Fela Kuti’s 1973 album Gentleman is being reissued.
Marking 50 years since the record’s original release, the new release will be made available on coloured vinyl and come with liner notes featuring a brief essay on the album. It’s the seventh in a series of 50th anniversary reissues by the label Partisan of Kuti’s records, which has previously taken in Roforofo Fight, London Scene and Live! With Ginger Baker, among others.
Recorded together with Kuti’s Africa ’70 band amid a period of musical transition, Gentleman was one of the more highlife-focused albums in the Afrobeat artist’s back catalogue. Its three tracks saw Kuti address what he saw as a rejection of African style and behaviour by governments across the continent brought about by colonialism. You can listen to the full album above.
Partisan records will release Gentleman: 50th Anniversary Edition on June 23, 2023.
