Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A landmark in African popular music, February 28, 2003
Listened back to from the vantage point of a world exposed to several glorious decades of "world music," this stark set of percussion-based songs by Nigerian expatriate Babatunde Olatunji may seem a bit plain and untextured. Still, the fact that it's sold over five million copies since it first came out in 1960 shows that there was a hunger among the American record buying public for something new, and more importantly, something authentic. By the time Olatunji's album came out, the jazz world had already spent over a decade searching for some "new sound" or another to inject into the mix: mambo-inspired Latin riffs swept through the bebop scene in the late '40s, grandiose composers such as Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington had pawed through the cutures of Cuba, Spain, Asia and Brazil, looking for new melodies and modes to work with. But, as they say, there's nothing like the real thing. Olantuji's primally arrangely drumming, with its brusque muscularity and vibrant call-and-response chants, certainly delivered the goods on that front. The album's euphoric new liner notes place this release, a bit preposterously, at the center of all "world music-y" changes in jazz, rock and pop (even ahistorically claiming its seminal influence on Brazilian "batucada" drumming)... The triumphalist tone of the author can be taken with a grain of salt, but this album certainly marks a major landmark in the history of global musical culture... And fans of African drumming will be dazzled to hear the brightly remastered sound of the newly-expanded CD version. Definitely worth checking out!
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the beginning , July 26, 2006
Before World Music existed as a genre, Babatunde Olatunji released this ground breaking disc. During the 1960's, anybody with an appreciation for music beyond the ordinary adored this recording. Like Mickey Hart, my father acquired a vinyl copy when it came out. He passed this first pressing onto a grateful son. While I enjoy Olatunji's landmark debut, I also have a balanced appreciation. While historically important, "Drums of Passion" is now very dated. While the integrity is timeless, the 1959 production is not. Nowadays, this recording sounds like a cross between an old field recording and the soundtrack to a black and white era film. Compared to the selections with vocals, the instrumental passages have best stood the test of time. The rhythmic arrangements, phrasing and improvisation will always shine. That aside, "Drums of Passion" just isn't as listenable as Olatunji's later material. I hypothesize that for some unknown reason, most who appreciate this debut never delve further into Olatunji's discography. While Babatunde Olatunji may have influenced Mickey Hart to become a rhythmic visionary, Hart completed the circle by producing Olatunji's best recordings: "The Invocation" and "The Beat." "Drums of Passion" is an essential but dated album and to award it five stars suggests that it is Olatunji's paragon recording. That's ashame since far from being the alpha and omega, "Drums of Passion" is the beginning.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended!, April 10, 2005
When I first listened to this CD, I was impressed. The second time I listened to it, I was even more impressed. It just keeps getting better. All the songs on here are great. They have a great feel to them - they are upbeat and happy. You'll have these songs stuck in your head all day. The drumming on here is complex and interesting. It keeps you listening. The vocals are all in an African language, and I think this is very pleasant to listen to. Although it doesn't say, I believe this CD is in HDCD format. I first heard about this CD in National Geographic magazine in the section called 'My Seven.' The Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart discussed his favorite world music CD's and this was one of them. I am more of a rock fan, but I greatly appreciate instumental music. I started liking instrumental music even more after I bought this CD. So overall, this great CD has opened my eyes to a world of great music. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a jazz fan or any instrumental music fan. Also for anyone who just wants something to have something to relax to, or even to a Grateful Dead fan (if you like their "Drums").
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