Live!

Some pretty nice live jam style stuff, good groove to it all. 4 stars

2,2

Endless funk and rythm

Listening to this album is like watching Jordon in the 90s. Every musician is in the zone and executing to perfection their craft and showing their soul.

I know 1001 is a lot, but did I really need to hear this? Afrobeat is cool and all, but I don't even think this is the best representation of Fela. There's also a 16 minute drum solo as a bonus track. Whatever.

2/5, not something i'd listen to daily but it was an enjoyable hour

An old joke: “what does Ginger Baker and coffee have in common? They both suck without Cream” Me as a kid thought it was hilarious and objective truth, but guess what? I’m mature now. That’s right bitch I like jazz. Fela Kuti is awesome and Ginger is awesome on this album, and I even love the extended drum soloing. I’d still like cream with my coffee though, thanks

Am I cool enough for this album? Probably not, but it sounded pretty great!

Great African jazz, fun listen!

Livealbum

Toe-tapping good

This was cool, glad to have listened to it, but not sure I’d listen to again

some songs went for way too long, but I like it.

It's good for what it is, but I don't think I'll add it to my playlist

Great listen! Chill af!

A cracking recommendation, alongside a legend in Ginger Baker so there were always gonna be drums (but maybe too many). Seems like an interesting fella…great listen

Love this list for this stuff, great listen

Ret meget som jeg forventede. Det er fint i små portioner.

Det er hyggeligt. Hverken mere eller mindre

-this was amazing i had a great time listening to this -the instruments all move together perfectly and smoothly -the bass has an incredible tone -fast at times but then slows down to a very nice pace - the 16 min drum soli was also incredible, i was engaged for the entire time

Boring, no vocals

This is what the list is for. Incredible find

What an amazing album! Thank you for introducing me to this "language of energy and rhythm; I enjoyed every track and the drum solo was inspiring...who on earth can play like that! Fela does "what he came to do"; create a new fan. Loved this

On today's roll of the 1001 albums to hear before I die, I got an album by an artist I truly have wanted to check something out from but never did, Fela Ransome-Kuti. While this release is not a studio project it is still a representation of Kuti's music in the live setting and surprisingly is extremely compelling overall. This album is so groovy and is such a great time to get down and dance to. This is music I am sure people in the audience were on their feet for and had an equally great time as I did listening to this album as all the instruments mesh together to create a very wonderful blend of Afrobeat and Jazz-Funk. This is music where it is really easy to get lost in with just how entrancing each of the performing artists here are and with just how skilled each and every member of Africa '70 truly is. While I did very much enjoy this project, I don't get why this is seen as essential by any means. Sure it is really solid on all ends but I don't think anything here really blew my mind in terms of the quality or compositions. It is just some damn good live performing, that's all. While I am glad I finally checked out some Fela Kuti, I do wish I was able to get more out of this in general.

This is an incredible album and had me moving and grooving to the beat the whole time. You can feel the jazz influence in this album because it is sort of an organized chaos at points before Fela Kuti reigns it back in. This will definitely be added to my rotation.

Uppfriskande med lite afrobeat. Har lyssnat på Fela massor med gånger utan att veta om det eller utan att veta vad med Fela som spelas. Ett household name på Nefs dansgolv under 90talet och hur många gånger har inte Mats Nileskär spelat Fela i p3 soul? Föga oväntat föredrar jag de funkigare elementen framför de jazziga. Så utomordentligt svängigt att det nästan blir löjligt. Går det ens att vara still till det här? Man vill bara svettas i ett tokigt rus. Trumsolo är dock aldrig okej, inte ens om det är Tony Allen som lirar. Vi kan lika gärna konstatera det här och nu att Tony Allen är rent objektivt musikhistoriens bästa trummis, rent objektivt alltså, det är ingen åsikt ens. Avslutningspartiet på "Black man's cry" är magnifikt, när Fela kvider och allting liksom studsar runt omkring. Men egentligen skiter jag i vilken låt som spelas, vad den heter, hur lång den är osv. Det är inte poängen här, det är funkens primala kraft och osviklighet. Det blir en stark trea, utan trumsolo hade det varit en fyra i de högre regionerna. Men ett album på fem spår där tjugo procent är trumsolo måste också få sina konsekvenser.

Rytmiskt och svängigt. Bäst när blås och orgel går igång. Minst bra när det sjungs.

Ingen tvekan om att det svänger. Men det saknas ändå någon form av dynamik. Energin är genomgående hög men för att ta till sig den fullt ut hade jag önskat större kontraster. Fela å grabbarna maler på med fullt ös från början till slut. Låtarna går in i varandra och griper inte riktigt tag i en. 16 minuter trumsolo blir i ärlighetens namn rätt tråkigt. Säkerligen mycket roligare om man var med på plats.

Återigen ett live-album. Ginger Baker marknadsförs som den stora stjärnan, trots att han bara var på studiebesök i bandet för att lära av Tony Allen. Dessutom medverkar Baker bara på halva skivan. Just det här albumet sticker inte ut i Felas diskografi. The Africa'70 svänger men kanske inte de starkaste låtarna.

8/10 - amazing African Jazz, I can see how this genre influenced salsa so much, not only is the music good but the vocals are filled with passion

Jazz: it was alright, nice as background music, but nothing overly captivating.

Really surprised how much I liked this. Felt like a noisier version of lofi or something I could listen to while working.

No thanks.

Interesting. Will need another listen.

Have listened a few times and its got a real groove and energy to it. Enjoyed a lot.

