The Beatles never picked up many Grammys on their comeup, but yesterday, they won for best historical album at the 2011 Grammy Awards, just as The Beatles / Cirque Du Soliel "LOVE" album makes its digital release debut exclusively on the iTunes Store. Seems like there is still ALOT of LOVE for The Beatles. But, when it comes to The Beatles and FELA, however, there is an interesting twist.
According to The Observer's Peter Culshaw:
Paul McCartney found himself in Lagos in August 1972. The plan had been to record a new record - the record that became Band on the Run - at somewhere other than Abbey Road and EMI had offered one of its studios in Rio de Janeiro or Peking. Instead, the former Beatle insisted on the Nigerian capital, picturing himself 'lying on the beach all day doing nothing and recording at night'.
As he drily noted later, 'it didn't turn out quite like that', what with being held up at knife point, the lepers in the streets, the omnipresent military, the corruption and the lack of security. Still, Lagos had its attractions. Chief among these was the chance to check out Fela Ransome-Kuti's band - 'the best band I've ever seen live ... When Fela and his band eventually began to play, after a long, crazy build-up, I just couldn't stop weeping with joy. It was a very moving experience.'
Thrilled by his experience, McCartney thought of recording with some of the musicians. When Fela caught wind of the plan he denounced McCartney from the stage of The Shrine and then arrived unannounced at the studio to berate him for 'stealing black man's music'.
As McCartney said at the time: 'We were gonna use African musicians, but when we were told we were about to pinch the music we thought, "Well, up to you, we'll do it ourselves." Fela thought we were stealing black African music, the Lagos sound. So I had to say, "Do us a favour, Fela, we do OK. We're all right as it is. We sell a couple of records here and there."
Wow... so, Paul McCartney of The Beatles LOVED FELA and FELA showed NO LOVE BACK!!!
When venturing down the path to do this mashup, I NEVER considered the possibility that Fela Kuti and The Beatles might have crossed paths. About a month ago @ hit us with this tweet:
"If Fela Kuti did not threaten Paul McCartney in 1973 for suspicions of musical theft, it might have lead to@AfroBeatles afrobeatles.com"
I didn't know quite what that meant but it was my first clue that Fela and The Beatles had indeed mixed it up. After stumbling upon Culshaw's article from 2004, I got the full rundown which made working on this project even more precious. We are putting together greats that could have rocked together but didn't. This experiment shows what might have come from this collabo. But let's explore why Fela dissed Paul with the smashup of Can't Buy Me Love and Expensive Shit.
"Can't Buy Me".. meaning it's too expensive or priceless.
Thinking about the pairing from a race and colonialism perspective which constantly fueled Fela Kuti's music, i think specifically of the Diamond Industry and how the British, amongst other European nations, have pillaged and exploited the lands, resources and peoples of Africa so literally that the trade is often called Blood Diamonds due to the toll on human life to retrieve the precious stones from African mines and sell them in the World market. The Beatles and the "British Invasion" were so emblematic of the that White world power, Fela's response is essentially 'i don't care who you are, you can't buy my love.' The lyrics themselves say it most plainly. Happy Valentine's Day, The AfroBeatles way.
Can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love
I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright
I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright
'Cause I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love
I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love
Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love, no no no, no
Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love
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