Friday, February 11, 2011
Fela Kuti
Over at DarkBlack's a month or so ago, we had a discussion about the music business. I don't remember the exact nature of the post and comments, but I do remember telling the story about the time Dr. John had recorded With G. Love and Special Sauce.
My Buddy Nate was the roadie for G. Love, and when he swung through town on a tour, he brought me an unmixed soundboard cassette of the song "Yeah, It's That Easy", from the upcoming CD by the same name. It had several different takes; Dr. John played piano on one, Hammond organ on another. It sounded great, and Nate and I agreed they should just release it "wet", as is. By the time the CD came out, Dr. John's contributions were buried in the mix under hand clapping and "nah nah, nah nah" background vocals. I shook my head in disgust.
Shortly after the discussion at DarkBlack's, I was listening to the local pirate radio station, and I heard the same guitar and drum riffs from "Yeah, It's That Easy" in this Fela Kuti song "No Agreement". So, now I know where G. Love got the music from.
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2 comments:
I'm a month late, here - but I remember your anecdote well, and was dismayed by the outcome - as I always will be when hearing of some music industry chicanery that stifles or warps the creative muse...
That said, a band could do much worse than to nick a feel and a vibe from Fela Kuti...Not to the point of overt derivation but to the point of elevation, certainly.
;>)
Yeah, they nicked a few vibes and feel over the years. "Shooting hoops" is the Born Under a Bad Sign groove, "Sweet Sugar Mama" has the Moby Dick lick, "Town to Town" is straight up John Lee Hooker's No Shoes, with just G. Love lyrics over John Lee's music, etc...
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