I bet Andy Kershaw likes it. Could get a couple of decent deep house /trance tracks out of the album.

Ginger Baker is incredible. 15 min drum solo? why not

Funk?? Soul?? World?? Jazz?? What can you really even describe this album as?? I’m not entirely sure, but either way it’s pretty good. The energy that Fela Kuti brings to this performance is electric, and the addition of Ginger Baker makes it even better. The little intros to the songs with Fela explaining the meaning behind the song names is charming and adds some flair to the mix. While this one won’t stick with me for a long time, I enjoyed every song on the main album, and listening to Fela belt out a “Yeeeeeeeeah, Black Man’s Cry” or a “La la la la” is hype as hell. My favorite song was “Egbe Mi O (Carry Me)”. The only thing on the album I could have done without was the 16 minute long drum solo. I found it more annoying than enjoyable. Next up, the regular Non-Live Fela Kuti album.

This is not something I'm really into. But today I was and thought it was great

Brilliant energy and a whole new genre for me. Had not heard of Fela Kuti before, and this is the kind of thing I wanted to hear more of, doing this project. 8/10

Enjoyed this much more than I thought I was going to, really caught my attention from the start and had me bopping. That said, nobody needs a sixteen-minute drum solo.

jazz is one of my favourite music genres so i without of a doubt would love this album. The only thing i dont like is the intros but thats because it was recorded live. but that being the only thing that throws me off is why it is rated so high for me

Drum jazz madness, lacked a bit of melody for me

Great music for a coffee getting ready for a long spicy day ahead

Sick

- Mmm, het had wel iets. Maar geen enkel nummer volledig kunnen luisteren. - 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM

Yep that's definitely why I wanted to check out this list. I always wanted to listen to African music scene but didn't find time or whatever. I still want to listen to Kenyan rock scene and etc. Album starts pretty good I like it's groovy beginning. I think starting track feels pretty weak to second one which is more livelier to me. So I feel there's a lot of improvisation on that album and I like it. I think it's a decent and fun album to listen and I like it. 4/5

Not a fan of this style of music.

Interesting, but too little variation throughout for my taste, and, ultimately, just not my thing. 2/5

Likte den veldig godt! Jazz og funk i skjønn afrikansk harmoni.

Malo koji album bi me mogao natjerati da odslušam i bonus pjesmu od 16+ minuta, ali ovo je tako brzo proletilo, kao da je hipnoza u formi muzike. Ginger je jedini bijelac koji je ikad mogao biti dostojan ovakvog albuma.

A jazz blast from the past to get you off your ass.

Fela Kuti knows how to put on a show. Take notes people

Intenso, vibrante, ripetitivo

So funky. I’ve heard a lot about Fela Kuti and I’m glad I made this discovery. This is top tier jazz fused with afrobeats.

It sounded more like bob Marley. It was 6.5

Funky, jazzy, great live recording. Sounds like my kinda party.

Naja

Amazing energy throughout and very funky.

To learn more about the relationship between Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker, check out Beware of Mr Baker (it's on youtube)

This was good - something I would have never listened to without this! Probably won’t pull it out again.

This is a solid 3.5 for me, great stuff!

I like this Fela but not this record so much.

Never heard of them! (Except GB.) But so glad I've now heard them.

A fenomenalno ko i uvik

Fantastisches Drum-Album

3/10 - it was mostly ok but the last song was 16 min of drums

Meh

Ok but really not my jam.

Do you know how good you have to be to have Ginger Fucking Baker openly respect you? This album is an absolute banger that is in the discussion for greatest live release of all time.

I guess I'm a fan of Fela Kuti. This is the first time I've listened to his music and it's great. The mix of jazz, funk, african rhythms is incredible. I wanted to and did dance through this whole thing. Also, Ginger Baker proves time and time again that he was one of the greatest drummers of all time. However, the pieces do go for a little too long and it was unnecessary for the drum solo at the end to be 16 minutes long. All in all, a great and interesting listen. I will listen to Fela Kuti again. 4/5

Quite enjoyable if you like the sound. I think I do. Hard to describe offhand.

Banger! De to numre med ginger baker er så gode

Det lød pissegodt, virkelig groovy. Det er et meget 1001 Albums move lige at udvælge den liveplade hvor Fela Kuti spiller sammen med Ginger Baker -- vi vil gerne have noget Etnisk™ Musik, men helst den slags der specifikt er rettet mod et vestligt publikum

Awesome vibe on this album. Relatively accessible. 3+

Not my style, but not bad

This is too one-note for me.

This style of music doesn’t move me especially, but I can sometimes key into the groove. I probably prefer Zombie, which we heard earlier on the list. At the very least it was nice to see what Ginger got up to after Cream. ⭐️⭐️

A classic live album that introduced many Ginger Baker fans to the legend that is Fela.

To my uneducated ear it has a 70s vibe, easy to listen to. Lively jazz-beat. ‘Tribal’ vibe

The first four songs are awesome, the funky groove is just amazing. I also love the length of these songs, because i think that vibe really needs the time to fully build up. In the end you want just more of it. The drum solo on the other hand, felt a bit unnecessary for me. 4,5/5

Nice as background music for doing chores and art.

Jazzy, and Dean Martin inspired tracks, but mainly very unique in composition.

Funky instrumental empowering and beautiful!

Drums are pretty good here. Not much else. Songs added to/on playlist: 0 2/5

I thought it was pretty good A little repetitive Very jazzy vibes sometimes. Good vibes

4.5

Funky and fun.

