This particular box set from Wrasse contains all 26 albums, which were previously released by the label in three separate compilation groupings. Each disc is housed in its own mini-LP sleeve, bearing original cover art, and the set contains four booklets - one for each grouping of albums and a brief biography in a booklet of its own. What's confusing, at least initially, is that the back of the box numbers the albums one through 26, while each booklet numbers them starting at one. In other words, discs ten and 19 both bear the number one and start again with their groupings.
In its own way, this is a kind of grail; a live recording by the great Fela Kuti captured live mere months after his release from prison in 1986. After serving two years on a trumped-up charge of "currency trafficking," he was reluctantly released by the Nigerian government in April due to considerable pressure by Amnesty International. This show took place at Detroit's historic Fox Theater in November. The recording is the first release of "new" Fela material in nearly 20 years. The three CDs clock in at a bit under two-and-a-half hours – the show could have easily fit on two discs – and an audience recording by Bob Tegan.
Legendary activist and Afrobeat originator, Fela Kuti, used his music to lament social injustices and political corruption in his native Nigeria. Fela’s legacy spans decades and genres, touching on jazz, pop, funk, hip-hop, rock, and beyond. While this impact can be felt in Nigeria and the entire world, it also greatly affected Fela’s son Femi and his son Made, both of whom carry his legacy as torchbearers for change. On February 5th, Partisan Records will release two albums from Femi and Made, packaged together and appropriately titled ‘Legacy +’.