Fela Anikulapo Kuti & the Africa '70 – Zombie (1976) (16/44 Vinyl Rip)

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Fela Anikulapo Kuti & the Africa '70 – Zombie (1976) (16/44 Vinyl Rip)

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Review from Allmusic:
Zombie was the most popular and impacting record that Fela Anikulopo Kuti and Africa 70 would record – it ignited the nation to follow Fela's lead and antagonize the military zombies that had the population by the throat. Fela is direct and humorous in his attack as he barks out commands to the soldiers like: "Attention! Double up! Fall In! Fall out! Fall down! Get ready!" Meanwhile, his choir responds with "Zombie!" in between each statement. Since the groove was so absolutely contagious, it took the nation by storm: People in the street would put on a blank stare and walk with hands affront proclaiming "Zombie!" whenever they would see soldiers. If "Zombie" caught the attention of the populous it also cought the attention of the authority figures – this would cause devastating personal and professional effects as the Nigerian government came down on him with absolute brute force not long after the release of this record. Also included are "Monkey Banana," a laid-back groove that showcases drummer Tony Allen's mastery of the Afro-beat, and "Everything Scatter," a standard mid-tempo romp. Both songs are forgetful in relation to "Zombie," but this is still an essential disc to own for the title track alone.

Review from RateYourMusic:
Fela's last album with the Africa '70 is also considered by many to be the apex of his career, though that may have a lot to do with the historical circumstances surrounding this album: the music here, in one way or another, caused the dissolution of Fela's Kalakuta Republic and destruction of his studio and equipment, the murder of his mother and the public desecration of her corpse, Fela's banishment from Ghana due to inciting a riot, and the break-up of his band. But for an album that caused so much strife, this music is absolutely triumphant, no matter which copy of the record you end up with.
Though I may forever be partial to "Confusion," "Zombie" is certainly in the running for his all time greatest track – it's the one where he really emerges as a truly great saxophonist, dexterously flying over his band's groove, fueled by passion. The track also features a blazing organ solo, and in 12 minutes establishes Fela as one of the great multi-instrumentalists single-handedly. The second track on the original Nigerian version, "Mister Follow Follow," is probably my favorite slower Fela number, featuring some of his most moving and evocative horn charts. Meanwhile, the second track on the American version, "Monkey Banana," rides some of the best ever interplay between Fela's organ and Tony Allen's drums, with the former belting out an absolutely lock-groove riff throughout the track's 11 minutes. "Everything Scatter," also from the American LP, is almost impossibly funky, daring you to dance (I sincerely hope you aren't sitting down now like I am, re-listening to it for the purposes of this review).
I normally encourage people to buy vinyl whenever possible, but the CD reissue of Zombie is definitely worth having for "Mistake," a cut from Fela's performance at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival (the Africa '70's final performance, as it turned out). It shows what a tragedy it was that this group broke up, as the group is incredibly tight and funky, even in this live setting. Everyone's working at the absolute peak of their powers, and you can hear the hooting of the crowd throughout the piece – this must have been one hell of a party. And that's what Fela really wanted from his music – a way to solve all of his country's problems so its people would be free to party and enjoy themselves. It's a shame that it got worse for him from here, but the lasting impact of this album – both in Nigeria and the rest of the world – has proven bigger than the turmoil it caused.