Customer Reviews

Francophonic, Vol. 2: 1980-1989

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Someone once pointed out to me the parallels between Franco and Elvis Presley including the postage stamp debate which pitted the "thin" Elvis versus the "fat" Elvis. If Francophonic: A Retrospective Vol. 1 1953-1980 covered the "thin" Franco, then Volume Two features the "fat" Franco in all of his glory. Franco's weight may have grown in the seventies but in the eighties Franco and TPOK Jazz became larger in many ways. The more than thirty members actually functioned as two bands: a touring band and one that played Franco's club in Kinshasha. The lengths of the songs grew until they filled a side of an LP: Ten of the thirteen songs included here top the ten-minute mark. The sound of the band was also fattened, not just with the addition of more musicians but the recorded songs were enhanced using the full capabilities of the modern studio.

I have no complaints about any of the song choices here even if a couple of the more obvious choices were left off: Tailleur and Attention Na Sida, both of which are dealt with in the booklet. The first CD covers 1980 to 1982 when Franco began spending more time in Paris and Brussels. All six of these songs are fantastic and represent Franco in top form. The second CD covers 1983 to 1988, starting with two tracks recorded in collaboration with Tabu Ley Rochereau and his band, although Rochereau does not appear himself on Missile. These seven songs have more studio effects than those on the first disc but never to the detriment of the song itself. Only one of the songs is edited: Suite Lettre No. 1 has four minutes taken out but is no worse the wear for it. None of these songs appear on the only other retrospective of Franco's work currently available, African Classics. The version of Mario included here is (slightly) different than the version included on that collection--different vocal track and slightly different mix--but is the second version that was available on the out of print Mario CD.

The booklet focuses more on the songs themselves than the booklet for Volume 1 did but is still informative and a pleasure to read. (Franco's full story can be found in the book Congo Colossus: The Life and Legacy of Franco & OK Jazz). The story of Franco's declining health is made more poignant with a photo taken a couple of weeks before he passed; an obviously weak Franco sits slumped in a chair on stage while TPOK Jazz plays around him. It is a sad ending for a man who proclaimed his band "all-powerful" and produced music that brought so much joy to so many people. It is also a shame that so little of this great music is available today. (Although, there are several albums available as mp3s now.)

(Sadou)"Batela makila nangai, batela bolingo na biiiso!!" Franco and le grand Ninja (Madilu) never sounded better than in this song. Takes me back to the streets of Nairobi, Kenya as a teenager growing up with T.P.Ok jazz songs in the hot Nairobian air. Soo nostalgic. Makes me shade a tear when I remember all those friend who have passed on with whom I used to enjoy these songs. Incredible !!

He may be dead two decades now, but he lives! He is Franco Luambo Makiadi. Many of these songs are the later day Franco, at a time when he was already established and was the big paymaster for many up and coming Congolese singers. But, they also define the Franco who always made sense to the person on the street, the market vendor, market women, the labourers toiling to make a dime. These songs are not for the elite, the white-collar, even though they were welcomed by the elite. I must say though that whenever Franco sang in his mother-tongue which I believe is Bangala, he is transformed into a passionate artist--listen to Kimpa kisangameni which starts with the fattest bass guitar ever in any of Franco's songs. In it, Franco paints a landscape, a village place where all kinds of things happen, the sorcerers are awake at night thinking about doing damage to the neighbours, and then wham! all hell breaks lose! (All of this from my imagination because I do not speak a word of Bangala; I do understand his songs sung in lingala which makes Testament Ya Bowule that much more meaningful, and yet so very sad as well). In any event, these songs are superbly crafted and performed, Franco at his height. Enjoy

Opiyo Oloya