It seems like yesterday, the last time I posted Fela's "Expensive Shit". In actuality it's been nine years. That mp3 link has been dead for some time. Good enough excuse to post some of his stuff again. You regulars know I'm nuts about Fela, so I can't resist. If you're not familiar with Fela, a thumbnail snagged from an earlier post:
He spent some time in the US in the late 60's, where he was inspired by
the Black Panthers and the Black Power movement. Soon after, he was
deported and returned to Nigeria, bringing with him a new direction. He
created his own compound
that included a commune, a disco and a recording studio, took 27 wives
and proclaimed his independence from the Nigerian state, which
ultimately landed him on the government's shit list. A flagrant pothead,
in 1974 Nigerian police planted a joint in his home to have an excuse
to drag his ass in for a time-out. He ate the joint, thereby destroying
the evidence. As if a scene from a Pink Panther movie, they brought him
in anyway, to wait for the joint to pass. In the interim, he acquired
a stool from another inmate, presented the joint-free duty, and was
later released. Thumbing his nose at the authorities, he wrote a song
about the incident, naming it, poignantly, "Expensive Shit".
So, here's the deal, if you don't know Fela's music, you should. Read up on him, its Afro-beat at it's finest. Most of these are long (the longest is 31:00), going through many changes keeping things interesting., the rhythm keeps you locked in. It's all about letting the groove take over. If you are familiar with Fela and dig him, you know that his catalog is pretty vast so a few more should be welcomed. Besides "Expensive Shit", I tried to pick the others at random. I've posted his stuff too many times and I'm too lazy to go backwards and survey old posts to see if any of these are repeats.
Listen:
Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit mp3 at Internet Archive
Fela Kuti - Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense mp3 at Internet Archive
Fela Kuti - Unknown Soldier (Pts 1 & 2) mp3 at Internet Archive
Fela Kuti - Roforofo mp3 at Internet Archive
Fela Kuti - He Miss Road mp3 at Internet Archive
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