{"title":"Knitting Factory","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory is a renowned music label that was initially called [l7826]. With the aim of promoting diverse and innovative music, Knitting Factory has established itself as a leading force in the industry. Since its inception, this label has been dedicated to supporting talented artists and performers, showcasing their unique sounds to a global audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith an impressive catalog of releases, Knitting Factory offers a wide range of genres including jazz, world music, rock, and electronic. The label's commitment to quality and artistic integrity is evident in every release they put out. From iconic albums by *John Zorn* and *Medeski Martin \u0026amp; Wood* to groundbreaking works by *The Bad Plus* and *Bill Frisell*, Knitting Factory continues to push boundaries and redefine what it means to be a record label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs you explore the vast collection of music on offer from Knitting Factory, you'll discover hidden gems waiting to be unearthed. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the label's roster, there's something for everyone here. Join us on this musical journey as we celebrate the incredible talent fostered by Knitting Factory.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"excuse-o-2","title":"Excuse-O","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe deepest song here is the second track, \"Mr Grammarticalogylisationalism Is The Boss,” which ridicules the notion that speaking \"\"proper\"\" English demonstrates superior intelligence, and bemoans the fact that doing so is, unfortunately, a requirement for upward mobility. As the chorus repeats the line “Him talk oyinbo pass English man” (“He talks English better than an Englishman”), Fela lays it down: “The better oyinbo you talk, the more bread you get, school start na grade four bread, B.A. na grade three bread, M.A. na grade two bread, Ph.D na grade one bread, the better oyinbo you talk, the more bread you get….Wey talk oyinbo well well to rule our land-o.”   First re-issued as part of Fela Kuti Box Set #5 curated by Chris Martin and Femi Kuti in 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Orange LP","offer_id":50398620778827,"sku":"2171576","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Excuse-O_Edit_-_EP_c6ba1d90_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726497378"},{"product_id":"coffin-for-head-of-state-unknown-soldier","title":"Coffin For Head Of State \/ Unknown Soldier","description":"\u003cp\u003eThese masterpieces were pivotal accomplishments for Kuti, as they solidified his rise from mere social commentator to fiercely determined cultural leader. Recorded after the brutal raid of his Kalaluta compound and the consequent death of his mother, they comprise two of the most personal statements Kuti ever made. \"Coffin for Head of State\" denounces the corrosive effect of Christian and Muslim influence on African life and takes to task the leaders that perpetuate the \"Bad bad bad things\/Through Jesus Christ our Lord.\" It takes its name from a protest in which Kuti and a group of supporters laid a coffin on the steps of Christian leader Olusegun Obasanjo's Dodan Barracks, the headquarters of the military government. An epic 31-minute tribute to his fallen mother, \"Unknown Soldier\" is one of the most ambitious recordings of Kuti's career which describes in frightening detail the events that transpired on the eve of the Kalakuta raid, including the rape of several women, beatings, mutilation, and the throwing of his mother (\"the Mother of Nigeria\") out of a window. The official police report after the raid blamed the attack on \"unknown soldiers,\" and in response to this fantastic cover-up, Kuti gives a tortured, powerful performance of some of his most vivid and incendiary music -- music that was in many ways the ideological equal of the physical torture that Kuti and his company had endured.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50410509435211,"sku":"1024691","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/04548d8e-8c56-48d8-973e-39bbb5fcc3f6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726643107"},{"product_id":"upside-down-fela-and-roy-ayers","title":"Upside Down \/ Fela and Roy Ayers","description":"\u003cp\u003eGreat two albums on one cd, primarily here because of Fela's collaboration with Roy Ayers, which is 2 lengthy tracks of black consciousness from 1979. Roy Ayers was at that time big on the disco scene, so I guess this cross fertilization suited them both from a career perspective. They took one side each and produced some of the best afro jams ever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50410591453515,"sku":"362611","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8add7c42-abbf-4069-938e-3147ed62f13a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726645222"},{"product_id":"v-i-p","title":"V.I.P.","description":"\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory Records is proud to reissue Fela Kuti's \u003ci\u003eV.I.P.