Just got this email:
Question: do you guys still sell many 12"? The reason I am asking is because Luaka Bop will be releasing a CD by William Onyeabor in the early part of next year. But here's the dilemma - the songs are like 12 minutes long each. We are thinking about releasing them on a group of 12" singles one release after another (collect 'em all!) and then compiling everything on a CD for a slightly later release.
― factcheckr, Friday, 13 August 2010 17:54 (thirteen years ago) link
in light of Daphni/ Caribou sampling Onyeabor's "When the Going..." i was wondering if factcheckr ever heard any more about these 12"s form Luaka Bop?
― beta blog, Saturday, 21 May 2011 00:39 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Kg-iBeDyg&NR=1
this is one of the sickest tunes i've ever heard.. someone reissue this fucker on vinyl!
― Night Nurse with Wound (Jack Battery-Pack), Thursday, 7 July 2011 10:43 (twelve years ago) link
this guy featured on 69's all hits radio show iirc, some slinky jams
― neo-realist shit i ever wrote (schlump), Thursday, 7 July 2011 10:58 (twelve years ago) link
B-D urc!
― 69, Monday, 11 July 2011 19:50 (twelve years ago) link
this is what I was just told re: luaka bop: "it is supposed to happen" but no date yet
― allday, Tuesday, 12 July 2011 04:44 (twelve years ago) link
Oh weird, randomly I just started getting into this. this month. "Fantastic Man" is my favorite tho
― phil-two, Tuesday, 12 July 2011 05:32 (twelve years ago) link
The B-side to Good Name is like the best song I've heard all year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp_eps4BlTQ
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Friday, 16 September 2011 21:50 (twelve years ago) link
someone reissue this fucker on vinyl!
yeah just waiting for whatever it is that'll presumably soon come out to represent this guy. you would think only a matter of time
― and my soul said you can't go there (schlump), Friday, 16 September 2011 22:12 (twelve years ago) link
Um: http://flashstrap.blogspot.com/2011/10/fantastic-man-william-onyeabor-atomic.html
― jgolick, Friday, 24 February 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
2CD compilation out in October on Luaka Bop
― Soft Opening, Saturday, 27 July 2013 00:49 (ten years ago) link
http://luakabop.com/bloggo/trust-the-situation/
― bishop desmond youtube (sanskrit), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:11 (ten years ago) link
oh awesome! 3xlp! & a (llliimmmiiittteedddd) good name reish!
ty
― szarkasm (schlump), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 03:48 (ten years ago) link
Pre-orders now up... http://luakabop.com/onyeabor/
― Barnaby, Hardly, Monday, 12 August 2013 15:04 (ten years ago) link
The new comp is fantastic. Shame he retired when he did because When the Going is Smooth and Good from his last album (the one that Daphni sampled) is blowing my mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOf8YJLgpew
― Deafening silence (DL), Tuesday, 17 September 2013 15:51 (ten years ago) link
This is fantastic
― there's no camera to capture that yelping moment! (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 17 October 2013 21:01 (ten years ago) link
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/17/five-year-quest-reissue-william-onyeabor
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 17 October 2013 21:05 (ten years ago) link
"atomic bomb" blows my mind. i'm kinda obsessed
― Mordy , Tuesday, 22 October 2013 02:32 (ten years ago) link
Now you have me fixated on that number too. The catchy vocal melody, the groove, the almost dub regggae like feel...It's slightly more traditional than some of the other cuts
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 23 October 2013 12:59 (ten years ago) link
Fucking awesome.
― I can still taste the Taboo in my mouth when I hear those songs (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 29 October 2013 18:20 (ten years ago) link
So good.
― Immediate Follower (NA), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 15:19 (ten years ago) link
I wonder if Rickey did have a chance to hear any more. He would have loved this.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 15:24 (ten years ago) link
The only bad part about this comp is when the groove ends after ~10 minutes.
― dronestreet, Thursday, 31 October 2013 04:31 (ten years ago) link
So great to have When the Going… on vinyl finally, but some other fantastic stuff on there. This one sounds even better at about -5 http://ex.fm/song/k2bry
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 31 October 2013 20:23 (ten years ago) link
"good name" is a banger
― Mordy , Thursday, 31 October 2013 20:24 (ten years ago) link
yeah "good name" is probably my fave, the whole cd is amazing though
― subaltern 8 (Michael B), Wednesday, 6 November 2013 17:11 (ten years ago) link
almost certain to be a top ten of the year disc for me
― there's no camera to capture that yelping moment! (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 6 November 2013 18:53 (ten years ago) link
um yeah, this is pretty amazing. kind of got overwhelmed with the seemingly neverending stream of african reissues from the past few years, but this one, holy smokes.
― tylerw, Friday, 8 November 2013 17:34 (ten years ago) link
weird...this didn't hit me on first listen like it is for everyone else
but i dunno, i p much like all african stuff i hear so hopefully it'll grow on me
― lorde willin' (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 8 November 2013 17:50 (ten years ago) link
i bought a copy of this one http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/48179113/William+Onyeabor.jpg in a dollar bin and gave it to a friend for christmas 2 years ago D:
― flopson, Friday, 8 November 2013 18:00 (ten years ago) link
could it be worth mad cash now?
signs point to yes
― there's no camera to capture that yelping moment! (forksclovetofu), Friday, 8 November 2013 18:50 (ten years ago) link
fhuuuuuck
― flopson, Friday, 8 November 2013 18:52 (ten years ago) link
dogg yeah...
http://www.discogs.com/William-Onyeabor-Good-Name/master/605907
none for sale on discogs, one of his others has a few, but most don't have any for sale which is rare, the one that has some is a luaka bop reissue and that starts at $100
― lorde willin' (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 8 November 2013 19:46 (ten years ago) link
nah it was this one http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?q=william+onyeabor+anything+you+sow
― flopson, Friday, 8 November 2013 20:03 (ten years ago) link
seems weird that the bootleg version would end up in a dollar bin, in that only heads/collectors would be likely to buy it? things slip through the net tho
― too much Michu, not enough meta (DJ Mencap), Friday, 8 November 2013 20:07 (ten years ago) link
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/arts/music/an-elusive-mystery-man-of-music.html
Over the phone from Nigeria, responding to prepared questions, he stressed that all he wanted people to know about him was that “I was a sinner who repented and gave himself 100 percent to Christ.” Describing himself as a born-again Christian, Mr. Onyeabor refused to discuss his education (he reportedly studied film production in the Soviet Union and has a law degree) or his musical career.
