Osibisa - Phallus C (1971)

AMG: Osibisa's self-titled album opened up their unique blend of African and Western styled music to a wider audience, charting in both the U.S. and Europe. Produced by Tony Visconti, Osibisa's extraordinary merger of African drum beats, colorful rhythms, and rock-inspired keyboard and horn parts give it an expansive sound that infuses countless musical influences. Even the melodies take bits of rhythm & blues and modern rock and affix them to the accompanying percussion beats to come up with a contemporary feel with an avant-garde atmosphere. Tracks such as "Dawn," "Phallus C," and "Oranges" incorporate fragments of traditional jazz and jazz fusion mainly because of the flute and saxophone into their core, but then fashions the result to resemble the band's true heritage. Each song conjures up a certain African mysticism with its stressed rhythms and semi-primordial tempos. The most impressive track, "Music for Gong Gong," became a minor hit in the U.K. thanks to the well- balanced vocal charge and the beauty that's felt in the shingled layers of guitar, organ, and drum work. In both "Ayiko Bia" and "Akwaaba," Osibisa's Ghanian and Nigerian roots come alive through the use of the flute, flugelhorn, and trumpet -- not exactly the traditional instruments of West Africa, but they are transformed and molded to take on the band's fundamental sound. What may be the most predominant aspect about Osibisa is that the vast blend of instruments and the playful lyrics inject just enough of a modern element into the album that it's properly kept from being labeled as world music or as new age.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• International
• Style
• Worldbeat
• Highlife
• Afro-Pop
• African
• Traditions
• Ghanaian
• West

[ch2dotnet]

The sound is very fresh. Are you sure they made this in 71'. lol 

[aquarianrealm]

@ch2dotnet lol..definitely....

[0marigolds]

@ch2dotnet @aquarianrealm LOVE Osibisa but I'm floored in '71 a record exec let a song with the title spelled this way fly!

[aquarianrealm]

@0marigolds the 70s were off the chain, think about all the "naughty" album covers... lol plenty got through..that would never make it today.

[0marigolds]

@aquarianrealm many of those LP covers the naughty didn't register til years later, guess I was comparing to TV censorship, this song came out not long after they started showing women and men actually slept in the same bed.

Progressive / funky, Osibisa slams it down with intelligent word spins and amazing musicianship.

[aquarianrealm]

@0marigolds That you know who they are..and are into them...WARMS MY HEART!!

[menelith1]

I love this jam, used to listen to this and Funkedelic while in college.

[mandzboing]

My cool mum played loads of Osibisa when I was a kid... 30 odd years later I still love them :)

[cremesupreme]

I dig the ritual like percussion at the end.Good jam. The cover makes Predator look like Sesame Street.

[titanus49]

@ch2dotnet yes they did. Istill have the LP I bought in 1971,and the entire album is fantastic. If you think this is fresh,another track on the album on side one AYIKO BIA is also very nice.