|
2001 saw the first legitimate and professional compilation of 1950s
mento,
"Boogu Yagga Gal"
on the Heritage label out of the UK. It collects a good variety
of styles and artists. The remastering of the old Jamaican 78 RPM
records is fantastic, as are the liner notes,
written by Richard Noblett, Daniel Neely,
Herbie Miller, Ron Geesin, John Cowley and Tony Barker. The booklet
constitutes the most extensive collection of information on mento ever
published, as well as the lyrics to the songs.
This is the best place to start for anyone interested in mento's golden
age. The song listing is as follows: |
1. Calabash - Count
Lasher
For
more on this song...
2. Miss Constance - Count Lasher
For
more on this song...
3. Dalvey Gal-Parson - Count Lasher's Calypso Quintet
4. Slide Mongoose - Count Lasher's Calypso Quintet
For
more on this song...
5. Talking Parrot - Count Lasher and Charlie Binger And His
Calypsonians
For
more on this song...
6. Cinemascope - Count Lasher and Charlie Binger And His Calypsonians
For
more on this song...
7. Dr. Kinsey - Lord Lebby and the Jamaican Calypsonians
For more on this song...
8. Etheopia - Lord Lebby and the Jamaican Calypsonians
For more on this song...
9. No Money No Music - Local Calypso Sextet (Chin's)
10. Rough Rider - Local Calypso Sextet (Chin's)
For more on this song...
11. Boogu Yagga Gal - Chin's Calypso Sextet
12. Depression - Chin's Calypso Sextet
For more on this song...
13. Big Boy and Teacher - Chin's Calypso Sextet
For more on this song...
14. Red Tomato - Chin's Calypso Sextet
15. Calypso Pepperpot - Chin's Calypso Sextet
16. Woman Tenderness - Chin's Calypso Sextet
17. Walk and Talk - Calypso Quintet
18. Night Food - Calypso Quintet
For
more on this song...
19. Look Out Fe You Tongue - Jamaican Calypsonians (Chin's)
20. Jamaica Gal - Jamaican Calypsonians (Chin's)
21. Mambo La-La - Lord Power & His Calypsonians
For more on this song...
22. Special Amber Calypso - Lord Power & His Calypsonians
This
CD is recommended as an excellent way to hear golden age mento. Big serving of
Chin's
rural sounds and Count Lasher's urban (primarily) and rural sounds,
both sides of a classic Lord Lebby single and one by Lord Power. For some
interesting background on this release, visit Ron Geesin's web site at
http://www.rongeesin.com/news1201.htm. Ron conceived the CD and worked
on its remastering. This
CD is also recommended for including very informative liner notes and
lyrics, making it unique amongst other mento collections on CD.
You can also visit
Heritage's web site at
http://www.interstate-music.co.uk/HTCD45.htm, though there isn't much in
the way of additional information.
Anyone interested in
Jamaican music should buy this CD. If it does well enough, there's a good
chance that a second volume will be released. My hope is that the second
volume has some examples of the amazing proto-reggae sound that some rural
mento has. Some Lord Messam, Count Owen, Lord Tanamo and some more
rural Count Lasher tracks certainly wouldn't hurt! Boogu Yagga Gal is
widely available from on-line retailers.
|
Mento
Madness: Motta's Jamaican Mento 1951-56 was released
March 1, 2004 on V2 Records. This is a collection of tracks
from LPs and 78 RPM singles on the
MRS label. As such, a number of
these tracks are mento classics, and can finally be heard on CD
(where the remastered makes this collection a must have, even for
collectors who have the original vinyl). This collection was
compiled by, and its liner notes written by
Steve Barrow and Paul Coote. Note that none of these tracks
appear on the earlier "Boogu Yagga Gal" collection. Subsequent |
collections could not make that claim.
1. Hill & Gully
Ride/Mandeville Road - Lord Composer & the Silver Seas Orchestra
For more on this song...
2. Dry Weather House - Hubert Porter with George Moxey & his Calypso
Quintet For more on this song...
3. Healin' in the Balmyard - Harold Richardson & the Ticklers
For more on this song...
4. Manassa with the Tight Foot Pants - Lord Fly with Dan Williams
Orchestra
For more on this song...
5. Me Dog Can't Bark - Monty Reynolds & the Shaw Park Calypsonian Band
For more on this song...
6. Monkey Talk - Hubert Porter with George Moxey & his Calypso Quintet
For more on this song...
