SONNY OKOSUN "Liberation" LP NM/EX, CC, Compilation, African, Highlife

Description: Sonny Okosun Biography by Jason Ankeny Sonny Okosun towers among the giants of contemporary Nigerian music. Assigning his signature fusion of reggae, highlife, Afro-funk, and traditional melodies and rhythms the catchall description "ozziddi" (or "message"), he tackled head-on the most incendiary political and social issues gripping the African continent. Born in Enugu, Nigeria, on January 1, 1947 Okosun was the son of musicians, although his chief formative influences were rockers like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. As a teen he taught himself guitar, and in 1964 founded the Postmen, a British Invasion covers band; a year later Okosun visited London for the first time as part of a theater group. In the wake of the early-1966 government coup d'état that led to the Biafra conflict, he and his family settled in Lagos, where he forged a career as a television actor. Okosun returned to music in 1969 as a member of Victor Uwaifo's Melody Maestros, a group noted for its contemporary pop approach to traditional Nigerian music. After touring Japan and Europe with the group, he formed his own psychedelic rock unit, Paperback Limited, which he helmed until 1974. Upon dissolving the group, Okosun again reinvented his approach, this time channeling influences like soul, funk, and reggae -- the resulting group, dubbed Ozziddi, crystallized the progressive musical and lyrical path he followed throughout the remainder of his career. "All my mates were singing love songs," Okosun later said. "I was trying to talk about what was happening to Black people." Sun City: Artists United Against Apartheid With 1976's "Help," Ozziddi scored their first major African hit, and a year later reggae giant Eddy Grant mixed their LP Papa's Land. Follow-up Fire in Soweto was recorded in London and scored via the title track, which protested apartheid abuses in South Africa. Okosun nevertheless sidestepped the militant politics of contemporaries like Afro-funk icon Fela Kuti, promoting African unity and Black pride over radical broadsides. After completing work on 1978's Holy Wars, Okosun toured Nigeria with reggae greats Jimmy Cliff and Toots & the Maytals. With 1981's 3rd World, Okosun inked a licensing deal with London indie Oti, with the U.S. imprint Celluloid agreeing to reissue Togetherness two years later. In 1985 he reached the apex of his international fame as the lone African artist to contribute to the all-star anti-apartheid album Sun City, and a year later his "Highlife" featured in the Jonathan Demme-directed feature film Something Wild. By the late '80s Okosun's popularity was waning, but in 1994 he resurfaced with the comeback vehicle Songs of Praise. In all, he recorded more than three-dozen LPs over the course of his career, with sessions cut in locales ranging from the U.S. to France, and maintained a high profile at world music festivals across the globe. After battling colon cancer, Okosun died in Washington, D.C., on May 24, 2008. Liberation Review by John Storm Roberts Afro-reggae Okosun sometimes tends to Top 40 glibness, but at his best he's a significant member of the Nigerian new wave, with its pan-Africanism and its constant feedback between the New World and electronic juju. GOLDMINE GRADING MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect. NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly. VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors. VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc. GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.

Price: 13.99 USD

Location: Saginaw, Michigan

End Time: 2025-01-10T05:21:41.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7 USD