Beasts of No Nation is an album by the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.[2][3] It was released in 1989.[4] Kuti is credited with his band Egypt 80.[5]

Kuti played the title track on his 1986 North American tour and promoted it in interviews.[6] The album sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first year of release.[7]

The 2005 novel by Uzodinma Iweala takes its title from the album.[8]

Production

Beasts of No Nation was produced by Wally Badarou.[4] Kuti began thinking about the album while in jail for infractions related to foreign currency and wrote the songs after being released.[9][10] The title track accuses the Nigerian government and military of transgressions against the Nigerian populace; among other grievances, the album also condemns apartheid.[11][12][13] Kuti's use of the phrase basket mouth acknowledges his music's responsibility to protest.[14]

The album cover depicts P. W. Botha, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher as horned bloodsuckers.[15] The first line of the title track was inspired by a speech by Botha.[16][17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[19]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide[20]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[21]
Spin Alternative Record Guide4/10[22]

The Gazette called the album "pan-African message music with a capital A for Anger."[23]

AllMusic wrote: "After a few so-so records in the early '80s, Beasts of No Nation was a strong (at times stunning) return to form for Kuti and signaled that his political beliefs kept him from becoming musically lazy."[18] In its 1997 obituary, The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "blunt" and "threatening."[24] Rolling Stone considered it "classic Afro beat."[25]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Just Like That"22:54
2."Beasts of No Nation"12:42

References

  1. ^ Green, Tony (6 Nov 1997). "Cool stuff you may not have heard, yet...". The Florida Times-Union. p. D2.
  2. ^ "Fela Kuti Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Taylor, Steve (September 27, 2006). The A to X of Alternative Music. A&C Black.
  4. ^ a b Thompson, Dave (August 21, 2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation.
  5. ^ Cheyney, Tom (May 17, 1990). "Recordings: Beasts of No Nation". Rolling Stone. No. 578. p. 144.
  6. ^ Hurst, John V. (November 17, 1986). "Fela Casts His Spell with Political Punch". The Sacramento Bee. p. B5.
  7. ^ Boehm, Mike (27 July 1990). "Nigerian Musician Sees Music as a Tool". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  8. ^ Eaglestone, Robert (May 26, 2017). The Broken Voice: Reading Post-Holocaust Literature. Oxford University Press.
  9. ^ Shaxson, Nicholas (March 20, 2007). Poisoned Wells: The Dirty Politics of African Oil. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
  10. ^ Hoekstra, Dave (November 13, 1986). "Fela mixes U.S., Africa – Militant Afro-Beat creator to play here". Features. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 69.
  11. ^ Carroll, Rachel; Hansen, Adam (May 13, 2016). Litpop: Writing and Popular Music. Routledge.
  12. ^ Block, Robert (24 Feb 1999). "'Soldier Go, Soldier Come' Is the Refrain for Jaded Nigerians". The Wall Street Journal. p. 1.
  13. ^ Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (January 11, 2022). Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora. University of Chicago Press.
  14. ^ Afolayan, Adeshina; Falola, Toyin (January 13, 2022). Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: Afrobeat, Rebellion, and Philosophy. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
  15. ^ Dimery, Robert (June 9, 2020). Cult Musicians: 50 Progressive Performers You Need to Know. Quarto Publishing Group USA.
  16. ^ "Fela insists he's no rebel – he just sings the truth". The Gazette. Montreal. 10 July 1986. p. B8.
  17. ^ Pareles, Jon (7 Nov 1986). "Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nigeria's Musical Activist". The New York Times. p. C23.
  18. ^ a b "Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti & Egypt 80 Beasts of No Nation". AllMusic.
  19. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 41.
  20. ^ MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 409.
  21. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 409.
  22. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 219.
  23. ^ Feist, Daniel (21 Apr 1990). "Beasts of No Nation Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80". The Gazette. p. H13.
  24. ^ Moon, Tom (5 Aug 1997). "Charismatic Fela Put His Passionate Politics in the Groove". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E4.
  25. ^ Goldman, Vivien (Sep 18, 1997). "King of Afro beat dead at 58: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, 1938-1997". Rolling Stone. No. 769. p. 33.


Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beasts_of_No_Nation_(album)
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