Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats: "Afro Soco Soul Live" LP

Label: Oom Dooby Dochas

Genre: World

Release Date: 8/10/2018

Article: F_0888

Oom Dooby Dochas present a reissue of Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats' Afro Soco Soul Live, originally released in 1972. Pino was born in Sierra Leone in the 1930s. He was the son to a lawyer working in Nigeria, lost his mother and sister at a very young age, and found relief in music. He played social clubs by the early '60s with his newly founded band The Heartbeats delivering cover-versions of American hits and Congolese rumba tunes that were then utterly popular in the West Africa area. The Heartbeats literally played until their fingers bled in popular night clubs in Sierra Leone, became one of the highest earning bands of Western Africa and were even able to put up their own television show after television had been introduced in Sierra Leone in 1962. All those developments put Geraldo Pino and his band in the position as leading figures in the African popular music that even Fela Kuti cited Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats as a major influence. Geraldo Pino lived and played in his area, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and created some of the hottest funky sounds with sophisticated sound gear, outstanding clothing, and songs that made your blood boil. After a few 7" releases throughout the 1960s the first real album of Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats hit the scene in 1972. Afro Soco Soul Live is as the title suggests an album that has been recorded at a concert and Geraldo Pino often communicates with the utterly enthusiastic audience, gives longer announcements between the songs, or introduces his lead guitarist before he starts a simmering solo. All songs here have an average length of six minutes and, despite their composed parts, show this free jammy flow. The basic style is funk with soulful vocals which gets mixed up with traditional African percussion grooves. This album swallows you with its mesmerizing rhythms. The funky Hammond B3 organ is omnipresent on all the tracks and duels with the wild and completely unleashed lead guitar from time to time. Due to the crisp and clear sound, this record gives you the feeling of being right at the scene. It is no wonder that this record is a popular gem in Western Africa. Original copies of this album go for several hundred USD if they ever turn up. A sacred gem of African funk music reissued.