Search - Fela Kuti :: Monkey Banana / Excuse O

More Classic Fela Reissued

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 07/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Monkey Banana/Excuse O" is another gem in the Fela two-albums-on-one-CD reissue series on MCA. (By the way, the cover art posted on this page is that of "Upside Down" not "Monkey Banana.") It should be noted that unlike some of the other titles in this series, the song "Monkey Banana" was previously available on the original Celluloid label release of "Zombie" in the mid-1980s. Both the original "Monkey Banana" (with its b-side "Sense Wiseness") and "Excuse O" (with its b-side "Mr. Grammarticalogylisationalism is the Boss") LPs were originally released in 1975. This was the beginning of what was arguably Fela's greatest period, and in the next three years he would release more than a dozen albums! While "Zombie" and "Opposite People" are clearly the essential recordings from this period, this disc is not far behind. In fact all of the Fela reissues are really indispensable, and you should get them while you can."