4.5 / 5 - I needed to hear this because I didn't think I could enjoy a 15 minute drum instrumental. This is the sort of album I'm here for. I have no idea of this is a good Fela Kuti live album or how much Ginger Baker is adding to the sound, but I listened all the way through twice, and to a couple tracks 3 times. Great groove. Would listen to more Fela Kuti. Rounding to 5 for the drums.

2.3 1x not my thing

Great - even with the extended drum solo.

Let's start: He entrado a otra dimensión con Let's start, me encanta, he tenido un orgasmo auditivo, la voz de Fela jurao me ha hecho dudar de mi sexualidades. Black Man's Cry: Que vuelvan las canciones largas de cojones como las de este álbum, quiero canciones que me dé tiempo a hacer cosas para tenerlas de fondo, quiero no entender la letra pq está en un idioma q no entiendo. Ye ye smell: Me da la sensación de Ginger huele a vainilla y whisky. Creo q en esta podría haber comenzado a cantar tres minutos antes. Egbe Mi O: Yo también me quiero morir, pero está canción ha sido mi favorita del álbum, la amo. Drum solo: Demasiado largo, tampoco nos pasemos cojón.

This album slipped by me unnoticed back in the day. This is an excellent live album with a great rhythm section. I really enjoyed listening to this LP and will be adding it to my collection.

This was pretty cool. Really dug the drumming. I think I like Afrobeat and will explore it more down the road.

Very new to me. Let's GO! I like a lot of African music with out ever really seeking it out. The first half of the first song makes me wonder why I don't listen more. I'd love coming across this band at a festival or something. Not sure I'll go back to it in my day-to-day life but right now I am really enjoying this. Insane drumming on track 3. What a jam! Longest drum solo I've ever heard to close out. Didn't hate it thats for sure. I'm really glad I heard this album. Not sure how much staying power it has with me but it was an excellent listen. 3.5/5

Great afrobeat live album by the King.

Outstanding! There's at least two legends here doing their thing (Fela & Ginger). Liked Songs Added: Let's Start Black Man's Cry Ye Ye De Smell

good live album mid album

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but it was lively and interesting and new. Big fan! 4.5/5 stars.

Decent afro jams live album

This is a pretty fantastic album. I don't know how I feel about Ginger Baker here, cause I feel like he both adds and detracts with such a different style, but it mostly works, as long as you're into that big drum duet song. I think there's better Fela, but I still love it.

For me, this feels more like a chapter in the history of modern music than something I would chose to listen to. The musicianship from Fela and Ginger and co is brilliant and their influence is clear.

Never heard of Fela Kuti before and didn't expect this album to sound as it did. It is extremely fun and the performances are full of life and energy. The rhythms are so infectious that they had me moving all along the record. My only complain is that I wish the more relaxed moments were a little bit shorter, as they can feel a little repetitive when waiting for the more explosive and electric parts. Overall, I loved this album. So simple but yet so effective.

I've rated too many albums 5 stars but i feel bad not to

Snelle inhaal review #15: De meeste albums van Fela Kuti zijn volgens mij live albums te noemen, dus in dat opzichte een wat vreemde titel. En ja, het laatst album is een puur drum nummer, maar wel eentje met de twee van de beste drummers die ooit hebben geleefd, show some respect. Zeer vermakelijk uurtje!

Lekker upbeat nummers, hier vond ik het alleen jammer dat het een live album is. Daarnaast is het laatste nummer een 15 minuten durende drumsolo. Misschien dat Sander dit leuk vindt, maar voor mij had het niet gehoeven.

I was going to give 4 stars until the big drum solo at the end. Can't give anything less than 5 for that.

Not for me

Not my vibe

fela!

Just good, upbeat music that you can't help but tap your toes to. I already had his Zombie album on here, and I seemed to like that one more, but this was a good one too. 3/5

I went into this knowing it wasn't for me. 5 songs at over an hour, 1971, Fela Kuti, Afrobeat music. A 16 minute drum solo?! It's African Jazz, and I'm not into Jazz and freeform jazzy jamming. This sound is lost on me and I'm not afraid to admit it. I prefer my songs stay under 11 minutes long, not possible on this album. I have no idea why this is a T1001 album - I found it to be quite the opposite. 2 stars as I'm sure they're good Afrobeat musicians and there were moments that shined. Knocked it for no hits, no influence on popular music that I'm aware of, a small listen count on Spotify (after 50 yrs) and just the fact that it includes a 16 minute drum solo (pure agony live at any show!).

I like it, a lot..Never heard it before, but will be listening again, a lot!!

Interesting afrobeats trance-like album with quite a James Brown vibe and even a touch of Miles Davis. Ginger's inclusion seems a bit promotional, even though he plays on every track, as Africa 70 already had a very capable drummer in Tony Allen. Some great rhythms and feel even if it is hard to identify songs with 3 of the 4 tracks over the 10 minute mark. Quite fun to listen to as I had never heard before.

Fun album. Didn't get into it as much as zombie

Fun listen. Production value is so good. Drums sound tight af!

Fun album! Really loved the energy. Actually saving this one. Ginger Baker rocks

The instrumentation is really good but these songs just drag too long for my non-jammy tastes

Loved most of this and would listen to it again. So many brilliant solos. A great discovery and reason for doing the 1001 albums. Keeping the 5-star rating for the absolute top though

Musicalmente hablando es un 11/10 No me atrapa totalmente pero es bueno, me hace sentir en un espacio muy seguro ambientable y movible

No thank you!

Had never heard of this, but made the mistake of reading about it before listening. What I heard was enjoyable but did not live up to the raves.

