Try and Love

Imagine Lagos, Nigeria in 1972, when Fela Kuti was flying high with recordings like ‘Shakara’ and ‘Roforofo Fight’, jùjú music was shimmering with the magnificence of King Sunny Adé and Ebenezer Obey, and of course the ubiquitous sounds of highlife. One might wonder what possessed a bunch of hippy schoolkids in this context to indulge themselves in the turgid slush of guitar-saturated British prog. Having formed their band using borrowed instruments, Ofege managed to secure a recording deal and release four albums between 1973 and 1978 – all now highly collectable. The group was comparatively successful among a young Nigerian audience looking for something different. Here is their debut, released as part of a reissue series in which all four albums will be remastered. It is a musical novelty. As prog rock goes, the instrumental performances are adequate and there is the inevitable searing guitar work which comes from guest musician Berkley Jones of the more well known and versatile group Blo. However, the pedestrian singing and embarrassingly awful lyrics reflect the innocence and naivety of the time, as well as the youth of the members of Ofege (their average age was 16). No doubt there will be some people who buy into the ‘brilliant long-lost classic’ hype; however ‘Buyer Beware’ stickers should perhaps be emblazoned on the sleeve. The fact that the song ‘It's Not Easy’ was used in the closing credits of an episode of the hilarious vampire spoof comedy show What We Do In The Shadows is a bit of a giveaway.