Calypso: Musical Poetry In The Caribbean 1955-69 (Green Vinyl)

Soul Jazz Records’ ‘Calypso: Musical Poetry In The Caribbean’ was first issued in 2014 and has been out of print for nearly 10 years.

On its release, ‘Calypso: Musical Poetry In The Caribbean’ was voted one of The Year’s Best 50 Reissues in Rolling Stone magazine and received glowing reviews in Pitchfork, The Guardian, Songlines and many more.

This new edition has been fully remastered and comes as a one-off double vinyl pressing on Translucent Green vinyl, complete with bespoke inners featuring extensive sleeve notes, notes on all the artists and songs featured, and original
artwork and photography.

Featuring Lord Kitchener, The Mighty Viper, Count Zebra, Lord Flea, Lord Hummingbird, King Fighter, Lord Growler, Lord Byron, Lord Ivanhoe and other members of calypso’s aristocracy and aristocrats, the album features the music of
calypso in its many styles.

Calypso is one of the most exciting and enduring forms of musical expression that first emerged at the beginning of the 20th century - swinging, persuasive rhythms, brilliantly expressive melodies and lyrics of great humour, wisdom and wit.

Here you will find music from birthplace of calypso, Trinidad, other Caribbean islands including Jamaica and the Bahamas, as well as sounds from the style’s subsequent onwards journey including Britain, Panama and the United States.

Calypsonian songs play out a role in society similar to the storytelling Griots of West Africa (and the corresponding music of Kaiso); with their own tales about popular and incredible news items, modern life, local politics all mixed up with sexual innuendo, one-upmanship, comedy and more.

At its source, calypso is intricately and inextricably bound to the social history of Trinidad and its myriad of traditions, beliefs, folklore and fables. As the music spread around the world, both from the diaspora of many of its performers as well as its commercial success, the subjects of songs similarly took on local topics.

The most notable singer of calypso in England was the Trinidadian Lord Kitchener, who came to Britain in 1948 on HMS Empire Windrush, along with fellow Calypsonians Lord Beginner and Lord Woodbine.

The songs here vividly capture the popular news stories and fashions of the era - ‘The First Man On The Moon’, James Bond’s ‘Pussy Galore’, ‘Bed Bugs’, ‘Voodoo’, ‘Love in Cemeteries’, as well as West Indians in England, Bossa Nova, the Iron Curtain and the story of a white man who had a black heart transplant operation.

This album celebrates a criminally unsung and under-documented art form in the
modern age.

“A joyous compilation. Lovingly annotated, it’s a glimpse into a now distant era when
the Caribbean first took on the world and won” - The Guardian

TRACKLIST

SIDE ONE

Lord Cobra y Los Pana Afros – Man On The Moon

Young Growler – Pussy Galore

Lord Hummingbird – Teenage Bossa Nova Girl

Lord Byron & Orquesta Nueva Alegria – Yes Parssin

Cyril Diaz & His Orchestra – Voodoo

SIDE TWO

Lord Flea & His Calypsonians – Out De Fire

Brownie – The Bed Bug Song

Count Zebra and The Seasiders – Cat-O-Nine

Carlos Malcolm & His Afro Jamaican Rhythm – Elena

Azie Lawrence and The Carib Serenaders – West Indians In England

SIDE THREE

Lord Cobra y Los Pana Afros – Negro Heart

Lord Kitchener – Love In The Cemetery

Charlie Binger & His Quartet – Jamaica Is The Place To Go

Mighty Dougla – Exchange No Robbery

SIDE FOUR

Viper – Dog Better Than Man

Lord Kitchener – Jamaican Woman

JB Williams Band – Gee Bongo Lay

Lord Ivanhoe & His Caribbean Knights – Lift The Iron Curtain

King Fighter – People Will Talk