Funky jazz - I like the funk-Afro beats under the jazz solos and it wasn't too speedy/stressful. I wasn't a huge fan of the 16 minute drum solo though.

No he entrado mucho en el disco, no me ha llamado la atención.

Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 🕺🏿🎉🕺 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🔥〰️💣〰️💥 Rating: 🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿(🕺🏿)/5

Really captures the raw talent of Baker while Fela demonstrates all the positives of fusion music while completely missing any pitfalls of the genre. Others come off as boring and pretentious trying to pull this off but Kuti paves his own way. Masterful! Pure energy. It is somehow both an album you could have a dance party to or have on in the background while having a chill dinner party

1. Black Man's Cry 2. Ye Ye De Smell 3. Egbe Mi O

DOPE

Interesting

8/10

OK. 2/5

I’m not much of a fan of world music, however, this album was quite enjoyable. The only thing that I didn’t like was, it’s a little too jam band for my tastes.

ok

It's funky, jazzy and full of interesting rhythms. As a live concert this would have been amazing and a definite 5, but for me listening at home it felt like they were jamming for a little too long on all of the tracks and each one had some dead spots.

I think this might be the second Fela album I’ve come across on this list, and rightfully so. This release has such a tight, strong groove, with or without Ginger Baker, it’s everything I love about him, his band, and his music.

If Ginger Baker wasn't on this, I don't think this gets the recognition on this list. Fela sounds a bit brash and too loud. The guitars are mixed in really muddy while the horn section is crystal clear. The rhythm section isn't even that special with Cream graduate Ginger Baker. After sitting through this, I checked out Flea Kuti's other work and his other work is quite good. Zombie is a standout album. I'd recommend that as a jumping off point than this. Really unsure why this live album is supposedly a "crown jewel."

Man what a great sound Sure it gets quite repetitive over an album but when it is at its peak it’s fantastic Particularly enjoyed Let’s Start and Egbe Mi O

Really liked this. Sat on the back porch with Justin, smoking cigars and enjoying this album. Lots of jazz influences. Ginger Baker's drumming is excellent. Definitely worth another listen.

i dont like old contry music

Still don't think live albums should be here but this one was a lot of fun except for the last track.

5.5/10

This was actually kinda fun. No idea who these guys were but the tempo was upbeat and it got me tapping along. Will I listen again though? Probably not.

⭐︎3.8 ファンキーな楽曲多め。 フェラクティはアフロビートの創始者らしい。

2.2 boring as hell

Fela Kuti lived an amazing life that is worth knowing about. Afrobeat is unfortunately not for me though. Tracks to Track: Zombie (not from this album)

Fun jazz album with a lot of personality, a bit too niche for me sometimes but overall enjoyable

Chillig, ganz nett.

J - 2/5 Best Track - "Let's Start" F - DNL

From Rolling Stone: “This intimate collaboration was actually recorded in Abbey Road studio instead of a traditional rock venue, but was electric nonetheless.” Kuti is a rhythm master, but a 16-minute drum duet to close the album is pretty egomaniacal.

My joy of this was somewhat amplified by the stupidly hot heatwave in the UK currently. This made it feel like an opening sequence to a Far Cry game. The music here is interesting throughout, showing that sometimes (believe it or not), jazz can be pretty good. I’m pretty sure I’ve come across Ginger Baker before, but where this was escapes me presently. Fun album though!

Ken Chutney was originally going to appear on this. Despite being a far superior drummer to Ginger Baker, Fela Kuti was concerned no one would know him as a drummer! On the day he found out I remember Ken telling Ginger he was like the cat that got the cream! Ken was unbelievably witty. 4.6 4/5 Egbe Mi O (Carry Me)

Man this stuff is great, kinda highlife, kinda jazz, kinda James Brown, all awesome

Fela Kuti has a live one here (so free pass.) With the add of Ginger and the jazzy world music card make it 1001 Must Hear List worthy. The 16 minute drum battle runs long. Enjoyed it overall. (2.35*s)

The Fela and his band can sure bring the rhythms of Africa. I got in the zone with this album but it also dragged on with much of the same. Ginger must have had ye ye de smell after those drums solos though c'mon. 2 stars for jungle jammin' live.

Didn't expect much from a live version of a foreign album. Was actually pretty satisfied with what I got. It's mostly just some afrobeat jams but it was relatively satisfying. Not sure what the connection is but kinda cool that they got Ginger Baker involved. Pretty redundant after a while but I guess I enjoyed the album enough to stick around for the drum battle as opposed to immediately bailing out. 2.08 stars

Just great relaxed listening PLUS Ginger Baker's genius drumming.

Got a lil bored

Increíble album. Nunca había escuchado afrobeat asi que este album es como una introducción onda benchmark para mí. Me encanta la energía que tiene la instrumentación onda big band mezclada con los tambores y como se desarrolla cada cancion (porque son LARGAS pero tienen muchos solos y van como developing). Me encanta BLACK MANS CRY. Increíble tema. Hasta pegadizo. La voz de Fela Kuti es increíble, destaco mucho la batería en la instrumentación (y la batería de Ginger Baker obvio).

Nice bit of world music. not doing anyone any harm, cant imagine listening to it again, but didnt mind listening to it at all.

Drums and weird yelling. That's all I hear.

..

Buenísimo y sorprendente. Puro jazz y ritmos afrocaribeños que prenden desde la primera percusión. Todos los tracks son una joya, pero el último del disco, un solo de percusiones de 20 minutos, es para volverse loco. Genial.

