# The Waxonia Desk: One Subject

Six records from Detroit, Lagos and Accra, offered as one subject rather than three genres. The distance between them is geographic and almost nothing else.

- **Picks:** 6
- **Years:** 1970–1977
- **Curator:** The Waxonia Desk
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Curator's page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/the-desk/
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-one-subject/

## The picks

Selected, not ranked — the order is the curator’s, and carries no claim about which is best.

### [Marvin Gaye](https://waxonia.com/artist/marvin-gaye/) — [What's Going On](https://waxonia.com/track/marvin-gaye--whats-going-on/)

*1971 · Tamla*

The obvious one, and four decades of broadcasting have made it harder to hear rather than easier. A record everybody agrees about is a difficult thing to keep alive.

Also on: [Soul](https://waxonia.com/genre/soul/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Marvin%20Gaye%20What's%20Going%20On) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=KDK7TiEiMOI)

### [Curtis Mayfield](https://waxonia.com/artist/curtis-mayfield/) — [Move On Up](https://waxonia.com/track/curtis-mayfield--move-on-up/)

*1970 · Curtom*

Nine minutes of forward motion that works on a dancefloor and on daytime radio, which is a rare combination — and it is the long version that earns the claim, not the edit.

Also on: [Soul](https://waxonia.com/genre/soul/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Curtis%20Mayfield%20Move%20On%20Up) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=A9RMr9KuVZo)

### [Fela Ransome-Kuti & Africa 70](https://waxonia.com/artist/fela-ransome-kuti-and-africa-70/) — [Shakara](https://waxonia.com/track/fela-ransome-kuti-and-africa-70--shakara/)

*1972 · EMI*

Fifteen minutes before the vocal arrives. Programming a record like this for an audience trained to expect a hook inside thirty seconds is the whole problem, and it is worth solving.

Also on: [Afrobeat](https://waxonia.com/genre/afrobeat/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Fela%20Ransome-Kuti%20%26%20Africa%2070%20Shakara) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=P2l7EPy1Svs)

### [Manu Dibango](https://waxonia.com/artist/manu-dibango/) — [Soul Makossa](https://waxonia.com/track/manu-dibango--soul-makossa/)

*1972 · Fiesta*

A Cameroonian B-side that a New York DJ turned into a disco hit. The clearest single case for the argument this list is making: the route mattered more than the origin.

Also on: [Afrobeat](https://waxonia.com/genre/afrobeat/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Manu%20Dibango%20Soul%20Makossa) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=PblSmVR7hCk)

### [Ebo Taylor](https://waxonia.com/artist/ebo-taylor/) — [Heaven](https://waxonia.com/track/ebo-taylor--heaven/)

*1977*

Ghana rather than Nigeria, and looser than anything Lagos allowed. Much of what reached Britain as afrobeat was highlife that nobody had bothered to distinguish.

Also on: [Afrobeat](https://waxonia.com/genre/afrobeat/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Ebo%20Taylor%20Heaven) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=z54HkbHg8Ec)

### [Herbie Hancock](https://waxonia.com/artist/herbie-hancock/) — [Chameleon](https://waxonia.com/track/herbie-hancock--chameleon/)

*1973 · Columbia*

The record where a jazz musician of the first rank decides the groove is the interesting problem. If acid jazz began as a joke, this is the thing the joke was about.

Also on: [Funk](https://waxonia.com/genre/funk/), [The Waxonia Desk — Where the Accent Moved](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-accent-moved/), [Twice Over](https://waxonia.com/theme/twice-over/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Herbie%20Hancock%20Chameleon) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=iqomTAiRnVM)

## About the curator

The people who write the rankings on this site. We keep the lists honest, we argue about the order, and we get asked the same question more than any other: where should someone actually start. These are our answers.

Elsewhere: https://waxonia.com/

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.