Original Sufferhead
1982 studio album by Fela Kuti
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Production
Original Sufferhead was recorded in 1981 in Paris.[3] Fela was backed by Egypt 80, which included a 10-piece horn section.[4] The title track notes the disconnect between Africa's abundant raw natural materials and its immense poverty; it also criticizes Nigeria's acceptance of outside international organizations to address its problems.[4][5] "Power Show" specifically criticizes Nigerian government officials.[6] The album packaging shows injuries that Fela received from the Nigerian police.[7]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Robert Christgau | B+[8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |   [9] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide |  [10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 10/10[12] |
The Evening Advertiser considered the album "a potent synthesis of Afro-beat, soul and jazz."[13] The Northern Echo said that "the slick and spontaneous brass is superb, particularly the trumpets".[3]
Reviewing a 1984 reissue, The New York Times called the album "less dynamically recorded [than Black President], and its songs ebb and flow more casually"; in 2001, the paper opined that it was one of Fela's best albums.[14][15] The Buffalo News stated that it is "especially potent in [a] jazz-Afro music effect".[16] In 1991, Spin said that "the beat, a propulsive cross between salsa and Sun Ra, is hypnotically persuasive".[17] In 2000, the Orlando Sentinel said that the title track "is tinged with melancholy but exuberant, with percolating rhythms and an electric organ that manages to sound funereal and funky simultaneously."[4]
In 2014, Fela's son Seun Kuti chose Original Sufferhead as one of his two favorite albums by Fela.[18]
Track listing
Side 1
- "Power Show"
Side 2
- "Original Sufferhead"