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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
{{Infobox album
| Cover = The Best Best of Fela Kuti.jpg
| name = The Best Best of Fela Kuti
| Name = The Best Best of Fela Kuti
| type = compilation
| Type = compilation
| artist = [[Fela Kuti]]
| cover = The Best Best of Fela Kuti.jpg
| Longtype =
| Artist = [[Fela Kuti]]
| alt =
| Released = 1999
| released = 1999
| Recorded = 1972–89
| recorded = 1972–89
| Genre = [[Afrobeat]]
| venue =
| Length = 157:43
| studio =
| genre = [[Afrobeat]]
| Label = [[Barclay Records|Barclay]], [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
| Producer = [[Femi Kuti]]
| length = 157:43
| label = [[Barclay Records|Barclay]], [[Universal Music Group|Universal]]
| Last album =
| producer = [[Femi Kuti]]
| This album = '''''The Best of the Black President''''' <br /> (1999)
| Next album =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| Misc = {{Extra album cover
| next_title =
| Upper caption = Alternate covers
| next_year =
| Type = compilation
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| Cover = Fela Kuti The Best Of the Black President Cover.jpg
| header = Alternate covers
| Lower caption = Barclay reissue, 2002
| type = compilation
|}}
| cover = Fela Kuti The Best Of the Black President Cover.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = Barclay reissue, 2002
}}
{{Extra album cover
{{Extra album cover
| type = compilation
| Upper caption =
| cover = The Best of the Black President 2009.jpg
| Type = compilation
| border =
| Cover = The Best of the Black President 2009.jpg
| Lower caption = Knitting Factory Records, 2009
| alt =
| caption = Knitting Factory Records, 2009
|}}
}}
}}
}}


'''''The Best Best of Fela Kuti''''' is a compilation album by Nigerian [[Afrobeat]] artist [[Fela Kuti]], released in 1999 by [[MCA Records]].<ref name="RSguide"/> It was released in the United States in 2000 as part of a [[reissue]] series of Kuti's albums.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/movies/critic-s-notebook-a-universe-of-music.html?pagewanted=7&src=pm|accessdate=1 August 2013|title=Critic's Notebook; A Universe of Music|date=23 February 2001|last=Pareles|first=Jon|authorlink=Jon Pareles}}</ref> The album was reissued as '''''The Best of the Black President''''' in 2009 by [[Knitting Factory Records]] and received universal acclaim from [[music journalism|music critics]].
'''''The Best Best of Fela Kuti''''' is a 2-CD compilation album by Nigerian [[Afrobeat]] artist [[Fela Kuti]], released in 1999 by [[MCA Records]].<ref name="RSguide"/> It was issued in the United States in 2000 as part of a [[reissue]] series of Kuti's albums.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/movies/critic-s-notebook-a-universe-of-music.html?pagewanted=7&src=pm|accessdate=1 August 2013|title=Critic's Notebook; A Universe of Music|date=23 February 2001|last=Pareles|first=Jon|authorlink=Jon Pareles}}</ref> The album was reissued as '''''The Best of the Black President''''' in 2009 by [[Knitting Factory Records]] and received universal acclaim from [[music journalism|music critics]].<ref name="MC"/> A companion 2-CD compilation, also released in 1999, was reissued in the U.S. in 2013 by Knitting Factory as '''''The Best of the Black President 2'''''.


