Pa Odion Iruoje is a veteran music producer, sound engineer, and former Area Manager of EMI Records, Lagos. Nicknamed ‘Sound President’, Iruoje is known for having signed the legendary Fela Kuti to major label, EMI and acting as his producer throughout the early ‘70s. He also produced an album for Beatles’ star, Paul McCartney in Lagos. In this interview with TONY OKUYEME, he shares his experience working with these great stars, including The Beatles, and Berkeley Jones. He also talks about Afrobeat and other issues
Tell us how your interest in music began…
To start with, when I was young, I loved music. I was interested in music generally. We were listening to more of Western music; till people like IK Dairo came on with his own version of juju music, after Tunde King and Ojoge Daniel who popularised juju music. And of course, Bobby Benson started highlife, from E T Mensa, which is a combination of jazz and highlife. We had Samuel Akpabot who was on the xylophone. And then came Victor Olaiya, Roy Chicago, E. C. Arinze… These were the pioneers… Then, I introduced Nigerian pop music through the St’ Gregory Boys’ group known as ‘Ofege’. The indigenous pop music – juju – was made popular by Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey.
How did he meet the Ofege group?
That time, a lot of musicians used to come to the studio of EMI Records which was very popular then. And I used to give them opportunities. So they would come to the studio requesting to be recorded. And I never drove them away because they were school children, whereas they had been to other places and they were turned back. When they got to me, I put then for audition. I heard them, and of course they were inexperienced, so I had to help them arrange the music, put it properly. They had already done some work too, so it was easy for me to put them right.
What made you think that you saw talent in them the first time you heard them? What made them so different?
First of all, the singer, Melvin Ukachi, was fantastic. His voice was strong; he was able to control his pitch. And they were highly talented, very talented. I can say that every song of theirs was a hit.
You had an encounter with Olumide’s mother who at a time was looking for you. Tell us what happened…
I went to give Olumide his share of their first royalty. His parents had not met me before. When I got there I saw his mother, so I introduced myself to her. Immediately, she said they have been looking for me that I should be arrested. When I asked her why, she said that I was disturbing their children from their studies. And I said, anyway, here is an envelope containing a cheque for your son from his royalty. She said she does not want to hear anything about it. But when she opened the envelope and saw the cheque, read the content, she just looked up and said, ‘Odion, when next are they going to the studio?’ I said very soon. And she said that her husband (the boy’s father) had never earned that much money.
Listening to Ofege music one cannot but notice the beautiful guitar work. Who did it?
Berkeley Jones. He was not just one of the best guitarists then, he was the best. All my gestures, he knew what I wanted. When I hummed just a line, that is it, he knew what I wanted. At the time, he had never met the Ofege, and they never met him. It was a rock album. Berkeley Jones played some part for keyboard and guitar, and he did it so beautifully. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Tell us about your experience working with EMI. And from your experience, what are those things missing today compared to what it used to be with record companies as it were?
To start with, we don’t have record companies anymore; we don’t have music companies in Nigeria again. A music company comprises Artist & Repertoire (A&R) department, Recording Studio, Engineering section; and then we had production department, and of course marketing department.
Can you tell us about your first encounter with Fela?
I had heard some of his works, even though they did not really make it here or even in London at the time. He did a album here in Nigeria too, but they didn’t work out well. But I loved his music, I loved his style. Then it wasn’t Afrobeat; it was a sort of child highlife at that time he was playing. But when he came to EMI, he also must have heard about me and some of my works too; so, he decided that it was EMI that must produce this particular album.
Each time he came, the security officer at the gate would come and call me, and I saw it was Fela. But the MD would say, “Look we don’t have the time for this guy; don’t let him in. He has done some album but they didn’t sell, and he was making trouble with the companies.” EMI released his albums – about three – in London, but none of the albums really did well. So, EMI instructed us not to record him here in Lagos, Nigeria, because his albums didn’t really do well, and he was making a lot of trouble. Then he came again, but the MD still didn’t want to give him attention at all.
He told the security officers to tell him to go. Then on this day, the MD came to my office and we were going back to his office. As we were going across the parking lot to his office, here was Fela again. I told the MD, Mr. Wells, that this would be the third time that Fela would be coming here. I said we should give him a chance, that he must have something to offer, and that we should listen to him.
I also told him that Fela is not just an ordinary musician, but a great musician, a graduate musician. At the time, Fela had decided that he was going to play a new sound and that he was going to do it with Odion Iroje of EMI. So, the MD eventually allowed me to invite him to the studio, but warned me that if there was any problem I would bear it. I said fine. So I asked them to let him in.
So what happened…?
When we sat down to talk, he told me that he has a new sound which he called Afrobeat. He said he would not record it with any other company except EMI. I told him that we have to fix a date for the audition. I listened to the music, and it was fantastic.
I was very excited about his performance. So, I told him to come to the studio for the final audition before recording. When we got to the studio, I first called the MD to come and listen to the music. He was reluctant and uninterested. But as Fela was rehearsing, he was talking to me as I was leaving his office.
Halfway across the parking lot, he heard Fela’s music, and he asked me if that was Fela singing, and I said yes. He doubled his steps to get to the studio, and when he got to the studio, he said to me, ‘Odion, I have never heard anything like this all my life.’ He was in the control room whilst they were performing the music. Immediately he said we should start the recording before Fela changes his mind. I assured him that Fela would not change his mind. In fact, the MD was there until we finished.
What made the sounds so different?
What the highlife people were playing was completely different from Afrobeat, and I knew this is a new sound. He just created it. It is not a matter of playing other people’s music. Fela single-handedly created Afrobeat, and it was a brand new sound.
How would you compare Fela’s brand of Afrobeat and what we have today?
What they play today is nothing near what Fela created. It is only Fela that can play Afrobeat rightly, because there is a special drumming Tony Allen plays for Afrobeat. I don’t know if other drummers have been able to do it.
Mr. Kenddrie Utuk is doing a biopic on Charly Boy. From your experience or encounter with him, how would you describe Charly Boy?
I know him, but I did not really work with him. Charly Boy has a different type of orientation. But he is very original with his songs.
How would you describe his type of music?
Very original; it is a fusion of Afrobeat, highlife and rock music. There are many idioms in it but you will know it is Charly Boy’s work. Just like when you hear Fela’s music you will know this is Fela, or when you hear Sunny Ade you know that is Sunny Ade; when you hear Ebenezer Obey you will know that’s Ebenezer Obey. Same with Charly Boy, he is very original.
What is your take on the production of a movie on Charly Boy?
Well, I don’t know what he saw in him. What he saw may be different from what I saw in him. It is what you saw in him that you will really highlight; whereas, if I was going to do it I will highlight what I have seen in him.
Tell us your experience working with Paul McCartney of the Beatles when he came to Nigeria to record Band On The Run…
It was very beautiful. It was so easy to work with him because he understood what I wanted done. When I wanted to correct certain things he knew.
You also worked with The Beatles in London…
Yes, I worked with them on one of their last albums… I was there in the studio with George Martin, who was a producer for The Beatles. The original Beatles’ album was produced by George Martin for EMI Company.
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