Army Arrangement

Army Arrangement captures a pivotal moment in Fela Kuti's career—a controversial 1984 remix by Bill Laswell for Celluloid Records. With Fela imprisoned on disputed charges, Laswell took creative control, significantly altering the original horn arrangements and production. The resulting album became a point of contention, with Fela himself famously calling the experience worse than incarceration. Despite the turbulent backstory, the record stands as a fascinating artifact of 1980s production aesthetics and the tensions between artistic vision and commercial intervention. A must-hear for Fela devotees and those interested in music history's more contentious chapters.