== Critical reception ==
==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Jurek"/>
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Jurek"/>
| rev2 = [[Robert Christgau]]
| rev2 = ''[[Metro Times|Detroit Metro Times]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Gabriel|first=Larry|date=29 March 2000|url=http://www2.metrotimes.com/20/26/Reviews/musFather.html|title=Father and son get it done|newspaper=[[Metro Times|Detroit Metro Times]]|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev2Score = A<ref name="Christgau"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Metro Times|Detroit Metro Times]]''
| rev3 = ''[[Down Beat]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Gabriel|first=Larry|date=29 March 2000|url=http://www2.metrotimes.com/20/26/Reviews/musFather.html|title=Father and son get it done|newspaper=[[Metro Times|Detroit Metro Times]]|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[DownBeat]]|location=Chicago|title=Review: The Best Best of Fela Kuti|page=76|date=April 2001|url=http://www.rakuten.com/prod/best-of-the-black-president/212208999.html|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Down Beat]]''
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Down Beat]]|location=Chicago|title=Review: The Best Best of Fela Kuti|page=76|date=April 2001|url=http://www.rakuten.com/prod/best-of-the-black-president/212208999.html|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev4Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rakuten.com/prod/best-of-the-black-president/212208999.html|title=Best of the Black President CD|publisher=[[Rakuten.com]]|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5Score = 8.1/10<ref name="Powell"/>
| rev5Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rakuten.com/prod/best-of-the-black-president/212208999.html|title=Best Of The Black President CD|publisher=[[Rakuten.com]]|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev6 = [[Pitchfork Media]]
| rev6 = ''[[PopMatters]]''
| rev6Score = 9/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Michael|date=6 January 2010|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/118227-fela-kuti-fela-the-best-of-the-black-president/|title=Fela Kuti: Fela: The Best of the Black President|work=[[PopMatters]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref>
| rev6Score = 8.1/10<ref name="Powell"/>
| rev7 = [[PopMatters]]
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (2000)
| rev7Score = 9/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Michael|date=6 January 2010|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/118227-fela-kuti-fela-the-best-of-the-black-president/|title=Fela Kuti: Fela: The Best of the Black President|publisher=[[PopMatters]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref>
| rev7Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|date=2 March 2000|page=95|title=Review: The Best Best of Fela Kuti|url=http://www.rakuten.com/prod/best-of-the-black-president/212208999.html|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (2000)
| rev8 = ''Rolling Stone'' (2009)
| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Hermes"/>
| rev8Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|date=2 March 2000|page=95|title=Review: The Best Best of Fela Kuti|url=http://www.rakuten.com/prod/best-of-the-black-president/212208999.html|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (2009)
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="RSguide">{{cite book|author=Hull, Tom|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac|url-access=registration|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n485 472]|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
| rev9Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Hermes"/>
| rev10 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev10 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev10Score = A<ref name="Christgau"/>
| rev10Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="RSguide">{{cite book|author=Hull, Tom et al.|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-last=Hoard|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA472#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=472}}</ref>
}}
}}
In a contemporary review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', music critic [[Robert Christgau]] said that ''The Best Best of Fela Kuti'' is the essential album from Kuti and "a masterful piece of compilation for an artist who deserves the best." Christgau felt that, "because long can wear out fast", it is "great" that more than half of the songs are "edited or cut unceremoniously in half", and wrote that, "Long though they still are, all are marked by top-notch tirades, explosive horn blasts, [and] riffs he'll never improve no matter how often he tries."<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=20 June 2000|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-06-20/music/shuffering-and-shmiling/full/|title=Shuffering and Shmiling|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|accessdate=10 February 2013|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6EKFe8URg|archivedate=10 February 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref> Christgau named it the fifth best album of 2000 in his list for the [[Pazz & Jop]] critics' poll.<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|month=February|year=2001|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/deans00.php|title=Pazz & Jop 2000: Dean's List|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'' magazine's [[Harry Allen (journalist)|Harry Allen]] said that it has Kuti's "finest work".<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|location=New York|last=Allen|first=Harry|authorlink=Harry Allen (journalist)|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=AigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176|title=Revolutions|page=176|accessdate=1 August 2013|date=May 2000}}</ref> In 2005, ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine ranked ''The Best Best of Fela Kuti'' the fourth best [[world music]] album of all time.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|location=New York|page=86|title=Top Ten World Music Albums|date=July 2005|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=p6-UYTO7l1MC&pg=PA86|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
In a contemporary review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', music critic [[Robert Christgau]] said that ''The Best Best of Fela Kuti'' is the essential album from Kuti and "a masterful piece of compilation for an artist who deserves the best." He applauded the decision to edit or "unceremoniously" reduce the exhaustive lengths of the original songs in half, adding that they feature "top-notch tirades, explosive horn blasts", and riffs Kuti could "never improve no matter how often he [tried]".<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|date=20 June 2000|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-06-20/music/shuffering-and-shmiling/full/|title=Shuffering and Shmiling|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|accessdate=10 February 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105512/http://www.villagevoice.com/2000-06-20/music/shuffering-and-shmiling/full/|archivedate=24 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Christgau named it the fifth best album of 2000 in his list for the [[Pazz & Jop]] critics' poll.<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|date=February 2001|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/deans00.php|title=Pazz & Jop 2000: Dean's List|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'' magazine's [[Harry Allen (journalist)|Harry Allen]] said that it has Kuti's "finest work".<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|location=New York|last=Allen|first=Harry|authorlink=Harry Allen (journalist)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176|title=Revolutions|page=176|accessdate=1 August 2013|date=May 2000}}</ref> In 2005, ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine ranked ''The Best Best of Fela Kuti'' the fourth best [[world music]] album of all time.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|location=New York|page=86|title=Top Ten World Music Albums|date=July 2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p6-UYTO7l1MC&pg=PA86|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>


