Vampisoul present a double cd of dance music, which ruled the dancefloors across much of West Africa from the 60's to the early 1970's. One of the century's first fusion of African Roots with Western music.

The story of West African big band highlife is the story of West African independence itself. From its early roots in church music, old African song forms, sea shanties and military brass bands to the orchestra podiums of the slickest nightclubs and concert halls of Lagos and Accra, highlife charted the growing confidence of a proud and gifted people casting off the shackles of empire: a people ready to, literally live Highlife.

Accra's ET Mensah was a pioneer but Lagos was not far behind, with superstars such as Roy Chicago, Rex Lawson & Dr Victor Olaiya performing to packed dancefloors where, unusually for West Africa, ethnicity didn't matter, Igbo people danced with Hausas and Efik men with Yoruba women. West Africa was prosperous, there was work for all and for several glorious years, highlife was the soundtrack for the good times. In 1967 the tragic Biafran War wrought three years of misery in eastern Nigeria, but soon after highlife came to the rescue, the 70's music of legends such as Stephen Osita Osadebe helping to heal the scars as only music can.

Vampisoul bring all these stars together in this compilation. Not content with churning out material available from European and American catalogues, Vampisoul journeyed to Lagos, scoured the record crates, dusted off the forgotten master tapes and started afresh.

With the cd copy I have there's a 15 page booklet with sleeve notes from the compiler John Armstrong about his selection, the histroy of the music, notes on the main artists aswell as short notes on each track plus some photos from the archives.

Opening the selection on CD2 is Sir Victor Uwaifo's Joromi, which swept across Nigeria and making him a superstar in the process.

As the radio DJ's used to say back then, " People, Highlife is King! Long Live Highlife ! "

Available on both double cd and vinyl formats. Reference Vampi101

Tracklisting
CD1

1. Trumpet Highlife (Dr. Victor Olaiya & E.T. Mensah)
2. Belama (Opotopo)
3. Numfinye (Nome Alobo) (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
4. Grazing In The Grass (Stan Plange And The Uhuru Dance Band)
5. Jolosho (St Augustine)
6. Yellow Sisi (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
7. Dabra Ba (Stan Plange And The Uhuru Dance Band)
8. Won Bum (Opotopo With Fatai Rolling Dollar)
9. Makojo (Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe)

CD2

1. Joromi (Sir Victor Uwaifo And The Melody Maestroes)
2. Mofe Muyan (Dr. Victor Olaiya)
3. Oko (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
4. Aasem (Stan Plange & The Uhuru Dance Band)
5. Peri Special Mbanga (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
6. Ikoro Special (Dan Satch And His Atomic 8)
7. Esonta (Chief Enyang Henshaw)
8. Afro Baby (Professional Seagulls Band)
9. Pay Me My Money Now (Rex Lawson And His Rivers Men)
10. Etuk Owo (Opotopo)
11. Okina (Akana Man)

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