Fela Kuti
Vinyl Box Set 3

Listening notes

Fela Kuti's Vinyl Box Set 3, released by Knitting Factory Records in 2014 under catalog number KFR4004-1, collects seven albums spanning the years 1971 to 1980 across eight records. The titles gathered here — London Scene, Shakara, Afrodisiac, Gentleman, Upside Down, Zombie, and I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) — represent a sustained stretch of Kuti's output and account for some of the most widely recognized titles in his catalog.

The set is formatted as seven individual LPs housed together, with each original album assigned its own dedicated sides. London Scene from 1971 opens the collection across sides A and B, presenting five tracks including "J'Ehin J'Ehin," "Egbe Mio," "Who're You," "Buy Africa," and "Fight To Finish." Shakara follows on sides C and D with its two extended tracks, "Lady" and "Shakara," both originally issued in 1972. The 1973 albums Afrodisiac and Gentleman occupy sides E through H respectively, with Afrodisiac offering four tracks and Gentleman contributing three. Moving into 1976, Upside Down fills sides I and J with the title track and "Go Slow," while Zombie, one of the most recognized titles here, takes sides K and L with "Zombie" and "Mr. Follow Follow." The set closes with I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) from 1980, split across sides M and N as two parts of a single extended composition.

The box set is catalogued under multiple genres on its release listing, including Afrobeat, Funk, Jazz, and Folk, World, & Country, reflecting the range of classification this body of work has attracted. This is the third installment in Knitting Factory Records' vinyl box set series dedicated to Kuti's discography.