Killer 2LP set that includes a number of harder to find Fela tracks – and way more than the usual best of that you'd expect! The set has 2 tracks per side of an album, for a total of 8 cuts in all – and lots of the titles are tough to find, like "Chop & Quench", "Let's Start", "Black Man's Cry", "Je'nwi Temi (Don't Gag Me)", and "Egbe Mi O Carry Me I Want To Die". LP, Vinyl record album

Really mindblowing work from Fela – a seminal 70s set that may well open up even more than any other album from the time – as the leader and Africa 70 stretch out on a single track that takes up the entire record! "Confusion" is almost proggish at the start – with a long passage that just features drums from Tony Allen and some really offbeat electric piano from Fela – slowly building up a groove out of the darkness, then letting the rest of the group come into the mix – all at a level that definitely sets the tune on fire for the righteous politics of the lyrics! The whole thing's no sloppy, over-extended jam – and instead, the record's a great demonstration of the care and craft that Fela brought to his musical vision at the time. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of hard to put a finger on the style of Jho Archer – which is probably why they used the phrase "many talents" in the title of this one! Jho's got a bit of Caribbean in his vocals – traces of calypso and Haitian soul, inflected with a hipper French approach to the backings, which are handled by H Rostaing, in a manner that reminds us of some of those used on the recordings of Henri Salvador. Jho sings in English and French – and the best cuts are nicely swinging. Titles include "Work Song", "Le Condamne", "The Peanut Vendor", "Cousin", "Ibo Lele", and "Sky Boat Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky African work from Fred Fisher – a Nigerian trombonist who crafted his own unique groove at the end of the 70s! Fred both sings and plays trombone – the latter with a Fred Wesley-like soulfulness – and his rhythms here are really wide-ranging, and embrace a host of new styles coming into play at the time – including a fair bit of influences from American soul! Some cuts have a rootsy groove, while others move into tighter dancefloor territory – never in a commercial style at all, but with traces of boogie and other 80s modes in the mix. Vocals are sometimes in English, which furthers the global appeal of the music – and the set brings together tracks from 4 different albums by Fisher. Titles include "Say The Truth", "Asa Sa", "Iye Ye Mu Elediamemisise", "No Way", "Let Love Free", "WTFS", "Beautiful Dancer", "Happy Blue Night", "The Beginning Ishan", "Ehimedede", "Babajoo", and "Ebi Lolo". 2LP set features 12 tracks in all. Note: The music on the whole set is great, but there are a few tracks that suffer sound-wise from some distortion in the masters used. Most of the other tracks are fine, though. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from the man who revolutionized Greek music in the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album