Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

WSR001


Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Housed in Gatefold Sleeve

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-10-27

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

4170000122043


Total Cap

Black LP

Artist

The Mighty Cavaliers

Genre GB

African

Label GB

Want Some Records

Restored classics, rare finds, and sought-after releases. Whether you're a vinyl enthusiast or a tape collector, we have something for everyone.

Reissues

Newest Listed Items

The Mapendo album of the Mighty Cavaliers is shrouded in
mystery. If you look at the original cover of this very rare Kenyan funk-infused album
all you will find are the names of the engineer and the producer, as EMI Kenya
omitted the names of the musicians and the songwriters. Digging deeper a rather
sinister story of deceit develops whereby Mapendo becomes symbolic for all what
was wrong about the Kenyan record industry in the 1970s, and the music industry in
Africa as a whole. As this maltreatment of artists proved endemic throughout the
con]nent, although little talked about.

One of the three surviving members of the Mighty Cavaliers, bass player Bonnie
Wanda - who started his career in 1971 with Gloria Africana - vividly remembers
participating in the recording of the two albums the band made in 1976 and 1977 -
Fisherman and Mapendo - and how they, especially on the last album, got short-
changed by shrewd record label executives. In the 1960s it was mostly Indian and
European record bosses that called the shots and usually gave musicians the chance
of a one-off payment for their session time and recorded songs or wait for - hopefully
- a generous royalty check. In most cases records didn’t sell more than a thousand
copies with an occasional hit selling in the tens of thousands, so musicians were
reluctant to register themselves with the Music Copyright Society of Kenya. Although
without doing so one couldn’t receive royalties.


For two years the Mighty Cavaliers performed five nights a week at the Starlight Club
for five hour sets.


The re-release of Mapendo, the first of the German Want Some Records label, is
another exciting puzzle piece in the tapestry of groovy Kenyan music. It proves that
there are s]ll great gems out there to be re-discovered for audiences worldwide.

Mapendo

Music GB

Discover Mapendo by The Mighty Cavaliers. Rare Kenyan funk-infused album from 1976. Shrouded in mystery, this re-release is a gem to be rediscovered.