I used to think that choosing a favorite Fela album was difficult, not because one stood out from the rest, but because in doing so you're indicating that the others weren't as good. Well, forget about all that. Afrodisiac is it. Better than Gentlemen, Expensive Shit, Zombie, He Miss Road. All of em. No political agenda here, no anger directed anywhere. Just classic hard, heavy Afro-funk, super tight horns, meticulous arrangements, completely indecipherable lyrics and some particularly impressive keyboard work. Fela at his best. Do you have a favorite? Let me know about it in the comments.
Showing posts with label Super Heavy Funk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Heavy Funk. Show all posts
Friday
Fela Kuti & Africa 70'
Afrodisiac - 1973
I used to think that choosing a favorite Fela album was difficult, not because one stood out from the rest, but because in doing so you're indicating that the others weren't as good. Well, forget about all that. Afrodisiac is it. Better than Gentlemen, Expensive Shit, Zombie, He Miss Road. All of em. No political agenda here, no anger directed anywhere. Just classic hard, heavy Afro-funk, super tight horns, meticulous arrangements, completely indecipherable lyrics and some particularly impressive keyboard work. Fela at his best. Do you have a favorite? Let me know about it in the comments.
I used to think that choosing a favorite Fela album was difficult, not because one stood out from the rest, but because in doing so you're indicating that the others weren't as good. Well, forget about all that. Afrodisiac is it. Better than Gentlemen, Expensive Shit, Zombie, He Miss Road. All of em. No political agenda here, no anger directed anywhere. Just classic hard, heavy Afro-funk, super tight horns, meticulous arrangements, completely indecipherable lyrics and some particularly impressive keyboard work. Fela at his best. Do you have a favorite? Let me know about it in the comments.
Tuesday
Funkadelic
Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan - 1971
Recorded at one of the worst possible times for any band to make a live recording, Funkadelic limped into the Meadowbrook Arena in September of '71 with a rhythm section that had been hired the day before. And while the result was not too far removed from the junk funk of the magnificent Maggot Brain LP which they'd released just two months previous, the engineer who taped the show was so repulsed that he stuffed the reels on a shelf where they sat for over twenty years. Not surprisingly, they've aged like a fine wine. The Funkadelic captured on this night is nowhere near the Parliament/Funkadelic machine that would turn out the slick disco funk within a couple of years, but rather a troupe of acid drenched misfits with a penchant for searing guitars, violent synths and an overwhelming passion for the ladies. The concert's spoken introduction reads like this "...Let your minds be lather-like. George chief cokehead is gonna sprinkle funk from one end of this pavillion to the other.".. Eddie Hazel's heavy fuzzed out riffs kick in against the thunder of drums, deep pools of reverb slap back from the arena's shell, and it's on. A full on funk assault. Bernie Worrell cooly reigns in the proceedings from the banks of total chaos with his characteristically uncharacteristic synth leads, and the overall impact is a marriage of an ultra funky Band of Gypsies and Sun Ra in a playful mood. Wow! An incredible document of a band at the peak of their creative prowess.
Recorded at one of the worst possible times for any band to make a live recording, Funkadelic limped into the Meadowbrook Arena in September of '71 with a rhythm section that had been hired the day before. And while the result was not too far removed from the junk funk of the magnificent Maggot Brain LP which they'd released just two months previous, the engineer who taped the show was so repulsed that he stuffed the reels on a shelf where they sat for over twenty years. Not surprisingly, they've aged like a fine wine. The Funkadelic captured on this night is nowhere near the Parliament/Funkadelic machine that would turn out the slick disco funk within a couple of years, but rather a troupe of acid drenched misfits with a penchant for searing guitars, violent synths and an overwhelming passion for the ladies. The concert's spoken introduction reads like this "...Let your minds be lather-like. George chief cokehead is gonna sprinkle funk from one end of this pavillion to the other.".. Eddie Hazel's heavy fuzzed out riffs kick in against the thunder of drums, deep pools of reverb slap back from the arena's shell, and it's on. A full on funk assault. Bernie Worrell cooly reigns in the proceedings from the banks of total chaos with his characteristically uncharacteristic synth leads, and the overall impact is a marriage of an ultra funky Band of Gypsies and Sun Ra in a playful mood. Wow! An incredible document of a band at the peak of their creative prowess.
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