Sorrow Tears and Blood (1977) accurately depicts the trail left in the wake of the February 18, 1977, raid by 1,000 armed Nigerian army men on
Fela Kuti and his Kalakuta republic. In keeping with the format upheld on a majority of
Kuti's long-players, this disc contains a pair of extended works, featuring one title per LP side. In contrast to the hard-edged and aggressive Afro-funk that
Kuti and his
Africa 70 became synonymous with, both the A-side title track and B-side, "Colonial Mentality," are seemingly staid, in light -- or perhaps because -- of the cruel state-sponsored attacks that he and his extended family suffered. "Sorrow Tears and Blood" is neither a full-blown, up-tempo funk drone nor a somber dirge. The even-handed, mid-tempo groove trots along at a steady pace and features some comparatively sedate sax work from
Kuti. Even the instrumental introduction -- which has been known to clock in at over five minutes -- is reduced to well under three. His lyrics are starkly direct -- "Everybody run, run, run/Everybody scatter, scatter/Some people lost some bread/Some people just die" -- yet the emotive center is gone. Perhaps this is the result of fear, shellshock, or a combination of the two.
Kuti's words, however, remain as indicting as ever: "Them leave sorrow, tears, and blood/Them regular trademark." "Colonial Mentality" returns to a more seething and slinky musicality. The dark and brooding bassline undulates beneath a brass-intensive
Africa 70. Rarely has
Kuti's musical arrangements so perfectly imaged
James Brown's
J.B.'s or
Barry White's
Love Unlimited Orchestra. The message is delivered as a fable, demonstrating that it is the individuals who live in a stifling "Colonial Mentality" who are the slaves. His preface, stating that the colonial man had released them yet they refuse to release themselves, sets out to prove that slavery is a continual and concurrent state of mind for Africans. In 2000,
Sorrow Tears and Blood was coupled with Opposite People (1977) and both long-players were issued on a single CD as part of the "Fela Originals" collection. The sound is quite good despite some vinyl surface noise, presumably from the source material. [An LP version was re-released in 2014 and included a free download.] ~ Lindsay Planer