Tracks
- Let's Start
- Black Man's Cry
- Ye Ye De Smell
- (Egbe Mi O) Carry Me I Want To Die
Live! is a lively album. The music is afrobeat whatever that means. The songs bear a resemblance to funk, especially with the horns and the repetition. There is also a resemblance to Latin music. It's too bad I can't understand Fela Kuti because there's a mix of fun and intensity in his singing.
The songs are quite enjoyable, but they do drag on for quite some time. That's probably because bands like to jam when playing live. They are also very similar-sounding. But I was just wondering if a group of related, yet unfamiliar songs all sound similar, too. For example, would all the songs on Led Zeppelin I sound the same to someone completely unfamiliar with rock and roll? Perhaps we miss all the nuance.
I like this album and I like the potential this style has. Too bad it will always remain on the fringe in the American pop music world. It's certainly worth listening to. I think it should be on the 1001 Albums list because it's very good, but I wonder if there's an album that is more representative of the style. I'd be surprised if this album is the best that Fela Kuti had to offer. On the other hand, this album is out of place on the list because the list leans so heavily on American and British popular music. Therefore, it has no place on that kind of list.
If anyone is expecting Ginger Baker to play a lead role on this album, they'll be disappointed. Fela Kuti references him three times on the album, all during Yeye De Smell. Once when introducing it and twice at the end. So, Ginger Baker is present, but not as much as the album would suggest.
All the songs are good. They're so similar to me that none stand out.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
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