Ahehehinnou Vincent – Vol 1 (Best Woman)
2017 re-release.
Originally released by Hasbunalau Records and re-released by Analog Africa in 2017, Ahehehinnou Vincent Vol. 1 was the first solo record by Vincent Ahehehinnou after leaving the successful Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou in 1977. A second volume was never released. From Analog Africa:
In early 1978, Vincent Ahehehinnou left the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou without explanation. He had been one of their principal vocalist since 1968 and had helped transform them from a hard-charging nightclub band into a musical powerhouse and Africa-wide sensation. By the end of 1977, after an explosive performance at the pan-African arts and culture festival (Festac77) in Lagos, the band had reached the very pinnacle of their success.
For the biggest part, the album art of the re-release is a replica of the original, with exception of Ahehehinnou’s name. Instead of using the caps of Tintoretto, designer Kathrin Remest shows his name set in (a scan of?) Hawthorn, with the N and T connected. Complementary typefaces are Beans and Zipper. “Vol. 1” is in Premier Shaded [see comments], one of the few shaded typefaces with its shadow leaning left. The tracklisting and the caption on the cover photo use yet unidentified type.
Original artwork. The capitals of Tintoretto may evoke associations with mediaeval times of Gaelic music rather than Nigerian highlife music, but they sure look funky in this setting. Note an additional word space in the artist name.
2 Comments on “Ahehehinnou Vincent – Vol 1 (Best Woman)”
The shaded face appears to be Premier Shaded. It’s a bit tricky to recognize, as “VOL 1” includes none of its telltale high-waisted glyphs.
Discogs has an image of the back cover of the original 1978 release, which shows Hawthorn (and Data 70, another Letraset face). Note that “Ahehehinnou” was spelled with a double O on the front. Maybe this was the reason why the front cover design was changed for the re-release – to correct this mistake(?).
On a side note, the logo of the Hasbunalau Record Company appropriates the Pelikan logo designed by Oskar H. W. Hadank. It’s accompanied by initials from Playbill or similar, and caps from Univers.