| ...Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk in 1970s Nigeria. Nigeria Rock Special shines a light on the flipside of the well-documented sounds of highlife and Afrobeat coming out of Nigeria in the 1970s -- young bands caught up in the wave of psychedelic and progressive rock that was sweeping Europe and the States in the late '60s and early '70s. As time goes by, the many layers of musical output that formed around the world throughout the 1960s and '70s continues to be peeled back to reveal many welcome surprises. The explosion of rock n' roll that erupted out of the USA in the '50s fanned out around the globe from its epicenter and by the mid-1960s, kids all over the world were picking up guitars and checking themselves in mirrors. Nigeria was no exception. Spurred on by Cream drummer Ginger Baker's visits to Lagos and his band Airforce (featuring many Nigerian musicians), the sound of fuzzed-out rock reverberated around the universities and nightspots of Lagos and Ibadan. The craze that followed hit the youth and student population of Nigeria hard -- mixing fuzz guitar and heavy African rhythms with elements of Led Zeppelin, Traffic and The Chambers Brothers. Fifteen of the best cuts from the scene are available here for the first time in 30 years. Artists include: Ofege, The Action 13, The Hygrades, The Wings, Ofo The Black Company, The Elcados, Mono Mono, Tabukah "X", The Funkees, Colomach, Joe King Kologbo & His Black Sound, Question Mark, Original Wings, Tunji Oyelana and BLO. |
