Nigeria Rock Special

“Funk-fused psych-rock gems… that conjures up visions of Hendrix” - xl8r

Nigeria Rock Special shines a light on the flipside to the well-documented sounds of Highlife and Afrobeat coming out of Nigeria in the 1970s - young bands caught up in the wave of Psychedelic & Progressive Rock that was sweeping Europe and the States in the late 60s and early 70s. The explosion of rock n roll that erupted out of the USA in the 50s seemed to fan out around the globe from its epicentre and by the mid 1960s kids all over the world were picking up guitars and checking themselves in mirrors. Nigeria was no exception. The Beatles & Rolling Stones had become just as much of a phenomenon in the student campuses around the country as they had in those of England. 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 & student population of Nigeria hard - mixing fuzz-guitar & heavy African rhythms with elements of Led Zeppelin, Traffic & the Chambers Brothers.

The CD isaccompanied by a 20-page booklet with rare photos, cover art and historical information on the musicians, giving an in-depth look at the scene and its influences.

Ofege - Adieu (Instrumental)

Probably the most famous student band of the early 70s in Nigeria, Ofege were spotted whilst still in high-school at St. Gregory’s College in Obalende, Lagos. Their two first albums, recorded before the band went overseas to attend foreign universities, were Try and Love & Last of Origins. Whilst both sold huge volumes Try and Love remains their most popular and fondly remembered LP. Ask any Nigerian popular music lover of a certain age and they’ll immediately start to reminisce about tunes like Whizzy Ilabo and Nobody Fails. Adieu is taken from their 1975 second album: Last of Origins. Many Ofege fans dislike the album as it has a slightly more polished sound than the more garage-style rock of their debut - synth lines were added on many of the tracks at EMI in London by British keyboardist Francis Monkman of Curved Air. Ofege went on to make two further albums in the later part of the 70s when they were back in Nigeria.

The Hygrades - In the Jungle (Instrumental Version)
The Hygrades were the creation of Enugu-based guitarist and producer Goddy Oku. They released a string of 45s for HMV/EMI in the early 70s including the tracks Keep On Moving, Somebody’s Gonna Lose or Win, Rough Rider & Jumping Cat. Oku was a very talented musician and his bluesy rock-guitar licks got a chance to shine on the instrumental sides of all the 45s. He had a reputation as a technical genius, always building sound equipment, amps and even his own guitars. He still runs his Godiac studio in Enugu in the east of Nigeria.

Mono Mono - Kenimania (Instrumental)
Much has already been said about the band that formed around Joni Haastrup in the early 70s. The Give The Beggar A Chance album from which Kenimania is lifted sold extremely well at the time. This version was the second time the band had recorded the Kenneth Okulolo composition; it was initially the B-side to their first single Adele. Gary Stewart in his 1992 book: Breakout: Profiles in African Rhythm quotes Haastrup describing his time with Ginger Baker’s Airforce - There was a lot of misconception about what I could do. When I went with Ginger, he saw me singing. He never saw me play an instrument, but he had this great belief within himself that I could play any instrument. So he wanted me to play the organ because Steve Winwood was leaving. And he also wanted me to play guitar because Denny Laine was leaving. So I got into London on a, I think on a Tuesday. The first gig was on Thursday. I have never heard the music of the band. I don’t know what they sound like. I don’t know anybody in the band but Ginger. I’ve never even heard Ginger play drums face-to-face except on record. He wants me to play organ and guitar and sing in this big ten-piece band with Graham Bond and Bud Beadle and all these people. And I uh, and I said, “Well, Ginger I don’t really play any of these instruments. I’m just a singer.” And he goes, “Hey! You can do it. You can fuckin’ do it.” [laughter]. Both Haastrup and Ken Okulolo still teach and play music in Oakland, California.

Colomach - Cotocun Gba Gounke
Colomach are not technically a Nigerian band. They were led by Gneni Mamadou and were a Malian outfit in Lagos to plays some shows. Odion Iruoje heard them one night and brought them into the EMI studio to record. After seeing the moderate success of Ghanaian bands Hedzolleh Soundz, Bunzu Soundz and Basa Basa Soundz who specialised in a form of traditional music fused with rock, Iruoje saw the same potential in Colomach. They cut an album and a Nigerian session guitarist (most probably Berkley Jones, although no credit is given on the album) came in to add fuzz guitar. The band returned to Mali and subsequently the album was forgotten having only sold 500 copies.

Joe King Kologbo & His Black Sound - Another Man’s Thing (English)
Joe King Kologbo was a guitarist from the South-Western part of Delta State based in Lagos. He had a reputation as one of the most versatile guitarists in Lagos and taught many big names including Bright Chimezie how to play guitar. His band played a mixture of highlife sung in his native Urohobo language and afro-rock in pidgen-English as well as acting as a regular session man for Decca. Another Man’s Thing is a super heavy cut with a definite feel of Fela’s afro-beat about it but with added fuzz guitar, instead of horn stabs.

Question Mark - Freaking Out (English)
Question Mark were another band from the east of Nigeria that made only one LP (Be Nice to The People) for EMI and Odion Iruoje. Sung entirely in English it’s typical of the garage-psych rock that young bands were thrashing out at the time on college campuses across the country. Freaking Out is not trying to be anything other than what it is - young guys with guitars playing hard rock music.

Vinyl A.
1. Ofege - Adieu
2. The Action 13 - More Bread to the People
3. The Hygrades - In the Jungle (Instrumental)
4. Ofo The Black Company - Eniaro
Vinyl B.
1. The Wings - Odenigbo
2. The Elcados - Ku Mi Da Hankan
3. Joe King Kologbo & His Black Sound - Another Man’s Thing
4. Question Mark - Freaking Out
Vinyl C.
1. Tabukah X - Finger Toe
2. The Funkees - Acid Rock
3. Colomach - Cotocun Gba Gounke
4. BLO - Chant To Mother Earth
Vinyl D.
1. Mono Mono - Kenimania
2. Original Wings - Igba Alusi
3. Tunji Oyelana - Omoba Dâ-Eru