Jet HHV Records 17 Items

Japanese pressing. OBI is missing!

Japanese pressing with OBI!

Japanese pressing. OBI is missing. close to NM

Original Pitman pressing. Still in shrink but opened with hype sticker. Original inner sleeve.

The year is 1978 and one hot thing from the musical underground is Reggae music from Jamaica, the USA or UK, where most of the acts had musicians of Caribbean descent. Reggae had the groove, the rebel spirit and the relaxed attitude all in one, to enchant a big part of the world’s inhabitants. And while at least Jamaica as a relatively poor and so called „Third World“ country proved to spawn Reggae acts of highest quality, literally nobody dared to look further and dig deeper into the underground except of a few maniacs who were not satisfied with spinning Marley over and over again. And maybe they stumbled over the 1970s Afro Beat sound from countries like Zambia or Nigeria and then got interested. What did they find in the simmering metropolises of this still mysterious continent? Somewhere in Nigeria they would have certainly caught a glimpse on mind blowing performanes of THE SEA Lions, a six piece group mixing the then hip Reggae and Afro Beat styles to generate fresh and furious music with a hypnotizing atmosphere. Polyrhythmic beat patterns build the foundation, the utterly fruitful soil for the heartwarming melodies wailed out by the guitars and the commanding vocals with their conjuring charme. Great organwork builds the link between the groove section and the melody instruments. You can imagine what a pleasant experience this band might have been live back in 1978 when their sole album „Free the people“ got released. And this album, of which copies in only good conditions already fetch prices of 450,00 US$, while nice clean pieces might go up to 1200 US$, lives up to the expectations one might have from watching a live show by the SEA Lions. The sound is vivid, transparent, powerful and clean enough to make the music a real pleasure listening to, but earthy enough to present nothing but the band going wild here. The songs all have similar pace, not too fast, but swinging and pulsating to spread their energy to and among the listeners. The melodies are simple but come from the depth of the heart. This feels typical for African 70s music and despite being kind of reduced, these melodies keep haunting you still even hours after the record been taken off the turntable and put back into its sleeve. They bring images of an ever pulsating city by night, warm climate, palm trees, people at the bar, a witches cauldron of sounds, smells, voice and pictures. And you feel the magic floating through the air while this groove will not let you go so easily. You can either dance your soul out to this ultimate reissue or you can sit down, listen and let the music tell you a story of the dark corners of the big city, the narrow alleys that lead you into a boiling labyrinth of mystical dreams. And in songs like „You can make it if you try“ you will find the whole magic of the African world, a world so fascinating for us Europeans but still so unapproachable in some ways and dangerous for the weak. Do not try to resist, this is your pleasure. Grab a copy and the SEA Lions, carry you off to their place. I haven’t heard such a killer Afro Beat and Reggae album with songs this exciting and wild in a long time. If you equally love Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Segun Bucknor and Fela Kuti, look no further. Here is the spiritual essence of all these great artists merged into one giant act.

For fans of Fela Kuti, Ofege, Assagai, The Funkees, Mixed Grill, Bob Marley
Reissue of a long lost afro beat and Nigerian funk classic from 1978
A massive collection of captivating grooves and haunting melodies.

Who said that all Nigerian afrobeat from the 70s was dark and though provoking with a melancholic edge despite the ongoing powerful grooves and a more or less political message denouncing the the methods of the country’s leaders to increase their own wealth and power while the simple people suffer. Well, this 1978 album by bandleader Thony Shorby Nyenwi proves this idea wrong. What we have here is a sacredly rare gem, fetching 300 € for a copy in playable condition. A crown jewel of Nigerian afrobeat and funk music that is an utter joy listening to.

Thony Nyenwi's music is a monument of the genre carved in rock. His vocal melodies are more at the lighter and happier side of life, somehow hypnotizing with reduced note progressions on repetitive rhythm figures that rush through your whole body to make you groove along. A fine funky wah wah guitar sound and a mind blowing keyboard sound including electric piano, farfisa organ and others hook up to add colour to the stoic rhythms. The atmosphere literally cooks. This is certainly more modern with a slightly more polished feel than the political music of Fela Kuti or Segun Bucknor, but still bears an unparalleled intensity that makes this album a dance floor sweeper at each club. Coloured lights are flashing into the white haze from the fogging machines when people in glittering bell bottom trousers and twinkling shirts happily get into the groove. 70s galore. Well, the folks can also shift down a gear and rock out a sweet reggae tune that later on turns into a smooth funk, to add more variety to this black wax jewel.

No matter what Thony and his mates do here, they do it with passion and divine talent.
The arrangements are a dense network of sounds, beats, melodies, voices and it goes on and on throughout the whole record. You as a fan of 1970s black music, funk, reggae, soul, all mixed up in a typical Nigerian way, will be enchanted and become swallowed by the holy cloud emerging from the speakers. A beautiful discovery after such a long time that will bring more joy to a new generation of black music aficionadoes.

Original inner sleeve. Record is closer to VG+.

No obi.

Japanese pressing. Tear at opening

Japanese pressing without OBI, but with insert. Cover with a couple of small stains.

Japanese pressing without OBI. Original inner sleeve.

Japanese pressing without OBI! Tear in spine.