Afro Rock Vol 1

Originally released in 2001 on the Kona label, Afro Rock Volume 1 now receives a thoroughly welcome reissue on Strut, a label that will hopefully provide the album with a more widespread distribution. This was one of the first, and best, of a multitude of compilations that have resurrected obscure and lost treasures of African funk, soul, rock and psychedelia. Some other compilations have desperately traded off the back of Fela Kuti's Afro-beat monicker by dredging up dreary substandard African disco tracks – many of which probably don't deserve to be heard again. Afro Rock defies any such criticism by presenting thoroughly adventurous and well constructed tracks that warrant repeated listenings. It is unlikely that you'll have heard of any of the artists, except perhaps Geraldo Pino, who has subsequently been the subject of an excellent compilation on Retroafric.

There are a dozen tracks on Afro Rock (an extra song has been included since the initial release) and they originate from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Zaire. Nigeria and Ghana are obvious Afro-beat havens but it is perhaps more of a surprise to hear three tracks emanating from normally parochial rumba-orientated Zaire. However, we should not forget that the James Brown influence permeated most of Africa in the 1970s. There's not a bad track on this album, but one of the highlights has to be Ghana's Bokoor Band, featuring their white studio producer John Collins playing some terrific harmonica over a jangly funk rhythm on guitar and percussion. The track has a similar groove to the great ‘Stone Fox Chase’ which was used as the theme for BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test. It's just one delight amongst many on this astonishingly lively collection.