Fela Kuti
Vinyl Box Set 4

Listening notes

Knitting Factory Records issued Fela Kuti's Vinyl Box Set 4 in 2017 under catalog number KFR4005-1. The release is a seven-LP box set spanning genres the label identifies as Afrobeat, Funk / Soul, and Jazz, and it collects seven original albums across fourteen sides.

The programs are organized by album, each occupying a single record. The first LP pairs "Yellow Fever" on the A-side with "Na Poi" on the B-side. The second pairs "No Agreement" on the C-side with the instrumental version of "Dog Eat Dog" on the D-side. The third record spreads "Johnny Just Drop (J.J.D.)" across sides E and F, divided into two parts. "V.I.P." follows the same two-part arrangement on sides G and H. "Coffin for Head of State" occupies sides I and J, again split across both parts, as does "Army Arrangement" on sides K and L. The final record places "Underground System" on the M-side and "Pansa Pansa" on the N-side, completing the set.

The sequencing runs from sides A through N continuously, giving the box a unified alphanumeric structure across all seven discs. The inclusion of a two-part work like "Coffin for Head of State" alongside single-sided pieces such as "Yellow Fever" reflects the varying lengths of the original recordings as they were spread across the available vinyl real estate, though no track durations are listed in the available metadata.

This is the fourth volume in Knitting Factory Records' ongoing vinyl box set series dedicated to Kuti's catalog, as indicated by both the title and the catalog number KFR4005-1. Collectors and researchers working with this series should note that the tracklist as documented includes some duplicate title entries, likely reflecting the header and side designations as two separate listings rather than repeated tracks.