Excuse O

AMG Review of Excuse O

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

By the mid-1970s, Kuti's albums had essentially become extended singles in the LP format, with two songs in the ten-to-fifteen-minute range occupying entire sides of the release. The thirteen-minute "Excuse O" is the title side of this album. It's not much different than his usual excursions into Afro-funk-jazz fusion from the era, though at this point he was moving into rhythms that were more jittery and African-sounding than those he had used on many early-'70s efforts. "Mr. Grammarticalogylisationalism Is the Boss" is his bid for the "longest word used in a song title" contest. The novelty of that title aside, it's one of the better cuts from his mid-1970s discography, with remarkably spooky, effective organ, a slow ominous groove, and a blunt critique of Africa's educational system. Excuse O was combined with another 1975 album, Monkey Banana, on a 2001 CD reissue on MCA.