I knew Ginger Baker had been involved in some afrobeat stuff but I couldn't have named this. It's great though Smooth and produced really well. Everything is clear but there's a great sense of atmosphere Unsurprisingly fond of the Hammond organ, my old prog sensibilities coming to the surface listening to this. Ginger Baker's drumming is obviously very cool too, his appreciation for African music was obvious in how he knew how to fit in with this style Black Man's Cry is pretty lowkey and builds tension for over ten minutes, and whilst the payoff at the end is only a minute or so, the saxophones and trumpets are worked in so well that its really satisfying Highlights: Ye Ye, Da Smell, Black Man's Cry

It had a real great Ragea meets Jazz feel. I loved it

This is the album that exposed the great Fela Kuti to western audiences, with Ginger Baker doing playing the role Paul Simon later played with Ladysmith Black Mombazo, or Peter Gabriel with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Sure, there is something that could be said about the racial politics of all this, but only a westerner could have succeeded at this at the time. But how could anyone resist music this funky? Insane drumming here by both Baker and Tony Allen, and Kuti bring the utmost charisma with his talk-singing vocal style, like the best MC at a party we were all lucky to even get invited to. So, everybody say Thank You, Ginger! Key tracks: Ye Ye De Smell

First impression pre listen: I really enjoyed his son's album that I got generated for me a few weeks back. With that somewhat fresh in mind I'm excited to listen to this. Interesting to see Ginger Baker feature on this as well. Always happy to hear some afrobeat. Got decently high expectations for this. Individual track notes: Let's Start A great time. Amazing rhythm and energy. Lovely keyboard solo. When it comes to soul, spirit and energy this performance beats most. Good. 4/5 Black Man's Cry Love the horns here. Makes it feel big and layered. Infectious bassline, works well as a bakground piece while focusing your ears on the sax. Rhythmic and fun. Loving the animated and large vocals, despite not understanding a word of what he's saying. The screams are really gritty and raw. It's kinda carthartic when the horns come back in the end. Good. 4/5 Ye Ye De Smell The drums are great. Love the way he sings along to the keyboard. Great sax part. The structure of this song is really great, feels like a bunch of waves of coming in at different frequencies. Does kind of lose some steam near the end, even if the drumming is amazing. Good. 4/5 Egbe Mi O (Carry Me) Funny opening monologue. Great vocals. Dynamic and full of life. I like the rhythmic guitar, adds a lighter element to the sound of the track. Involving the audience was a great idea, genuinely sounds great and elevates the song. Great energy and spirit. Fantastic. 5/5 Final Review: This is a firestorm of rhythmic, groovy jams with infectious energy and tight performances. It lifted my mood and spirits and kept me locked in for the entire duration. The drumming on this thing is wild. Love the horns, love the keyboards, love the powerful vocals and love how everything is arranged so neatly together. If you're looking for a jazzy moodlifter with impeccable soul and power look no further than this. Will definitely return to this, if not just to further appreciate its details and intricacies. An absolute blast. 4.5/5 rounded down to a 4/5.

Good music, easy to listen to, but gets into self-indulgent drum solos and songs that carry on for too long because they're playing for a club and not an album listener. I wouldn't listen to this again without impairment.

Cool song, nice drum solo . . . oh, the drum solo is still going

Another one that I have never heard before! Great 4th of July Listening? 3/5 #musicsky #albumsky #musicchallenge

Fun, fine, but not an everyday thing for me.

There are a lot of great Fela records and some of them should be on any essential list. This one with Ginger Baker isn’t one of them. Just a live album. Pretty good. Mostly a ploy.

A really great document of Fela Kuti's live shows - capturing the raw energy and tight grooves that goes into his best songs.

I like the vibe of this album! Great energy

My heart sank when I saw the albumator had thrown this one up. I’ve heard it before and I wasn’t all that impressed. I don’t connect with funk music, and I find jazz funk that doesn’t let up for over an hour even less relatable. The musicianship of Fela Kuti and the band is undeniable, but I didn’t find anything to savour. There is also really good energy on all the tracks. It’s not that anything on here is bad, because the album is a brilliant fusion of jazz, funk and soul with Afrobeat. It’s just not the album for me.

i LOVED how this was basically all instrumentals. it’s cool seeing jazz intersect with world music. there was a lot of passion in this album and it showed. 5/5.

Pretty decent despite the lyrics not being in English. Niceix of jazz and funk with African drums. The 15 minute drum solo to end the album is pure self indulgence though.

Great rhythms, mediocre lyrics. Fun energy.

Great stuff. Big energy throughout, lots of fun to listen to

Really interesting, but not for me

Should be a separate list called 101 live performances you wished you were at, or something. This is really well recorded, all the playing is great, I can't really fault it. But I'm giving it a 3. Would be a 5 if i was there.

Love the energy in this live performance, and the playful banter between songs. I'm a fan of long tracks that let you get lost in the music for stretches of time. In fact, long after the album had ended I kept listening to other tracks from Fela Kuti's contemporaries while I worked. My only reservation about many jazz and freeform genres is that the music seem infinitely more fun for the performers to experience than for me as a listener. I've only have myself and my unrefined palette to blame.

Gostei muito. Podia ter 3h de música, eu ouviria sem parar!

Just lots of noise, but fun

African jazz, soul. Very listenable.

Not sure I've ever listened to this one before. Fela has SO MANY stellar albums it's hard to keep track. Anyway, good shit.

4 out of 5. Fantastic album here.