7. Linstead Market - Lord Messan & His Calypsonians
For more on this song...
8. Country Gal - Harold Richardson with Charlie Binger & His Quintet
9. She Pon Top - Baba Motta & his Jamaicans
For more on this song...
10. Blu Lu Lup - Lord Fly with Dan Williams Orchestra
For more on this song...
11. Glamour Gal - Harold Richardson & the Ticklers
For more on this song...
12. Solas Market - Boysie Grant with Eddie Brown and Calypso clippers
13. Long Time Gal A Never See You - Monty Reynolds & the Silver Seas
Orchestra For more on this
song...
14. Medley of Jamaican Mento (Fan Me Solja Man, Fan Me / One Solja Man /
Yah No Hear Weh De Old Man Seh /
Slide Mongoose) - Lord Fly with Dan Williams
Orchestra For more on this song...
15. Come We Go Down A Unity/Old Lady O/Linstead Market - Boysie Grant
with Reynolds' Calypso Clippers
16. Swine Lane Gal/Iron Bar - Lord Fly with Dan Williams Orchestra
For more on this song...
17. Sweet Charlie/Mattie Rag/Nobodys Business - Boysie Grant with
Reynolds' Calypso Clippers
For more on this song...
18. Big Big Sambo Gal/Mattie Rag -
Lord Fly with Dan Williams Orchestra
For more on this song...
This CD is
recommended as an excellent way to hear golden age mento. Anyone interested in mento should
immediately grab this release. It has only been out for a few weeks and I'm
already hoping for a second (and a third) volume.
On 4/19/04, National Public Radio
reviewed this CD. The 4:24 Real Audio clip can be found on the
following page:
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1842828.
|
|
In June of 2006, the Pressure Sounds label
released "Take Me To Jamaica (The Story of Jamaican Mento 1951 to 1958)".
If you already have "Boogu Yagga
Gal" and "Mento Madness", this CD is
recommended for more golden-age mento. Unlike some other CDs,
"Take Me To Jamaica" has taken care to minimize replication of already
available tracks and is all mento, not calypso. Additionally, the booklet
has a surprising amount of interesting information. With permission I've
posted two |
excerpts
here and
here. It also contains a nice collection
of label scans and other photos. Thoughtfully compiled by Paul Coote, this collection features
mento tracks recorded by three producers: Stanley Motta, Ivan Chin
and Ken Khouri.
1. Hubert Porter - Ten Penny Nail
For more on this song...
2. Count Lasher & His Quintet - Samfi Man
For more on this song...
3. Lord Messam & His Calypsonians - Monkey
For more on this song...
4. Alerth Bedasse & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Mussa and John Tom
For more on this song...
5. Lord Tickler - Medley: Mango Walk/Give Me Back Me Shilling/Sweetie
Charlie
For more on this song...
6. Lord Composer & The Silver Seas Hotel Orchestra - Gal A Gully/Matilda
For more on this song...
7. Everard Williams & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Reap What You Sew
For more on this song...
8. Hubert Porter - Mas Charley Bell (Medley: Iron Bar/Mas Charley Bell)
For more on this song...
9. Lord Tickler - Jamaican Medley # Five (Jackass/Ya Ma Mama Ma Ma)
10. Alerth Bedasse & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Guzoo Doctor
For more on this song...
11. Lord Fly with Dan Williams and His Orchestra - I Don't Know
For more on this song...
12. Lord Tickler - Green Guava
13. Alerth Bedasse & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Monkey’s Opinion
For more on this song...
14. Boysie Grant & Reynold’s Calypso Clippers - The Naughty Little Flea
For more on this song...
15. Hubert Porter - Names Of Funny Places
For more on this song...
16. Alerth Bedasse & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Industrial Fair
For more on this song...
17. Harold Richardson & The Ticklers - Parish Gal
For more on this song...
18. Lord Tickler - Limbo
For more on this song...
19. Lord Flea - Wheel And Turn Me
For more on this song...
20. Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Big Boy Instrumental
For more on this song...
21. Hubert Porter with George Moxey & His Quintet - Tracer Gal
22. Alliandro Clarke & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Come To Jamaica
For more on this song...
23. Lord Fly with Dan Williams and His Orchestra -
Medley: Linstead Market/Hold ‘Im Joe/Dog
War A Matches Lane/Emanuel Road
24. Alerth Bedasse & Chin’s Calypso Sextet - Let’s Make Ring Play (#1
Sally Water)
For more on this song...
