The Two Sides Of Fela : Jazz & Dance (1999)

"This is the re-release of the old Barclay album by the same name from the 1970s, now taking advantage of better mastering techniques. The album is split into two discs, stylistically the "Jazz Side" and the "Dance Side." Admittedly, this is a rather difficult task to undertake, dividing the songs into their components. Fela had a huge amount of jazz influence embedded in his music, including the songs made primarily for dancing. And even the more free jazz-oriented numbers were created in part to make people dance. As such, separating the two is an endeavor doomed in part. Despite this difficulty, the split is made decently well, with the more outstandingly leaning numbers on either side being displayed for the listener. Each piece is a masterwork in and of itself. As such, the highlights have a hard time standing out from the filler, with all pieces being a highlight of some sense. For a basic introduction to Fela's sound, this doesn't make a bad album to pick up." (AllMusic)