Ugh! Drums! Beats! Rhythms! Unbelievable! Damn.. this album makes me feel like I can't see color in my own life. Like I've never even heard of a party. I'm just a tiny, slow, black and white snail. Sheesh. The context or rating something like this just makes me incredulous that even a fraction of the energy in that room could be bottled. It must have been transcendent. Did Ginger ever come back from that? Music is magic.

This music brings me joy.

Enjoyed this!!

Fela Kuti just hits the right spot for me every time. His music is an absolute vibe that I absolutely dig.

Pretty feet. Sent it to hughbie and he coomed

Was actual a fun album.

Influence on or by The Doors and Bob Marley?

Absolutely awesome sound, Ginger Baker is an animal as we all know, and Fela's influence/power cannot be highlighted enough. 4 not 5 because the drum solo is indulgent

Well, I am sorry. I loved the way it starts and I can see the virtuosity and all. However, I got tired after the two first songs. I can appreciate its magic, but I am not made for listening to this kind of music

Surely one of the best live albums of all time. The sound isn’t quite ideal, but there’s an immediacy….

It was decent, wouldn't seek it out again but didn't hate it.

I know he’s a legend but I found this album boring and repetitive (apart from the second half of Egbe Mi O).

Compared to every other similar album I have encountered on the list so far (jazz / roots / blues / world / excessive noodling), this one is a breath of fresh air in many ways. Much more exciting, energetic, funky and fresh sounding from the get-go. A palatable blend of instruments and sounds with the focus on snappy rhythms - even the sax overload is not too off-putting in this context. It is, however, still a predominantly instrumental record full of reaaaaaaally long tracks which descend into improvisational hell. All fantastically performed, of course, but overall I would describe the experience as... well, imagine you dropped the needle on a copy of the first Doors LP, and it lands right at the start of the instrumental break to Light My Fire, then imagine you are anticipating that glorious moment where it all resolves and reverts back to the intro riff, the final verse and chorus. Then imagine that moment NEVER COMES, but the instrumental break just continues on for another hour. Yeah, it's kind of like that. Don't think that means I didn't enjoy this though, but it's only ever going to be background music fodder, and would surely provide a good source of some sampled breaks and beats if nothing else.

I haven't listened to retro West African music before. Enjoyed this live one more than I thought I would. Nice vibe and the jazz drum solos were pretty good.

I enjoyed this record. I love the way that they worked the crowd in "Egbe Mi O", and how they got the audience to help with the song. Favourite Track(s): Egbe Mi O (Carry Me) Least Favourite Track(s): Drum Solo

ufff to much brrrr brrrrr poom pom pom 2/5

This album was quite the discovery! I "knew of" Fela Kuti but never properly listened to an album. What a party! Super funky Afrobeat. James Brown with wits of jazz and loads of African charm. Only a 5 songs, all long (usually 10+ minutes) but they don't bore for a second. They almost brought a tear to my eye, I'm not sure why, but it's a good sign. Now I need to listen to MORE Fela Kuti (and check out his progeny too).

Live album. Funk / Soul. Only five tracks for sixty one minutes of run time. An album of jamming and very long solos. The drumming is, of course, fantastic and crazy from Ginger Baker. Great musicianship from a very random collaboration here. It's okay, just not my kind of thing. I prefer Ginger Baker with Cream. Felt Kuti is someone I'll have to look into more.

Like it 3/5

just really solid music. would i ever seek it out again? probably not. if it was on, would I change it? nope!

This album is great, moves and grooves, get on the train and go

1. Let's Start (Live) - 9 The sound right at the start is an amazing blast of that almost disco/70s-style guitar mixed drums a great bass line and other instruments that immediately grips your by the shirt at your chest and throws you into what you get the feeling for what might be a brilliant musical journey. There's an excellent sax that's just an awesome sound with the drums and bass only a minute to two into the song before eventually giving way for other instruments to have their moment in the sun. The original album is only 4 tracks as well, so you get the feel that these jam session vibes is what the entire album encompasses but unlike other bands, where jam sessions can sometimes be too long (i.e. Outlaws, Dave Matthews Band) you never like the music loses itself. Best track on the album. 2. Black Man's Cry (Live) - 8 Another great jam session, especially after about 3 & 1/2 - 4 minutes in. The baseline remains very consistent through out and is paired very well with each instrument. Much like the previous track, there are many solos sprinkled throughout including the vocals themselves about two minutes from the end that leads into a crescendo of sound. Overall, a solid jam along song. 3. Ye Ye De Smell (Live) - 7 Not as good a track as the previous two. The skills of Ginger Baker do absolutely shine on this track but there are times where it goes on for too long and actually becomes too repetitive. Song loses itself a little bit in the drum solo towards the end of the track. Outside of those last 3 minutes, the track itself sounds really good. You're ready to move onto the next track before the track itself is. 4. Egbe Mi O (Carry Me) - 8 Solid ending. Love the signing at the end of the track. Musically good and it trudges along enough to not feel too long until you get this wonderful build into the end. Overall a decent track. Average Rating: 8.0 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 4.0

Great energy throughout, but a bit too repetitive and uniform. Kinda felt like I was listening to the same song the whole time. Still a solid listen.

