This battered CD came from a stall on East Street Market in Southwark - a real treasure trove of Nigerian music if you ever get the chance to have a wander.
Yusufa Olatunji was one of the leading exponents of sakara music, a popular form of Yoruba music and a precurser to the percussion heavy fuji sounds of Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister or Alhaji (Chief) Kollington Ayinla. Yusufa was also known as Baba Legba, which got me wondering whether the nickname was related to the Yoruba loa, Papa Legba. Papa Legba is the first and last spirit to be called during Haitian Voodoo ceremonies as his presence is essential in any communication between mortals and the spirit world.
Just for kicks, here is the SUn City Girls playing Papa Legba:
and here is Baba Legba:
Tracklist:
01 Alhaji Adetunji Adenekan / Alhaja Lati Ladejobi / Sinotu Abeke / Egbe Egba Parapo (Oshodi) 02 Orin Tokotaya / Orin Asiko / Rasaki Adelakun / Egbe Faripo (Egba) / Egbe Irepolodun (Egba)
Jil Jilala were (alongside Nass el Ghiwane and Lemchaheb) one of the trinity of groups that emerged in the late '60s and early '70s with the intention of rejuvenating Moroccan folk musics. Formed in 1972 by members of a Sufi theatre group, the band based many of their songs on the religious and spiritual poetry of the Sufi brotherhoods.
In this video you can see the famous Gnawi, Mustafa Bakbou playing guimbri with the group:
Tracklist:
Side 1: Leklam Lemrassa3 (Adorned Talk) - Lighara (The Raid)- Lejwad (The Good People)
Side 2: Al Quds (Jerusalem) - Liyam Tnadi (The Days Are Calling)- Dada Oumie (My Elderly Mother)
Thanks as always to Tim for the translations and to Hammer for the translation to Enlglish. Much appreciated fellas!
Here is a groovy slice of Ghanaian Highlife from one of the originators of the form. E.K. Nyame started performing in the late '40s, formed his own band in the '50s and brought respectability to the music of the palm-wine bars. Here you'll find spidery, picked guitars, mandolin, thumping double bass, super afro-latin percussion, theatrical harmonising and gorgeous clarinet. This album appears to be re-recordings of some of E.K. Nyame's earlier hits, but I have no clue as to when the tracks were originally recorded, or re-recorded for that matter.
Tracklist:
01 Small Boy Nye Me Bia
02 Onipa a Oyee Me Mahu Wo
03 Maye Maye Minni Aye
04 To Menna Mu Awurade
05 Minni Agya Minni Nna
06 Amane A Mahu
07 Awurade Iesu Beba
08 Boafo Yena
09 Onipa A Ode Nade
10 Nokware Asa
11 Agya Nyame Ni Wakyi
12 Owuo Busuoni
This is a fabulous compilation of roots reggae tracks from Oscar Hibbert aka Junior Delgado. Most of the songs were produced by the man himself however there's also some fantastic productionsfrom roots superstars Lee Perry, Niney the Observer and Dennis Brown. This fella had a phenomenal voice, rich and gravelly like he spent many an hour on the chalice.
"Delgado is best known for the dancehall hit Trickster, which introduced him to the mainstream in the mid 1970s. Later that decade, he had Top 20 hits in Merry Go Round and Fort Augusta which were produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
He also wrote songs for his good friend, Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller and Althea and Donna.
Saxophonist Dean Fraser, who played on Merry Go Round, remembered Delgado as a "hardcore protest singer". Added Fraser: "He never had many big hits in Jamaica but he always had a good following in England."
Delgado was born Oscar Delgado Hibbert at Luke Lane in downtown Kingston. In a 1994 interview with The Gleaner, he said his first recording was the song Reaction which came in 1970 for producer Joe Gibbs.
He continued to record for Gibbs as a solo act and with the harmony group, Time Unlimited, releasing several grassroots hits like African Sound and 23rd Psalms.
