'Osibisa'
was formed in London, England in 1969
by a multi-racial group of musicians;
all with the same interests in music.
The nucleus of the band was from Ghana,
others, like the unbelievable guitarist
Wendell Richardson, came from Antigua;
the bass player who was simply known as
Spartacus (I'm Spartacus!) was from Grenada;
the keyboard player from Trinidad; and
the saxophonist was from Nigeria. However,
what they all had in common was great
musical rhythm, enthusiasm, and ability.
Their music was borrowed from Jazz, Rhythm
& Blues, African based drum music,
Rock, Pop, and Latin Groove, to create
quite an original sound.
In Ghanaian 'Osibisa' means 'criss-cross
rhythms that explode with happiness'.
Now, how one word can say all that I do
not know, but that is exactly how the
music sounds, and they are the very words
that introduce the first song on this,
Osibisa's first, album aptly titled "Dawn".
Like a breath of fresh air, Osibisa's
music first came to prominence with the
release of their first single "Music
for Gong Gong'', included here on their
first album, which was released at the
tail end of 1970. It is a piece of music
that will get even the most conservative
of souls out boogieing on the dance floor.
So it was great expectations when their
first album was released in the early
days of 1971 and the boys did not disappoint,
arriving as it did when Prog-Rock was
in its heyday. Each of these percussive
driven songs blew away all the pretensions
of those serious minded twiddlers in the
likes of Yes, King Crimson, etc. Osibisa's
unbridled enthusiasm was so infectious,
you could not help but be dragged along
by the sheer exuberance of it all.
Although Osibisa's main strength was
in their live concerts, they could also
drum up a storm (quite literally) in the
studio. Nobody at the time could have
realized how influential their music was
going to be in years ahead. Osibisa today
is still known as the Godfather of 'World
Music', and the effect of their big hit
single "Sunshine Day" (1975)
was to change the disco scene for ever.
But this, their first album, was to set
the template of the Osibisa sound for
eternity. The band is still going today,
albeit with only two of the seven original
members left, which actually is not bad
by today's standards considering that
the band is now in their 35th year.
Many of the songs on this collection
are still in the band's live repertoire
today. Like all good albums, the songs
on this set play like a live concert.
Opener "Dawn", which begins
with the immortal translation of Osibisa,
builds on a rhythm of percussion until
giving way to let the individual soloist
bring the song to a rousing conclusion
- some seven and a half minutes later.
You then get five other songs of criss-cross
rhythms before being brought to a riotous
climax by "Think About The People".
When a band starts off its career with
such a strong album, it is often difficult
to keep up the standards set by its debut
(especially with an ever changing line-up
- Wendell Richardson, the band’s
simply stunning lead guitarist, was at
one stage lured away by British rockers
"Free"). So it is perhaps true
to say that Osibisa's studio output has
been a little patchy since then, although
their live concerts have never been short
of marvelous, always led by Teddy Osei
out front on drums, sax, fluttering flute,
and vocals. This, their first album, is
nothing short of a diamond. A must buy
for anybody who likes a shot of fun with
their music.
Pawed
by Mott The Dog
Re-chewed by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