\u003c\/i\u003e on vinyl, previously only available as part of the Box Set series. \u003ci\u003eV.I.P. Vagabonds In Power\u003c\/i\u003e was recorded live at the Berlin Jazz Festival in autumn 1978 and released the following year. It is a ferocious and lyrically exalted attack on the abuse of state power. 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Izsadore was a black rights activist and introduced him to the writings of revolutionary thinkers such as Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, Huey Newton and more who inspired Fela’s philosophy of Blackism. 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At the time of its release, the name of this album would have been recognized by any Nigerian as the acronym for International Telephone and Telegraph, Nigeria’s biggest telecommunications conglomerate. In this track, however, Fela used the acronym satirically. On the tracks Fela makes highly insulting, personal attacks on former Nigerian president General Obasanjo and Moshood Abiola, the local chief executive of the multinational corporations International Telephone and Telegraph and Decca Records. Vinyl with Download and liner notes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50451363201355,"sku":"1000477","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/75673caa-5818-4d0f-80bd-70b6131dafbe_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727123795"},{"product_id":"underground-system","title":"Underground System","description":"\u003cp\u003eReissued and remastered. \u003ci\u003eUnderground System\u003c\/i\u003e was among the better recordings of Fela's late career, comprised of two extended tracks, the title cut and \u003ci\u003ePansa Pansa. 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The addition of former Cream drummer Ginger Baker brings a unique element to this album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe album contains four songs, including the bonus track \"\u003cem\u003e16 Minute Drum Duet\u003c\/em\u003e\" between Baker and Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen. This epic performance was recorded at the 1978 Berlin Jazz Festival, showcasing the incredible talent of these musicians.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50466772123979,"sku":"377116","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56240102015307,"sku":"R6153-1983","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/1b843d19-8f31-4bf8-9d6b-45d6b97c0c58_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727320810"},{"product_id":"coffin-for-head-of-state","title":"Coffin for Head of State","description":"\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory Records is proud to reissue Fela Kuti's \u003ci\u003eCoffin For Head of State\u003c\/i\u003e on vinyl, previously only available as part of the Box Set series. The album, made up of one track only, is among Fela’s most courageous responses to the Nigerian army’s destruction of Kalakuta on 18 February 1977. During the attack, Fela’s mother, aged 78, a veteran of Nigeria’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule and an early campaigner for Nigerian women’s rights, was thrown out of an upstairs window, fracturing a leg. 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Uptempo, with a suitably turbulent horn arrangement, it includes strong solos from Fela on keyboards and the fearsome Igo Chico on tenor saxophone. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Pink LP","offer_id":50467439706443,"sku":"2003215","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50467438100811,"sku":"1000479","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Shakara_Edit_feat._Afrika_70_-_EP_d753aa33_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727338081"},{"product_id":"fela-s-london-scene","title":"Fela's London Scene","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter finishing school at London’s Trinity College School Of Music, Fela returned to Nigeria and his band Koola Lobitios. He began fusing the sounds of jazz and funk with the traditional African music he had been raised on. EMI, his label at the time, saw the true power of his musical creation, which he termed ‘afro-beat’ and brought Fela and his band back to London. The result was \u003ci\u003eLondon Scene\u003c\/i\u003e, Fela’s first release, recorded at Abbey Road.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCream drummer Ginger Baker plays un-credited on the track \u003ci\u003eEgbe Mio\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eLondon Scene\u003c\/i\u003e from 1971 is the beginning of what would become Fela’s signature Afrobeat style and a great introduction to the man and his music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvailable on green and white vinyl, and white, red And blue splatter vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Green | LP","offer_id":50469847400779,"sku":"1130117","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Blue | LP","offer_id":50469846483275,"sku":"1130380","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50469847761227,"sku":"1000478","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/438cee88-3e2a-459c-895d-addd353d7c1f_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727368369"},{"product_id":"army-arrangement-reissue","title":"Army Arrangement (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory Records is proud to reissue Fela Kuti's \u003ci\u003eArmy Arrangement\u003c\/i\u003e on vinyl, previously only available as part of the Box Set series. \u003ci\u003eArmy Arrangement \u003c\/i\u003eis about Nigeria’s attempt at ‘democracy’ in 1979 after more than a decade of military rule.