Ali Farka Toure - Ali Farka Toure (UK Original) Vinyl rip in 24 Bit/96 Khz + CD-format

Internationally feted at the age of 50, Ali Farka Touré's life was not always so easy. Up till the release of this, his third album, he was virtually unknown in West Africa and a non-entity in the world music community. Before this album bought him fame, if not fortune, Touré's life resembled Amos Tutuola's in Palm Wine Drunkard, a mixture of hard times and legend. What made Touré stand out from the crowd was his mixture of these two elements, a blues-based singing style close to John Lee Hooker and a particularly African choice of subject matter, often rooted in West African myth and folktale. On this release, Touré performs most often unaccompanied relying entirely on the magnetism of his beautiful voice and the counterpoint of his rhythmic guitar. Occasionally, Touré is accompanied by traditional instruments such as calabash or bongos, which he also plays, but the real strength of this album lies in his magnificent voice. While he sings in several different languages, including English, the power and genius of Touré's compositions easily carry through the language barrier. This album inaugurated a new marriage of American blues and African musical traditions of which Touré is the best practitioner. –Allmusic

Tracklist:

A1 Timbarma
A2 Singya
A3 Nawiye
A4 Bakoytereye
B1 Kadi Kadi
B2 Yulli
B3 Bakoye
B4 Amandrai

Credits:

Kora [Calabash] – Toumani Diabate* (tracks: B4)
Mixed By – Zuni
Producer – Nick Gold
Recorded By – David Stevens (tracks: A1-A3, B1, B2), John Hadden (tracks: A4, B3), Philippe Bertrand (tracks: B4)
Vocals, Guitar, Kora [Calabash], Bongos – Ali Farka Toure*
Written-By – A. F. Toure* (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B1 to B4), Traditional (tracks: A3)

Recorded at the Fire House studio, London on October, 1987 by David Stevens. Mixed by Zuni, assit.: Mike Campbell.
Bakoytereye & Bakoye recorded at Capital Radio Studios, London on September 13, 1987 by Phillippe Bertrand.
Amandrai recorded during performance for Crossing The Border Festival at the Town and Country Club, London on October 5 1987 by John Hadden.
Produced by World Circuit, Nick Gold
Post production: John Hadden- Direct metal mastered from digital tapes.