Compiled by a Japanese chemistry professor who collects rare African vinyl, this intriguing three-album compilation traces Fela’s musical development in the 1960s, before he became the revolutionary pioneer of Afrobeat. After studying music in London, he had returned to Lagos, where highlife was massively popular, and with the Koola Lobitos he presented his own take, incorporating his skill as a jazz trumpeter (he would later switch to saxophone, allegedly because playing the trumpet affected his kissing). The set includes both studio and live recordings, and though the sound quality is often rough, the enthusiasm and variety are impressive, as Fela mixes dance songs such as It’s Highlife Time with impressive jazz trumpet solos on Amaechi’s Blues, along with a nod to James Brown on Everyday I Got My Blues. Exuberant live tracks like the chanting, funky Ako point to the unique music that was to come.
