Fela Kuti - Anthology 1 (2007)

Anthology 1 is one of a pair of two very different three-disc anthologies issued by Wrasse/Universal in March of 2009. The other, Music Is the Weapon, consists of both volumes of The Best of Fela Kuti and the often-seen 53-minute documentary DVD of Kuti's life and times -- in other words, well worth owning if you don't already have them, but most Fela fans already do. That said, Anthology 1 is the better bet for numerous reasons. First off, the two CDs in the package are divided by time periods. Disc one focuses on the very early years 1964-1968, and the first five cuts are all taken from Koola Lobitos -- which covers the aforementioned years and those also documented on The '69 Los Angeles Sessions when Fela was forming the sonic and musical ideas that would emerge with Africa 70 material like Live! With Ginger Baker. Disc two contains material exclusively recorded with Africa 70 from albums such as Why Black Man Dey Suffer, Roforofo Fight, Confusion/Gentleman, Monkey Banana, and Expensive Shit. While it's true that all of the material on this set has been released before, it's a killer collection. Disc one focuses on shorter pieces from the formative years with three extensive workouts on "Swegbe and Pako," "Black Man's Cry," and "Shakara [Oloje] Braggart [Liar]," all of which prefigure the long pieces on disc two such as "Water Get No Enemy" and "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am." But it's the DVD that makes the package a necessity. Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense is a comprehensive documentary that includes previously unseen footage from Kuti's legendary 1984 performance at the Glastonbury Festival that has been written about and of which bootlegs have been traded for over two decades. For those curious about Fela, or for the novice, this is a great place to begin and the price tag is certainly right. For the seasoned fan, the DVD is available for separate purchase.