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50481777803595,"sku":"1080508","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5ecbc469-6a86-456d-ba9a-bd79040c067c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727544660"},{"product_id":"zombie-1","title":"Zombie","description":"\u003cb\u003eFela Kuti\u003c\/b\u003e was the innovator of Afro Beat, prolific and revolutionary. 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One of the more peculiar tracks in Kuti's catalog, 'Palm Wine Sound' is a Caribbean-styled instrumental that finishes the album in the highlife spirit of carefree fun and dancing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50484102136139,"sku":"340884","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/1f5604ba-9fa3-4afc-9ec6-ca21e62cfd11_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727581373"},{"product_id":"everything-scatter","title":"Everything Scatter","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Everything Scatter' from 1975 is about the person and actions of Fela and the members of Kalakuta republic, which for a long time has become cause for controversy among the Nigerian public. Singing the song in the manner of a story teller with some history behind it, Fela presents the Nigerian society like a moving public bus driving past Kalakuta republic. A passenger in the bus representing the establishment view, makes a remark condemning Fela and members of kalakuta as: 'hooligans', 'hemp smokers', 'prostitutes', and 'political non-starters;. another man who, like countless of Fela's teaming admirers, sees him as: 'black president', chief priest, mystic man (abami in Yoruba language), challenges the establishment man. Meanwhile, the debate spreads among all the passengers in the bus - those echoing government opinion of Fela and those against. The result is big commotion in the bus, like in all conflict. everything scatter. Successive military regimes in Nigeria, in their attempt to silence Fela's bold criticisms of the establishment have labeled him a trouble maker. Fela however would not relent in his criticism of the corruption and colonial mentality of the establishment - the end result! 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Powerful singing and proclaiming in both English and Nigerian and there's always a vocal chorus to participate in some thrilling call and response.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50485324448075,"sku":"340887","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Expensive_Shit_Edit_feat._Afrika_70_-_EP_1114c4b5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727598532"},{"product_id":"music-of-many-colours","title":"Music Of Many Colours","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn our opinion, this is \u003cstrong\u003eFela\u003c\/strong\u003e's best album - all the great grooves and politics combined with \u003cstrong\u003eRoy Ayers\u003c\/strong\u003e' vibes. 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His African concept was truly original… The tour was about two black men together coming together, one from Africa and the other from the USA, a very exciting collaboration.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50485425897803,"sku":"1058221","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4c358c0a-f380-4905-8bbe-97a2da0be647_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727599521"},{"product_id":"yellow-fever","title":"Yellow Fever","description":"\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory Records is proud to reissue Fela Kuti's \u003ci\u003eYellow Fever\u003c\/i\u003e on vinyl. 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Sung in Broken English, the language he adopted in order to make his words understood beyond Yoruba speakers, the lyrics rail against the fashion for skin-whitening creams. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50490566705483,"sku":"1080502","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/1995df4c-c8c8-48b7-8bd9-2d0ca3ecbce5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727666733"},{"product_id":"beasts-of-no-nation","title":"Beasts Of No Nation","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter helping Fela Anikulapo Kuti with 'Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense', Wally Badarou was back in the producer's chair for this effort, which was political in the extreme. That is to say, Kuti was in an extremely confrontational mood. The cover pictures former South African president PW Botha, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan as horned vampires with blood dripping from their mouths. The music is more of the same, the grooves are typically sinuous, but the lyrics are venom-filled with Kuti referring to the aforementioned trio as 'animals wan dash our human rights.' After