The album's 2009 reissue by [[Knitting Factory Records]] received universal acclaim from critics. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[standard score|normalized]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received an [[weighted mean|average]] score of 93, based on 5 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-best-of-the-black-president/fela-kuti|title=The Best of the Black President Reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> [[Allmusic]]'s Thom Jurek recommended the album even for listeners who own all of Kuti's previous music: "this is a killer mix and needs to be in the collection anyway."<ref name="Jurek">{{cite web|last=Jurek|first=Thom|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-black-president-mw0000603885|title=The Best of the Black President – Fela Kuti|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> Michaelangelo Matos of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' credited it for doing "the impossible by summing up a singular performer who liked his songs to jam on out to a half-hour or more.<ref>{{cite news|last=Matos|first=Michaelangelo|date=20 August 2009|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/vintage-afropop,31956/|title=Vintage Afro-pop|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|location=Chicago|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
The album's 2009 reissue by [[Knitting Factory Records]] received universal acclaim from critics. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[standard score|normalized]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received an [[weighted mean|average]] score of 93, based on 5 reviews.<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-best-of-the-black-president/fela-kuti|title=The Best of the Black President Reviews|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> [[Allmusic]]'s Thom Jurek recommended the album even for listeners who own all of Kuti's previous music: "this is a killer mix and needs to be in the collection anyway."<ref name="Jurek">{{cite web|last=Jurek|first=Thom|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-black-president-mw0000603885|title=The Best of the Black President – Fela Kuti|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> Michaelangelo Matos of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' credited it for doing "the impossible by summing up a singular performer who liked his songs to jam on out to a half-hour or more.<ref>{{cite news|last=Matos|first=Michaelangelo|date=20 August 2009|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/vintage-afropop,31956/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826121509/http://www.avclub.com/articles/vintage-afropop%2C31956/|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 August 2009|title=Vintage Afro-pop|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|location=Chicago|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>


[[Pitchfork Media]]'s Mike Powell wrote that, although it does not have "''all'' of Fela's best material", the album "isn't just a good place for someone starting out, it's probably the only Fela album many will need to own."<ref name="Powell">{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Mike|date=12 January 2010|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13660-fela-the-best-of-the-black-president/|title=Fela Kut: Fela: The Best of the Black President|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> In a less enthusiastic review, Will Hermes of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine said that the music is "killer", but criticized the lack of recording info in the [[liner notes]]: "The music speaks for itself, but presidential history deserves better."<ref name="Hermes">{{cite journal|last=Hermes|first=Will|date=9 November 2009|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20091129120243/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/9600703/review/31105088/the_best_of_the_black_president|title=The Best of the Black President : Fela Kuti : Review|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|accessdate=22 May 2013|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6GnZYEEQe|archivedate=22 May 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref>
''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' critic Mike Powell wrote that, although it does not have "''all'' of Fela's best material", the album "isn't just a good place for someone starting out, it's probably the only Fela album many will need to own."<ref name="Powell">{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Mike|date=12 January 2010|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13660-fela-the-best-of-the-black-president/|title=Fela Kut: Fela: The Best of the Black President|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> In a less enthusiastic review, Will Hermes of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine said that the music is "killer", but criticized the lack of recording info in the [[liner notes]]: "The music speaks for itself, but presidential history deserves better."<ref name="Hermes">{{cite journal|last=Hermes |first=Will |date=9 November 2009 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/9600703/review/31105088/the_best_of_the_black_president |title=The Best of the Black President : Fela Kuti : Review |journal=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |accessdate=22 May 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129120243/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/9600703/review/31105088/the_best_of_the_black_president |archivedate=29 November 2009 |url-status=unfit }}</ref>


