Zombie

yeh. dig this ok

Rating: 7/10

A pioneer of Afrobeat at the intersection of jazz and West African rhythm and instruments. Interesting to hear the political history behind this album and Kuti. Dude married two dozen women and had them his back up singers. Tracks flow well and have a lot of diversity in itself, maintaining the rhythm while trying out various instruments and vocals. Very well produced. You can hear the inspiration of soul and funk, especially in the third track. Fourth track was the weakest but still pleasant and would definitely get a huge applause out of me if that played at my jazz festival.

No hay pierde.

I like this, good brass especially. Favorite track is Zombie.

This is what I’ve been waiting for, something wild and different. Great rhythms, an actual message, and kinetic intensity. Hell yeah.

Nice!

афро битялово одинаково и по домашнему, скупая слеза текла по моему лицу, БЛЯДЬ регги

I dig it.

Yea good to hear some dance jazz....fine track ..zombie

A catchy protest album. Who knew that could happen? Fela Kuti’s band here is tighter than any other band ever tried to be, and he is full of rage and energy and channels it into songs that energize you fully. Twelve minute songs that you actually want to hear through to the end.

Something completely different. For long songs, it was incredibly funky. Didn't love it but will be a recurring listen

really liked it, very niceeeeeeeeee

Great vibe to work to. Fun and upbeat but can also be great background sound

Some chill African jazz, with some POP Lots of horns

Good

A great jazz album that I hadn't previously heard of

Awesome album, short but still fulfilling. The songwriting is great although I had a hard time understanding the vocalist.

i liked it

Sehr gut zum Uni machen und nebenbei hören, fand es sehr entspannt und mochte die Instrumente sehr.

An absolutely amazing Track 1. 4 tracks of afrobeat jazz. The surprise when the vocals kicked in 5 minutes into the song created an intensity that I'm always searching for in my music. A hugely interesting and enjoyable album - matched only by the story of the man.

Not my top favorite of his albums but a goodie.

Funky album, heb hier wel min of meer van genoten

jaaaaaaaaazzzzz

powerful with and without the heavy context behind it of resistance to military rule in Nigeria. aside from its meaning, it also communicates on a physical level in a way that's hard to find an equal to – its extended groove is irresistible

Pretty much every Fela Kuti album is a really excellent song the album is named after followed by a good song that can't quite live up to the main attraction. Zombie is one of Kuti's best songs but Mr. Follow Follow is even more forgettable than some of his other secondary tracks. I had, in fact, literally forgotten what came after Zombie. Still, it's not BAD. Solid 4 overall, best album yet.

This album made me feel like I was living the life of the guy in the Pixar movie Soul

Funky

Funky Jazz Album. Anothwr album with long songs Zombie gets a little repetitive for my tastes I think but all thenother songs have good development and interjections that make them worth listening to, unlike Bat out of Hell

not _super_ into Afrobeat but it's a warmer-temperature aesthetic not dissimilar to Bitches' Brew. liking the revolutionary undertones

great

I don't have a lot to say about this one, but I thought it was really catchy and fun. (And a good, short album to follow up after yesterday's pick).

Dosc niecodzienny pik listowy, bo muzyka ani to hamerykanska, ni brytyjska, a tym razem afrykanska, afrobeat prosto z nigerii lat 70, bedacym panstwem rzadzonym przez wojskowe junty, zmagajacym sie z nieposzanowaniem jakichkolwiek praw, no i jak przystalo na afryke z wszelaka bieda, takie tlo na ktorym powstal ten albumik, sam Fela Kuti nie byl wlacznie grajkiem, ale takze aktywista politycznym dlatego glownym themem jest tutaj wlasnie militarny rzad, ktory mozemy utozsamiac z tytulowym zombie, orginalne wydanie zawiera tylko dwa ponad 12 minutowe traki zombie i mr follow follow, ktore juz samymi tytulami jasno wskazuja o czym beda traktowac, reedycja zawiera dodatkowy trak observation no crime i zapis live kawalka mistake z berlinskiego jazz festiwalu w 78, Kuti byl wspierany tutaj przez bande znana pod nazwa Africa 70, jak na nigeryjska muzyke i okreslenie afrobeat jak dla mnie brzmi to jazzem lat 60, dosc surowym w wykonaniu, ale jedak juz granym w wiekszych bandach, bo troche instrumentow mozna tutaj naliczyc, ale dokladnego skladu grajcego nie potrafilem znalezc, co natomiast wyroznia ten material od typowego jazzu sa wstawki wokalne, wykorzystanie chorkow, ktore nie tylko w rytm sie zgrywaja z swoimi wstawkami, ale nieraz same nadaja tempa traku, gdzie wystepuje licytacja miedzy chantem chorowym, a Kutim na glowym wokalu, ktory tak samo jak chorkowe wykonany jest w typowo afrykanskim ingliszu, wiec dosc prostym i z typowa skladnia, ciekawa postacia jest sam wykonawca, bo jako dzialacz polityczno spoleczny, tak bardzo mial w niesmaku wladze, ze postanowil stworzyc wlasna niepodlegla komune, brzmi niezle, ale jesli dodamy do tego, ze mial wlasny harem 27 zon nadaje to prawdziwie afrykanski klimat opowiesci, po wydaniu zombie rozmontowali mu komune, ale muzyka przezyla i jest swiadectwem jak sztuka potrafi walczyc z systemem, na plejke wrzucilem oba orginalne traki, bo sposob w jaki nagrany zostal mistake pozostawia wiele do zyczenia

Impressive

Fela groovt sich mit zunehmender Zeit hypnotisch in die Ohrmuschel, frisst sich smooth ins Hirn, breaking & entering my mind, body just follow follow. (Haben Can sich hiervon eine dicke Scheibe gegönnt?) Virtuos instinktive 3.8

Cool in context, and fun enough in general, one of my favorite "big band" albums so far.

