Some time ago I posted Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers.
The next day I received the following comment;

Moos – it’s widely agreed now that all of Johnson’s 78s were speeded up. If you’ve
some means of slowing the LP down – like a direct drive turntable – you’ll
suddenly find yourself listening to a sexy young black guy with a cool guitar
sound – less of paranoid gabbler, more of a human being.
Le Grand Maître.

Well, Grand Maître, here it is, I had to gamble a bit how much to slow it down.
My Technics turntable helped me finding a suitable speed and I guess this
must be it more or less. I totally agree with the slower version.

tracks;

1 Crossroads blues
2 Terraplane blues
3 Come on in my kitchen
4 Walking blues
5 Last fair deal gone down
6 32-20 blues
7 Kindhearted woman blues
8 If I had posession over judgment day
9 Preaching blues
10 When you got a good friend
11 Rambling on my mind
12 Stones in my passway
13 Traveling riverside blues
14 Mikcow’s calf blues
15 Me and the devil blues
16 Hellhound on my trail

Today’s post concerns a rare album from Congo, or Zaïre in those days.
I didn’t find any information about these guys, the group is ungoogleable.
Just two names appear on the backsleeve, ‘Fundu’ and ‘Tounta Albert’.
I do know that I like this album very much, sweet guitarsounds and
vocal harmony. If you read the titles and see track #6, EMI, one gets the
impression this might be the first album they recorded. They must have been
grateful and so are we ! Enjoy this rare beauty by Orchestre Lomeka.

tracks;

1 Kidiba 1
2 Kidiba 2
3 Godet 1
4 Godet 2
5 Nki kwe didi
6 EMI

Let’s stir the place up a bit. R&B today means a kind of music,
with all respect, not for me. Back in the old days, R&B would stand
for rhythm and blues, honest stuff with stunning instrumentation and
mindblowing voices. Such as this one, if you speak of a woman with
bollocks in her voice, this is her. Etta James, although quite light
coloured and with blond hair, she has a fat black sound like no one has.
Bluesy, New Orleans based rock and roll with crazy saxophones and
Etta’s unique way of singing. check track #2 in which she has
a conversation with a talking sax, greatly performed by Harold Battiste.
It’s all recorded in the 50’s, over half a century ago, don’t you just love it?

tracks;

1 Tough lover
2 The pick-up
3 By the light of the silvery moon
4 Fools we mortals be
5 Come what may
6 Dance with me Henry
7 Good lookin’
8 Tears of joy
9 Shortnin’ bread rock
10 Baby, baby, every night
11 Then I’ll care
12 Market place

The Grands Succes des Editions Vévé series is a real
treasure chest. On this volume 5 we find some Orchestre
Kamale with among others ‘Nyboma’. The other 4 tracks
go by the name of Mulamba Panya and Orchestre African
Team. All tracks directed by Verckys.
Don’t you think track 5 is about this blog ?

track’;

1 Orchestre Kamale – Abissina
2 Orchestre Kamale – Masua
3 Orchestre African Team – Ma Vicky yee zozo
4 Orchestre African Team – Monsieur Largent
5 Orchestre African Team – Mpo na G.G. mawa
6 Orchestre African Team – Essous spiritou

Slowly and bit by bit the african 360.000 list is growing to a
hopeful completion some fine day. This is no 33 or 360.033
as you wish, a quite funny LP. The first 5 songs are Congolese,
and sung in Lingala. But when you turn the album and start track
6 and 7, you’re in for the big surprise. Suddenly you think you’re
listening to someone else. Two songs in English, then two in French,
and it ends with a rock and roll song. Something one doesn’t really
expect behind a sleeve like this one. Originally it looked like the
small picture shown. Crazy to hear,….”only youóuóu…”
Hey ba be rebol..ha,ha,ha

tracks;

1 Nsele paradis ya Congo
2 Basantu ba temoin
3 Naboy greve
4 Yo motema
5 Lipate ya bolingo
6 Only you
7 The great pretender
8 Adieu jolie Candy
9 Wight is Wight
10 Hey ba be rebol

It is time we had us some juju music. General Prince Adekunle
and his Western Brothers are back at the GG and they rock.
I am guessing if I say this album is from the mid 70’s, it just feels
that old. I particularly like the tight rhythmsection that gives this
LP a strong push in the back. Don’t hesitate, just hoover away.
P.S.
Yes it turns out to be 1972 ..

tracks;

1 Oluwa ni mo gbekele
– Akanbi olatundun
– Kola dosunmu
– Iwa ibaje ko dara
– Dr. Tejuosho ( Teju foam )
2 London Special

According to the little survey I kept, it appears over 70% of our
visitors prefer to find African music and a good second with over 40%
is in for latin. Of the other styles I gave as an option 23% likes calypso,
26% digs reggae and only 15% can appreciate some samba.

From 1980 this is a classic album on Sacodis. Lassissi presents
Monguito el Unico and his All Star Band. Monguito has a unique voice
indeed, I even like his version of ‘Mi guajira’, a song recorded way too often.
Monguito is ‘algo diferente’, something else!

tracks;

1 Con todo el corazon
2 Suavesito
3 Los problemas de pantaleon
4 Mi guajira
5 Vuela la paloma
6 Palo de caña

When I saw this video at Youtube, I knew what to post today.
Orchestre Bella Bella & Soki Vangu. What a great match.
Both record and video are very nice, I love the way those four
up front are dancing, completely loose. Pure joy to
see and hear this group perform, feast upon this.

PS the last track sounds quite crispy although it
looks brandnew, track 4 same thing, looks perfect but
seems to jump a couple of times. Maybe it’s the recording.

tracks;

1 Pambi ndoni
2 Yakani
3 Mea culpa
4 Nzingi zong
5 Zamba
6 Nakomi moto

Although old and not at all in mint condition, this is an LP
I keep playing. It contains only 7 songs, and my stylus
jumps over a couple of holes in the road along the way.
Still, I have to put it on again,.. and again. I found a video at
Youtube that accompanies it very well. The last track from this
slice of vinyl,’Sara’, but not by Balla. Performed by le Syli-orchestre
at the first Festival Culturel Panafricain á Alger.
Thanks to Worldservice.

tracks;

1 Bembeya Jazz National – Alalake
2 Balla & ses Balladins – Limania
3 Kélétigui et ses Tambourinis – Toubaka
4 Bembeya Jazz National – Boiro
5 Kélétigui et ses Tambourinis – Manghoya
6 Bembeya Jazz National – Fatoumata
7 Balla & ses Balladins – Sara “70”

Hearing and seeing this album by Les Bantous de la Capitale, makes me think
of the ‘african’ label. The way the label is built up, orange background, the numbering,
360.118, and how it is positioned. Maybe you can tell me Bo, isn’t this the missing
360.118 in your african list? I may be completely wrong here but it sure looks like it.
They had similar layout style. What was their connection, how did they relate?
Any way, this is an album, released on Fiesta in 1978, but the backsleeve
states it was originally recorded by ‘le Société Française du Son’ in 1968.
Songs are written by ( chronologically ), Bwanga Fély, Michel Boyibanda,
Kabongo Wetu, Pandy Saturnin and two times Nino Malapet. Damn good !

tracks;

1 Riamana
2 Bolingo nakozonga
3 Elili ya sanza
4 Sisi
5 Zala reconnaissant
6 Momo yombo