5 "must have" reissues
you may have missed
Reissued West African music from the 70s is big business these days. There have been so many spectacular releases of standalone albums and compilations in the last 3 years that it could be overwhelming even for people already familiar with the reissue sub-culture.Most of the reissues are from Nigeria, Ghana and Benin. It’s a very long list, so narrowing it down to five titles was no easy task. The criteria for selection was simple: excellent releases that may have escaped your attention for whatever reason, but which I don't think you'll regret checking out.
Ofege - Try and Love
This past Christmas, my brother-in-law was visiting NYC from Chicago and I showed him this record. It instantly brought back memories of secondary school in Nigeria. He was a fan of Ofege, and hadn’t listened to them in decades. I put the record on the turntable, and he was transported back to his teens.
Ofege was very popular in the 70s. When the band released Try and Love (LP; CD; iTunes) in 1973, its members were all in their teens, and in secondary school. It really puts this album in perspective when you listen to it with the knowledge that these heavy grooves were made by kids! Their sound can be best described as afro-rock, with some soul, funk and psychedelic influences. Certainly, they were influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, but they used their voices to create their own unique sound. Their dexterity and musical prowess really comes through on the song Gbe Mi Lo.
Before this record was reissued in 2009, the original commanded big bucks on eBay (it still does). The subsequent Ofege albums that have not been reissued still sell for hundreds of dollars, and most of them are in questionable condition. Unless you have a limitless supply of money, or are a hardcore collector, I don’t expect most people to spend that kind of money on records, so this reissue is a no-brainer. There’ll come a time when the reissue will sell out, so if you don’t have Try and Love already, do yourself a favor and pick it up. You’re simply not going to hear Nigerian teenagers playing heavy, psychedelic afro-rock anytime soon.
Pax Nicholas and The Nettey Family – Na Teef Know The Road of TeefPax was born Nicholas Addo-Nettey in Accra, Ghana. An accomplished singer, dancer and percussionist in his own right, he came to Lagos, Nigeria in his late teens and made an impression on Fela Kuti who welcomed him to his band The Africa '70 in 1971. He was a member of The Africa '70 for 7 years, as a drummer and background singer. The first Fela album he appeared on was Shakara, and he went on to play on all the landmark Fela albums that came over the next 7 years. Think of all the Fela hits like Zombie, Yellow Fever, Expensive Shit, He Miss Road, Everything Scatter and countless others from that period. Pax was on every last one.
In one of the many raids at Fela’s Kalakuta Republic by the Nigerian army, Pax was imprisoned for 9 months. His offense: being associated with Fela. After a performance with Fela at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1978, Pax Nicholas, Tony Allen and many of the Africa 70 members decided to leave the group because of the harsh treatment they endured in Nigeria. They didn’t want to return to Nigeria. Tony Allen moved to Paris, while Pax settled in Berlin, where he still resides today. He’s still playing afrobeat, and his new band is called Pax Nicholas and The Ridimtaksi (some videos).
Na Teef Know The Road of Teef, recorded with The Africa '70 (LP; CD; iTunes), is a blistering release of unrelenting afrobeat and funk.
Orlando Julius and his Afro Sounders – Orlando Julius and The Afro SoundersIf you’re a Nigerian over the age of 30, then you probably know who Orlando Julius is. At the very least, you should have heard the name. He had many hits in Nigeria in the 60s and 70s in particular. However, one album that was not a hit was his 1973 recording Orlando Julius and The Afro Sounders (LP; CD; iTunes). It was recorded in ARC studios in Lagos, owned by Ginger Baker of Cream fame.
His record label at the time was more interested in promoting lighthearted, easy going highlife music, and not the heavier, funky tracks of this recording, so they didn't put much effort into distribution. It’s almost criminal that this gem almost went unnoticed. In my opinion, it’s one of his finest albums. Thankfully, it was reissued.
ROB - Funky Rob WayWhen this album was originally released in Ghana in 1977, it was simply titled ROB. It was the eponymous debut of Rob Raindorf.
Raindorf spent some of his formative years in Cotonou, Benin, and it was there that he learned to play the piano. He stayed in Benin for some time, and gigged with the legendary Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou.
Raindorf returned to Ghana, and started writing his own compositions. Along the way, he hooked up with guitarist Rockson Amponsah. Amponsah was in the army, and his band was called the Mag-2. Together, Rob, Rockson and his band released ROB, now reissued as Funky Rob Way (LP; CD; iTunes). Amponsah was responsible for the horn arrangements, and they are dazzling.
In my opinion, Funky Rob Way is one of the sleepers in the reissue market. Everyone I know that has heard it loves it. The album certainly delivers heavy Ghanaian funk.
The Psychedelic Aliens - Psycho African BeatThe Psychedelic Aliens were a short-lived band from Ghana in the early 70s that blended psychedelic rock, funk and soul with traditional Ghanaian rhythms, creating a sound that’s hard to put into words. For now, awesome will suffice.
Like Ofege, the psychedelic rock influences are clear, but they didn’t just copy American acts. Instead, they went their own way and created an amalgamation of interesting sounds. Psycho African Beat (LP; CD; iTunes) compiles all the work from their brief 3-year existence, so what you get in this reissue is their entire output as a band. It’s definitely the deal of the century because you will not find their original EPs and 45s anywhere, trust me, I’ve looked.
Here is a video of them shot last year taking a look at the Psycho African Beat LP reissue, and reminiscing about old times.
All five of these LPs are uniformly excellent. You can’t go wrong with any of them, and all are worthy of ownership.
