influential but a little bit, no joke, bat shit craz... eccentric guys, that I’d have to write and research for years and probably go nuts, too. It’s that wild. That’s all I’ll say. This was a great listen and you must hear it before you die. The percussion alone will get your foot in the door on this album. Everything else is.. good. It’s so good. ✌️

Dude this album fucks. what a cool sound. read up on the artist bio a little, Fela Kuti was a neat man. Wish he hadn't died so soon. Wiki says the genre is afrobeat, really digging it. The Black Man's Cry-man, what a song. the growl in that cry. damn. Ye Ye De Smell-The druuuumms. Whew. Egbe Mio-honestly super funky. i dig. That was real cool man. I knew nothing about afrobeat until today but i enjoyed it. for a live album it was pretty sweet.

Fela the type of fella to only release bangers

I'm a jazz nerd and a drummer this album was unfair to the competition godlike

Not far off elevator music. I guess it’d be ok in the background.

be honest, do you really like fela kuti or are you just pretending to so that people think you are cool

Not my style of music, too much going on and tracks went on forever.

Best thing i have ever have heard. Transcendental

The definition of what a live album should sound like. An absolute surprising burst of euphoria. This album is why I signed up for this project some 267 days ago. Sure, I've enjoyed revisiting the classic albums I was already familiar with. But the biggest reason lies in the potential discovery of gems I'd never even heard of previously. Like this one.

It’s funny because just yesterday I reviewed an album I said there’s no way in hell I’m listening to a long ass instrumental. Just one day later I have proven myself wrong because I just listened to a 15 minute drum solo and was completely enthralled with it. So maybe this music shit really is subjective!

Afrobeat to the max. According to Wikipedia, Fela Kuti married 27 women in one ceremony… absolute lad. Overall, this shit SLAPS. Although I thought I was watching Whiplash for the last song

Nr. 13/1001 Let's Start 4/5 Black Man's Cry 4/5 Ye Ye De Smell 2/5 Egbe Mi O 2/5 Drum Solo 2/5 Average: 2,8 The first two songs are super groovy, funky and soulfoul

Horrible. I hated every second of this. It was a real battle to not skip through any of it.

Pues muy bien, variado, rítmico, ecléctico, hipnótico. Sin skips y eso que son canciones re largas y monotonas en ratotes. Fav: el solo de percusiones del final. Mood: johny la gente está muy loca

Given Ginger Baker was involved, this must have been widely available in 1971. I can't understand someone  hearing it and not searching for more musicians from Nigeria. I ended up finding  Miriam Makeba  before finding Fela. In both cases it was mixed feelings. So glad to have made the discovery but unhappy I hadn't found them a decade or two sooner. What a fabulous LP.

Really enjoyed listening while I was working. Reminded me of ‘Whiplash’!

The Production is amazing and clear for a live album and the audience participation part on the shout chorus sounds like a chamber choir in a recording studio. The sound is amazing. I am a fan of Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker so I always knew I would enjoy listening to it but had never taken the time until know. All of the songs are complete jams that could be endlessly enjoyable and what make well played afro-pop so enjoyable to listen to when the greats are involved and this album has it all in that regard. From front to back it is an amazing listen that feels like your own personal concert at times that I would agree is a must listen for anybody with a healthy appreciation for Afro-pop, Jazz, World, or music in general.

Absolutely killer. Never listened to this before. I wish someone would've shown me this 30 years ago. I'll be investing some time in Fela's catalog.

Good funk afrobeat, but ignore the additional long drum solo tracks from track 5 (original album is 4 tracks)

Fela Kuti always brings such energy to his performances, it's interesting to hear a live recording from so early on in his international career.Even before some of his biggest albums, he was always Fela, one of the main players in defining the Afrobeat genre.

If a 16 minute drumming track is not the most fitting way to end this project, then I don't know what is.

Very nice background music

Definitely a lot of funk. I don't think I need to listen to it again. I didn't hate it. Also why so many live albums? (No pun intended)

Instantly hooked by those fat horns. The horns on Black Man's Cry might be some of my favourite bits of instrumental ever. Despite all that epicness I did get a tad bored at times and the music wasn't doing enough to keep me interested all the time, but for the most part it was fab. But it is Fela Kuti who in my eyes is a musical genius and one of the most influential artists on today's musical landscape so it is no surprise that this is great.

Kind of all sounds the same, good restaurant music though

Way better than the last Fela Kuti album (Zombie). I'm still kinda against live albums being included in this book, but this has a pretty undeniable energy. It came out of the gate pretty strong - upbeat, jazzy as all getup, pretty tasty etc. Got a bit long in the tooth by the end, cause they're all extended jams and unless you REALLY dig this sorta stuff it'll just get old, but it did grab me for the first half. The last 15min drum solo was a bit much, but it was also a bonus track so can't chip it for that. And it's weird that they really tried to push Ginger Baker's name here, especially given he was only on 2 songs and one is a bonus track... maybe the name-drop added value at the time? Overall a good surprise considering how much I groaned and rolled my eyes through the last Fela Kuti album here haha. 3/5.

