Saturday, June 23, 2007

Alright... To make up for the mess-up with the Lijadu Sisters album...

Here's another exclusive from our friend John B (a man who digitizes vinyl impeccably!)

This is Uhuru Aiye by Bob Ohiri & his Uhuru Sounds. John tells us that there's not too much info furnished on the sleeve, but we do know that Bob Ohiri was a guitarist with King Sunny Ade's African Beats until the mid-80s (this album came up around 1985) and apparently played with Fela, as well.

The only musicians credited on the album are "Bob, Shegun (probably African Beats guitarist Segun Ilori) and Prince." Too bad we don't know all the musicians involved in this so that we may salute them as they deserve for creating this deliciously trippy concoction of juju, afrobeat and psychedelic rock.

I'll probably edit this post within the next 24 hours to add some more information once I can dig up the liner notes of Soundway Records' Afro Baby: The Evolution of the Afro Sound in Nigeria, 1970-1979 on which track 1, "Ariwo Yaa" is included.

Hmmm... Come to think of it, that might mean that this album was actually recorded in the 70s, huh?

(EDIT 6/25/07: I just managed to retrieve my copy of Afro Baby, and oddly enough, Bob Ohiri is not on it! Yet most of the track listings I find online do list "Ariwo Yaa" as track 8 (including the one on Soundway's site), my CD has in its place Orlando Julius & His Afro Sounders' "Mura Sise"! Was there a second pressing of this CD that I missed? *shrug*)

Anyway... It's almost 1:30 ante meridien and I'm getting kinda sleepy. So for now, here's the music.




> DOWNLOAD IT! <

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks again for hitting the spot. And thanks to John B. I love the Lijadu Sisters and spent an entire road trip with a C90 of them backed with Les Amazones du Guinnea and Sam Mangwana's Canto Mozambique for company.
But do you have anything lurking around by the elusive Charlotte Dada? One track was anthologised by John Storm Roberts (cheeky bootlegger says Honest Jon) on his Original Music imprint, namely "Don't Let me Down" on the Money No Be Sand compilation.

Comb & Razor said...

ha! "Don't Let Me Down" was actually the first song i ever posted on this blog (and i've been meaning to post the whole Money No Be Sand comp for the past month!

anyway, as i said before, it seems that was the only side she cut under her own name.

matt said...

Its track 9 on my promo copy but now missing from the official release!!!

matt said...

Ahem..I mean on the Soundway AfroBaby compilation

Comb & Razor said...

hmm... guess they changed it at the last minute, then!

Comb & Razor said...

speaking of Soundway, what's happening with the release of Nigeria Special: Highlife, Afro Funk and Nigerian Sounds 1970-76?