Benediction

Franco & Michelino - Benediction

Benediction is an album originally released in 1983 by Michelino, a great guitarist who was an occasional member of TPOK Jazz. The album was released on CD a few years ago but it has now gone out of print and it is not available as a digital download. So this is a rarity only available at the link below for your listening pleasure.

The sound on this album is quite different to the classic TPOK Jazz sound. It's very much an album from the 1980's with its drum machines and chorused guitar sounds, but if you can get beyond these things it becomes a wonderful album. In fact the novel 1980's touches have a kind of charm to them, particularly the funky slap bass on the track 'Prince D'xl'.

The real highlight of the album though is the guitar playing of Michelino and how it interacts with Franco's guitar. Whilst this album is not officially a TPOK Jazz recording, it does feature other TPOK Jazz members including Josky, teaming up with members of Tabu Ley Rochereau's band Afrisa International under the banner 'Lisanga ya Banganga'. This is the same group that made several albums in 1983 such as Choc Choc Choc & L'Evenement.

A similar sound pervades all these albums and they will be posted
here at a later date.

Our special thanks go to Stefan of worldservice for providing
us with the track 'Va et Vient',

We think all the tracks were composed by Michelino, if we're
wrong please correct us.

BENEDICTION / FRANCO & MICHELINO (MICHELINO/SONODISC MICH 01, 1983) 

Side 1

MUTAMBULA MPIMPA  (Michelino)     

PRINCE D' XL (Michelino)

Side 2

POINT CARRÉ (Michelino)    

VA ET VIENT (Michelino)

http://www.4shared.com/file/212671645/6d688c70/Benediction__MICH_01_.html

Vraiment En Colére

***Update*** 17th January 2011

Our friends at Dial Africa have posted the single version of Loboko here to welcome us back 

at Franco Restored. Thank you for this!

http://dial-africa.blogspot.com/2010/12/orchestre-tp-ok-jazz-loboko.html  

VRAIMENT EN COLÉRE VOLUMES 1 & 2 (1980)

In 1980 Franco et TPOK Jazz released the two volume classic 'Vraiment En Colére'. Like so many of their classic recordings these seminal recordings were never released on CD in their original track listing. Instead they were separated into 3 separate compilations alongside tracks from other albums released around the same time.

But great as the music on these compilations is. there's nothing like listening to it in the original sequence as they were intended to be heard. Sonodisc's policy of mixing tracks from albums may have made economic sense but it butchered great masterpieces. Imagine mixing half of The Beatles Sgt Peppers record with some of the White Album and Revolver and never releasing those albums individually. This is what Sonodisc continually did with the legacy of Franco et TPOK Jazz.

So here you can find the two original volumes of 'Vraiment En Colére' as they were meant to be heard. The final track of the collection, 'BOLINGO YA MOITIE MOITIE', is our own personal favourite, it contains a truly magnificent sebene. All the tracks are brilliant though. TPOK Jazz at the height of their powers..........

VRAIMENT EN COLERE VOL 1 (VISA FRAN 001, 1980)

Side 1

TOKOMA BA CAMARADE PAMBA  (Franco)                                            

ARZONI (Franco)

 Side 2                                                               

TOKABOLA SENTIMENT  (Josky Kiambukuta)                                              

LOBOKO (Franco)

http://www.4shared.com/file/210564304/637d010c/Vraiment_En_Colre_Vol_1.html 

VRAIMENT EN COLERE VOL 2 (VISA FRAN 002, 1980) 

SIDE 1

PEUCH DEL SOL  (FRANCO)        

NA BALI MISERE  (MAYAWULA)    

SIDE 2                        

MBAWU NA KO RECOUPERER YO (LUTUMBA SIMARO)                  

BOLINGO YA MOITIE MOITIE (LUKOKI DIATO)   

http://www.4shared.com/file/210583722/9dc6e8bf/Vraiment_En_Colre_Vol_2.html 

Le Quart de Siécle Vol 1-4

We will start by providing links to what we think is the greatest work of Franco et TPOK Jazz, the incredible 4 volume set from 1981 'Le Quart de Siécle'. This contains such masterpieces as 'Bina na ngai na respect', 'Mujinga', 'Bimansha', 'Tailleur', 'Mandola' and 'Sandoka'. Every track is a masterpiece in this set.

Our friends at the excellent worldservice blog have provided all four volumes for downloading here http://wrldsrv.blogspot.com/2009/10/quart-de-siecle.html

Here are covers and track listings for each volume

Vol. 1 Respect (Edipop 01 1981)

Side 1

Bina na ngai na respect (Ntesa Dalienst)

Side 2

Mobali malamu (Papa Noel)

Mujinga (Franco)

Vol.2 Bimansha (Edipop 02 1981)

Side 1

Bimansha (Josky Kiambukuta)

Side 2

Ilousse (Franco)

Mbamba (Lutumba Simaro)

Vol. 3, Tailleur (Edipop 03 1981)

Side 1

Tailleur (Franco)

Katebe (Djo Mpoyi)

Side 2

Belle mere (Mpudi Decca)

Tuti (Wuta Mayi)

Vol 4, Mandola (Edipop 04 1981)

Side 1

Mandola (Lutumba Simaro)

Lolaka (Lola Chécain)

Side 2

Sandoka (Franco)

Ambozi ya pambu (Gégé Mangaya)

Restoring the recorded legacy of Franco et TPOK Jazz

With this blog we intend to redress the terrible neglect given to the recorded legacy of Franco Luambo Makiadi and T.P.O.K. Jazz.

We intend to post links to albums, eps and singles in their original track listing and where possible, with original artwork.

We will post links to any recordings currently available which have tracks in their original album order.

We would greatly appreciate help in this ambitious project, so if you would like to assist by providing links to recordings you may have posted elsewhere or by sending us files of recordings then we would be very grateful.

If you hold the copyright to any of these recordings please note that no recordings are posted directly on this page and we cannot be held responsible for the content of external sites.

We would also ask you to get up off your asses and properly honour the legacy of Franco and TPOK Jazz by re-releasing all their recordings in the sequences they were originally intended to be heard instead of butchering them like has been done in the past!!!