"Monkey Banana" is another gem in the Fela 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. With two tracks of about a dozen minutes each, Monkey Banana was really more an extended single than a proper album, reflecting a time during which Kuti's music was moving even more into long extended grooves. Both of the two cuts, "Monkey Banana" and "Sense Wiseness," have his characteristic blends of improvisational-sounding trades between various instruments and lead and chanting backup vocals, along with his minor-based melodies. "Monkey Banana" reflects his social consciousness in deploring the poor conditions of workers' lives in Nigeria. "Sense Wiseness" has a funkier beat and prominent high, glistening electric keyboards, the backdrop for lyrics criticizing the educated segment of Africa's population for absorbing Western ways.
Thanks Magal
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