In a rare video tweeted by Wale Gates, legendary The Beatles singer and bass guitarist, Paul McCartney discussed the late Fela Kuti. Here, McCartney discusses how he was spotting crying at Kuti’s club in Africa, The African Shrine, due to the impact over Kuti’s music. Alternative Nation transcribed McCartney’s comments. During the same feature, McCartney discussed going to Lagos, Africa to record ‘Band on the Run’ and how he was first accused of stealing African music.
“Fela invited me out to the African Shrine, which was his club in Lagos, just outside of Lagos and I had this fantastic evening, just sort of wild experience there. There was this one song that he played and I’ve never been able to find a recording of it, I still can’t I seem to remember it, Shakara Woman but I got a song called Shakara and it’s nothing like it, but it’s still great Fela music.
Yet this one, I can play you the riff, I’ll play you the riff, we’ll go downstairs and I’ll play you the riff. That is my favorite song. Yet when I heard it due to the circumstances in the evening which is so, I mean, you were right in the depths of Africa here – talk about the black experience, we were the only white people there.
It was very intense when this music broke and I ended up just weeping because of it. Just one of the most amazing musical moments in my life because the band was unbelievable and i’ll play you the riff. This is the song so this is gonna be my favorite Fela song, I’m not sure there’s a record of it but maybe someone will find it.” A bold list of demands for a Paul McCartney event surfaced a few days ago.
