The Best Best of Fela Kuti

I'm not connoisseur enough to address all that goes into these tracks, but after reading almost hyperbolic praise of Fela in the alternative press back in the 1980s, I bought a live double-LP set...and was disappointed. The tracks took a full side each (his concerts must have lasted hours) and were built on grooves I did not find especially interesting...at the time; I exchanged the set, but have broadened my taste since then. THESE tracks, at least, are edited down for more Western tastes (or contemporary short attention spans) yet still sprawl comfortably before, between, and after Fela and his singers serve up lyrics, which address social tensions, such as between Westernizing fashions/attitudes and "original African" traditions and identities; corruption; and religious and political conflict, such as his own long struggle against a violent Nigerian government that kept trying to shut him up and shut him down.And the grooves, with his jazz-capable band (Africans taught Western drummers how far they lagged in polyrhythms) layering them up and back down and back up, are as compelling as his own rich, broad-spectrum vocal attack -- singing, shouting, scatting, swearing, humming, doing impressions, up and down his range; and his equally strong sax-playing.

The "Afrobeat" music of Fela Kuti is highly infectious and addicting. The lyrics frequently are full of anger and rage about political and racial injustices, and the music is always both hard edged and hypnotic. Trust me, you can't listen to this music passively--it's so engaging that you can help but rock your body to the groove. Fela Kuti was a giant in the history of African "world music" and as many other reviewers have noted, his status is on par with the likes of Bob Marley, John Coltrane, and James Brown, in terms of how he pushed the envelope of his musical genre. It really is a crying shame that more people are not aware of this amazing artist. In my opinion "The Best Best of Fela Kuti," which, by the way, actually is the exact same CD as "The Best of the Black President," is the best of the Fela compilation CDs out there, with the Fela Kuti Anthology, Volume 2, being a close second. All of the songs are great. As others have noted, however, of the 13 songs on this double CD, 8 of them are presented in an edited or abridged form. This was necessitated by the fact that, in their original form, many of the songs were over 25 minutes long, which would have limited the number of songs on each disc to about three. None of the songs feels clipped, and since all but two of the songs run about 10 minutes or more, you probably would not perceive them as having been shortened. This CD may not be for purists, but it is a great introduction to the Afrobeat music of Fela Kuti, and I still listen to it periodically even though I subsequently have purchased many of the original recordings, most of which have been reissued in a "twofer" format (i.e., two original albums put together on one disk). Be forewarned, after listening to the edited versions of some of the songs on this CD, you may find yourself feeling compelled to get the originals and hear the extended jamming that is not included here. Highly, highly recommended.

I bought this CD at a brick-and-mortar record store -- oddly, because someone had changed their mind on the way to the register and dumped it in the candy bin (ok, it doesn't take much to get me to buy a CD). I had heard one of Fela's records at a party 20 years ago and remembered liking it, so I thought I'd give it a try. This is a wonderful record, and great introduction to Fela (I've now got another half dozen or so albums). Many of his best known songs are here, and while some are edited for length (the ones that are 25+ minutes long in the original versions), the edits are well-done and the sound quality is quite good. The album is a chronological, and you get a good sampling of the different styles he played in over the years. The liner notes are also great, and clue you into the meaning of the pidgin English lyrics. I still listen to this CD even though I now have many of the original albums the songs are drawn from -- the variety is nice, the songs are well programmed, and it is, the "best best."

Note that this reasonably priced collection is the same as the vastly overpriced Best Best of Fela Kuti.

This is an excellent compilation of Fela Kuti's "hits," lengthy reminders of what this musician and social activist could produce. With his saxaphone leading the way, and a dozen musicians behind him providing a rhythmic structure, Afropop was his way of reaching West Coast Africa. Over 50 albums have been produced and this is the cream of the great man himself. Recommend.

I like Fela Kuti. Unfortunately it is difficult to find any excellent compilation albums. While this is a good album, it does give up some of the quality of his music to focus on quantity. As some have mentioned before, it is a good album to have to get many of his tracks without having to figure which of his 100 or so albums to purchase. I think the latter is my next move.Bottomline: Buy it if you don't have already have this amazing musician in your collection. If you already do, you will be better served by sampling some of his releases.

Listening to this collection for the first few times, it was as if I'd discovered the almighty source for a lot of music I've loved over the years (like Parliament-Funkadelic and "Remain-in-Light"-era Talking Heads). It rocks, and has a perfect balance of improvisation and tightly-structured grooves (and avant-gardish strangeness at times), garnished with Fela's sung chants and rants. Hypnotic, amazing, this is a great collection and I'm glad it's been my intro to this important Nigerian activist/musician.

great sound

I bought the CD knowing fully well the absolute worth of fela kuti. The compilation encompassed the very best of fela's music genuis and foresight.I really enjoyed all the tracks and the messages conveyed in the music stillmakes sense and nothing but rocket sense. It remains a calamity that Africans everywhere continue to allow worst atrocities to be heaped upon them by their pseudo-political elites who are all destined to meet their fate on day.Long live abami eda omo anikulapo!!!

Always been a big fan of FK - this is a good sampler of his music

I bought this for the track Roforofo fight,its taken me nearly 30 years to find it as the orginal vinyl was rare and hard to come by.The CD is packed with brilliant tunes,Fela Kuti returns the rhythms of jazz back to its African roots. A band leader, composer and master of the Saxaphone with that distinctive rasping tone. An absolute must have CD. .

I purchased this album after seeing Fela the play at the National. This ablum has the prefect mix of jazz, funk and african music combined. Since I have purchased the album I have not stopped playing it and it is wonderful to dance to. Highly recommended if you like this type of music.

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