The juju-train rolls on and on, with those one track LP sides it’s hard
to detemine where one title goes over into the next. This results in a
two track file where in fact we hear 12 songs. Since I also don’t under-
stand a word of Nigerian, the voices are like instruments to me aswell.
Step on and let the Chief Commander take you on a Yoruba juju ride.

tracks;

1 Fimi lokan bale oluwa
2 Araiye e ma pa kadara mi da
3 Mase ri talent re mole
4 Ko seni to mola
5 Alhaji chief M.K.O. Abiola
6 Akorikoda
7 Epo ila gbara re lowo obe
8 Ise owo mi a to mi je
9 Ada tomu sansan
10 Ogun aiye kan kole ri wa mu
11 E se amin adura
12 Wundia ti ko ba loko

Now this is what I would call Rumba Congolesa. In african’s great series
Les Merveilles du Passé, this beautyful collector with songs from 1963.
It contains three songs from the hand of Essou, who just recently
passed away, RIP. Other songs by Jojo, Papa Noël, Nino Malapet
and Kouka Celestin. If african opens up a box with historic material,
they make sure we’re left with nothing to wish for, sweet selection.

tracks;

1 Tokumisa Congo
2 Ngai Muana ya Adele
3 Nakomi revoquee
4 Cadi-jiji
5 Mobali-Liboso
6 Liteya ya tata
7 Tu silencio
8 Camarade Mabe
9 Bantous de la Capitale
10 Albert Akeyi

When I was a youngster I used to listen to an LP by Van Dyke Parks,
called ‘Discover America’. It opens with ‘Jack Palance’ by Mighty Sparrow,
it was my first encounter with the man eventhough I did not realize who
I was listening to in those days. Slinger Francisco alias Mighty Sparrow
is a local hero in Trinidad, with his 74 years of age he’s still performing.
I saw him last year in Amsterdam’s ‘Paradiso’. It was great to see the
living legend in person eventhough the old pervert embarrassed the joint,
shaking his lower parts the whole evening through. It is inherent to calypso
music to speak words with double meaning, I guess if you sing that kind of
lyrics your whole life it becomes part of you. It was good fun to witness.
Check out this 1966 LP of ‘Birdie’ the Calypso Genius, it
contains his massive hit, ‘Obeah Wedding’.

tracks;

1 Bag ah sugar
2 Shanty Town people
3 Going home tonight
4 The rebel
5 Honesty
6 B G Plantain
7 Obeah wedding
8 Papa Jack
9 Sir Garfield sobers
10 Bikini girl

We have seen a few Oliver de Coque’s before at the GG but
today’s LP has something different. I don’t know how but
this one sounds somehow more original. And a funny thing
is the fact that his band is called Expo 79 on this LP, while
on all other albums it’s called Expo 76. Maybe an occasional
joke, 1979 was the year of release.
I think Oliver displays superb guitarplay on this album, so all
together, beautiful LP. This one is for John Beadle, I saw you
were looking for it’s titles John, here they are.

tracks;

1 Ife uwa abu nike
– Nke chi nyelonye
2 Jomo Kenyatta
3 It is good to be good

I’ve got a little extra for you tonight, I.K. Dairo’s juju is different.
He uses guitar and accordeon and gives the songs a touch
of gospel while keeping the flowing beats and rhythms going.
Check this out Cole.

tracks;

1 Salome
2 Labutu yeke
3 Late Chief Shonibare
4 Ise aje
5 Omo alaro
6 Erere muture
7 Ladejola oginni
8 Ise owo-mi-mo-nje
9 Elele ture
10 Aye wa kale

To add a little contrast with yesterday’s post, today an LP by
Orchestre Empire Bakuba but from the late eighties I am guessing.
Quite a different setting and sound, up tempo soukous this time.

tracks;

1 Amour Sanda
– Sango ya mawa
2 Trouble
– Ami cointro
3 Petshi pour Ida
– Moto pasi

What can I tell you about this LP ? It’s another collector
in the l’Afrique Danse series on the african label. It’s from
1976 and from the groups playing I only know Empire Bakuba,
I’m not sure if Pépé Kallé is already singing here, and Orchestre
Lipua-Lipua, the group in which Nyboma started. The other bands
passed by somewhere I remember but I can’t say anything usefull
about them. An hour of subtle Congolese music from
the mid seventies.

tracks;

1 Orchestre Bella Bella – Yakani 1&2
2 Orchestre Amelia – Madja 1&2
3 Orchestre Les Kamale – Ngali 1&2
4 Orchestre Bella Bella – Zamba 1&2
5 Orchestre Empire Bakuba – Massa 1&2
6 Orchestre Lipua-Lipua – Mbondo 1&2

Last night I did not get through at Mediafire, they were exercising
some kind of maintanance. Today when I woke up, everything looked
normal again and I was able to upload.

They called him Babwire, the leader of this band, but his real name
is Fiddey Onwuneme. Another Nigerian Highlife group who made it to
go international, it seems all African groups had International
behind their name in those days, especially in Nigeria. Nevertheless
this is a fine group of musicians who deserve to be heard, it’s their
fifth album and I like it a lot, sweet guitars, strong voices.

tracks;

1 Uwa ekwe nmeta
2 Ka anayo chukwu
3 Onwe ndidi nwe nmeri

At last,…news from Haiti. It’s been a while but this one
is here to stay. I am not listening to ‘compas’ very long yet
but from the few LP’s I’ve heard, this is absolutely one of the
best. It contains some of their most played tracks; Devin ‘pa’ ou,
Ce la ou yé and L’evangile to call a few. This one’s for you Arnaud.

tracks;

1 Ce la ou yé
2 Haiti & Shleu Shleu
3 Devin ‘pa’ ou
4 Sept jours de la semaine
5 Ceremonie Loa
6 L’evangile
7 Plaisir vacance
8 Reve
9 Trois forces

On Sambo Records, I found this record by Dr. K. Gyasi
and his Noble Kings. Vocals are taken care of by Thomas
Frimpong. Rare piece of Ghana highlife.

tracks;

1 Odo yewu da baabi
2 Mansa wo mma
3 Obaa baako agyegye me
4 Epono hini me
– Adakateaa
– Anaamowaa