Description

Vinyl Records London are on cloud nine, we are now spinning in a brand new copy in LP Vinyl from Ali Farka Tour�� In 1982, the great Malian singersongwriter and guitarist Ali Farka Tour, then still in the early years of his recording career, teamed up with the brilliant percussionist Hama Sankare. Together, from a base in Ali039s home village of Niafunk they travelled through Northern Mali, refining a collection of new songs. When they were ready to record they followed the River Niger as it wound down through the desert, to the capital city of Bamako. In one afternoon, the great Radio Mali house engineer Boubacar Traore captured these eight superb performances on two microphones two voices so close it was thought they were double tracked, one guitar the distinctive Bulgarian acoustic model that Ali treasured and Hama039s calabash percussion making its first appearance on record. The album, which includes some of Tour039s best loved songs, was released selftitled with no sleeve notes, just an enigmatic group photo on the cover. It became known as the 039Red039 album due to the colour of its original sleeve. Vinyl and cassette copies of 039Red039 began to circulate in West Africa, as well as making their way to Ry Cooder in the US and to specialist journalists and DJs in the UK and France. It was popular in Mali and the Tuareg refugee camps in Libya, where it became an influence on the musicians who came together as Tinarewen. On a tip from Toumani Diabat and with a copy of 039Red039 in hand, World circuit039s Anne Hunt travelled to Mali in the mid 80s to find Ali to invite him to record and tour. An appeal was broadcast over Radio Mali, and Ali, who by chance was visiting the capitol Bamako, heard it. Thus began Ali039s incredibly successful international career which took him around the world and resulted in the release of eight acclaimed albums including three GRAMMY winning collaborations, with Ry Cooder talking Timbuktu and Toumani Diabat Ali amp Toumani In The Heart of the Moon. Remastered from the original tapes in 2004 for release on World Circuit, 2021 sees this classic album back on vinyl for the first time since its original 1984 release.