V.A. - 1970's Nigeria Pop

Many people may currently associate Nigeria with some rather negative things yet as evidenced in this blog Nigeria has produced some amazing music. This was especially true in the 1970's as Nigeria was coming out of a brutal civil war into a major oil boom. Thus giving the opportunity for many bands to play not just the politically charged music that the country is famous for but also very "poppy" style songs. Here I have put together a small compilation of some of my favorite old school Nigerian pop songs. There are some very cool songs in here and if you are any fan at all of music from Nigeria or Africa itself or if you just want an introduction into the music of this country then I recommend giving this one a listen.

1. Cloud 7 - Beautiful Woman

2. Bongos Ikwue And The Groovies - Sitting On The Beach

3. Founders 15 - Be My Own

4. Kris Okotie - I Need Someone

5. Rex Williams - You Are My Heart

6. The Apostles - She's A Dropout

7. Sir Victor Uwaifo -Guitar Boy

8. Sir Victor Uwaifo - West African Safari 

9. Sonny Okosun - Help

10. Bongos Ikwue And The Groovies - Still Searching 

11. Sweet Breeze - She's Cooler Than You 

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William Onyeabor

Today I thought I would share some music from one of the most mysterious and best musicians to come out of the 70s-80s Nigerian music scene, William Onyeabor. I first heard his music a few years back and instantly became addicted though with the exception of a few songs there wasn't much material out there and there was absolutely no information out there on who William Onyeabor was. His music is very hard to describe almost a mix of Afro-Funk or Afro-Rock with way ahead of its time electronic that makes for an extremely unique sound. His music also used equipment such as synthesizers which at the time were way out of budget for the vast majority of African musicians and studios giving rise to the theory that Onyeabor was backed by someone "big" in Eastern Europe and thus the source of his money and equipment. Never the less through his music Onyeabor shows some amazing talent and creativity in making some amazing music. I usually like to upload full albums to the blog but this is one of those times when I will only upload a sample of a few songs. The reason for this being that independent label Luaka Bop just released the album "Who  is William Onyeabor?" and if you like the songs I am uploading here I highly encourage you to buy this album to support this label and encourage them to release more if this super rare material.

1. Better Change Your Mind
2. Atomic Bomb
3. When The Going is Smooth and Good

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Vicky & Lovy du Zaire 1970-1973

 It has been awhile since I last posted any music but I have been very busy with school recently and have had little time to upload music however there qas some spare time today so I hope everyone enjoys this post.
On a previous post here on the blog I mentioned that one of my favorite music genres is Congolese rumba and that one best artists I had found in this genre was Vicky & Lovy du Zaire. Today we have some more music from this amazing genre and group. I highly recommend this album if you enjoy rumba or would like to have an introduction to the genre.

 Invocation (Vicky Longomba)

 Eulalie Mwana Mandona (Vicky Longomba)

 Conseil d'Ami (Vicky Longomba)

 Balingi Basombela Ngai Liwa (Vicky Longomba)

 Marceline Mama na Bebe (Vicky Longomba)

 Thomas Kinshasa Monoko (Vicky Longomba)

 Nalingi nde Maloba Sukali (Vicky Longomba)

 Leonie Mbongo (Vicky Longomba)

 Atoini (Vicky Longomba)

 Ah Marie-Josée Bandeko (Vicky Longomba)

 Rendez-Vous na Zoo (Vicky Longomba)

 Lovy du Zaire (Vicky Longomba)

Bolingo Ekeyi na Motio (Youlou Mabiala)

Ba Suites ya Vatican (Youlou Mabiala)

Nakobala ata Mongamba (Mose Fanfan)

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V.A. - Central America In The 1960's and 1970's

When one thinks of the countries of Central America during the 1960's and 1970's the images that come to mind are those of military dictatorships, communist guerrillas, and wars that would have an impact on the region for decades to come. However during this same time period many countries in the region experienced what is often described as a "golden age" of music. Here is a small compilation that I have put together featuring music from various artists and various countries. Throughout you can hear the clear influence that some of the popular western genres like rock an ye-ye had on the local bands sometimes getting mixed with an added tropical flavor. Great download to check out for anyone interested in music from these two decades and for anyone curious about this part of the world that to most outsiders is not really known for its music.

1. Los Jets- Actuar Naturalmente (Guatemala)
2. The Bad Boys de Managua - Espejismo (Nicaragua)
3. La Unidad 5 - Te Quiero (Guatemala)
4. Los Catrachos Boys - Me Voy Para El Puerto (Honduras)
5. Los Traviesos - Aplanadora de Corazones (Guatemala)
6. Grupo Eva - Runaway (Guatemala)
7. Los Flame Boys - Yo Recuerdo (Honduras)
8. Los Music Masters - Karla (Nicaragua)
9. Los Panzers - Mujer Ideal (Nicaragua)
10. Los Jets - Ilusion (Guatemala)
11. Roberto Garcia y Los Speed - Un Lugar En El Cielo (Honduras)
12. Los Panzers - Viajera (Nicaragua)
13. Los Music Masters - Me Piden (Nicaragua)
14. Los Way - En El Ayer (Guatemala)
15. Victor Manuel Porras - La Gallinita Josefina (Guatemala)
16. Los Vikings de Usulutan - Y En Cambio Tu (El Salvador)
17. Los Mauraders - Asesinato En La 10a Avenida (Guatemala)
18. Los Prince - Dulce Dulce (Guatemala)
19. Pastel de Fresa - Tienes Que Volver Este Verano (Guatemala)
20. Los 007 - Tus Ojos Pardos (Nicaragua)
21. Los Jets - Un Sueno Azul (Guatemala)
22. Los Beats - Veronica (El Salvador)

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