Fela Kuti Upside Down/Music Of Many Colours CD

Includes liner notes by Jacqueline Grandchamp-Thiam, Rikki Stein and Mabinuori Kayode Idowu.

Digitally remastered by Pompon (Translab Paris, Paris, France).

This two-on-one-disc CD reissue brings together a couple of the more unusual offerings in Fela's discography. Upside Down, released in 1976, is the usual two-song, half-hour deal, the songs beginning with several minutes of instrumental solo trades before the socially conscious lyrics enter. The song "Upside Down" itself, however, is sung not by Fela but by Sandra Akanke Isidore. She was a woman who Fela met during his stay in the United States at the end of the 1960s, and who is credited with helping to elevate Fela's own social awareness and ethnic identity. It's basically like hearing a Fela track with a different vocalist, then. Although Isidore's pipes aren't as strong as Fela's, it makes for something refreshingly different in the midst of all those similar two-song Fela releases from the mid-'70s. The other track, "Go Slow," is a little jazzier, and puts less emphasis on lyrics than most Fela tracks, with the singing largely limited to chants that punctuate the instrumental arrangement. On Music of Many Colours, Fela collaborated with American jazz/soul crossover vibraphonist Roy Ayers. Ayers wrote and sang one of the two lengthy tracks that comprised the album, "2000 Blacks Got to Be Free." Musically, the match didn't work out that great here, putting Fela's Afro-funk ensemble to a disco beat, though the lyrical advocacy of African unity fit in with Fela's usual lyrical preoccupations. Fela takes the vocal and compositional chores for the album's other song, "Africa Centre of the World," which is like a customary Fela track decorated by Ayers' vibes flourishes, and chained to a rather more conventional Western beat. ~ Richie Unterberger

This two-for-one CD reissue brings together a couple of the more unusual offerings in Fela Kuti's discography. Upside Down, released in 1976, is the usual two-song, half-hour deal, the songs beginning with several minutes of instrumental solo trades before the socially conscious lyrics enter. The song "Upside Down" itself, however, is sung not by Kuti but by Sandra Akanke Isidore. She was a woman who Kuti met during his stay in the United States at the end of the '60s, and who is credited with helping to elevate Kuti's own social awareness and ethnic identity. It's basically like hearing a Kuti track with a different vocalist, then. Although Isidore's pipes aren't as strong as Kuti's, it makes for something refreshingly different in the midst of all those similar two-song releases from the mid-'70s. The other track, "Go Slow," is a little jazzier, and puts less emphasis on lyrics than most Kuti tracks, with the singing largely limited to chants that punctuate the instrumental arrangement. On Music of Many Colours, Kuti collaborated with American jazz/soul crossover vibraphonist Roy Ayers. Ayers wrote and sang one of the two lengthy tracks that comprised the album, "2000 Blacks Got to Be Free." Musically, the match didn't work out that great here, putting Kuti's Afro-funk ensemble to a disco beat, though the lyrical advocacy of African unity fit in with Kuti's usual lyrical preoccupations. Kuti takes the vocal and compositional chores for the album's other song, "Africa Centre of the World," which is like a customary Kuti track decorated by Ayers' vibes flourishes, and chained to a rather more conventional Western beat. [This edition contains one bonus track.] ~ Richie Unterberger

2 LPs on 1 CD: UPSIDE DOWN (1976)/MUSIC OF MANY COLOURS w/Roy Ayers (1980).

Producer: Fela Kuti

Reissue producer: Jean-Pierre Haie

Liner Note Authors: Jacqueline Grandchamp-Thiam; Rikki Stein.

Photographer: Bernard Matussiere.Q (2/02, pp.122,124) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Pairs his 1976 and 1980 albums, restoring the balance...it really flies high."
Mojo (Publisher) (2/02, p.104) - "...A gem..."