75/100

Many of Fela's songs start slowly, with a funky rhythm that builds and builds, as horns, call and response vocals and organ make their respective appearances. This album starts off with a massive funk kick right from the beginning. As one of Fela's first albums, it's a great introduction. And by this point, all the elements that make Fela a unique explosion are there. A lot of people make a big deal of Ginger Baker's inclusion here. I don't hear it a lot. That's not to take away from his contribution, I just mean to say that this is a full big band experience, with everybody playing their parts. Plus, there is a lot of other percussion in here. Edit: At least I don't hear it until the bonus track, where Baker and Tony Allen go off. Solid collab. As a Fela fan, I'd say there are a lot of better albums out there. But I could see why this one is on the list. 4.5/5

Closer to a 3.5, not quite a 4. Really fun and interesting but not one I'm really eager to relisten

Fun and funky with a traditional African flair, this was a pretty entertaining listen!

Legendary drum solo between Tony Allen and Ginger Baker

Not his best work and I don't like live albums, but Fela Kuti has an undeniable energy in this, so it's not the worst live album I've ever heard. I enjoyed almost all of it. 3/5

This album is a party from start to finish, and a masterpiece to boot. I first heard about it on the Ginger Baker documentary where you find out he is absolutely batshit crazy, but also a virtuoso who pushed the boundaries and found Fela to work together AFTER he revolutionized rock and roll with Clapton. Still, the bass playing is the best part of the album.

It’s okay

Talented live performance. A little repetitive and not my style but decent

Have not listened to this album

This is outside of my usual wheelhouse but I genuinely enjoyed it and am saving this to my 1001 Albums playlist. I'm very undereducated in afrobeat music so I feel like this was a good starting point.

Never knew just how many chops Ginger Baker had

Again?

Sympa percussion. dansant

Loved the funky groovy mood, the drums, and how danceable this album is.

When this generated I was super excited! Kind of thing you look for in this generator, something you’ve never heard of, or listened to! It was ok, but didn’t do enough for me I’m afraid!

A relentless polyrhythmic festival of pan-African identity anger and rebellion. Fela was the bandleader, and no fool himself, but Tony Allen is/was a genius, and I don't use the term loosely.

It was cool hearing the commentary. Solos were a little long for me, but that's the point.

I mean join Afrobeat Icon Fela Kuti with insane rock drummer ICON Ginger Baker and it has to be good, right? Answer: YES, but not for everyone. Lots of cool tunes and love the live recording, but kind of ended up as more background music than active listening due to the length and long improvisational nature of the experience. This is one of those IYKYK albums.

I wasn't sold at first by the whole "featuring Ginger Baker" thing, but the drumming on his tracks is straight fire.

3 Stars (8/15)

Really enjoyed this, made me really happy to be doing this challenge and learning about new music. Saved a few other albums by fela Kuti to do a deep dive into his discography in the future

Great!

First time hearing. It was fun.

I came in totally blind and had no idea what I was getting into. But wow... as Fela counted to 3 on "Let's Start" and those first brassy Hammond organ notes roared to life, my spirit soared. This has the juice! Love the albums we got this week. A mix of comfort classics + introductions to musicians I had never heard of.

Wow. Never would have picked this up on my own and so glad it’s on here. One of the best we’ve listened to

Never heard of them and now so glad I’m in the know. So good throughout

TIL Fela married 27 women on the same day. The bassline on Egbe Mi O will be stuck in my head for a while

Have not found a bad jazz album since I started this list and this is no exception

sry

Great, but too much drum solo. Favorite song: ye ye de smell

Definitely dig the vibes

Good background music for a summer pool party

Ça commence assez raide, Fela qui introduit "Lets start" pis pouf! Fun fact :Baker travelled with Kuti into Africa in a Land Rover to learn about the continent's rhythms, as documented in Tony Palmer's film Ginger Baker in Africa (1971). Très centré sur le rhythme, il y a toujours au moins un element percussif qui reste et qui fait office de métronome. Côté forme, cest proche du jazz, des solos puis revient à des thèmes. Solos d'orgue par Fela, solos de drums/percs. Aussi, autre drummer sur l'album = Tony Allen, habitué de Fela Kuti, il y a un duel entre les deux drummers enregistré en 1978 comme Bonus track sur l'album

It’s a pretty good album love how you can hear each instrument. Don’t like how long it is.

2.5/5

3/5

Great sounds, so many drums. I would assume that Fela Kuti doesn’t come across in the studio versus live performance, so this is probably the best representation of an important artist/genre. But it’s only like four songs and a drum off.

Solid record. Ginger Baker is the most interesting member in Cream, and he's a great drummer. Surprisingly enough, I can actually pick out his kit from Fela's huge rhythm machine of a band. This works with varying success. Midway through "Ye Ye De Smell", he's running away with the beat, Fela yells "ho!" and blasts him back in line with the blasting wails of his sax. This is a fun but odd entry in Fela's discography. Fela had Tony Allen in his band, why is Ginger here? Was this some A&R dude's idea to introduce Blind Faith fans to Afrobeat?

Loved this

not bad but not the vibe for today 3/5

HEY i loved this album what the heck!!! it was SO vivid and hectic and fun, i played it while driving and i didn’t want it to end. definitely would listen to it in another occasion. i’d say my favourite is Black Man’s Eye, though i enjoyed every single one of them. the only thing is i would have liked a bit more of lyrics but whatever. the rhythms were SO SO cool, i felt like i was in cuba dancing in a bar with a drink in my hand hahaha. kind of album you’d play when you’re in a good mood. plus, i liked the singers, they had this cool-funny vibe that i loved. yeah, one of the best albums as of late!

So much energy in his live performances, makes me wish I could have been there!

This was an spectacular album, a great hour of Afrobeat. Fela Kuti was a great talent, and he's in top form here, combining jazz and funk while also composing a record that feels original and authentic. All the performances are great, Baker's drumming is on point and Kuti's voice is super powerful. This album perfectly achieves what it aims to do, showing an excellent live version of Kuti and company, and the recording is so good it barely feels like a live album.

