The Black Hippies - The Black Hippies (Reissue) (1976/2014)

The Black Hippies were a Nigerian rock band from Warri, Bendel State, Nigeria in the mid-1970s led by songwriter Joseph Etinagbedia, a.k.a. Pazy. In their earliest incarnations, the band played a distinct style of harder rock, one that bore many of the trademarks of Nigerian music; from a visceral vocal style to the psychedelic funk that touches every corner of the songs. Their debut self-titled album was recorded in '76 by producer Odion Iruoje and features five of the band's tunes from their earliest days, finding funky pre-disco rhythms playfully co-existing with light-headed fuzz guitar in Pazy's celebratory, somewhat psychedelic tunes. The band would shift gears with subsequent releases, going more in the direction of reggae than hard rock, but their debut represents the band at an inspired beginning point where their take on hard rock was something truly unique.