== Track listing ==
==Track listing==
{{track listing
| headline = Disc one
| title1 = Lady
| writer1 = [[Fela Kuti|Fela Anikulapo Kuti]]
| length1 = 13:49
| title2 = Shakara
| writer2 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length2 = 13:26
| title3 = Gentleman
| note3 = edit version
| writer3 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length3 = 11:02
| title4 = Water No Get Enemy
| note4 = edit version
| writer4 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length4 = 9:50
| title5 = Zombie
| writer5 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length5 = 12:25
| title6 = Sorrow Tears and Blood
| writer6 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length6 = 10:15
| title7 = No Agreement
| note7 = Part 2
| writer7 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length7 = 7:54
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Disc two
| title1 = Roforofo Fight
| writer1 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length1 = 15:41
| title2 = Shuffering and Shmiling
| note2 = Part 2
| writer2 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length2 = 12:25
| title3 = Coffin for Head of State
| note3 = Part 2
| writer3 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length3 = 13:22
| title4 = I.T.T.
| note4 = International Thief Thief) (Part 2
| writer4 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length4 = 13:42
| title5 = Army Arrangement
| note5 = Part 2
| writer5 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length5 = 17:02
| title6 = O.D.O.O.
| note6 = Overtake Don Overtake Overtake) (edit version
| writer6 = Fela Anikulapo Kuti
| length6 = 6:54
}}


===Disc one===
==Personnel==
''<small>Credits (such as they are) for the album are adapted from [[Allmusic]].</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-black-president-mw0000603885/credits|title=The Best of the Black President – Fela Kuti : Credits|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref>''
#"Lady" – 13:49
#"Shakara" – 13:26
#"Gentleman" (Edit Version) – 11:02
#"Water No Get Enemy" (Edit Version) – 9:50
#"Zombie" – 12:25
#"Sorrow, Tears, & Blood" – 10:15
#"No Agreement (Part 2)" – 7:54


* [[Fela Kuti]] – [[vocals]]
===Disc two===
* Adrian Morgan – [[audio mastering|remastering]]
#"Roforofo Fight" – 15:41
#"Shuffering and Shmiling (Part 2)" – 12:25
#"Coffin for Head of State (Part 2)" – 13:22
#"ITT (Part 2)" – 13:42
#"Army Arrangement (Part 2)" – 17:02
#"ODOO" overtake don overtake(Edit Version)6:54

== Personnel ==
Credits for the album are adapted from [[Allmusic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-black-president-mw0000603885/credits|title=The Best of the Black President – Fela Kuti : Credits|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref>

* [[Fela Kuti]] – composer, primary artist
* Adrian Morgan – remastering


==References==
==References==
Line 96: Line 138:
* {{Discogs master|type=album|114003|name=The Best of the Black President}}
* {{Discogs master|type=album|114003|name=The Best of the Black President}}


{{Fela Kuti}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of The Black President, The}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Best of Fela Kuti, The}}
[[Category:1999 compilation albums]]
[[Category:Afrobeat albums]]
[[Category:Barclay (record label) albums]]
[[Category:Fela Kuti albums]]
[[Category:Fela Kuti albums]]
[[Category:Barclay Records albums]]
[[Category:Compilation albums published posthumously]]
[[Category:Knitting Factory Records albums]]
[[Category:Knitting Factory Records albums]]
[[Category:1999 compilation albums]]
[[Category:MCA Records compilation albums]]
[[Category:MCA Records compilation albums]]
[[Category:Wrasse Records compilation albums]]
[[Category:Wrasse Records compilation albums]]


{{world-album-stub}}

Latest revision as of 20:16, 14 November 2024

The Best Best of Fela Kuti
Compilation album by
Fela Kuti
Released1999
Recorded1972–89
GenreAfrobeat
Length157:43
LabelBarclay, Universal
ProducerFemi Kuti
Alternate covers
Barclay reissue, 2002
Alternative cover
Knitting Factory Records, 2009