First and most excitingly, Count Lasher's
great "Samfi Man" finally gets a re-release some 50 years after it appeared
on a 78 RPM single. Also welcome is "Monkey", the second ever Lord Messam
track to reach CD. Perceptively, "Gal A Gully/Matilda" by Lord Composer
is included, rather than its already compiled, equally great flip side,
"Hill & Gully Ride/Mandeville Road". Similarly, the two
Lord Fly
tracks ("I Don't Know" and "Medley: Linstead Market/Hold ‘Im Joe/Dog War A
Matches Lane/Emanuel Road") had not been previously compiled and are fine
additions. The same is true of the Boysie Grant track, "The Naughty
Little Flea". And speaking of fleas, Lord Flea's "Wheel And Turn Me"
is the first CD track to allow us to hear Flea's earlier dance band mento
before he switched to rural mento and went on to his major label career.
Harold Richardson and The Ticklers fine "Parish Gal" has also never been
released
Lord Tickler was a pseudonym for Harold
Richardson and The Ticklers. "Limbo" has been compiled so many times,
that, at first, it seem out of place on this carefully compiled CD. But upon
closer inspection, this appears to be a similar but different take from
those available elsewhere. "Green Guava" can also be found on the CD "Authentic
Mento", but "Jamaican Medley # Five (Jackass/Ya Ma Mama Ma Ma)" has not
previously been compiled on CD. (All four of these Lord Tickler
tracks were previously compiled on "Meet Me In
Jamaica", an LP on the Monogram label, probably released in the
late 1950 or 1960s.)
Hubert Porter's Ten Penny Nail has
appeared on several previous CDs, but "Names Of Funny Places", "Tracer Gal"
and "Mas Charley Bell (Medley: Iron Bar/Mas Charley Bell)" have not.
The eight Chin's tracks are all available
on the five Chin's CDs that were released in 2004 and 2005. Having said
that, these are well chosen tracks that do not appear on any of the other
multi-artist compilations.
Ken Khouri's
son (and producer in his own right) Paul Khouri
released "Rookumbine: Authentic
Calypsos and Mentos" on R&R Records. Paul is making this hard to
find CD available to readers of this site at a special price of $10,
shipping included. Outside of the US, shipping may be higher. Paul / R&R
records can be contacted at the address and phone number as seen on
Rookumbine's back cover.
"Slide Mongoose"
and "Talking Parrot" by Count
Lasher have already been released on "Boogu Yagga Gal".
The two Chin's tracks, also appear on Boogu Yagga Gal, the Chin's CDs,
and elsewhere.
Two previously unheard rural mento racks by Slim Henry
are heard. Both are Harry Belafonte
covers. "Jamaica Farewell" plays it a bit too safe, though the addition of
mandolin adds to the overall effect. "Mama Look A Boo Boo" pulses with
personality and, for me, redeems a song I never previously cared for. It's
the stand out track of the CD. Slim Henry, also recorded at least one
middle period album, that reveals the
surprising identify of his mandolin player .
The Count Premier and Lord Libby [Lebby] tracks are mento songs
performed with strong calypso leanings. I don't know if Lord Libby is the
same artist as Lord Lebby, who recorded several classic singles for
Ken Khouri'. It is possible, but the calypso style here is different from the
classic rural mento heard on the Lebby singles. But the Lord Flea
track suggests that Khouri sometimes had mento artists record a mento track
in a calypso style. This earlier recording of "Naughty Little Flea" is very
calypso influenced compared to the later mento version released on LP.
It may in fact be from Ken Khouri's first recording session, as this it is
remembered that Flea recorded a version of this song. The Dennis Syndre songs are calypso. The strong calypso leanings of
this CD are not indicative of the more Jamaican sounds of Khouri's 1950s
productions for the Times Store's Times Records label, or the many
extraordinary rural mento sides he recorded on his own Kalypso label.
Thanks to Filthy Rich for
alerting me to this release.