“I am only proud of my music because of the creative aspect of it,” he said. “I didn’t use it strictly to praise God. That is why I have decided now that henceforth all my revealings will be to praise God and preach the word of God.”
― curmudgeon, Monday, 18 November 2013 15:16 (ten years ago) link
"When the Going is Smooth and Good" is one of the best things I've heard in a long time. This is definitely one of my year-end favorites.
― frogbs, Friday, 22 November 2013 16:26 (ten years ago) link
This whole comp pretty much blows my mind. Where should I go from here? (w/r/t other artists I mean)
― Simon H., Monday, 9 December 2013 02:46 (ten years ago) link
didja hear the comp of francis bebey's synth stuff
― love mike love (ko komo) (schlump), Monday, 9 December 2013 02:52 (ten years ago) link
This comp is absolutely wonderful. Any idea where I might have heard "Good Name" before? It sounded instantly familiar, but I can't imagine where I might have heard it. I see it was kinda a promo push for the comp, but it would've been a few years ago when I first heard it. Was it on some previous comp or covered somewhere else?
― an enormous bolus of flatulence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 9 December 2013 03:17 (ten years ago) link
i bought my dad this for christmas.
― Strangers look on with a discernible, barely contained ‘wow’. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 9 December 2013 03:26 (ten years ago) link
great. let the "dad rock" backlash begin! ;)
― an enormous bolus of flatulence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 9 December 2013 04:13 (ten years ago) link
I'm not sure there is anywhere to go from here. Onyeabor was such an oddball and he didn't have any traction outside his hometown - Luaka Bop said that even the music buffs they spoke to in Lagos hadn't heard of him - so he seems to exist in a world of his own.
― Deafening silence (DL), Monday, 9 December 2013 10:00 (ten years ago) link
not got the heavy groove of onyeabor but i will second francis bebey as being well worth your time if you aren't already familiar
― ogmor, Monday, 9 December 2013 10:24 (ten years ago) link
thx folks I will check him out
― Simon H., Monday, 9 December 2013 12:08 (ten years ago) link
kept hearing 'good name' enough to take a plunge on the comp - serious business.
― Get A BREAKER! MORANTS (haitch), Tuesday, 22 April 2014 23:21 (ten years ago) link
The documentary on him is available free online. He is far far from Sugar Man.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 24 April 2014 00:09 (nine years ago) link
pretty hard panning here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R11ZAWY5A9VA3A/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00E3FMHOU
― brimstead, Thursday, 24 April 2014 00:36 (nine years ago) link
His only review!
― polyphonic, Thursday, 24 April 2014 00:40 (nine years ago) link
RIP, dude was a genius.
― szyslakial moescreancy (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 19 January 2017 06:28 (seven years ago) link
RIP, so many great echo-dub dancefloor memories.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 19 January 2017 07:26 (seven years ago) link
i was listening to the box set last night and thinking that it was really fortunate that he lived to see his music get a revival and get acknowledged as a musical genius. a few years earlier and he could've missed all of this & never known that he was going to be appreciated by a whole new audience of fans which would've been tragic bc he truly was an incredible talent + genius and deserved to know how much his work was loved.
― Mordy, Thursday, 19 January 2017 14:05 (seven years ago) link
His relationship with his music seemed conflicted at best though, he actively avoided talking about it and I got the sense it was a source of embarrassment or shame to him in his later life.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 19 January 2017 14:52 (seven years ago) link
for sure tho i thought at some pt he said he was working on new music? maybe in that bbc interview
― Mordy, Thursday, 19 January 2017 14:54 (seven years ago) link
Wow, I remember first hearing his music through ILM back in the day.
I've felt so much joy in sharing it with my friends since then.
Now I'm inspired to share his tunes with new friends.
― elan, Friday, 20 January 2017 01:12 (seven years ago) link
i guess his children or his church is getting that Feist 1,2,3,4 iTunes ad placement money.
― 4chan marshall (sanskrit), Wednesday, 24 May 2017 01:44 (six years ago) link
I can't school you on William Onyeabor, but I can advise you to listen to Itadi - Watch Your Life (Togo, 1977)
― Nabozo, Friday, 31 December 2021 21:20 (two years ago) link
Why late at night does ILM get all William OnyeaboredOr mooged out
The production is all 2D and flat but precise and perfect, and more than that it feels intentional and does not feel like a limitation, it gives all the feeling, and like a man doing all the instruments, it's genius really. Mammane Sani and Francis Bebey probably, both of which have a connection with Ghana, and mixing it with afro-funk / dance.
From the doc:He's a nice guy... butA boy sang for him and the boy claimed he wasn't paying him royalties when due, and accordingly. He went to William and claimed that William drove him off with a pistolSo he went to the police. When he came back, the police sought for the pistol. They didn't find the pistol and the guy was charged with giving false information to the police. And sentenced.
Tough !
― Nabozo, Wednesday, 26 October 2022 22:33 (one year ago) link