One of Fela's best and most well-known albums. The side-long "Zombie" is a fierce and explicitly political Afrobeat banger. Africa 70 lays down a thick up-tempo groove while Fela excoriates the Nigerian army, who were in control of the country's oppressive government at the time. He compares its soldiers to living dead who blindly follow orders - and the baiting call-and-response chorus of "zombie, yo zombie!" is musically compelling as well as being pure dancefloor fire. The popular success of the song in Nigeria spurred the infamous government raid on Fela's Kalakuta compound in which Fela's mother was thrown from a second-story window and sustained eventually fatal injuries. An absolutely essential LP for any music lover, and a great starting point if you've been sleeping on Fela's catalogue. Also includes the track "Follow Follow (Mister Follow Follow)," plus fantastic cover art by Lemi.

• black vinyl pressing
  
• printed insert
• music label: Knitting Factory Records 2016

reviewed by Language 10/2016