[Click here for back cover] |
In September of 2009, the Complete
Roots label released "Sound Man Shots: The Caribou & Downbeat
78's Story" This double disc set (complete with good notes from the
set's compiler, Jeremy Collingwood). The first disc compiles
19 golden age mento sides released by the Caribou
label's producer, Dada Tuari in the 1950s. The second disc collects
R&B sides that Tuari licensed for released in Jamaica on his
Downbeat label that same decade. In spite of some repetition with
other compilations, there's enough new-to-CD mento here to recommend
this set.
|
Count Lasher tracks:
1. Calypso Cha Cha
2. Perseverance
3. Miss Constance
4. Slide Mongoose
5. Calabash
6. Dalvey Gal
|
"Boogu Yagga Gal" already dipped heavily into
Count Lasher's Caribou material, as
did other CDs collections, but Perseverance is not available on
Boogu or elsewhere. |
Lord Tanamo tracks:
7. Animal Instinct
8. Little Fist
9. Invitation To Jamaica
10. Pradieal Tief
11. Calypso Meringue
12. Wicked Woman
|
None of these six Lord Tanamo rural
mento songs have ever been collected on CD making this collection
important for mento fans and Lord Tanamo fans. Happily, "Little
Fist" finally gets a CD airing. |
Count Sticky tracks:
13. Chico Chico
14. Bam Celiena
|
Count Sticky
makes his belated CD début here, with his atypical but fun "Chico
Chico". |
Laurel Aitken tracks:
15. Calypso Rock ‘N’ Roll
16. Nightfall In Zion, aka
Roll River Jordan
17. The Walls Of Jericho
18. Rege Dege Ding
19. Aitken’s Boogie
|
Five Laurel Aitken tracks
(more R&B than mento) round out the set, with a bit of duplication
from "Laurel Aitken... The Pioneer of Jamaican
Music". |
|
In April of 2006, the Trojan
label's massive reissue campaign that began some years earlier
finally turns its attention to mento. The result is a 2 CD
collection called "Dip and Fall Back!:
Dr. Kinsey To Haile Selassie - Classic Jamaican Mento".
The first disc covers mento's golden
age, while the second covers the middle period. Liner notes with
label and jacket scans are included. |
Disc 1:
1. Dr Kinsey Report - Lord Lebby
For more on this song...
2. Ethiopia - Lord Lebby
For more on this song...
3. Sweet Jamaica - Lord Lebby
For more on this song...
4. Mama No Want No Rice & Peas - Lord Lebby
For more on this song...
5. Penny Reel - Lord Power
For more on this song...
6. Chambolia - Lord Power
7. Strip Tease - Lord Power with Trenton Spence
For
more on this song...
8. Let’s Do It - Lord Power with Trenton Spence
For
more on this song...
9. Charlie’s Song - Clyde Hoyte Manor House Mentones
10. Old Firestick - Clyde Hoyte Manor House Mentones
11. Tomato - Marie Bryant
For more on this song...
12. Little Boy - Marie Bryant
For more on this song...
13. Talking Parrot - Count Lasher with Charlie Binger & His
Calyposians
For
more on this song...
14. Cinemascope - Count Lasher with Charlie Binger & His Calyposians
For
more on this song...
15. Limbo - Lord Tickler with the Jamaican Calyposians
For
more on this song...
16. Medley - Lord Tickler with the Jamaican Calyposians
For
more on this song...
17. Night Food - [Chin's] Calypso Quintet
For
more on this song...
18. Walk & Talk - [Chin's] Calypso Quintet
For
more on this song...
Disc 1 features a number of golden age sides
making their CD debut. Unfortunately, it also includes a number of
tracks that have been compiled on other CDs. All future CD compilers are
advised to stay away from tracks on "Boogu Yagga
Gal". Boogu's inclusion of lyrics and excellent liner notes
make this CD a cornerstone in any mento fan's collection. There are
still a great many sides still awaiting release on CD!
Starting with the four Lord Lebby tracks, "Dr Kinsey Report"
and "Ethiopia" are already available on "Boogu Yagga Gal" and
elsewhere, but "Sweet Jamaica" (especially) and "Mama No Want No Rice"
are very welcome additions to any golden age mento fan's CD
collection.
A similar situation for the four
Lord Power songs, "Penny Reel" and "Chambolia" are available
on the "Jamaica Mento - Authentic Recording"
CD collection, but "Strip Tease" and "Let’s Do It" have never been
compiled on CD.
The two
Clyde Hoyte songs
"Old Firestick" and "Charlie’s Song" (a.k.a. "Sweetie Charlie") are
to be applauded, as no songs from this fine mento artist have
previously surfaced on CD, or anywhere else other than 1950s 78 RPM
singles. Likewise Marie Bryant makes an
overdue CD debut with "Tomato" and "Little Boy".
