Live! (Fela Kuti album)

Live! is a live in-studio album^[4] recorded on July 25, 1971, by Fela Kuti's band Africa '70, with the addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker on two songs. It was released in 1971 by EMI in Africa and Europe and by Capitol/EMI in the United States and Canada. It was reissued on CD by Celluloid in 1987 and was reissued on CD in remastered form by Barclay with a bonus track from 1978.

Live!
Live album by Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa '70 with Ginger Baker
Released	August 30, 1971
Recorded	25th July, 1971
Studio	Abbey Road Studios
Genre	Afrobeat
Length	46:50
Label	Regal Zonophone[1]
Producer	Jeff Jarratt
Fela Ransome-Kuti and The Africa '70 with Ginger Baker chronology
Open & Close (1971) Live! (1971) Shakara (1972)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]

Baker travelled with Kuti into Africa in a Land Rover to learn about the continent's rhythms, as documented in Tony Palmer's film Ginger Baker in Africa (1971). The bonus track on the Barclay CD reissue features a 16-minute drum duet between Baker and Africa '70's drummer Tony Allen recorded at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival. The album is on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 greatest live albums of all time.^[5] The album is also included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[6]

Track listing

All songs by Fela Ransome-Kuti, except where noted.

1. "Let's Start" – 8:06
2. "Black Man's Cry" – 12:12
3. "Ye Ye De Smell" – 13:55
4. "Egbe Mi O (Carry Me I Want to Die)" – 12:37

Bonus track:

1. "Ginger Baker and Tony Allen Drum Solo" – live 1978 (Fela Kuti, Ginger Baker, Tony Allen) – 16:21

Personnel

• Fela Kuti – vocals, Hammond organ, percussion
• Ginger Baker – drums (3, 4, 5)

The Afrika '70

• Tunde Williams – trumpet
• Eddie Faychum – trumpet
• Igo Chiko – tenor saxophone
• Lekan Animashaun – baritone saxophone
• Peter Animashaun – rhythm guitar
• Maurice Ekpo – electric bass guitar
• Tony Allen – drums
• Henry Koffi – congas
• Friday Jumbo – congas
• Akwesi Korranting – congas
• Tony Abayomi – sticks
• Isaac Olaleye – shekere

Charts

Chart performance for Live!

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7]	180
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[8]	35

References

1. Thompson, Dave (11 December 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306298 – via Google Books.
2. Thom Jurek, Richie Unterbeger. Live! at AllMusic
3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 41.
4. "'Fela & Ginger' - AKG D20 [1971]". Abbey Road Studios.
5. "50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time". 29 April 2015.
6. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
7. "Ultratop.be – Fela Kuti – Fela with Ginger Baker Live!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
8. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2022.