But, his first major hit came alongside the teenaged Brown with whom he struck up a solid partnership in the mid 1970s, recording a cover of The Heptones' Party Time, which was done for Brown's DEB label.
Trickster was Delgado's biggest hit song as a solo artiste for DEB, which was followed by Tition, a critique of corrupt politicians.
In the late 1970s, Delgado hooked up with Dunbar and Shakespeare, then the hottest production team in reggae with their revamped Taxi label. Merry Go Round and Fort Augusta remain two of Delgado's biggest hits.
Delgado lived in England for much of the last 20 years, touring Europe and working as a producer. Among the acts he produced for his Incredible Music label were singers Michael Rose, Frankie Paul and Yami Bolo."
Howard Campbell
The zip file is hosted on a different file hosting site so please let me know if there are any problems with downloading and stuff.
Tracklist:
01 Warrior No Tarry Ya 02 Thinking 03 Storm Is Coming 04 Chant Chant Chant 05 Run Run 06 Every Natty 07 All I Have Is Love 08 Tichion 09 Mr. Preacher Man 10 House Upon A Rock 11 Freedom Train 12 Life Ain't So Easy 13 Huff An Puff 14 Hypocrites 15 23rd Psalms
Noisy, motorik indie-pop from New Zealand. Snapper were formed in the late '80s by Peter Gutteridge, previously a member of New Zealand favourites The Chills and The Clean, but Snapper wore their punk attitude and love of Neu! and Suicide on their sleeves and came out with their teeth bared.
Tracklist:
01 Pop Your Top 02 Can 03 Telepod Fly 04 Eyes That Shine 05 Dark Sensation 06 Dead Pictures 07 Snapper And The Ocean 08 What Are You Thinking 09 Hot Sun 10 I Don't Know 11 Emmanuelle 12 Dry Spot 13 Rain
Jai Santoshi Maa is a low budget 1975 Hindi film that was the surprise hit of the year and which brought Santoshi Maa, a little known Hindu Goddess, the wider attention of the Indian public. Usha Mangeshkar, sister of both Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, sings many of the beautiful devotional songs on C. Arjun's great soundtrack.
Tracklist:
01 Main to Arti Utaron
02 Yahan Wahan Jahan Tahan
03 Mat Ro Mat Ro Aaj Radhike
04 Yahan Wahan Jahan Tahan
05 Karti Hoon Tumhara Vrat
06 Mada Karo Santoshi Mata
I picked up two Patty Pravo LPs in a charity shop a couple of years ago and this one has really grown on me. Patty started out as a nightclub singer in the mid '60s, she has the honour of being the first pop singer to have a song played on Vatican Radio. This is her 1971 foray into orchestral prog-rock histrionics, I don't understand the Italian she sings but to me she conjures filmic images of a startled awakening from a '60s dream, aimless glamour, cynical and dead-eyed jetsetters in Rimini nightclubs, smashed ashtrays and hysteria. Maybe you'll like it.
Tracklist:
01 Morire... Dormire... Forse Sognare
02 Lanterne Antiche (Antique Annie's Magic Lantern Show)
03 Poema Degli Occhi (Poema Dos Olhos Da Amada)
04 Storia Di Una Donna Che Ha Amato Due Volte Un Uomo Che Non Sapeva Amare (The Same Old Chair)
05 Preghiera (Bright Tomorrow)
06 Un Uomo Una Donna Una Bambina (Do Yourself)
07 Un Volto Bianco Sulla Neve (I Do Love You)
08 T. L. & R. (Thunder Lightning And Rain)
09 Follow The Lamb
The music is, of course, for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear then go out and try and buy stuff...or something, give money to a down on his luck musician, or sponsor a good busker, it may be the start of something beautiful.
If any of the zips die, then post a comment and i'll try to repost. And leave comments, abuse, name calling, any response is welcome.
I think all of the albums posted are currently unavailable, but if this is not the case we'll remove the offending files.
