Happy birthday!

My birthday was a few weeks ago, and Denis's was a few days after mine; to mark the occasion, I attempted to put together a mix that explored the birthday theme but I wasn't completely satisfied with the results so I didn't post it.

Today is Koko's birthday, so I figured I'd give it another shot... Unfortunately, I fell asleep early last night so I never got around to it.

If I had, though, I would have included these songs... I'm pretty sure Koko will appreciate none of these tunes, but perhaps you might!

Harry Mosco - "Happy Birthday"

Harry Mosco Agada was the leader of The Funkees, one of the foremost rock bands in post-civil war Nigeria. He and the band traveled to London in 1973, where they released two albums but broke up by 1977. Mosco spent the next ten years in London producing and recording albums with variety of Nigerian and British musicians. He returned to Nigeria in 1983, and after releasing the Heartbreak LP, he pretty much hung up his guitar and dedicated himself to running a label (now defunct, I think) and a still-popular recording studio, both bearing his name. If you ever attended a birthday party in Nigeria in the early 80s, I'm sure you'll remember this track!

George Ema - "I'm Growing Older"

George Ema was a Calabar area musician, moderately popular in the early 80s for hits such as "You Lied" and "A Chance," both from the 1980 album Sweeter Than Honey, from which this number is also taken. The LP was one of the early releases on Haruna Ishola's Phonodisk label and was produced by house producer Tony Essien, with the regular Phonodisk players: Lemmy Jackson and Willie Roy on keys, Eugene Ndema, Jean Ketchabra and Felix Lebarty on guitars, Willie Nfor on bass and Steve Black on drums and congas.

Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz - "Happy Birth Day"

Prince Nico Mbarga is of course best known for "Sweet Mother," regarded in some quarters as the most popular of popular African records. With his dual Nigerian-Cameroonian heritage, Mbarga was the perfect figure to popularize in Nigeria the kind of guitar-driven dance music that was burning up most of Francophone Africa. This tune comes from the 1978 LP Prince Nico Mbarga & Rocafil Jazz.

(I know I have posted this song before, but it was rather poor quality; this file is ripped from a brand new copy of the record.)

Eric Kol - "Hard To Say Goodbye"

Soul singer Eric Kol fronted The Immortals in the 1970s before embarking upon a solo career. 1980's My Lady is a Star is another Tony Essien Phonodisk production, with Lemmy Jackson, Steve Black, Basil Barap on bass, Effi Duke on guitar, and Oby Onyioha on backing vox.

(This song probably isn't a perfect fit thematically, but I felt like throwing it in anyway.)