Unearthing brilliant music from Ghana seems to be a consuming obsession with Soundway label boss Miles Claret, as he has already compiled two previous albums (Ghana Soundz) prior to this massive collection. It is easy to see why he is so fascinated, as there was clearly something very unique and eccentric happening during Ghana's musical prime. A lot of great songs are included on Ghana Special but it stands out from other African music compilations much more for sheer anarchic exuberance and unpredictability.
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Claret clearly set out to cover a wide variety of styles with this collection, but there is a very prominent focus on percussion here that transcends any genre divisions. While some songs are ostensibly Afrobeat, Highlife, or Ghanaian Blues, their differences seem quite small when compared to their similarities. With few exceptions, virtually all of the 33 songs on this double-album sound as like they originated from a great beat and then organically evolved from there. Consequently, the success or failure of a song is intimately intertwined with the strength of its backbone groove. None of the percussionists on Ghana Special sound like they are phoning it in, but many sound like they get a bit carried away- the best songs are often the most laidback and uncluttered (like K. Frimpong's "Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'Awu"). That said, "great" does not always mean "danceable for Western feet". I don't think that there is a single track that utilizes just one drummer—many of these bands sound like they may have three or four different percussionists cohering into one dense and complicated polyrhythmic groove. Odd time signatures, wild fills, and weird accents abound.
Given the almost single-minded devotion to rhythm shown by many of these artists, it is no surprise that pop song structures are usually discarded in favor of an unrelenting, sinuous groove. The most adept at this seems to be Christy Azuma & Uppers International, whose "Din Ya Sugri" combines a funky off-time beat with a tight bass line and a stuttering chord progression to devastating effect. Vis á Vis attain a similar triumph with "Obi Agye Me Dofo," though they twist the formula a bit with some cool psych-inspired organ work and catchy horn hooks. Both tracks feature yet another ubiquitous element on Ghana Special: lots of sizzling and inspired solos (particularly saxophone ones). Ghana seems to have had a disproportionate number of amazing musicians during its heyday and they all seemed quite willing to take chances and push themselves. Embarrassingly, the less-than-amazing musicians apparently also felt the same way, but their over-the-top exuberance is both endearing and far from dull.
Aside from awesome infectious grooves and saxophone flame throwing, it is pretty difficult to predict exactly what each song will contain. The breadth and depth of influences that these bands have assimilated is stunning, as is the degree to which many of them have succeeded in avoiding clumsiness or overt slavishness. Obviously, the influence of other African bands looms large, but there are also clear nods to practically everything else that was happening musically on earth: Latin percussion and fiery trumpets, ska-influenced horn hooks, jazz shredding, psych organs, funk bass and wah-wahed guitars, blues and classic rock guitar soloing, and on and on. The unpredictability sometimes extends to other bizarre extremes as well, as there is no shortage of feral gibbering, enthusiastic animal impressions, and odd boinging noises on this album. I suspect that there must have been a thriving drug culture in Ghana in the '70s, or at least some sort of psychotropic contamination in the water supply.
This is a thoroughly wild and memorable compilation, though I would probably only classify a handful of songs as "essential," as even the songs that don't quite hit the mark are raucous, crazy, fun, and inventive to a rarely seen degree. With very few exceptions, these guys came to tear the roof off the place—the world wasn't listening, so pretty much anything was acceptable. Miles Cleret has done an amazing job with this one, both as a curator and a producer—eveything sounds great. Ghana Special is one of the best things that Soundway has released to date and that is no small praise. (Both the CD version and the 5LP (!) boxed set come with a 44-page booklet containing rare photos and a history of Ghanaian music).
Samples:
- Vis a Vis - Obi Agye Me Dofo
- Christy Azuma & Uppers International - Din Ya Sugri
- K. Frimpong & His Cubanos Fiestas - Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'Awu
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