Diferente e bem gostoso de ouvir

Was a bit apprehensive after getting yet another Fela Kuti album but this one is very different, much less frenetic Afro-beat and more Afro-jazz, it meanders at a more relaxed pace and has a more serious political tone.

Great rythm and arrangements. Good vibes.

Nice radio, learnt take five

I was excited about this one because I enjoyed Fela Kuti's live album (w/ Ginger Baker) so much. I still think that's the better album, but this one is no slouch either. Excellent African rhythms and drums horns, with a good political message underneath it.

love it. cool beats

Added to YT Music.

Love the horns. Great grooves. Don’t love the singing.

Great grooves song after song

So there is a good kind of jazz. Listened 19/1/21

Goede latin/jazz/soul. Nooit van gehoord en echt steengoed.

Jazzy

Weird Reagea-Jazz with very clear messaging. Not much more to say, it was a good listen.

Jazz!

Great jazz swingy trumpets

Guter Jazz, lange Songs, macht Spaß!

Very catchy start and interesting sound! But the songs were too long for my taste or not various enough for this lenght. Would give a 3,5.

F U N K Y

First time listening to this music. Really vibrant! Looking at the history of this record was interesting

Really great energy, I can totally see how Talking Heads were inspired.

Funky/Jazzy instrumental album.

wow ! this influenced the talking heads like nobodys business

This was a fun album to listen to and very different. I wasnt interested in changing the one song.

Enjoyed some of the vibes in this but it was too jazzy and repetitive in parts for me. If it was 20 min shorter it would have been much higher up. Specific rating - 3.5 Fav song - Mr Follow follow Least fav- Zombie

Enjoyed the newness of the genre, potent backstory too… exactly what this project is for

Vibe-y, jazzy, & kind of tribal. A fun listen!

I liked the jazzy aspects but the vocals and call/response stuff not so much. Overall, OK.

Funky! Groovy! Jazzy!

This goes insanely hard? Zombie is gorgeous work. Also, was that the last post??

Mukavaa menevää jatsia. Ei motivoinut tutkimaan diskografiaa lisää, mutta kuunnellessa oli hyvä mieli

I am giving this album the benefit of the doubt because I am way out of my element here and it had some cool moments, but this is dangerously close to jazz.

First listen. Knew of Fela Kuti, but never spun this up before. Got a real groove, but each track is just way too long. Start off each track thinking it’s good and by the end of it I just feel relieved it’s over. I can respect this, and can see why people would love it. Definitely glad it’s on this list and that I’ve therefore listened to it. Just not for me. 3

The jazz start completely misled me to where the album was going. It was interesting enough to listen to, but I'm not coming back.

Not the biggest fan of 10+ minutes songs, but the music itself isn't bad at all.

Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 🎤🫸🪖 Production: 🙂‍↕️🤔🆗 Music: 😤🎺🆓 Rating: 🧟🧟🧟(🧟)/5

interesting but not really my genre. upon researching i learnt that it is a very political album.

Listened to this driving the golden circle in iceland..I thought it was a pretty good grove but my wife asked if the same song just repeated so that's a nice judgement.

Fun, energetic, slightly formulaic. Didn’t stop me from enjoying though! Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Zombie

I was very surprised to get Fela Kuti after reviewing an album by his son Femi yesterday. Thankfully I enjoyed Fela and his pioneering Afrobeat sound more than his son's more contemporary attempts. The recording itself isn't great, but the feelings be shared are. Zombie calls out the corrupt Nigerian government of the mid-70s, hiding the message in upbeat music. While it may sound fun to dance to, this album got Fela's mother killed and his commune burned down. At the end of the day, Zombie is an important record with a strong message, but the songs are too long for my taste and the backing vocals aren't great either.

The rhythms are strong, the riffs are cool, and the lyrics were pointed enough to get the Nigerian army to destroy his living compound and throw his mother out of a window (killing her). It is repetitive, hypnotically so, and the four long tracks are almost interchangeable - LONG instrumental intro, a few verses, LONG instrumental outro. I feel the rhythm and the power, but it's not a regular listen for me.

corto pero tiene una o dos canciones buenas aunq no me mataron

Not my style

Fela Kuti is considered the founder of Afrobeat jazz. The songs are mostly long jams with guitar rhythm and horn solos and then some singing in the middle which I liked. The songs are long (more than 12 minutes). I like the album but would have preferred to hear 8 songs with shorter jams than just 4.

Things I learned today: I can sometimes enjoy Afrobeat. The term 'World Music' is now widely considered dated and racist. This guy married 27 women in one day. I was also going to throw in a joke about "my horn section" but I decided against it.

Maybe it was a mistake, but I looked up the meaning behind the album before starting. It made me enjoy it more than I probably would have otherwise. Despite the songs all being 10-15 minutes, I felt like they were each dynamic enough within the song that it didn't bother me too much. But it did still feel a bit much. I really do appreciate the jazzy protest, and it was catchy. As protest music should be. Take a note, Bob.

Nice to listen to. I couldn't really get further than that.

I'd probably give this a higher rating if we hadn't had a Femi Kuti album earlier. They're the exact same music. And I can't get past that. This album feels...redundant? Even though I know it was released first. So this rating is a little unfair to dad. Still really good music.

For what it is—African jazz—it’s pretty solid. It’s not really a genre I care much about, but I appreciate the talent. 6/10

A joy

Fiilistelymusaa. Sopii kesäisen puuhailun taustalle.

låtarna var lite för långa

There's apparently lots of different versions of this floating around...the one I heard had just two songs, Zombie and Mr Follow Follow. But those two songs left me wanting more! The titular track, especially, has a killer groove. It's pretty decent stuff, my first introduction to afrobeat or anything adjacent to it. Imagine hearing this and wanting to raid the guy's commune and kill his mother. Insane.

2.5 - Pretty good. I don’t really have any strong feelings about it.

Good workout background music

6/10

Honestly this is good stuff, not something I would probably play again but I like it

Another album I liked more than expected. Songs were very long though. That being the case, the music was still excellent.

Shnazzy.

Loved the sound of this album. The title track was my favorite. Long songs but they definitely made you dance after awhile.

Nice and chill but not memorable

- What a story about this album... I really appreciate the political statement it's making. - At the end of the day, I just can't get into jazz... this is easier to take than most, but I still get bored quickly. I do like the African elements to it. - The two-song LP is over pretty quickly, but the songs still kind of go on too long for me. - I like the keys on this album. I'm not that into the horn, though - it's fine, but I just always find horn to be a lot. - I'll give it a 3 for the two song LP - it includes the two best tracks and is only about 25 min or something. I like the political statement, and it has a swing that I enjoy. It works as background music, and my cat seems to be into it - I think he's smiling. - 2 for the four song rerelease because the extra songs made it way too long, and I didn't enjoy the first half of Observation Is No Crime). - Came back after listening to another album of his on this list and just learned he's a total misogynist, so yeah, I won't be listening to his music.

Another album with obscenely long tracks. Let’s hope this one earns it. The title track: nothing huge to say. The beat is alright, as soon as the vocalist comes in it improves quite a bit. It does go on for too long, but there’s a lot here to like. Mr Follow Follow had a very cute sound to it! It had a fantastic horn part. Observation is no crime was another track with a lovely instrumental! Mistake being a live recording was pretty cool. Similar elements to the other tracks, but it’s nice and cohesive. Overall, a pretty decent album. Not amazing, but not bad either. Nothing really wowed me about it but I enjoyed some of the vocal bits. 3/5 ⭐️ 154/1089

Favorite Track: Mr. Follow Follow

Som da hora do álbum, mas 4 músicas de mais de 10 minutos inviabiliza adicionar na playlist. Arte pura, me imaginei num festival de improviso, tipo JAM no MAM.

Again an album is not really go for but glad I’ve listened to it. I’ve no real critique other than it’s great to drive to

177. nice

First listen

Now this is some [world?] jazz I liked - had more… structure to it, without the wild improvisation.

I don’t usually listen to instrumental stuff, but it had a great political message

For as serious and important a political song as it is, it’s worth noting that Zombie is also just a lot of fun to experience. It doesn’t feel like 12 minutes; the rhythmic bead instruments, enchanting backing vocals, and chanting of “Zombie” are so captivating. Mr. Follow Follow, on the other hand, feels VERY long. It’s extremely repetitive and easy to tune out, and I think it’s a shame that it follows my favorite 12 minute song. If you listen to the deluxe version, it’s similarly split; Observation is No Crime is shockingly low energy for a song with that title and drags, while Mistake’s organ and crowd cheers keep it engaging despite its runtime. It’s an album of two extremes.

No his best album but Bowie is Bowie

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Don’t have a lot to add on this one. I love the ambience of the album and especially like the points when the vocals accompany the tracks. I get this is intentionally more of a jammy vibe with political tones (looking at Wiki), but it didn’t jive with me as much as I’d have thought. I’ll have to revisit this when I’m not zoning out / dissociating.

Pretty good. Nice jazzy feel

Another Afrobeat album by Fela Kuti. This one was good too, but maybe it didn't hit quite as well as the previous album I listened to.

I often hear conservatives tell artists to stay in their places; and to not be political blah blah. And then you hear an album like this that literally criticized and nearly dismantled the Nigerian government; imagine, art, to be so poignant and true that the artist is beaten and his mother murdered. The title song caused riots. Art can change the world. This album is a sword.

Not a huge fan of the interminable jams, but the music is pleasant and interesting.

mid asf

I had a lot more time for this than I expected I would have, even if the songs could have done with being a bit shorter. Not bad at all.

toller Funk

2 songs, 25 mins, political, sure. More importantly, hours after completing this. my first child, my beautiful daughter was born today 🙏

This had some energy and was pretty interesting. Not really my musical style but worth the listen.

A nice little jazzy album.

Liked

Awesome. I'd have rather this be instrumental, but the vocals while not bad at all, were minimal.

Zombie - 3/5 Mr. Follow Follow - 3/5 Observation No Crime - 3/5 Mistake - 3/5

197 / 1089. Afrobeat gives me the joy that reggae should. Fela Kuti's two albums on this list have been illuminating for me. The two added tracks to the original LP are good, but not as great as the title track and "Mister Follow Follow." I'm rating the original two-track LP instead of the CD reissue. 7/10.

I found myself dancing to the African rhythms and quite impressed by the length of the songs and its structure, it's quite interesting to say the least.

Kul musik, den klart afrikanska viben är skön och gör en glad, danssugen. Jazzaspekten är mer sitta ner och njuta, så det känns lite ambivalent liksom.

Ok

This is the kind of thing I would watch on Glastonbury highlights on TV and really enjoy, then never listen again.

Ni bien ni mal, me gusto pero no se si es algo que elijo. Me gusto la mezcla con ritmos afro, me hicieron acordar al candombe.

I can hear how this album probably inspired acts like the Talking Heads. I thought it was a pretty fun listen. I think I liked the previous Fela Kuti album I got better just because some of these tracks just go on too long without significant changes.

unpopular opinion : on en fait un peu trop avec fela 3-/5

Jazzier than I expected.

Listening session: may 4th, while chilling at home Listened to before: no Thoughts: this is the type of music that I like to hear on this project. While it’s not something I’d listen to regularly, I really enioyed discovering something new Favourite track: Zombie

Pretty certain I haven’t listened to this album before, but at the same time, I feel like I have heard it or something a lot like it previously. Strident brass and a great bounce in the rhythm made this an easy and enjoyable listen

idek whats going on here

A nice change of pace.

It's hard for me to judge an album that's only 2 songs long, I feel like I don't have like enough to talk about. I also feel like there's just not that much to say about this one, like there's not enough that you can do with the instruments available to make the songs super unique, so they kinda end up just sounding like the same song twice. But I did like the song, I thought it was a pretty fun song. I was just hoping for more somehow.

Even though the songs are pretty long, I didn't mind it. I was really hoping to have something more different on this list. I had another Fela Kuti record before and I enjoyed that one a bit more, but this was equally as interesting and groovy. It's just something about african grooves.

Gillade! Nog inte för alla :)

3/5. Sjukt att bli så deprimerad över sin morsas död att man gifter sig med 27 personer samtidigt och sedan roterar dem på ett schema.

Me hizo sentir de vacaciones

This album led to a backlash from the Nigerian army (Zombie was what Kuti thought of anyone serving in the brutal regime's military), which almost got him killed. His mother was though. Hard to imagine living under such conditions and producing such unapologetically confrontational music. For that alone he gets props. It's not really my bag but in places, it was worth the excursion and may need a few more goes but for now, a 3...

The saxophone part was nice.

Great but a bit repetitive

Nice rhythm and good energy - found I enjoyed much more than I expected

favs: mr follow follow observation no crime rating 2.5/5

nice sound if the tracks are a bit long

Historically significant, and an enjoyable listen, but nothing stands out

3.5

Me impresionó tener referencias de este álbum gracias a Beyoncé

I get it, he's incredible. But 2 Fela albums in less than 2 weeks? Come on

Всего, даже хорошего, должно быть в меру. 5 за звук, 2 за длительность.

such a history behind this album!

6/10… afro jazz / *1977

Not for everyone, good but too much instrumental for me

Sure

I enjoyed Zombie, the rest was a little too much of the same.

Kanske mest intressant wikipedialäsning hittills. Rätt bra album också. Liiiite bjäring

тут какой-то политический контекст, не могу оценить мой мозг отказывается слушать такое на протяжении 12 минут прикольные партии, но можно было сделать их и короче качество звука приятное, инструментал богатый и яркий 3.0

Madcap Nigerian jazz. Definite Mingus influences. Surprisingly good

Un álbum para escuchar chill. Parece actual. Me gustó mucho.

Interesting African jazz soound

Really interesting. Something I would play during a jazzy dinner party, or while tanning. 6/10

interessante uso de instrumentos, mas algumas repetições vocais me tiraram um pouco do album. apesar disso, tem muita relevância histórica por ser bem político,

4 songs but really strong songs,I actually really like this.If I heard this in public I would be dancing. 3.5/5

5/10 I think reading about this album and the resulting unrest was perhaps a more profound experience than listening to it. I'm not a fan of the genre but I appreciate this album for it's significance in the history of the Afrobeat genre. Best track: Zombie Would I revisit?: No

Very interesting, just not really my style of music.

Long improvisational jams with just the right amount of vocals and vibes for a saturday afternoon.

Colorful and interesting. One of those albums that’s fun to listen to.

Very good album. 3,5

Kinda feels like a lot of other albums I’ve reviewed where this is only really on here for some contextual reason and not because of the actual music. Not to say that the music on this one is bad

The songs are plenty fun and the lyrics and singing is good I just can’t listen to songs this long regularly

I liked it, but I found each track a bit too long. I fully agree with this comment from another reviewer who summed it up perfectly: "if you were to cut off ~4 minutes at the start and end of every track (leaving the call-and-response vocal bits) I'd probably rate it a lot higher". I loved discovering something new, though and I'm very intrigued to learn more about Fela Kuti. Overall, great music to have in the background.

He has very long instrumental Intros in these songs. I was vibing and looking him up during the first track. Was wondering why everything I looked up mentioned lyrics when I’d heard none yet 😅

Good background music.

Normal, me agradou pouco

3/5 sterren Leuke vibes, soms te uitgerokken, maar dansbaar. Doet denken aan goede zomeravonden en bks

Fela Kuti is known as the father of Afrobeat, a genre that blends jazz, funk, and African folk rhythms. The genre is generally quite enjoyable, both for dancing and as a background track; this album is no exception, but the story behind its creation reads like an episode of "Parts Unknown". Kuti declared his own microstate in Nigeria, consisting of a commune and a recording studio. The government became agitated and told him to stop acting up. Kuti got angry and recorded this album, which consists of just two songs (a reissue is available online, adding two more). In my opinion, the lyrics are simple and rather toothless, but the government was overly receptive to this ragebait and sent the army to burn down the rebel's house. During the process, the soldiers beat the artist and threw his mother out of a window, killing her. Kuti responded by sending the coffin containing his mother's body to the then-president's residence. Basically, this scene (https://youtu.be/UajTvU3sjrY) from "The Boondocks" perfectly describes the whole situation.

6.5/10

Fun, but got bored after a while

nice tunes.

3 Stars. Being disconnected from the time period/culture/politics of it all hurts this one a little and that's probably unfair, but it is what it is. I love the jazzy bits, but could do without the vocals.

Fine as background music

Good jam with a fascinating history.

This album was good, not entirely my vibe but I did enjoy it. On the ultimate plus side just another good use case of this project. I wouldn't have ever known about this artist, but now I know this is the African Bob Marley and grandfather of Afrobeats which is huge today. Musically I will give credit to the instrumentation in this, all jazzy and good, and the bass line is slapping.

funky, groovy, it was alright. though i'm not much of an afrobeat fan

Never heard of it. Didn’t get it. Good music thiugh

Me gustó

Imagine how hard this would go in the middle of the summr

-cool sounds -very chill background vibe -might listen again

Great performances and rhythms, but things start to drag on at points. Highlight: "Zombie"

To be listened - sick

Fun and interesting, love being exposed to new kinds of music. Didn't love some middle tracks here.

Before listening to Fela Kuti’s Zombie, I read a bit about him and the album. It helped — knowing what was happening politically in Nigeria and the risks he was taking made the whole thing hit harder. The title track, “Zombie,”. It calls soldiers… zombies. They “go and kill,” “go and die,” just following orders. It’s blunt and repetitive, but that’s the point — the repetition really sticks with you. I wasn’t super familiar with Afrobeat, so it was interesting to hear. The long grooves and repeated sections didn’t always click for me; sometimes they dragged a bit. But I get why they’re there — it drives the message home. I probably wouldn’t have picked this up on my own, which is why the thousand albums project is fun. I could see this growing on me with another listen, especially knowing the history behind it. Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 — more respect than personal enjoyment, but glad I experienced it.

I enjoyed this on in the background, particularly love the funky feel and afrobeats. But it would be too repetitive for me to sit and actively listen to I think.

Great beat. Lively jazzy tunes and nice brass sounds. Overall a good album.

not a massive fan of jazz tbh, would be closer to a 3.5/5 if this site allowed half stars

First song is great Good jazz vibe, just gets a bit boring tho

Great album did not expect that jazz sound. Beautiful

Interesting

Some decent jazz. Fun and different.

Some of it was good

Jazzova.

The record was a bit overwhelming. I appreciate the energy, but it is not an album I would listen to on a daily basis.

Me gustó el disco. Muy interesante. Me dio vibes del 'Exodus' de Bob Marley pero versión africano. No se si el afrobeat es alguna fusión entre el jazz y ritmos africanos pero suena mucho como si así fuera. Un género que seguramente he escuchado pero que hasta ahora me pare a analizar y tiene muchas cosas muy padres. Compases rítmicos sencillos y a su vez va jugando con una polirritmia muy interesante que funciona como un motor para que los instrumentos melódicos (y armónicos también) puedan improvisar y relucir su virtuosidad. Algo así como el jazz precisamente jaja. El trabajo del ensamble coral sumado a la voz principal es increíble. Carece de momentos vocales pero cuando estos aparecen hace toda la diferencia. Muy buen disco.

Meh

Cool vibe

Short, simple, fun enough, no complaints.3/5

fajny afrykanski jazz xd

At a time where the protest song has returned in strength, it’s fitting to listen to this protest album. Kuti rages against the corruption of the Nigerian government. But where western protest songs tend to be earnest things this is angrily and relentlessly funky. The songs are call and response shouts at the government, but this is politics you can dance too

африканский джаз! прикол

Quite liked this. 3.5

6.0/10 Liked the groove of this.. but a bit too repetitive for me. 4 songs - each over 10 min long was too much for my attention span

Door de repetitieve en zangloze mega lange delen wordt het een beetje achtergrondmuziek en verwatert de belangrijke politieke boodschap

c'est du jazz mais exotique un peu

Groovieee

Liked it but didn’t jump out to me

Fun and lively, but had a hard time enjoying it after reading up on this guy. Music is good tho.

Im not a huge fan of Afrobeat, but reading about this artist and the impact this album had made listening to it very special

I wasn't able to listen to this album in its entirity but I listened to the first 3 songs. I definetly see why it is a favorite for folks.

Zombie is iconic. The opening self titled track is a song you know without even knowing. The album can make even the whitest of whites want to move 6.6/10

6/10

Some nice (mostly) instrumental African music. Not fully my thing, but I can see the value of it having it present in this list. 7 / 10

Nigerian afrobeat, criticized government Zombie

When I read that Zombie was recorded in Nigeria by a label called Coconut Records, I knew it would be either total BS or an absolute banger. Thankfully, it’s much closer to the latter. On a recording level, it’s solid: raw, warm, and full of atmosphere. The groove is there, the horns bite, and everything sounds alive. Conceptually, it’s peak, funny, and fearless, turning the military into brainless “zombies” with brutal elegance. Where it falls short is execution. Not in intention, but in skill. Parts feel loose in a way that isn’t fully intentional, and the band never quite shows the technical sharpness needed to elevate the idea. The groove holds, but the playing doesn’t always convince. Still, the message, the vibe, and Fela’s presence do most of the heavy lifting. Flawed, a bit rough around the edges, but overall very enjoyable. 7/10.

Crazy instrumentals. Great vibe. It’s interesting but I’m not interested. Spencer is going to love this. Ending your album with the applause from your live show is goated.

I like the instrumental part but kinda repetitive, not my cup of tea

Fun but I cannot digest 12 minute songs

ayt

I liked this album. Zombie was a certified banger, others were ok. 1 song saved but a nice listen regardless.

Thought this was a cool Jazz album, liked the song Zombie a lot.

This felt jazzy and fun. 3.5/5

I didn’t love it but I get the appeal.

Cool sound, not my style for so long

Solid enough

A good album but no real standout songs.

3.5

The tracks were so long - it was like reading a book with long chapters and trying to maintain your attention span. That said, the music was kind of infectious and it grew on me as time went on. Didn’t love it; didn’t hate it; ears were opened to something new.

Never would have checked this out. Pretty good.

Excellent. Really enjoyed this music. Would listen to again.

Quite the vibe. Sexy groove, warm and steady, like you just walked into the middle of a jam and decided to hang and get a buzz goin'. I’m pretty uninitiated with jazz-adjacent stuff, so I connected more with the rhythm than anything much deeper. Didn’t move me emotionally - but as pleasant background jamz? Sure! I could also see myself getting emersed in this world and turning into a douchey weirdo TBH

The fact that this man wrote this during a war AND got it played on the radio? Very powerful. Not my type of music, but I still enjoyed listening to this the whole way though (even tho it was over multiple sessions) The man sure had some balls, making fun of the dictatorship at the time. Hell yeah man, art is such a powerful way to protest. Favorite songs - Observation is no crime Rating 1-5 ~ 3

Probably great if you enjoy Jazz.

7/10, werde ich aber nochmal hören und es könnten auch 4 Sterne werden. Heftige Geschichte rund um das Album...

super fun album!! 4 songs and 50 minutes long made me giggle, good vibes

2.5/it’s jazz but like a 4 for jazz Honestly, for jazz I was pretty into it. It had a few lyrics here and there, not in English, but it was upbeat and I found myself bopping my head along to it. I could definitely do some cleaning to this music. I’m between giving it a 2 since it’s jazz and a 3 since it’s groovy

Easy to see why this was such a big influence on Talking Heads.

Jazzy and long

Afrobeat is cool!

Whole ass meal and more

African jazz and desert blues are a cool genre that fused the jazz and blues genres with that African beat. The title track was my favorite.

Historically significant record from one of the most socially conscious musicians of the 20th century. It's solid, unique and technically brilliant but not especially thrilling or emotive for me personally. The fact that so much of the album consists of similar call and response types of bars means there isn't a great deal of variation itself in the record. There are other records and artists I prefer for energetic jazz fusion-likes. Probably deserves a four overall.

Groove awesome but politically a bit challenging

Afrobeats keep things interesting over the jazz. The impact of this album lends more credence to itself - it's believed that the criticism of the government through this album lead to the murder of his mother.

Really fun, just not my style

The instrumentals are good and are especially great on the title track "Zombie". My only complaint about them is the weird electric keyboard (organ?) on the track "Mistake". The vocals aren't bad, but they're definitely the weakest part of the album. The two bonus tracks "Observation is No Crime" and "Mistake" are not as good as the original. They're still decent though.

Throwback to high school academic decathlon - really good music that doesn’t feel as long as it is.

If I could give this negative stars I would

AfroJazz. Protest. Long jam session can be too long. And someone mentioned he had 27 wives? Listened before? N Saved tracks? N ⭐⭐⭐🥱 3 stars and a yawn

I enjoyed this more than the love album. It’s like tribal African jazz. Will totally revisit.

Nice background. Pretty good for jazz and idk what they called it but better than most like this. More interesting

I'm sure it's really wonderful but it's not for me.

A great listen. Propulsive and fun (even if it was a protest album). Would happily return to it, even if that doesn't seem too likely for me.

Mielenkiintoista uutta kuultavaa. Auktoriteettivastaista musiikkia.

Interesting sound on this, not quite jazz but really fun. I dont hate it.

I was apprehensive about this one after seeing it was 53 minutes over just 4 tracks, but it landed much better than I expected. I didn't love it, but it was not hard to get through. It might even be good if you like jazz. 3.3

3.0 RYM

I was not looking forward to this one but was pleasently surprised by it. Fun, groovy album to have on in the background. Reading about the history of the album and governmental response makes me like it even more. He had to have known this would cause an uproar but he did it anyway, risking his family and friends lives. There’s nothing more punk rock than that.

Just discovered him this past year. Some really cool stuff.

Now I know where Talking Heads got a chunk of their inspiration. The best feature of this music is the willingness to find a groove and just sit in it and explore. I found this to be a good listen. I'm not much of a fan of angry political music. But, in this case, I make an exception.

Not bad.

Was unfamiliar with this artist and genre (Afrobeat). Looked him up on google and found out the guy had 27 wives that were all members of his commune. “After the devastating army attack on his Kalakuta Republic, marrying the women offered them legal and social protection from police harassment and false kidnapping accusations.” The guy lived one hell of a life and advocated for human rights so that makes him cool in my book. Music wise this is the longest album this has generated, 53 minutes spanning over only 4 songs. Very danceable but easy listening. Lively. Loved when the words would come in with the almost call and response chorus. Sounds like community and culture. Fav track was the title track, loved the live element of Mistake as well. Not a huge jazz listener but I respect it, and the rhythm of this is undeniable and kind of addicting.

Dritlættis grom musikk. Skikkelig smittende rytmer, perfekt på en soldag på jobb!

I reviewed Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker’s Live! album exactly 901 albums ago. As someone who came into this project completely ignorant of Fela, and not very knowledgeable about African music in general, I didn’t have many strong opinions on that album, other than the fact that I enjoyed listening to it, and I gave it four stars. I have a good idea of what to expect from this album, and as luck would have it, I listened to an episode of Radiolab a couple of weeks ago that talked about Fela and his venue The Shrine, so I feel like I have some extra insight to add to my experience this time. Overall, I thought Zombie was a good album. I enjoyed how these songs utilized the same structure to draw the listener in: a long instrumental introduction, followed by the lyrical message of the song. I thought this structure was pretty effective for the messages that Fela was trying to convey on each song. The lyrics were really great, and I felt like it put into perspective the things Fela and his fellow Nigerians were seeing and dealing with while living under an oppressive regime. Musically, while I appreciate what Fela was trying to achieve with his long introductions on each song, I found myself a bit bored at times on these songs. I’m sure that when Fela played these songs live at The Shrine it was a totally different experience, but for me, listening to it on an LP got a bit stale at times. Some notes on a few of the individual songs: I liked the guitar groove on “Zombie.” That groove was really infectious, and it really hooked me in immediately. The horns were great too, and I loved the militaristic call and response of the vocals and backing vocals. The reveille at the end was a really great touch too, just to add an extra jab at Nigeria’s government. “Mr. Follow Follow” really kept up with the Zombie theme of the lyrics, which I really liked. There was a rhythm to the music that pulled me in here as well, but not in a dance-like energetic way like the title track. I liked that “Zombie” was more of a call to action lyrically and musically, whereas this song was more of a direct social criticism of people who went along with the things that Nigeria’s government was doing. I really lided that piano/keyboard part towards the end too. I loved that keyboard intro on “Mistake,” and Fela’s vocals sounded really good here too. The live aspect of this song really conveys the energy that the whole album was trying to achieve, and this song made me wish the whole album had been live. This song brought the album full circle for me, in terms of energy. I think that Zombie is an incredibly important album in terms of its historical impact, and the influence it had on other musicians, but listening to it was a bit of a chore at times. But from a cultural and historical standpoint, Zombie is definitely worth a listen.

There’s a lot to get your head around when reading the biography of Fela Kuti. The sexiest son of a legendary Nigerian feminist, born into a family of notable polymaths and even a Nobel laureate, raised under the ambition of medical practice, serially unable to accept things happening to him and so entirely self-directed toward a career as a musician. A literal military attack was sanctioned by the Nigerian government in response to this record. The thousand soldier strong attack on Kuti’s compound resulted in his mother’s murder, dying from injuries sustained while being defenestrated by the “Zombie” soldiers her son had so recently, and so funkily – I don’t mean to be glib here, but it’s a worthy paradox to observe – ridiculed. The music here is a special brew of influences, but distinctly Kuti. In that sense, Zombie runs parallel with Kuti’s biography – a global citizen with a dream for elevating Africa’s role in the world. I enjoyed this album. It’s a teasing (cajoling, if you’re the then military government) proposition, full of blasts of horns that ricochet around the rhythms like … well, you know. As protest songs go, these are surely among the most successful.

not exactly my vibe, but a pretty good vibe!

without this record, we have 1) no afrobeat, and 2) significantly less jazz fusion overall. My incredibly lukewarm take is that you can just listen to the title track and be done, but as far as jazz fusion is concerned, this is really quite good. There’s *so* much miles Davis influence here it’s nuts. If we’re not gonna pull an actual miles Davis record (I think or at least hope Bitches Brew is on here?), this is I guess a reasonable substitute jazz is my favorite genre so part of this rating is influenced by my desperation to get a real jazz album soon. still, even though i really do like it, i don't know how often i'd put this one on by choice. i feel it requires a specific mood.

The story surrounding this album is wild and it absolutely heightened the listening experience. Without it, I don't know that I would've listened to this outside of The List existing. But with it, I was locked in. Being a sub-30 minute album made this easier as well. I liked the music as well. It's definitely not the kind of music I would typically listen to. But I had a good time. I'm probably not listening to it again unless the very specific vibe required has been met.

nice. sounds like he might have been misogynist?

Better than Live!, but much of it sounds like falling down the stairs with a load of drums strapped to his back. Seems he was a weird chap.

Like solid album, don't get me wrong. The original issue has two 12-minute songs on it, which like. 24 minutes is short. Plus it's good world music and vocals, but to me at least, didn't exceed the "decent sounding enough, not bad, nothing great" 3 star stage.

Kind of like jazz but way more upbeat and fun

Such a tasty-looking zombie, yum.

Not as compelling as the self-titled album earlier on the list from Fela Kuti; I think the titular track is still the winner here. Insane to read the Wikipedia page on this album while listening. The impact it had just feels so decoupled from the content itself. Certainly makes me feel appreciative of the freedom art has in the west.

Greta reggae grooves!

An extra point for the 27 wives...

African jazz fusion that was written in protest of the Nigerian military government. It was fine, good beats and instrument work. Album was only two songs long (20 mins total), so it didn’t overstay its welcome. 3/5

De ersti track sehr nervig. überfüllte unruhige funky song. Aber de zweit isch smooth as fuck. Funky mit chli reggae und african instrumental gmixt. Vlt gib es 3.

This isn't really my jam, but tough to deny the talent.

It got repetitive and annoying after a point. Likely just not my style

I mean personally I don't think I would every listen and like go out of my way to listen to an album like this, but it was still super enjoyable. I think the fun music throughout with the vibrant energy and the live track played into the enjoyment a lot. I felt myself humming along or bouncing with the loud trumpets and drums. Really solid.

A good album, a toe tapper. Not a great album, a hip swinger.

This was very good. I dont know if there is a different version I was supposed to listen to, but this one was an EP with two tracks a long and short version of the Zombie song. Either way very good song. Looking into the history of the song, everything about it is crazy!

The meaning and history of this album alone are incredible. Jazz is the kind of music which give me thoughts of 'I should maybe listen to this in my free time in the background more often' when I hear in a cafe or bar, but never do. I kind of had the same feeling with this album. Now, I do agree with some reviews saying that the songs are a little too long and you can probably shave off the first and last couple of minutes from the songs. Yes, it is very nice to listen to, but at some point it just gets repetitive and gets drowned out in my head, so to speak. The parts with lyrics I liked (I might have a bias to political music, and this hits hard). Would not hate listening to this more often but would rarely select this album to play when I need to decide what to listen to. Normally I would hesitate giving this a 3 and maybe give it a 2 but the meaning behind it makes me give it a solid 3.

3.4 Not my usual cup of tea but I can appreciate it. First track was the stand out one, saved it down to a playlist. The rest I thought were a bit less interesting, but not bad.

Sadly, I couldn't hang with this. I really liked the other Fela album (Live! w/Ginger Baker), but here... I honestly don't understand what he was thinking tonally with his saxophone playing. The grooves are great and obviously, this is a historically important album. I'll take it as my own failing and give it a 3 and maybe revisit this in the future, perhaps it just hit me at an off moment.

The history of this album is super interesting, and I enjoyed the sound enough, but it was a pretty passive listen for me. The jazz sections were really long and sort of went in one ear out the other. Still cool to listen to though.

Really good and unique. Just the right amount of vocals for this genre.

It’s alright but good to see this album on here

Jazz.... Was really good but 30 mins was too much would revisit though

Appreciate everything that's happening on this album, the story is killer; just kinda died outs towards the end. Zombie is a straight banger of a track. If you can find it somewhere Monkey Banana is solid. Would much rather listen to The Best of Black President 1/2 Had a blast and appreciate this was recommended. 3/5 stars

Fun and lively. ★★★