a few so-so records in the early '80s, 'Beasts of No Nation' was a strong (at times stunning) return to form for Kuti and signaled that his political beliefs kept him from becoming musically lazy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50491238154571,"sku":"340883","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/432a3960-1a6f-4d94-9da2-4d2c38c53b77_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727683787"},{"product_id":"alagbon-close","title":"Alagbon Close","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe massed horns, relentless grooves, and bold improvising that would come to define Fela's aesthetic sound positively revolutionary on these essential early recordings. This album heralds a series of increasingly politically-charged LPs Fela would release over the next three years. It was the first album on which Fela deliberately and explicitly challenged the authority of the Nigerian regime and the actions of its enforcers. Lyrically inspired by a police raid on Kalakuta in April 1974, the song is dark and addresses the Nigerian police's violence and apparent immunity from prosecution. Musically, \u003ci\u003eAlagbon Close\u003c\/i\u003e marks the transition between highlife jazz and Afrobeat. It was the first of Fela's albums to carry a sleeve designed by Lemi Ghariokwu, whose artwork became an integral part of the Afrobeat message.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Orange LP","offer_id":50491354186059,"sku":"2218834","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50491352613195,"sku":"356495","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Alagbon_Close_247a8676_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727685895"},{"product_id":"red-hot-and-fela","title":"Red Hot and Fela","description":"\u003cp\u003eFela Kuti lives on. Since his death in 1997, the Nigerian icon and Afrobeat originator has been transformed from musician's musician with a cult-like following to a worldwide musical icon. Now Red Hot, the AIDS awareness organisation, has partnered with Knitting Factory Records to release a colourful collection of Fela Kuti compositions performed by cross-genre collaborators representing rock, hip hop, Americana, and classical. The release includes classic Fela anthems like 'Lady', recorded by tUnE-yArDs, ?uestlove (The Roots), Angelique Kidjo and Akua Naru, 'Zombie' recorded by Spoek Mathambo, Cerebral Cortex and Frown, and 'Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am' recorded by My Morning Jacket, Merrill Garbus (from tUnE-yArDs), and Brittany Howard (from Alabama Shakes) and 'Sorrow, Tears and Blood' reworked by the Kronos Quartet along with TV On The Radio's Kyp Malone and Tunde Adembimpe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50491927855435,"sku":"368048","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/816cdaec-f421-47ea-a638-51a24d35455b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727689902"},{"product_id":"sorrow-tears-and-blood","title":"Sorrow, Tears and Blood","description":"\u003cp\u003e180 Gram Vinyl. 'Sorrow Tears and Blood', the first recording released after the kalakuta's capture, is fiercer; the band's sound almost seeming to drip blood. slower and more persistent, the ominous grooves here no longer bother with metaphor, crying out bluntly, \"some people lost some bread, someone just died...them leave sorrow, tears, and blood.\" Alongside Woody Guthrie's struggle, this is as stirring as musical social protest gets. 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' boils over with Fela's singing and the frantic call-response of horns and chorus; the scattering sounds of people fleeing a police-and-army attack. And 'Colonial Mentality' calls for a united Africa to stand up against its widespread leftovers of imperialism. 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The box set also contains the DVD documentary \u003ci\u003eA Slice Of Fela\u003c\/i\u003e, which features live performances from Berlin Jazz festival and Glastonbury, as well as a 52 page booklet with Fela’s biography and album commentaries by Chris May. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD | x29","offer_id":50494395810123,"sku":"1002259","price":99.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/034fcd19-a414-49a7-9b26-ec6b8e962167_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727705121"},{"product_id":"army-arrangement","title":"Army Arrangement","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eArmy Arrangement \u003c\/i\u003eis about Nigeria’s attempt at ‘democracy’ in 1979 after more than a decade of military rule.