Live!

Man, it was literally just last month that I first dived into Fela Kuti's music. I was thoroughly impressed across multiple releases with his knack for composing call-and-response-oriented jams that inspired people to stand and unite. Of course, he's not the only creative mind on this record. After the disbandment of Cream and Blind Faith, drummer Ginger Baker traveled to Nigeria and set up a recording studio in Lagos to immerse himself in African music. Ginger and Fela became friends during this period, and the two recorded together on multiple occasions. For this first stint, Ginger convinced Fela and his band Africa '70 to fly over to EMI Studios in London for a live-in-studio session.

The resulting record is a vibrant, upbeat series of funkish performances, complete with the dual baritone saxophones, chicken-scratching guitars, and Fela's powerful, charismatic voice. Tony Allen led the complex drums and congas before Ginger Baker joined in on "Ye Ye De Smell" and "Egbe Mi O (Carry Me I Want to Die)", further pushing the envelope with his jazz-inspired fast-paced syncopation. It is truly mesmerizing how these musicians from different backgrounds were able to sonically synchronize and be in tune with each other for such an eclectic jam for the ages, and it sounded like the in-studio audience was really into the performance.

If I had to nitpick, it's that I do miss the political edge of Fela's later releases. To be fair, there is a certain degree of highlighting the struggles of the Nigerian people on a track like "Black Man's Cry", plus there's spiritual empowerment through dancing and engagement with the music on "Let's Start" and "Egbe Mi O (Carry Me I Want to Die)". If anything, it does get rather humorous for the songs Ginger joins in on, as "Ye Ye De Smell" is a funny little anecdote about your girl's been cheating on you from the smell of the herbs they've been partaking in, while "Egbe Mi O (Carry Me I Want to Die)" is about dancing so hard that you break your body and have to get carried off the dancefloor. In that respect, even if I prefer the sharper political commentary to come, I found some enjoyment in these witty and joyful lyrics here.

Overall, this was a fun meeting of the minds, as Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker, alongside the rest of Africa '70, had the musical chops to put on such a defiantly jovial Afrobeat performance.

Very energetic and uplifting jam. It does lack a bit of the political edge that other Fela Kuti works have though. Still, it's a very good jam, even if not all that live. The origin of how this album came to be is very interesting and kind of opened the door to more contemporary African music in Europe. It's nice hearing Fela Kuti playing the organ and the drumming here is excellent as with all Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker works. Doesn't really grab me as much as a lot of other Fela Kuti work though.

Very fun, hypnotic grooves and rhythms. Fela Kuti's style just lends itself magnificently to a live setting!

Standout: Black Man's Cry

What a groove! Listened to it 5 times through without even noticing it had repeated.

Fela Kuti is a fascinating, extremely charismatic performer and figure. Well known for activism and being a pioneer of Afrobeat, Kuti's Live! Is a great document of what made him such a compelling performer. I wish I could better break down exactly what Afrobeat is, but I did like it on here. This album reminded me of jazz more than anything else honestly. Especially in the lengthy, possibly improvised compositions and palette. But regardless, Live! Is colorful, joyful, and appropriately full of life. These are the sort of songs I'd really need to spend some time with to get to their core (or it probably would've helped to be at this performance). But while I listened to this, I really enjoyed it and felt the infectious energy from the performances. I don't think I'm qualified to get super in-depth on this one, but I had a great time either way.

I have to give immense respect to this man for acting as a voice of protest against the military juntas running his country at the time. I also have to respect the excellent rhythms on display here. It sounds like it should be right up my alley with the funky rhythms and groove, but it didn't grab me from the get go, instead being a grower of an album. There are vocals, but they're not in English, so I can't understand what he's actually saying. It's supposed to be political, but I can't tell what his actual message is because I don't speak whichever African language the lyrics are in. Anyway, you can clearly tell that these are great musicians, but a lot of it sounds more like noodly jams than actual songs. That's not inherently a bad thing, as this grew on me the more I listened.

A bit long, but otherwise not terrible.

Learned Afrobeat = African styles + American jazz. This live-ly album has such energy.

This is another certified African (fusion?) banger. Why do I simultaneously love and loathe what Ginger Baker and Ry Cooder did for African music? I sure wish they didn’t, but I’m kinda glad they did. All hail white saviors!

Фела Куті кайф, тут ще й оцей драм-батл між Тоні Аленом і Джинджером Бейкером, топова атмосфера живого концерту. Все сподобалось.

African jazz…somehow much more enjoyable then most American jazz I’ve heard. The part before he introduces Ginger Baker is definitely better than the rest. 3.5 stars

I've known about Fela Kuti for some time, and have been meaning to check him out, but this is my first time listening to an album of his.

This is exactly what I was expecting, and it's solid. I'll definitely check out more Fela Kuti albums.

💥💥💥💥💥

Nice!

Surprisingly good!

Damn, some fantastic drums from Ginger Baker. Fela Kuti's funkiness is also shining bright here.

As much as I enjoyed Zombie, 4 stars, I didn’t really like this one. Too many times it faded into background music. Quite disappointed.

I know that Fela largely invented Afrobeat and this was a great live album, with energetic drumming and possessing an album cover that feels like the band are jumping off the photo. But I prefer a more lyrics-based sound so while liked, it was not something I would listen to again.

skroz neloše, štoviše

This was amazing. Loved the drum sounds throughout. Songs are a little on the longer side, but I don’t think it hurts the enjoyment of the record. Would’ve loved to experience the energy live.