Product Details

• Actors: Fela Anikulapo Kuti
• Directors: Claude Lambert
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: V.I.E.W. Video
• DVD Release Date: October 30, 2001
• Run Time: 57 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005O6OJ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,885 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #5 in Music > World Music > Africa > Nigeria
  • #93 in Music > World Music > Africa > General AAS
  • #95 in Music > World Music > Africa > General

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the ten Greatest videos ever: hypnotic, cutting and defiant. --Jon Pareles, New York Times

Product Description

This extraordinary DVD features Nigeria's explosively charismatic superstar, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, at his very best in this historic concert DVD, entitled Fela in Concert, recorded live in Paris in 1981. Fela was not only the most celebrated African musician & composer of his time, but a revolutionary, cultural, and political symbol whose contributions were often overlooked in the Western world.

The African rhythms of his music were profoundly influenced by the sounds of Jazz icons Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Mile Davis, but equally by the Jamaican Reggae of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear, forming a new musical style called Afro-Pop.

As a charismatic performer, keyboard player, saxophonist, & composer, Fela's influence extends outside the limits of rhythm and melody, as he using his music as a canvas to reject the imperial trappings of power. He led a political party in Lagos, named The Movement of The People, and was its candidate in the Nigerian Presidential elections of 1983. Pan-Africanist and libertarian, Fela represented the uprising of Black Africa, both politically and musically.

This historic show was recorded in Paris in 1981 during an exclusive, all-night concert. Punctuated by the exotic and suggestive tribal dances and rituals performed on stage by 15 of Fela's wives, this exceptional event was captured by multiple cameras, enhancing this special DVD presentation.

Fela was a musician, a politician, a spiritual chief, and an agitator all at once, but however one views the man, he was undeniably a symbolic icon of struggle & revolution, as well as one of the most beloved men in Africa. In Nigeria, Fela claimed that he was better known than the President. It was probably true.

Selections include:
Instrumental Solo
Army's Arrangement
Original Suffer Head
Power Show

DVD BONUS FEATURES:
Fela Kuti Biography
Digitally Mastered Audio & Video
Digital Dolby Stereo Audio
Multi-dimensional Interactive Menus
Instant Access to Songs and Instrumental Solos

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inspired performance, but poor recording quality, April 12, 2002

By 

Mark S. Lo "Mark Lo" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: FELA In Concert (DVD)

A great performance by Fela and the band, but I was seriously disappointed by this DVD. The earlier reviews are of the VHS version, which perhaps is a more forgiving format for a recording of this poor quality.

Yes the music is great, but the sound cuts in and out and the video looks murky. Also, the stage lighting is so dim that you can barely see the horn section, the background singers, or the percussion players. As a result, the cameras focus strictly on what is happening at the front of the stage, basically just Fela and the dancers. It makes the whole experience feel flattened and two-dimensional. You start wondering just what is going on back there in the dark.

Worth buying only as a historical artifact.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transy Trippy Funky Afro Dance Grooves, December 21, 1999

By 

Eddie Landsberg "My 10th year as a reviewer !... (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Concert [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Ever try to imagine whats going on on those tripped out FELA grooves...? When you listen, you imagine a tribal gathering, perhaps even war rally... with fire, dance, soulful rhythms, chief Fela at the helm... This is not far from the truth. While the video is set in 1981 Paris, the energy transcends all time places and cultures. - - Felas stage presence and charisma are mind blowing. Though the band often sounds like a symphony of chaos, great musical moments occur. The depth of Felas solos are easy to miss amidst the synergy. His dancers gyrate on the floor answering his vocalizing in unison... he prowls the stage bare chested with tribal face paints saxophone in hand - - dances, soloing, rarely standing still, the horns accenting the rhythms. - - This IS a FELA album brought to life and an opportunity to look into the eyes of a firey legend and see the sounds that were and are uniquely his and part of an era. Known as THE BLACK PRESIDENT and THE AFRICAN JAMES BROWN, for sure he lived up to his reputation on the night this video was shot. A MUST HAVE is an understatement.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars kinda good kinda bad, January 14, 2004

By 

Philip Kavan "Underground Spiritual Game" (Western Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FELA In Concert (DVD)

I read the above reviews regarding the sound quality and thought "I love Fela; I'm sure I'll enjoy it anyway." So I bought it. Well, never having had the opportunity to see him live, I was happy to see him in action; however, the quality is so horrible I can't imagine watching it again. Not only is the sound muffled, but the camera operator constantly cuts away from what is interesting. There is one segment in particular in which Fela is really getting loose, dancing like some kind of karate rooster, and the camera keeps cutting to the friggin' audience. Man! I imagine if you're into Fela as much as I am, you'll probably wind up buying it anyway. No harm.