The Best Best of Fela Kuti is a 2-CD compilation album by Nigerian Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti, released in 1999 by MCA Records.[1] It was issued in the United States in 2000 as part of a reissue series of Kuti's albums.[2] The album was reissued as The Best of the Black President in 2009 by Knitting Factory Records and received universal acclaim from music critics.[3] A companion 2-CD compilation, also released in 1999, was reissued in the U.S. in 2013 by Knitting Factory as The Best of the Black President 2.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Detroit Metro Times[5]
Down Beat[6]
Mojo[7]
Pitchfork8.1/10[8]
PopMatters9/10[9]
Rolling Stone (2000)[10]
Rolling Stone (2009)[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[1]
The Village VoiceA[12]

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau said that The Best Best of Fela Kuti is the essential album from Kuti and "a masterful piece of compilation for an artist who deserves the best." He applauded the decision to edit or "unceremoniously" reduce the exhaustive lengths of the original songs in half, adding that they feature "top-notch tirades, explosive horn blasts", and riffs Kuti could "never improve no matter how often he [tried]".[12] Christgau named it the fifth best album of 2000 in his list for the Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[13] Vibe magazine's Harry Allen said that it has Kuti's "finest work".[14] In 2005, Spin magazine ranked The Best Best of Fela Kuti the fourth best world music album of all time.[15]

The album's 2009 reissue by Knitting Factory Records received universal acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received an average score of 93, based on 5 reviews.[3] Allmusic's Thom Jurek recommended the album even for listeners who own all of Kuti's previous music: "this is a killer mix and needs to be in the collection anyway."[4] Michaelangelo Matos of The A.V. Club credited it for doing "the impossible by summing up a singular performer who liked his songs to jam on out to a half-hour or more.[16]

Pitchfork critic Mike Powell wrote that, although it does not have "all of Fela's best material", the album "isn't just a good place for someone starting out, it's probably the only Fela album many will need to own."[8] In a less enthusiastic review, Will Hermes of Rolling Stone magazine said that the music is "killer", but criticized the lack of recording info in the liner notes: "The music speaks for itself, but presidential history deserves better."[11]

Track listing

[edit]
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lady"Fela Anikulapo Kuti13:49
2."Shakara"Fela Anikulapo Kuti13:26
3."Gentleman" (edit version)Fela Anikulapo Kuti11:02
4."Water No Get Enemy" (edit version)Fela Anikulapo Kuti9:50
5."Zombie"Fela Anikulapo Kuti12:25
6."Sorrow Tears and Blood"Fela Anikulapo Kuti10:15
7."No Agreement" (Part 2)Fela Anikulapo Kuti7:54
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Roforofo Fight"Fela Anikulapo Kuti15:41
2."Shuffering and Shmiling" (Part 2)Fela Anikulapo Kuti12:25
3."Coffin for Head of State" (Part 2)Fela Anikulapo Kuti13:22
4."I.T.T." (International Thief Thief) (Part 2)Fela Anikulapo Kuti13:42
5."Army Arrangement" (Part 2)Fela Anikulapo Kuti17:02
6."O.D.O.O." (Overtake Don Overtake Overtake) (edit version)Fela Anikulapo Kuti6:54

Personnel

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Credits (such as they are) for the album are adapted from Allmusic.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hull, Tom; et al. (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 472. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^ Pareles, Jon (23 February 2001). "Critic's Notebook; A Universe of Music". Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  3. ^ a b "The Best of the Black President Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "The Best of the Black President – Fela Kuti". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  5. ^ Gabriel, Larry (29 March 2000). "Father and son get it done". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Review: The Best Best of Fela Kuti". DownBeat. Chicago: 76. April 2001. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Best of the Black President CD". Rakuten.com. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  8. ^ a b Powell, Mike (12 January 2010). "Fela Kut: Fela: The Best of the Black President". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  9. ^ Miller, Michael (6 January 2010). "Fela Kuti: Fela: The Best of the Black President". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Review: The Best Best of Fela Kuti". Rolling Stone. New York: 95. 2 March 2000. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  11. ^ a b Hermes, Will (9 November 2009). "The Best of the Black President : Fela Kuti : Review". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on 29 November 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (20 June 2000). "Shuffering and Shmiling". The Village Voice. New York. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 2001). "Pazz & Jop 2000: Dean's List". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  14. ^ Allen, Harry (May 2000). "Revolutions". Vibe. New York: 176. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Top Ten World Music Albums". Spin. New York: 86. July 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  16. ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (20 August 2009). "Vintage Afro-pop". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  17. ^ "The Best of the Black President – Fela Kuti : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 May 2013.

Further reading

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