Yellow Fever/Na Poi

本作は1976年発表の『イエロー・フィーヴァー』と同年発表『ナ・ポイ』の2作品を1CDにコンパイルし、リマスター処理を施したもの。1973年発売の傑作『ジェントルマン』では、西欧の文化を真似るナイジェリアの男性を批判しているが、『イエロー・フィーヴァー』では、ファンキーなドラムとベースにのせて、ファッションを追い求め白人の美意識に左右されて肌の脱色などを行うナイジェリアの女性を非難している。一方『ナ・ポイ』は男女の恋愛をダイレクトに表現しているユーモア溢れる異色作。政治色の強い曲が多いフェラにしては珍しい芝居のような曲の構成になっている。

A condemnation of African skin-bleaching, "Yellow Fever" likens the practice to real diseases sweeping through the continent, employing a dark, percolating groove as a backdrop. "Na Poi," originally recorded in 1972 and banned by the Nigerian Broadcasting Company, is featured here in a re-recorded version known as "Na Poi 75." An open expression of the sexual practices within his then-flourishing Kalakuta Republic compound, it is an intensely funky major-key jam driven by its clamorous horns and staccato bassline. Na Poi features the original 25-minute "Na Poi," a considerably starker arrangement with extended drum breaks, solos, and chanting. "You No Go Die...Unless" is a kind of comfort jam to the thousands of rural villagers who moved to Lagos in search of wealth generated by the mid-'60s oil boom, punctuated by a quirky, clipped beat and Yoruba lyrics. Not one of Kuti's best releases, but, as with all his material, it's worth hearing. ~ Jim Smith