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50495473058123,"sku":"1005989","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"live-in-amsterdam-3","title":"Live In Amsterdam","description":"\u003cp\u003eLive In Amsterdam\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50495510184267,"sku":"1005434","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"one-people-one-world","title":"One People, One World","description":"\u003cp\u003eFemi Kuti is the heart and soul of modern Afrobeat. Femi's father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, created the style - a blend of traditional Nigerian drum patterns, the smooth groove of highlife and American soul, funk and R\u0026amp;B - and took it to the world, inspiring people with insistent dance beats and lyrics bristling with political statements. Afrobeat moved several generations of musicians, in Nigeria and around the world, to follow Fela's dictum and use music as a weapon to fight for justice and freedom. Femi and his band, Positive Force, are at the forefront of that movement, continually expanding the music's vocabulary, adding hints of punk and hip-hop to the sound, while maintaining its traditional roots and political message. \u003ci\u003eOne People, One World\u003c\/i\u003e sees Femi returning to the music's African roots. Hints of reggae, highlife, soul, R\u0026amp;B and other African, Caribbean and African American flavors go swirling through the mix, adding depth and complexity to the arrangements, but the influences don't distract from Femi's signature sound. the album is pure Afrobeat, with the potent horn lines Femi created for the band punching up the tempo, driving everything forward at a frenetic pace. The new album is still political but, for the first time, there are love songs and celebrations of our common humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50497076691275,"sku":"1023152","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50497077051723,"sku":"1042763","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c5a08c8b-7373-47a3-bba9-6f8ebd34a3d6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727726042"},{"product_id":"no-agreement","title":"No Agreement","description":"\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory Records is proud to reissue Fela Kuti's \u003ci\u003eNo Agreement\u003c\/i\u003e on vinyl, previously only available as part of the Box Set series. \u003ci\u003eNo Agreement\u003c\/i\u003e is sometimes overlooked among Fela’s 1977 releases, eclipsed by albums such as \u003ci\u003eJ.J.D. Johnny Just Drop\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSorrow Tears and Blood\u003c\/i\u003e, yet it is among his best albums of the period. It includes an outstanding Afrika 70 instrumental,\u003ci\u003e Dog Eat Dog.\u003c\/i\u003e The track includes a solo by the American trumpeter, Lester Bowie, of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, who was then staying with Fela in Lagos. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50498643296587,"sku":"1080503","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c4d17b11-ee86-4d68-a913-137a72dae223_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727751982"},{"product_id":"the-essential-gary-lucas","title":"The Essential Gary Lucas","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Essential Gary Lucas\u003c\/i\u003e is an exciting retrospective of the seasoned veteran of the New York music scene and seriously talented guitarist. Going back to his earliest appearances on record and stage with Captain Beefheart in the early 80s, to his work with Jeff Buckley, through his own catalog of 35+ albums in his own right, Lucas’ prolific career covers the waterfront creatively.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuest appearances on The Essential Gary Lucas include Jeff Buckley, Alan Vega (Suicide), David Johansen (New York Dolls), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers), Billy Ficca (Television), Nona Hendryx (Labelle), Chinese pop star Feifei Yang and many more.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"CD | x2","offer_id":50501779095883,"sku":"1109214","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d0c85aa8-ff76-4938-9f12-6cfaa9049c08_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727786614"},{"product_id":"gentleman-50th-anniversary-edition","title":"Gentleman (50th Anniversary Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFela Kuti (1938-1997) was a Nigerian musician, producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw and the originator of Afrobeat. A titanic musical and sociopolitical voice, Fela’s legacy spans decades and genres, touching on jazz, pop, funk, hip-hop, rock and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1973’s \u003ci\u003eGentleman\u003c\/i\u003e is the 7th in the series of celebratory Fela 50th Anniversary reissues. Like its predecessors in the series, this version will be available on exclusive colored vinyl (Igbo Smoke) and the LP will be wrapped in a gold foil obi strip with a brief essay on the album and Fela's global impact on music. Like Fela's other early 70's releases, he used each side of his LPs to create a deep groove that pulls the listener in and follows with metaphoric lyrics that call out and critique the corrupt hangover of colonialism. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eGentleman\u003c\/i\u003e is the last of Fela's early 1970s albums recorded with the Africa 70. The title track can be interpreted literally or as a metaphor concerning a wider issue. Fela deftly addresses the colonialism-induced, inferiority complex which led many in Africa's new governing elites to reject African style, concepts of beauty, and modes of behavior in favor of European imports. Gentleman's other tracks, \"\"Fefe Naa Efe\"\" and \"\"Igbe,” have more direct, less metaphorical lyrics. On \"\"Fefe Naa Efe,” an Ashanti motto from Ghana, Fela tells a woman dumped by her boyfriend that she must get over the heartache and move on. On \"\"Igbe”, Fela declares that anyone who betrays a friend is shit, and that anybody who lacks self-respect is shit - something you want to expel from your body as soon as possible. He sings the word \"\"shit\"\" in several Nigerian languages, so there is no misunderstanding.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50506736566603,"sku":"2022065","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/IOb_H8BA_f57ebef8_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727828832"},{"product_id":"box-set-6-curated-by-idris-elba","title":"Box Set #6: Curated by Idris Elba","description":"\u003cp\u003eContains the albums \u003ci\u003eOpen and Close, Music of Many Colors, Stalemate, I Go Shout Plenty!!!, Live In Amsterdam\u003c\/i\u003e (2xLP), and \u003ci\u003eOpposite People.\u003c\/i\u003e The artwork for each album has been meticulously recreated from the original vinyl pressings, alongside vintage vinyl label artwork. It includes a 24 page booklet featuring lyrics, commentaries by Afrobeat historian Chris May, and never before seen photos; as well as a 16” x 24” poster designed by Lemi Ghariokwu.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sixth installment of the much anticipated vinyl reissue box sets from the Fela Kuti catalog. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVinyl box #6 was curated by actor, producer, DJ, rapper and singer, Idris Elba, aka DJ Big Driis.  Previous box set curators include Chris Martin, Erykah Badu, Ginger Baker, Brian Eno, and Questlove.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Black LPx7","offer_id":50513418486091,"sku":"2143942","price":119.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/n9ENxGQY_68e41e89_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727931112"},{"product_id":"kalakuta-show-2","title":"Kalakuta Show","description":"\u003cp\u003eFela tells the story of the first large-scale police attack on Kalakuta Republic, on 23 November 1974. Following the drug squad raids in the spring that year (documented on the earlier albums Alagbon Close and Expensive Shit), Fela had erected a ten foot high barbed wire fence around the compound and stationed guards at the gate. “There had been so many raids,” he said years later. “You can’t count how many times they beat my people, in my house, on the street.” The defences were insufficient to repel a force of around 70 police armed with tear gas, machetes, wire cutters and axes. On the pretext of searching for a young woman who it was falsely (and quite ludicrously) alleged Fela had abducted, they stormed the compound. After throwing gas canisters into the buildings, forcing the occupants to exit, they set about anyone they could catch, beating men and women alike.  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By the time Fela wrote “Why Black Man Dey Suffer,” his songwriting and public statements were becoming increasingly critical of the power structure in Nigeria and throughout post-colonial Africa. The album was actually recorded for EMI, but wary of the title, the label refused to release it. First re-issued as part of Fela Kuti Box Set #5 curated by Chris Martin and Femi Kuti in 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Yellow LP","offer_id":50522275971403,"sku":"2171573","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Why_Black_Man_Dey_Suffer_-_EP_1712047a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728002193"},{"product_id":"odoo-overtake-don-overtake-overtake","title":"O.D.O.O. 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Fela also used the album cover to announce the Africanisation of Africa 70’s name, changing it to Afrika 70. In the title track, Fela draws attention to the economic chasm separating the haves and have-nots of Nigerian society, contrasting the get-rich-at-all-costs mindset of the residents of the prosperous Lagos suburb Ikoyi with the more community-minded attitude of the poor inhabitants of the Mushin, Maroko, Ajegunle and Somolu neighborhoods. Ikoyi residents are blind to the sufferings of less fortunate people, says Fela. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Fela returns to the topic on the second track, “Gba Mi Leti Ki N’Dolowo (Slap Me Make I Get Money).” In Lagos in 1975 and 1976, there had been an upsurge in police and military personnel assaults on people in the street; motorists were commonly pulled out of their vehicles and given a whipping for minor traffic offenses. Scandalously, the police and soldiers were being allowed to get away with corruption in broad daylight. In the lyric, Fela demands that the judiciary administer the law equally, without fear or favour.  