I enjoyed this album listen! This is not music I typically listen to but I like to broaden my music horizons when I can. I dug the African style music with heavy funk and jazz influence throughout. I would definitely listen to this again to break up my music habits and recommend this to others!

Normally I quite like dragged out funky jams, but this was a bit boring at times. And I also don’t want to listen to a 16-minute drum solo.

Live

Pretty fun, but can be more musically developed(?)

This album was a pleasant surprise. It slaps! As the kids say. 4/5 #83

Pretty fun, nothing really stood out but really great live performances!

Funky, the jazz mixed with African music is really interesting. The last song with all of the drumming I found a bit full on and long but the rest I enjoyed listening to.

Thoroughly enjoyable. Didn’t know I needed a 12 minute drum solo

How fun! Love this! This is the kind of live performance you would go to and still talk about years later! Fav songs: Ye Ye De Smell, the 16 minute drum solo

Not bad, but there's just no excuse for a 16 minute drum solo.

Seeing this live would be incredible, but listening to a group of dudes jam for an hour, regardless of how incredible they are, ain't really my thing 2.5

Wow, just wow. Fela Kudi is just fire! In the right mindset, this is an awesome listen!

I'm surprised that I liked this as much as I did - normally I don't go for jam band type music and longform, 11+ minute musical rambling doesn't hold me, but the vibes are just there for this one

The last song is too long.

Looked at the reviews, either 5s or 1s. Its another live album, which spells shite for me. I gave it a chance, but no chance. F#@%ing load of rubbish. I might as well listen to random albums rather than be fed this daily bilge. 1001 albums, where from.

Honestly pretty fire, good intro to this kinda music and I’m not mad about another instrumental heavy album. Lowk I listened to this while driving and it got me kinda stressed out bc of how upbeat it is but it’s cool

If it weren't for this project, I would have never listened to--or heard of!--Fela Kuti. It's good in the background. There's a lot going on and when it's all working, it's a lot of fun. When it's not coming together, it gets a bit repetitive.

Really cool. Whole album sounds like one long jam session in a jazz lounge.

Good stuff

I anticipated this being another generic world jazz album but it’s pretty good. Solid jams, doesn’t meander too much, and has a good sound.

Funky, jazzy goodness. Great musicianship.

A little goes a long way, but worth listening to

I can't fault the fun and chaos of a 16 min drum solo here!

An amazing performance by two iconic (and egomaniacal) geniuses. This is platinum-standard stuff for any jam band or funk performer. Slight downgrade because of the dialogue that’s a part of most live recordings— and the fact that you can hear the tension between the two marquee names in Fela’s comments (hushing the crowd after he intro’s Baker, giving a sing he “wrote for Ginger Baker” a derogatory title, … etc). A very solid 4.

Funk/jazz/boring Nothing exceptional

Otro directo y van no sé cuantos. Se deja escuchar, es un artista que nunca habría oído si no fuera por esta lista. Interesante para conocer al creador o impulsor de Afrobeat.

Wonderful. Another awesome and vibrant album from the combination of African and Western musical styles. Great for getting into the zone and bopping along, losing track of time. Must-listen #146

I’m sure plenty of tools feel enlightened by giving this 4-5 stars, but it’s just not that good. Fine to have on in the background once, but nothing groundbreaking or all that catchy, even for quasi-jazz.

Jazz meets rock meets Afro-works beats. Definitely worth a listen!

Ok, das holt mich total ab irgendwie 😄

This album is a masterpiece.

Good songs, never need a drum solo

this was pretty good honestly

Good instrumentals but not my vibe really

Nice, but not my cup od tea :)

Liked that drum solo. This sounded fantastic for a live album but the content doesn’t get me going. Nice to listen to though. High 3.

Fine AfroLatin jazz but the drum solos are too long

Funky and fun! I could have done without the extended drum track at the end, but I cant be shocked given that Ginger Baker gets name-billing here. Great musicianship throughout.

Some random worldwide live album from the 70s featuring the drummer of Cream that’s over an hour long and only 5 tracks? Yeah you already know I was ready to hate this album experience. Quite surprisingly, however, it wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. Still nothing I’m looking to ever listen to and I wasn’t happy about having to add a song from this to my 1001 albums playlist, but I digress. Not something I regret listening to but not something I’d be happy to listen to again either. Sick 15 minute drum solo to end though.

A fun live listen.

Definitely self-indulgent, especially with Ginger Baker involved. Sounds like a loose, extended jam session, but not entirely unenjoyable.

Always wondered what Ginger Baker did after Cream to justify that reputation and ego. Now I know. It's the world's greatest jam band and a blinding live record. Great banter from Fela between songs too. And that drum solo...

What a fantastic album. If you don't like this, are you even alive?

Very different and interesting

Very fun listen - this is the type of shit i hear in a hifu hipster bar with a vinyl DJ and I like it enough to shazam at the bar

I was coasting at a modest 3 until the drum solos came in. Ye Ye drum solo is incredible, the 13 minute one is a bit much. Still enough to push it up to a 4 for me, obviously Ginger Baker is amazing but it was proof of his ability to make drum parts that sing. Also the album cover pic of him is hard as fuck. Fela Kuti married 27 different women on the same day.

It was fun to get some more international music in this list. I wouldn't have listened to this otherwise. Fun listen, but don't think I'll find myself revisiting much. Solid 3 for good, unique composition.