Zombie

This is actually great. It's jazzy, and bouncy, while still sounding true to the African roots. Also, check out the Wikipedia page, this album was the catalyst for some wild, tragic shit.

If I don't have this on CD I do have it on MP3 - nice to listen to the full album again for the flow/vibe

Too long for me. I agree; it's fun, it's new, and it's refreshing for this shit list. Even though it's not my jam, today I heard something that I wouldn't have been able to find on my own. THIS IS WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS LIST SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I know about the story behind the album and I get that it's really important, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna enjoy my time listening to this. It's too much of the same thing. I'm actually really sorry for my rating, but it has to be done.

I really am surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. An afrobeat album where the vocals/lyrics largely take a backseat, however they weren't particularly needed as the songs were able to lock into some mesmerising grooves, and the warm, jazzy instrumentation was able to paint vivid pictures for itself.

When there are vocals throughout "Zombie", they feel purposeful and carry weight, particularly when you factor in the socio-political context informing the album. I was having a brief read on Wikipedia, which yielded some rather interesting yet tragic accompanying information, intensifying the cause for this to be an album to hear before you die due to the historical fallout that it caused.

It's fucking great. Giving a bonus star to because it's protest music that's both meaningful and good (a rule I made up just now). RIP Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who died because music has power.

I will not include the CD reissue bonus tracks in this review.

I've heard of Fela Kuti before, but never sat down to listen to his music until now. I recognized his influence as the principal pioneer of Afrobeat, a genre rooted in West African rhythms and melody with the harmonic nature of funk and soul, and the improvisations of jazz. What I did not learn until now was his political strife, a torch he carried from his mother, women's rights activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. During the 1970s, Fela and his backing band, Africa '70, recorded and released several records with striking political commentary, inspiring his audience to stand up against the oppressive military-controlled Nigerian government. Tensions reached a boiling point with the success of this record, Zombie, which infuriated the government to the point of burning down Fela's commune and fatally injuring his mother. Given the content and messaging of this record, it's hard not to see the spark.

Relentless, upbeat sonic jams of chicken-scratching guitars, blaring baritone saxophones, and shuffling percussion establish an enlightened identity minutes before Fela and his backing vocalists came in with their call-and-response. It is such an immaculate groove that they had in their pocket that they could maintain this energy for over 12 minutes each track. Not to mention how hard-hitting the lyrics were, using the zombie metaphor on the title track to criticize the Nigerian military's blindness as they followed corrupt orders, and "Mr. Follow Follow"'s doubling down on that theme while also suggesting to open one's eyes and realize the error of their ways. An opportunity to think critically in the face of propaganda and political division, should they choose. Both tracks were equally hypnotic and biting in their compositions and lyrical content, and I could sympathize with Fela's plight.

Yet I've wrestled with this record longer than I expected, because it's only the two tracks. This was not the only time in Fela's discography that an album had only one or two tracks, which I noticed when checking out Confusion and Expensive Shit on the same day. I was contemplating whether it was a problem that I wanted more out of a single record. Perhaps there was a necessity to get these tracks out as quickly as possible, given the presumed limitations of recording technology at the time and the oppressive government that loomed around the corner. It would have been hard to know when the last record would truly be the last, whether getting arrested for dubious reasons, or getting raided because the government was looking to censor, but would claim otherwise. But then another thought came to my mind; perhaps a fire was lit inside me from listening to these records that ignited that desire to hear more. It certainly feels resonant these days to partake in art that expresses a free spirit against political tyranny. Maybe that's the takeaway I should have.

That, to me, is how powerful and poignant Zombie is as a record, and I'm glad to have finally sat down and understood Fela Kuti's legacy.

Love love love this funky shit

Nothin' else like Fela.

Short, simple, fun enough, no complaints.3/5

Cool sound, not my style for so long

Like James Brown before him, Fela was orchestrator, arranger, & vocalist, so that when you listen to his music you're really listening to the music of a collective consciousness. For every Maceo (saxophonist) James had, Fela had his Tony Allen (drummer). Allen was, to be fair, director of the music, but Fela was the mind and cultural foreman of Afrobeat. Unlike American funk, heralded by Brown, Afrobeat is overtly political, i.e., you're not getting 'I'm Black and I'm Proud' on Zombie, you're getting an immediate, immersive response to the situation at hand. In this sense, Afrobeat is like reggae, tho the sound is derived from jazz and funk, not rock 'n' roll. It so happens that Zombie is an all-time classic of the genre, a rhythmic + shrewd sensation.

An absolute riot from the James Brown of Afrobeat. Do not sit down while listening to this. Brilliant.

I'm sure it's really wonderful but it's not for me.

Fun, groovy, enjoyable. I'd listen again.

Amazing album, best to be listened to on a good headset.

I listen to most of these albums at work and this is the first one that noticeably increased my productivity. I’ll definitely listen to this again soon. 5/5.

Opens with a hard driving funk tour de force, a thick steamy dance party with endless layers of brass, percussion, keyboards, and a relentless bass - an undeniable groove with call and response vocals delivered forcefully, woven between sax lines and trumpet stabs. Mellows out into a slower jazz fusion number to breathe, a patient groove with slinky melodies. The band is huge and with so many parts locked in together it creates a kaleidoscope effect, ever shifting, always a new element or detail, fractal funk.

From the album cover alone I knew this was going to be something good and then I started reading about it. I might not have rated the music as highly without the context (I still really liked it, it would have been at least a 4 anyway), but I do think who an artist is can make the music more interesting.
Anyway this is my review so I get to give it 5 stars

Better than Coldplay

Wine bar music you play softly in the background