Drummy

Anticipated a 5, giving it a 3. The Drum solo track is my fave. Im probably to stupid to like it more.

Very different music, never heard this style. Jazz with incoherent shouting. Great rythm but I didn’t like the vocal noises

Not at all my type of music.

I liked it a lot

Amazing world music. My first listen, but not my partner's.

UFFA! QUÉ CHULADA.

false

I love anything Fela Kuti did. This album is awesome.

Fantastic drumming and percussion, with some horns thrown in for texture. This is the best non-Kanye album on the list so far.

This album feels like a big jam session and I love it. I love the use of horns and percussion and Ginger Baker on the drums is a great time. Now if only I could understand what he's singing about... Favorite Track(s): "Black Man's Cry" and "Ye Ye De Smell"

Pura energía y talento. Cada pista es un trance distinto. Fela Kuti siempre ha sonado bien y así sonará por los siglos de los siglos, amén (ese solo final de percusiones, uff). 10/10

I LOVE this music, it's so catchy and refreshingly different than what I normally listen to, makes me want to dance

Groovy!!!

Amazing! Love the Afro vibes in everything, specially the vocals. The whole band sounds in the same vibe! I quite enjoy the Funky/Jazzy/Fusion elements and this is a live gig which makes the album much better for the real feel of the genre and the musicians involved. Everything sounds like it should for me. 5 Stars.

Absolutely love it!

Effin awesome energy & groove

Love this album!!!!!!

Amazing album

Totally bitchin from start to finish. Another rare instance where I wanted this album to be twice as long. Working Freeform radio in college, Fela was a name I had heard a bunch, but I don't think I ever sat down and listened to an album before.

Gimme this all day. Added to the Drinking and game playing rotation. Good candidate for vinyl purchase

Got my blood pumping

I've got nothing clever or profound to say. Transcendent music.

Well God damn, this was just a bunch of supremely talented musicians going the fuck off for the better part of an hour. The drum solo bonus track is a bit much (as I'm finding bonus tracks to be so far), but the rest just washed over me almost instantaneously. Kuti is an awesome frontman and Paul Simon should've taken some vacation tips from Ginger Baker. Key Tracks: Black Man's Cry, Ye Ye De Smell

Thoroughly enjoyable.

A full hour of very good listening. Started how it meant to continue. Initially I was gonna go 4 but I think it's a soft 5

Really impressive album. A good dose of funk, rock, Afrobeat, and soul. The live feel is incredible. Most tracks are too long for quick, casual listening, but otherwise this is a great project.

Não, isto não é só um álbum. "Live!" trata-se um evento histórico de proporções quase inconcebíveis de tão grandes. Sendo um dos primeiros álbuns realizados em parceria por um artista do Ocidente e um do Oriente, o que ocorre aqui é algo muito próximo de uma retratação histórica. O colonizador, representado por Baker, rende-se à beleza da manifestação cultural do colonizado, representado pelo mestre Fela Kuti e decide unir-se ao mesmo sem tentar mudar arte dele de forma alguma, pelo contrário, e sim tentar adequar a sua arte a ela, num balanço perfeito e único. Deu pra ter uma noção do calibre disso tudo ? As faixas não poderiam ser mais surpreendentes, hipnotizantes e emocionantes. Kuti escreve e canta murmúrios em sua língua nativa com uma maravilhosa voz, impondo emoção e tocando o coração não só da platéia (que canta junto na última música do álbum, num dos momentos que mais me emocionaram de tudo que já escutei) mas também do ouvinte, toca seu saxofone e o teclado com uma imponência e uma malemolência (sim, usei essa palavra) que se estende a todo o Africa'70, o que torna os arranjos épicos e dinâmicos. Ginger, por sua vez, encarna o Afrobeat na bateria, inerentemente, com um pouco de seu toque rockeiro, todavia, como mencionei, sempre prejudicar, agregando à experiência e servindo como um excelente Fusion - e as piadinhas que o Kuti faz sobre ele em alguns trechos são de fazer qualquer cidadão de um país que não seja desenvolvido ficar satisfeito e rir junto do público do show e dos instrumentais, incluindo o baterista. Por fim, eis aqui mais um LP que vai pro meu seleto panteão pessoal de "discos perfeitos". Essencial e inesquecível, fez até mesmo, junto do perfeito "Zombie", de autoria também do Fela, o Afrobeat tornar-se, de uma vez, um dos meus gêneros musicais favoritos, pois tem tudo que amo no Jazz e o que não tem lá contudo me agradaria se tivesse. Obrigatório !

