Originally Posted by gratefulshrink
Originally Posted by s m @
It doesn't get any better than Fela.
Also second (third?) Boubacar Traore's Macire.
In this vein, I don't think anyone has mentioned King Sunny Ade.
Wow, now it is getting good. Fela Kuti is amazing! I only have The Best Best of Fela Kuti 2-CD collection from 2000 on MCA and the music does deserve the AMG 5-star rating it gets, but for some reason they compressed the crap out of it which gives the music a hard edge and makes it less fun to listen. And this is music that celebrates fun, so quashing the dynamics is just stupid mastering from Universal. Even with the bad sound, it's still essential stuff, but I'd probably look for older pressings next time, maybe some LPs. This one clocks in at close to the maximum of 158 minutes and I love every jazz-filled minute from this legendary African soulman, but it's a hard listen sometimes.
But I have some classic King Sunny Ade on vinyl, as it should be heard, and it's great. Get dancing!