Upside Down/Music of Many Colours [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Fela Kuti

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2001)
• Original Release Date: July 24, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B00004XT2O
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #309,712 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Upside Down - Fela Kuti

2. Go Slow - Fela Kuti

3. 2,000 Blacks Got to Be Free - Roy Ayers, Fela Kuti

4. Africa, Center of the World - Roy Ayers, Fela Kuti

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

These albums provide answers to the question, "What would Fela Kuti's band sound like with someone else singing?" The title track of 1976's Up Side Down was written for the voice of Sandra Isodore, the woman who had introduced Fela to the Black Panthers seven years before. It's one of his greatest songs, a slinky 15-minute funk jam with an irresistible riff and a sly lyric about Pan-African disorganization. Fela coupled it with a remake of his earlier "Go Slow," a low-grooving complaint about traffic jams in Lagos. Music of Many Colours is a 1980 collaboration between Fela and American vibraphonist Roy Ayers, who wrote and sings the jazzy "2000 Blacks Got to Be Free," a vision of a black-unity future that's the closest Africa 70 ever came to making a disco record. Its companion piece, Fela's "Africa Centre of the World," is more straightforward midtempo Afro-beat, with multiple percussionists pattering against Ayers's chiming, improvisational vibes. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fela In His Prime, December 2, 2001

By	Jake Tha Snake (East Coast) - See all my reviews

Although Nigeria's king of afrobeat never forgot that the strength of his material was the hypnotizing rhythmic groove, his early compositions were more or less African-tinged interpretations of James Brown's funky workouts. By the time "Upside Down" was released, Fela had honed his craft such that it still paid homage to Brown, but was far more reflective of Fela's own identity. This is still a fierce collection of afrobeat jams (highlighted by the almost 15 minute long title track), focused on the dancefloor with politically incisive commentary. You've likely heard the hype about Kuti and his legacy (which includes his son Femi and slavish devotees Antibalas). Here's the perfect validation of those claims.

4.0 out of 5 stars Half Great, April 7, 2006

By	Scott McFarland (Manassas, VA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

The Roy Ayers portion of the CD is dispensible, it doesn't hold a candle to Fela's half.

"Upside Down" is a great percolating track, and the remake of "Go Slow" is similarly intense. Another great Fela record.

5.0 out of 5 stars incredible, April 4, 2003

By	MikeGibbons "Mike" (Orleans, MA) - See all my reviews

The funk flows and flows and flows. This CD seems endless...and only in 4 songs! "Upside Down" and "2000 Blacks Got to Be Free" are two of Fela's greatest. Roy Ayers, American vibraphone funk king of the '70s helps out on the last two songs. This album is a classic. LONG LIVE FELA!