Fear Not For Man (1977)

Fear Not For Man (1977)

Artist

Fela Kuti & Africa 70

Label

Knitting Factory Records

Catalogue number

KFR2028-1

Release date

  • Vinyl
  • Vinyl, 1×LP, Limited Coloured
    Green vinyl
  • WAV / FLAC
  • MP3
Select an option

“Fear Not For Man” sounds like a work in progress interrupted by the February 1977 attack, to which Fela’s two vocal choruses may or may not have been added after the event. After citing Kwame Nkrumah’s motto “the secret of life is to have no fear,” Fela continues: “I be man, I be man, I am a man, I am a man, run run run, I na go run, goat dey run, yes, na man dey stand, yes” (I am a man, I don’t run away, goats run away, men stand and fight). It is a heavy lyric, but Fela could have been moved to write it anytime since the1974 attacks on Kalakuta, not necessarily after February 18 1977. The brevity of the lyric and the sound of the vocal suggest that Fela had intended to come back later and record an extended lyric, before being overtaken by events. Originally released by Decca Afrodisia.

Standard black vinyl LP, released in 2015 as part of the Knitting Factory Records re-issues, comes with a download card.

Green vinyl is limited to 300 copies.

#
Track
Artist
Time
01
Fear Not For Man
Fela Kuti & Africa 70
00:14:14
02
Palm Wine Sound (Instrumental)
Fela Kuti & Africa 70
00:15:16