It's hard to imagine a mento
compilation without Count Lasher, but easy to imagine
better choices than "Talking Parrot" and "Cinemascope". Both
appeared on "Boogu Yagga Gal" and the former
appears on two other CDs described on this page. Meanwhile, more
than a few superior Lasher songs remain unreleased on CD. The same
can be said about the first of two Lord Tickler tracks.
"Limbo" is available on both cheapie Valmark
CDs. "Medley" (consisting of
"Sweetie Charlie, Mango Walk, Mr. Parney")
makes its CD debut. But again, still unreleased are much better
recordings by this important artist, who is more commonly known as
Harold Richardson.
With the recent reissue campaign
by Ivan Chin, there is very little yet to be released by
Chin's Calypso Sextet. But a more illuminating Chin's recording could have been chosen than "Night Food"
(available on Boogu Yagga Gal and three other
CDs) and "Walk and Talk" (available on "Boogu Yagga
Gal").
Disc 2:
1. John Tom - Derrick Harriot with the Audley Williams Combo
For
more on this song...
2. Referendum Calypso - Lord Laro
3. Wrong Impressions Of A Soldier - Lord Laro
4. Haile Selassie - King Bravo
5. Shame & Scandal King Bravo with - Baba Brooks & his Orchestra
6. Fire Fire - Lord Bryner
7. Island In The Sun - The Hiltonaires
8. Limbo - Lord Creator & Audley Williams Quintet
9 Hard Times - Derrick Harriot with Audley Williams
10. Big Bamboo - Lord Jellicoe
11. Zombie Jamboree (aka Back To Back) - Lord Jellicoe
12. Hooliganism - Count Owen
13. Under the Mango Tree - Count Owen
14. Englishman - Lord Christo
15. Obeah Man - Lord Christo
16 Scandal - Louise Bennett
17. Chinese Baby - Hiltonaires
18. Dip & Fall Back - Mapletoft Poulle Orchestra
19. Jamaica Farewell - Jamaican Duke and the Mento Swingers
Disc 2 features mento singles and LP
tracks from about the time of the 1960s. The scope is broad, and not
every track is actually mento. The opening track, a fine performance of the Jamaican
folk song "John Tom" is sung by a name more associated
with rock steady than mento -- Derrick Harriot. As backed by The
Audley Williams Combo, it's performed in the percussion and flute heavy
style. This collection has
a second track by this act, "Hard Times" (a.k.a. "What A Hard Time")
performed in a similar style with a dash of cha cha.
Next is both sides of a popular single originally
released on the Kalypso label featuring two originals by Lord Laro.
The sound feature percussion, electric guitar and bass. These tracks, like
some from this era, seem to stray from urban mento to something less
distinct, but undoubtedly Caribbean. The same can be said of the two tracks
by Lord Christo. In this same style, "Haile Selassie" by King Bravo,
may be the first Rastafarian song that is arguably mento. "Shame and
Scandal" by the same artist is ska rather than mento. The Lord Bryner
track is clearly calypso rather than mento. The same is true of the Lord
Creator's "Limbo". "Scandal" by
Louise Bennett's (mistakenly
listed as Lord Bennett) is not mento, but a spoken piece from the "Miss
Lou's Views" LP.
"Big Bamboo" and "Zombie Jamboree" by
Lord Jellicoe are urban style versions
of these often recorded songs, both of which were first recorded in
Trinidad, but became part of the mento repertoire nonetheless. The
arrangement features prominent and well played electric guitar. The same is
true of the Count Owen tracks, "Hooliganism"
from his "Count Down" LP and "Under the Mango
Tree" from his "Rock Steady" LP. Another urban
track is Mapletoft Poulle's "Dip and Fall Back" from his LP, "Mento".
The classic rural sound make its disc 2 début
with The Hiltonaires "Island In The
Sun". Their "Chinese Baby" also appears
on this disc. "Jamaica Farewell" by Jamaican Duke and the Mento Swingers
is also in the rural style, though with electric guitar. It comes from his
LP, "Yellow Bird". |
|
In early 2010, the French label
Fremeaux
released "Jamaica-Mento 1951-1958". This double CD is a mix of
already available tracks and some that can only be found here,
including three important ones as indicated below. The CD has more
urban sounds than most collections. It includes shabby liner notes
in French and a reduced version in English that takes information
and pictures taken from this site even though I expressly declined
to be involved with this project. |
1. Louise Bennett
- Day Dah Light
2. Hubert Porter - Not Me
3. