Expensive Shit / He Miss Road

Fela Kuti | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 24, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wrasse Records
• ASIN: B000CCZQI2
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,370 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #75 in Music > World Music > Africa > Nigeria

Track Listings

1. Expensive Shit

2. Water No Get Enemy

3. He Miss Road

4. Monday Morning in Lagos

5. It's Not Possible

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early examples of Fela's Afrobeat stylings, and the rise of confrontation with the government, September 19, 2008

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Expensive Shit / He Miss Road (Audio CD)

The Nigerian musician Fela Kuti combined artistic and political engagement. He advanced a bold new genre called afrobeat, where funk instrumentation was laid over the traditional rhythms of his country, creating a supremely engaging sound. Everything takes its time to develop--few Kuti songs are under the ten-minute mark--but the listener falls into a state of engaged chillout from the start. Through this music, he gave scathing but always playful criticism of the corrupt powers that ruled Nigeria. This collection of recordings from around 1975 is a good example of Fela's soundworld and is sure to entertain.

The title track of this disc, which Amazon's automatic review filtering probably won't let me name outright, is somewhat autobiographical. Nigerian police, seeking to put down this independent-minded rascal, tried to plant marijuana on Kuti during a gathering at his home. Wise to there plan, he quickly swallowed the joint, but the police then threw him in jail to produce the evidence from his feces. He escaped charges with some wily plotting, and then produced this song mocking the police for wasting resources on hassling him instead of furthering justice in Nigeria. Opening brass rounds give way to interplay between Fela's narration about the episode and responses from his group of female singers.

"It's Not Possible" and "He Miss Road" are, I think, some of the more unusual examples of Fela's output. The standard features of Afrobeat are here, but the production and long saxophone lines give these an almost Pink Floydian epic dimension before Fela starts with some hilarious lyrics about undependeable friends and about a few people who just don't get it respectively. "Water Get No Enemy" is one of Fela's most widely loved songs, possibly because its length of only 10 minutes brings it to wider audiences. "Monday Morning in Lagos" is almost as short, but seems a somewhat marginal effrort. Fela takes a break from his usual incisive commentary to offer a fun evocation of his home city.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not miss this amazing album!, August 5, 2009

By 

Darryl Verret (Texa$) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Expensive Shit / He Miss Road (Audio CD)

This was the first Fela Kuti album I listened to, and I still feel like it's the best. It's hard to explain to people what Afrobeat is like since nothing today comes close to it's complexity, intelligence, and funkiness. Fela Kuti takes things always a step further, adding a serious political message to all of his seemingly upbeat happy songs, so there truly is something for everyone in his songs. Anyway, if you've never heard Fela or Afrobeat, try this album...it will blow your mind.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best..., August 7, 2008

By 

J. Fahnbulleh "Music Lover" (Philly) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Expensive Shit / He Miss Road (Audio CD)

This is one the best Cd's that I have purchased in my life time. Fela is so underated that it's a shame. This body of work is a must have for any lover of jazz, world music, afro-pop, funk ...etc.