#402 Fela Kuti and Africa 70, 'Expensive Shit' (1975)

New Entry

Arguably the greatest Afrobeat musician of all time, Fela Kuti’s entry is not an album so much as it is a two-sided single. Side A, a 13-minute song, was allegedly inspired by real life. In 1974, cops planted a jointed on Kuti. Before he was arrested, he ate the joint. Police brought him in anyway and waited for the joint to pass, hence ‘Expensive Shit.’

The song, and the 11-minute song on side B are the perfect gateway to Fela Kuti, and Afrobeat itself. On the title track, the funky guitar and thyrhmic drums are constant and repetitive with the rest of the song steadily building around it. Vocals only come in around 6:20 building to a climax of vocals, saxophone and piano all fighting for prominence in the song. Kuti’s saxophone provides the main melody of the song, once again repeating throughout. ‘Water Get No Enemy’ has more of a samba-type rhythm. No real surprise hearing a Nigerian musician dabbling in this style as Samba has its roots in West Africa. Throughout this song you can hear the subtle squeak of Tony Allen’s kick drum pedal. While often distracting, I love it when you can hear this in music. It just adds an authenticity. 

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