Beasts of No Nation (album)
1989 studio album by Fela Kuti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beasts of No Nation is an album by the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.[2][3] It was released in 1989.[4] Kuti is credited with his band Egypt 80.[5]
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| Beasts of No Nation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Label | Shanachie[1] | |||
| Producer | Wally Badarou | |||
| Fela Kuti chronology | ||||
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Kuti played the title track on his 1986 North American tour and promoted it in interviews.[6] The album sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first year of release.[7]
The 2005 novel by Uzodinma Iweala takes its title from the album.[8]
Production
Beasts of No Nation was produced by Wally Badarou.[4] Kuti began thinking about the album while in jail for infractions related to foreign currency and wrote the songs after being released.[9][10] The title track accuses the Nigerian government and military of transgressions against the Nigerian populace; among other grievances, the album also condemns apartheid.[11][12][13] Kuti's use of the phrase basket mouth acknowledges his music's responsibility to protest.[14]
The album cover depicts P. W. Botha, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher as horned bloodsuckers.[15] The first line of the title track was inspired by a speech by Botha.[16][17]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [18] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [19] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide |  [20] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [21] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10[22] |
The Gazette called the album "pan-African message music with a capital A for Anger."[23]
AllMusic wrote: "After a few so-so records in the early '80s, Beasts of No Nation was a strong (at times stunning) return to form for Kuti and signaled that his political beliefs kept him from becoming musically lazy."[18] In its 1997 obituary, The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "blunt" and "threatening."[24] Rolling Stone considered it "classic Afro beat."[25]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Like That" | 22:54 |
| 2. | "Beasts of No Nation" | 12:42 |