Youtube User Otenga writes:
Left to right: Mboyi Mbanda, Youlou Mabiala, Wuta Mayi and Lola Checain!!!!
(L to R; My older sister, Me and My dad, Guy in Prospect Park, Brooklyn circa 1989)
60s: Café -as evidenced in last weeks rebroadcast of Show #3 it was shown that Franco (& TP OK Jazz's) style of rhumba was much closer to 'traditional' rhumba during the 60s. Some songs such as Café had the singer singing in a lingala-spanish-portugese 'patois'. In this song (from what I gather of the patois) a man is picking up a woman. "Como te escriban Cafe?" (How do you write Café?) from that line I also gather that the woman's name is Café. Don't quote me on that though lol
70s:Radio Trottior - by the 70s Franco's sound was much more distinguishable from traditional rhumba and lyrically portrayed Kinshasa's social landscape with more accuracy. Franco's strength, next to being a band leader and superb guitarist, was his ability to write lyrics that the people could relate to. Radio Trottior (literally Sidewalk Radio) is about gossip and how it can cause problems if you listen to what people are saying on the street.
80s:12,600 Lettres - Franco received thousands of fan letters. A re-occurring theme within these letters was woman complaining that their sister-in-laws dislike and mistreat them. The hook goes: Bandeko ya basi yo yo yo yo balingaka basi ya bandeko mibali te mpo na nini; meaning 'Why do sister in laws not like their brother's wives?' After the song goes off there is a 'Debate' between Franco and his band members (men and women alike) discussing the subject of inlaws for approx. 12minutes. 12,600 Lettres Debat
