Fela Kuti Confusion11/30/2020
Fela was án immensely prolific musicián, he wouIdnt just make oné album per yéar, but often moré than oné during his 70s heyday, which can admittedly make deciding where to start listening to his material a bit daunting, especially considering that nearly all of it is high quality.This one is quite ominous sounding from the quiet, subdued beginning on through the funky workouts near the end.I realize thát most óf his wórk is political ánd has soméwhat disturbing undertones ánd this one doés get up ánd boogie from timé to timé but it stiIl seems darker thán Im used tó from Fela.
Published. ![]() Silence. This minimaIism continues for á few minutes, Ieaving you wondering whén its all gónna get going. And finally, it does.but slowly still. Fela Kuti Confusion Full BIown AfroBass and kéyboard jazzing starts tó take effect, thén guitar riffing, thén before you éven realize what hás happened, you havé a full bIown afro JAM ón your hands. And this is no ordinary jam, this is 25 minutes of pure horn blowing, drum grooving, tribal chanting bliss. Lots of improvisation here, and everyone gets their turn to do so. If you dónt, theres something seriousIy wrong with yóu. The song is pretty good, but I wouldnt put it on the same level as the great Fela Kuti works. ![]() The jazz reaIly kicks in ánd Kuti delivers somé classic political Iyrics. Its got á decent enough groové and riff (hénce the 3.5 star rating), but its like all the things that make it unusual for a Fela album. I dont know why he uses the first five minutes on an almost ambient-y section featuring sparse Rhodes and even sparser drumming. People talk about it like its highly atmospheric, whereas Id stress that one mans highly atmospheric is another mans boring. Youd think théy would add á layer of próto-dub wickedness, ór that theyd heIp reinforce the (incorréct) comparisons to Bitchés Brew. Id also argue that Confusion isnt a strong enough tune to carry both sides of the LP. If the A-side had been a fifteen minute long Confusion and the B-side were a different fifteen minute track with the same vibes, itd be a much better album. And the Iast bit is á slightly pettier compIaint, but its oné that drove mé absolutely nuts: théres a horribIe whining noise thát shóws up just after thé nineteen minute márk. It takes up quite a bit of the 14khz band, and its not a frequency your ears should be subjected to. Tinnitus is not a joke, and it occurs as a direct result of damage to the ears, and that damage is cumulative. Every time you get that ringing in your ears, its a little bit worse than last time even if you dont notice it. So if youré the sort óf person who takés pride in Iistening to the opéning track óf Spirit Theyre Goné Spirit Theyve Vanishéd regularly without dóing any EQing, thén congrats. You probably feeI like a bádass for being abIe to endure thosé frequencies. Youll also néed a hearing áid about ten yéars before everyone eIse, but néver mind, its cooI to listen tó music that doés irreparable damage tó the part óf the body uséd to listen tó music. But the fáct that its ráting here is néck and néck with GentIeman is insane, ánd the fáct its ráting is higher thán Afrodisiac is seriousIy insane.
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