Flamboyant and beautifully produced. Joyous.

One of the greatest live albums ever

I’ve heard the name but have never listened to Fela Kuti before today. Great performance! Getting deeper into Afro Beat now.

This was far and away one of the best live recordings I've ever heard! The instruments were all so vibrant it felt like I was actually at the show. And the drum solo at the end was amazing. This is probably my favorite record off this list so far that I hadn't already heard or been aware of already. Pure excellence!

Stunning AfroBeat album. A truly incredible band joined by a masterful Ginger Baker. Fela Kuti is an iconic figure who inspired a generation and stood for resistance to power through MUSIC. What a force. This sound could start a Revolution and we get to listen. We’ve been blessed.

boom - like it!

Brilliant! 6 stars.

10/5

Love Fela.

Rhythm section so solid

I hadn't really listened to much Fela, but when I heard "Let's start" it kind of blew my mind. The way it opens, the slowdown, the return to the original groove, amazing. The rest of the album doesn't hit those heights but is still awe-inspiring.

djöfull langar mig á einhverja svona insane live tónleika þetta er epic, groovy as shit tónlist

Awesome. Love fela kuti.

Felt is God

This album took over my body from start to finish. INSANE grooves and musicianship + the brass are perfect. Furthermore, I think this is the best performance I've ever heard of Ginger Baker, who is amongst my best drummers. It instantly became one of my favorite live recording. I will need to buy this live on vinyl.

Hot, hot, hot afrobeat featuring one of rock's all-time great drummers. The chemistry among all these musicians is unreal, and the product bleeds cool. I would put this among the best live albums I've ever heard.

Super groovy! Loved it.

Awesome album!

An excellent performance by Fela, and getting this early taste is very illuminating in how he reached stardom in the way he did.

Bopping from start to finish. The legend Fela with two legendary drummers on board? Can't get better than that!

What an intro! Great subsequent tracks. Would have loved to watch the concert live

Hah hah, awesome! I'm expecting a bunch of commenters losing their damn minds at the 16 minute long drum solo... I could listen to afrobeat all day, and this is a great example of the genre. Fave track - "Black Man's Cry" - funky as hell!

Fela Kuti clocking in another smooth funk masterpiece. Ginger Baker absolutely kills it on the drums.

This was great! Way outside the stuff I normally listen to, and I listened to it twice back to back. Killer.

pesado

Great!!

Fela is a god. This album is killer. Another I'll need to pick up on vinyl.

Excellent

This is what I'm doing this for. Love a bit of Afrobeat and well aware of Fela Kuti's legend (and of course Ginger Baker's) but not got around to listening to many legendary albums. The groove is alive. Oh my god, the drumming. Superb

Wow! This album is hot! Great sounding recording. The horns and drums are off the hook! The patter made it a vibrant, live experience - really enjoyed the call-and-response in “Carry Me I Want To Die.” Happy to have this LIVE! album in the rotation.

I wasn’t at all sure what to expect here, but when they started playing on the first track, I was totally into it! Totally jamming’!

One of the all time great live albums you'll ever hear.

Fantastic music.

Hot damn.

This is the sort of album I want to hear on this list.

This album is a reminder that I need to explore Fela Kuti so much more. I've listened to an album here or there but really need to dive deeper. This was fantastic.

Kuvittelin itten Pori Jazzeille, viltillä rinteessä, hyvässä seurassa ja Fela Kuti jamittelee päälavalla. Aurinko paistaa ja ukkelilla maailman levein hymy

Never did get around to checking out more Fela Kuti since his last awesome album showed up on this last. More of the same - really dug the opening track and enjoyed the second track but not quite as much. Then comes the addition of Ginger Baker - was not aware how good he really was. Damn. Plus the Africa '70 is still killing it. Was feeling like a 4, maybe 4.5 for me but I'm going to round up because this is a live album that doesn't sound live and tired at times.

I had enjoyed Fela Kuti's "Zombie" album when it came up on randomly on the generator. I really dug the afro-jazz vibe. And now, with Ginger Baker added in to the mix, this made it even better. The bonus track: do we need a 16 minute drum solo? No, but it's still nice to hear. Baker is infamous for this, the song "Toad" by Cream, performed live has a THIRTEEN minute drum solo. So a 16 minute drum duet is no surprise. The other songs are in the same vein as "Zombie," although a bit more scat-singing. So high marks from me!

jaming

I came across this album some time ago as I was exploring Ginger Baker's catalog. I don't get out much to be honest. I was hooked on Fela after one listen of this album and Afrobeat in general for which Fela is the originator. Watch Beware Mr Baker to see more about this album and Ginger, it's worth a watch.