King Sunny Ade had been making his own music since 1974 with his group
the Green Spots before creating his large
African Beats group. This band, despite making literally over 100 records in Nigeria, failed to stir much Western interest until
Mango Records, a subsidiary of
Island, took a chance and issued the breakthrough album
Juju Music in 1982. With its seven extended cuts, it introduced
King Sunny Ade & His African Beats to the U.S. as well as England and most of the rest of Europe -- save for France, where the band had previously been able to tour. This U.K. two-fer reissue of 1983's
Synchro System and
Aura (on
Cherry Red's
T-Bird imprint) is comprised of the other two recordings in the band's
Mango catalog (the band was dropped after sales of these two recordings proved disappointing to label bosses who tried to market
Ade as "the new
Bob Marley"). While not as qualitatively strong as
Juju Music, these recordings are not without their merits -- and placing them on a single CD makes for a much more satisfying listening experience. The virtual guitar armies heard on both albums create a still unique sound well into the 21st century. Standout cuts on the first album include
"Synchro Feelings," "Synchro System," and
"E Wele." Ade is on lead guitar backed by three other guitarists:
Bob Ohiri,
Segun Hori, and
John Akpan, as well as steel guitarist
Demola Adepoju, a slew of talking drums, bass, and a backing chorus.
Aura includes these three principal guitarists as well as some different personnel, though the band is just as large. This set's highlights include the hypnotic
"Ase," the labyrinthine
"Gboromiro," and the sprightly
"Oremi." For those looking for remastered versions of these seminal albums, this set with its budget price point is well worth seeking out. ~ Thom Jurek