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| Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Nigerian Blues | 
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| List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $18.47
You Save: $8.51 (32%)
Buy New/Used from $18.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2249
Category: Music
Artist: Various Artists
Publisher: Soundway
Studio: Soundway
Manufacturer: Soundway
Label: Soundway
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.7
MPN: 9
UPC: 827565029525
EAN: 0827565029525
ASIN: B000WM8IAU
Release Date: February 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | Ayamma - The Anambra Beats | | • | Okwukwe Na Nchekwube - Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National | | • | Amalinja - The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination | | • | Akula Owu Onyeara - The Funkees | | • | Oja Omoba - Dele Ojo & His Star Brothers Band | | • | Koma Mosi - The Harbours Band | | • | Nekwaha Semi Colon - The Semi Colon | | • | Osalobua Rekpama - Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestros | | • | Onwu Ama Dike - St. Augustine & His Rovers Dance Band | | • | Feso Jaiye - The Sahara All Stars Of Jos | | • | Eme Kowa Iasa Ile Wa - Mono Mono | | • | To Whom It May Concern - Tunji Oyelana & The Benders | | • | Ugali - The Tony Benson Sextet |
Disc 2
| • | Asiko Mi Ni - The Nigerian Police Force Band 'The Force 7' | | • | Torri Wow - Godwin Ezike & the Ambassadors | | • | Belema - Opotopo (Easy Kabaka Brown) | | • | Alabeke - Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band Of Aba | | • | Arraino - Popular Cooper & His All Beats Band | | • | Simini-Yaya - Collins Oke Elaiho & His Odoligie Nobles Dance Band | | • | Buroda Mase - Bola Johnson & His Easy Life To pBeats | | • | I Want a Break Thru - The Hykkers | | • | Business Before Pleasure - George Akaeze & His Augmented Hits | | • | Omo Yen Wu Mi - Shadow Abraham With Mono Mono Friends | | • | Blak Sound - Leo Fadaka & the Heroes | | • | Eguae Oba - Osayomore Joseph & the Creative 7 | | • | Akpaisong - Etubom Rex Williams & His Nigerian Artistes |
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| Customer Reviews:
Free Nigeria and the Funk Will Follow July 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Nigerian music had a brief renaissance in the first half of the 70s, when the country was temporarily between wars and dictatorships. The scene seems to have exploded with experimentation inspired by sounds from the West, mixed with new interpretations of the perennially popular Highlife. I have no idea if this anthology is a representative sample of the scene, or if the best or most important songs and artists have been collected. But I do know that the anthology is uniformly fascinating and will be a real treat for anyone interested in a deeper exploration of modern West African music. While the collection's subtitle indicates "Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds and Nigerian Blues," that will hardly prepare the listener for the musical variety herein.
Collectors and experts might be able to fit most of the tracks here into the long-term development of Highlife, but adventurous listeners will be astounded by the experimentation found in the anthology's most offbeat tracks. For example, Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National, The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination, and Mono Mono deliver what could be considered dark underground alternatives to Highlife. Tracks by Collins Oke Elaiho & His Odoligie Nobles Dance Band and Leo Fadaka & The Heroes sound like late-period Bob Marley half a decade before schedule. The selection from The Semi Colon illustrates the distant connections between Afro-Cuban and West African sounds, with some rock mixed in. Bola Johnson & His Easy Life Top Beats deliver a strange acid jazz take on authentic regional sounds, and the selection from George Akaeze & His Augmented Hits is heavily inspired by Bo Diddley.
In addition to those enthralling tracks, I for one am also hearing funk all over this anthology. The musicians of the early 70s Nigerian renaissance were clearly hip to James Brown and Sly Stone, and maybe even Funkadelic (who at the time were still fairly obscure even in America). Lowdown maggot-brained funk can be heard here in tracks by The Funkees (who looked like Funkadelic too), The Tony Benson Sextet, The Nigerian Police Force Band (apparently the world's funkiest actual cops), Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band of Aba, and The Hykkers (whose lead guitarist was really breaking in one of Africa's newest wah-wah pedals).
For fans of West African music, especially those with a historian/collector mindset or who are simply hungry for new sounds, this is a consistently fascinating collection. Kudos to anthologist Miles Cleret for bringing these crucial sounds to the modern market. [~doomsdayer520~]
Five Stars Are Only Half Of The Story February 28, 2008
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
A wonderful and intelligently compiled collection of Nigerian electric highlife and Afro-rock from the early 1970's. With a four panel digipack case, a well written and informative booklet and 2 discs of impossibly rare music, excellently mastered for CD reissue, this is an absolute bargain.
Unlike many of the recent reissue collections of Nigerian music this one bypasses the more well known Afrobeat selections and concentrates on some of the more obscure sounds created in the nation's most fertile period. There is irresistably infectious highlife, there's embryonic Afrobeat style workouts and there are a few straight ahead rock sounds, although with a definite African influence.
The compilers deserve a big pat on the back for releasing such a varied, but consistently excellent album. Hopefully they have plans to extend this series and uncover further selections of some of the most joyous music on the planet.
If you're a fan of Fela, Femi, Franco, Nigerian, Ghanaian or Congolese music there is very little chance you'll be disappointed by this set. And at just over 24 dollars it's an absolute steal
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