Fela Kuti

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.

This album was a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic (a commune that Fela had established in Nigeria), during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Kuti was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Kuti's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed.

Fela Kuti - The Best Of The Black President (2013) [2CD+DVD] {Knitting Factory Deluxe Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.05 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 377 Mb
DVD5 -> 2.37 Gb | All Regions | PAL 4:3 | English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) | ~52m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Knitting Factory Records / Kalakuta Sunrise / FAK Ltd | KFR-4001
Afro Beat / Afro Pop / World Fusion

The Best of the Black President is simply a stellar collection that bests any two-disc collection out there as it represents the continued evolution of Fela Kuti's music from the 1960s through the 1990s. Compiled by son Femi, many tracks are edits of the originals – "Gentleman," "Water Get No Enemy," "O.D.O.O." – whose power is not reduced. Still others are second-halfs – like "ITT," "Coffin for Head of State," "No Agreement," "Army Arrangement," and "Shuffering and Schmiling." Still others, such as "Zombie," "Sorrow Tears and Blood," "Shakara" and "Roforofo Fight," are presented in their original form.

Fela Kuti - Live In Detroit 1986 (2012) {3CD Set, Knitting Factory KFR 1028}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.04 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 343 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1986, 2012 Knitting Factory Records | KFR 1028
Jazz / Afro Beat / Afro Pop / Jazz Funk / World Fusion

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.