11. Fela KutiLive!
For this list, I kept thinking about albums I would put on in mixed company and not be embarrassed about. You’d need a slightly ironic filter to put War Of The Worlds on, but most of these albums I would happily play in a way of saying: “here we go!”
I stumbled on this about ten years ago. I knew Cream, my dad used to play a lot of them – I still love the sound of that band. But I didn’t know much about Fela Kuti. On this album there is such an amazing sound that the band and the horns make – it has James Brown elements with an African lilt.
Did you see the Ginger Baker documentary? I didn’t know he was such a nasty piece of work. Quite horrible. But him and Fela Kuti seemed to have this real energy. I don’t know much about it, but if you put it on in any environment, you will not regret it. The African funk craziness is powerful stuff.
