LONDON SCENE (180G)

180gm vinyl LP pressing. Fela's London Scene, released in 1972, is a top-notch affair, made with a smaller band but one that punches above it's weight. There is no tenor guitarist and no call-and-response choir, though sing-along vocals are a feature of "Egbe Mi O" ("please carry me"). Throughout, Fela's electric piano is gymripped and razor sharp, and Igo Chico turns in three stirring tenor solos. "Buy Africa," written in 1970, was one of Fela's first politically-informed songs. The lyric was written in support of a government campaign to encourage local industry. "J'Ehin J'Ehin" ("eat teeth eat teeth") is along similar lyric lines as "Shakara." This time Fela is lampooning people who are so greedy that they eat their own teeth. In "Who're You," Fela channels James Brown's vocal style over an angular funk groove. "Fight To Finish" draws on Yoruba folklore to offer advice: once you have started something, be prepared to finish it.