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CD
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ODILIV 002CD
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2017 release. Odion Livingstone present another essential reissue of a rare gem from the Nigerian archives, Grotto's lost Afro-rock classic At Last..., originally released in 1977. Formed at "Greg's" (St Gregory's college in Ikoyi, Lagos), Grotto came up at the same time as several other influential student bands based there, including Ofege. "As Grotto, we played a rock/funk fusion. We were probably aged 15, 16 or thereabouts and we were heavily into music; we listened to Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and lots of rock bands," explains lead guitarist Soga Benson. Their debut album is a heavyweight trip, drifting from psychedelic workouts to crunching breaks and funkier directions. "Odion Iruoje was the A&R manager at EMI at the time and he auditioned us, liked the material and signed us. He also produced our recordings," continues Benson. "Most of us were boarders and the school encouraged music and had instruments so we had time to jam and really gel together. The group still continued after we left Greg's. We had to juggle A-Levels with gigs and we used to skip school whenever we had a show, rehearsal or a recording date." While many Nigerian student bands were studio-based projects, Grotto was an active live unit during the '70s. "We played at The Shrine with Fela, with Tee Mac at Batakoto, with Sonny Okosun at Kakadu, Segun Bucknor at Granada Hotel." This first international reissue of Grotto's debut album comes with a full interview with Soga Benson and producer Odion Iruoje, along with a selection of rare and previously unseen photos of the band. Fully remastered by The Carvery.
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LP
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ODILIV 002LP
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LP version. 2017 release. Odion Livingstone present another essential reissue of a rare gem from the Nigerian archives, Grotto's lost Afro-rock classic At Last..., originally released in 1977. Formed at "Greg's" (St Gregory's college in Ikoyi, Lagos), Grotto came up at the same time as several other influential student bands based there, including Ofege. "As Grotto, we played a rock/funk fusion. We were probably aged 15, 16 or thereabouts and we were heavily into music; we listened to Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and lots of rock bands," explains lead guitarist Soga Benson. Their debut album is a heavyweight trip, drifting from psychedelic workouts to crunching breaks and funkier directions. "Odion Iruoje was the A&R manager at EMI at the time and he auditioned us, liked the material and signed us. He also produced our recordings," continues Benson. "Most of us were boarders and the school encouraged music and had instruments so we had time to jam and really gel together. The group still continued after we left Greg's. We had to juggle A-Levels with gigs and we used to skip school whenever we had a show, rehearsal or a recording date." While many Nigerian student bands were studio-based projects, Grotto was an active live unit during the '70s. "We played at The Shrine with Fela, with Tee Mac at Batakoto, with Sonny Okosun at Kakadu, Segun Bucknor at Granada Hotel." This first international reissue of Grotto's debut album comes with a full interview with Soga Benson and producer Odion Iruoje, along with a selection of rare and previously unseen photos of the band. Fully remastered by The Carvery.
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CD
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LIVST 004CD
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Livingstone Studio present the first official reissue of Grotto's Grotto II: Wait, No Hurry, originally released in 1979. "Odion Iruoje was the A&R manager at EMI at the time,' Benson says, 'and he auditioned us, liked the material and signed us.' Odion Iruoje of course had groomed and produced Ofege. Now he was looking to repeat the formula with other high school groups such as Tirogo, Apples and Question Mark. Grotto's deep rock would be a welcome addition to this 'schoolboy rock' series. Work on their album started immediately, with Iruoje in the producer's chair. Adapting to the tastes of the times -- as well as their own maturing musical sensibilities -- Grotto started transitioning from acid rock towards sleeker, more dance floor-friendly grooves. 'As I grew older I think I got a bit jazzier,' Benson says. 'I also listened to Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Isley Brothers, Prince and a lot of funk groups from that era.' 'Hard rock was the content of the first album,' Amenechi agrees, 'and funk/jazz/R&B the focus of album number two. Especially with the late Toma Mason Jr. joining as bassist.' The group's second album, Grotto II: Wait, No Hurry (released in 1979) reflected the growing sophistication of its members' musical outlook. Fat, funky bass grooves rubbed shoulders with jazzy flute lines; space-age synthesizer tones punctuated good, old-fashioned crunchy rock riffs." --Uchenna Ikonne Liner notes by Nigerian Music expert Uchenna Ikkone; includes previously unpublished photos and extensive interviews by Temitope Kogbe.
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LP
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LIVST 004LP
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LP version. Livingstone Studio present the first official reissue of Grotto's Grotto II: Wait, No Hurry, originally released in 1979. "Odion Iruoje was the A&R manager at EMI at the time,' Benson says, 'and he auditioned us, liked the material and signed us.' Odion Iruoje of course had groomed and produced Ofege. Now he was looking to repeat the formula with other high school groups such as Tirogo, Apples and Question Mark. Grotto's deep rock would be a welcome addition to this 'schoolboy rock' series. Work on their album started immediately, with Iruoje in the producer's chair. Adapting to the tastes of the times -- as well as their own maturing musical sensibilities -- Grotto started transitioning from acid rock towards sleeker, more dance floor-friendly grooves. 'As I grew older I think I got a bit jazzier,' Benson says. 'I also listened to Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Isley Brothers, Prince and a lot of funk groups from that era.' 'Hard rock was the content of the first album,' Amenechi agrees, 'and funk/jazz/R&B the focus of album number two. Especially with the late Toma Mason Jr. joining as bassist.' The group's second album, Grotto II: Wait, No Hurry (released in 1979) reflected the growing sophistication of its members' musical outlook. Fat, funky bass grooves rubbed shoulders with jazzy flute lines; space-age synthesizer tones punctuated good, old-fashioned crunchy rock riffs." --Uchenna Ikonne Liner notes by Nigerian Music expert Uchenna Ikkone; includes previously unpublished photos and extensive interviews by Temitope Kogbe.
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