As I promised, here is the second installment of ground-breaking classic jùjú by the great Ebenezer Obey, his LP On The Town (Decca WAPS 30, reissued as Obey WAPS 30), recorded in London in 1970. Here we find the Chief Commander and his International Brothers stretching out with a non-stop medley on Side 1. Side 2 features two extended cuts. I especially enjoyed the highlife "Ajoyio/Ore Mi Maje Aja." For more information on the songs click on the picture below.
Ebenezer Obey & his International Brothers - Lagos State/Ekiti/Ife/A Omo Enia Luware O/Davies/Adebayo
Ebenezer Obey & his International Brothers - Adupe Baba/Akunle/Tonny Anny
Ebenezer Obey & his International Brothers - Ajoyio/Ore Mi Maje Aja
And once again for good measure. Looking forward to spinning this in the country next weekend. Thanks loads.
ReplyDeleteHey, I was wondering if you wanted to take part in my One Hundred Project that I have over on my blog. I have had Frank from Voodoo Funk do an installment already and I'd love to have you do one. http://kumomusic.blogspot.com/2008/05/one-hundred-project-frank.html
ReplyDeleteContact me at marc.kets[at]kumo-music.com and I'll give you further details if you're interested.
Thanks for your blog. I'm sorry if it's unappropriate but i would like listen : N'GEWEL INTERNATIONAL DE DAKAR. Thanks for the answer. A frenchy with a badly english.
ReplyDeleteWilly: Sorry, I don't think I have anything by them.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
ReplyDeleteHere my new african blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://orogod.blogspot.com/
Enjoy my presents
Oro
A really lovely album - many thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered about that brief moment in the early '80s when African musics almost emerged on to a world stage. You could almost believe that Island and Virgin deliberately sabotaged it all by issuing pointless records like Je Ka Jo and overdubbing Meissonnier's naff synth stuff on to Juju Music. But it's probably cock-up rather than conspiracy - a symptom of the international music industry's total inability to comprehend anything that doesn't fit within its frighteningly limited parameters.
Listening to this album is a reminder of just how different things could have been.
Gracenotes, I know it's 5 years after the fact, but as it has been said before, so it should be said again: never accept as conspiracy what can be placed at the feet of human stupidity. Sometimes, the right person is there to make sure everything goes well, and sometimes, the opposite happens.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why African music is to most people a Parisian martini.
But enough of that. It's music like Obey's that makes it all worthwhile, regardless of the effusions of critics over "world textures." Thanks for the disc!