Harry Mosco - Funkees (For You Specialy) (1978) [Reissue 2014]

In the early 1970s, Harry Mosco formed the now legendary funk-rock band, The Funkees. In search of greater opportunity and a wider audience, the group moved to London in 1973. Four years and two albums later they disbanded. Meanwhile, back in Nigeria, prominent businessman G.A.D. Tabansi was interested in getting into the music business, and signing the Funkees was his top priority. He traveled all the way to London to meet with the band only to find out they’d broken up. Tabansi returned home with no record deal

Mosco had already formed a new group called Africanium with drummer/singer Willie Bestman. Later that same year (1977), they recorded an album at TMC Studios in London. It was originally intended for release by EMI, but instead Mosco licensed the album, titled For You Specially, to Mr. Tabansi for release on his new label

In an attempt to make the album more commercially viable, it was released under the artist name Harry Mosco rather than Africanium (a largely unknown band). In an even further attempt to appeal to the masses, the word FUNKEES was printed on the cover to help consumers make the connection between Mosco and his former band

Despite Tabansi’s attempts to capitalize on the success of Mosco’s previous recordings with The Funkees, For You Specially was released with very little commercial success. Undaunted by the poor sales of their first attempt, Tabansi and Mosco tried again and released Country Boy in 1978. It would go on to become one of the best-selling Nigerian records of all time. To this day, many people mistakenly credit Country Boy as Mosco’s first solo record. In fact, before his death in 2012, Mosco told Uchenna Ikonne (co-producer of For You Specially reissue) that he himself had forgotten all about For You Specially. Mosco did however recycle some of the songs from that album in releases during the 1980s

First ever reissue of this rare Nigerian funk album from 1977, with echoes of reggae and disco. Mosco formed one of Nigeria's most popular bands, the Funkees, in 1973. When they broke up, For You Specially became his solo debut. The record immediately slip into obscurity, and to this day his much more successful second album, Country Boy, is often mistaken as is solo debut.