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"White LP","offer_id":50530344108363,"sku":"2173639","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/iLnLwrqw_f3ce9334_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728077004"},{"product_id":"original-sufferhead","title":"Original Sufferhead","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis edition of \u003ci\u003eOriginal Sufferhead\u003c\/i\u003e is a major event. With the release of box set #5, and now on this reissue, the title track of this magnificent album is presented in its full-length, 25 minutes 24 seconds glory. While preparing the master disc for the box set, our engineer Jedi, Colin Young, discovered four minutes of “lost” material on the B-side of the original pressing, including a superb keyboard solo by Fela. This had been omitted from subsequent reissues. The restored version used here starts and finishes with Fela’s keyboard work, a typically venturesome blend of futurism and visceralism. \u003ci\u003eOriginal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eSufferhead\u003c\/i\u003e was the first album Fela released under Egypt 80’s name (he had disbanded Afrika 70 in 1979).  On the title track, arguing from the personal to the political, Fela describes the inhuman treatment and poor living conditions experienced by working class Nigerians, the people he called sufferheads. In “Power Show,” Fela sings about the two-tier system dividing Nigerian society, in which the rich get treated one way and the poor another.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Green LP","offer_id":50530345845067,"sku":"2173595","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/tgdrMVV7_320b1e2f_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728077032"},{"product_id":"noise-for-vendor-mouth-2","title":"Noise For Vendor Mouth","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe title track likens politicians to street hawkers and hustlers, and caused considerable controversy. So did the B-side, “Mattress,” though for different reasons. In the song, Fela likens a woman’s role to that of a mattress, there to support and comfort her man. Fela’s espousal of traditional gender roles, and his approval of polygamy, struck a discordant note with some listeners, who accused him of being “anti women.” Fela was Fela and a man of his time, but he was never hostile to women. As he often acknowledged, his two greatest political influences were women: his mother, who had been an early champion of women’s rights in Nigeria, and Sandra Izsadore, the black-rights activist he began a relationship with in the US in 1969. Each opened his mind, between them turning a playboy into a political revolutionary. First re-issued as part of Fela Kuti Box Set #5 curated by Chris Martin and Femi Kuti in 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50530879603019,"sku":"2171587","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Noise_for_Vendor_Mouth_-_EP_70df020d_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728086723"},{"product_id":"he-miss-road","title":"He Miss Road","description":"\u003cp\u003eHe Miss Road\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50776790401355,"sku":"1005436","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"johnny-drop-dead-j-j-d","title":"Johnny Drop Dead (J.J.D.)","description":"\u003cp\u003eKnitting Factory Records is proud to reissue Fela Kuti's \u003ci\u003eJ.J.D. Johnny Just Drop\u003c\/i\u003e on vinyl. Previously only available as part of the Box Set series, the reissue features original album artwork designed by Lemi Ghariokwu, who created the cover art for around half of Fela’s albums. Originally released in 1977, \u003ci\u003eJ.J.D. Johnny Just Drop\u003c\/i\u003e features Fela lampooning Nigeria’s \"been-tos,\" people who had been to Europe or America to work or study, and then returned (dropped) home with European social pretensions and an inferiority complex about African culture. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50776941986123,"sku":"1080504","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/9c477aa4-a1e4-4111-82b3-4aecf996890a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1730982857"},{"product_id":"the-best-of-the-black-president","title":"The Best Of The Black President","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe Best of the Black President is the 13 track guide to Fela Kuti’s massive and manifold creative career. Fela was a musician, arranger, producer, political radical, outlaw and the originator of Afrobeat. This is the first time the complete compilation is available on vinyl. It is a 4 LP set, with updated cover art in a hardbound book jacket and printed inner sleeves. The individual LPs are pressed on red (sides A\/B), green (sides C\/D), blue (sides E\/F) and yellow (sides G\/H) vinyl. This edition features a Ludo game board as the back cover and comes with a perforated set of game pieces, dice, and instructions on how to play. Limited edition of 3000 for the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Knitting Factory","offers":[{"title":"4LP - Opaque Red Green Blue and Yellow","offer_id":53604471996747,"sku":"R7870-3882","price":89.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a-ZLXqGQ.jpg?v=1760472692"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_e9b75e0b_thumbnail_4096_9f7d9f02-613a-4a62-ae0b-6c1f52ef1412.jpg?v=1726497354","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/knitting-factory.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}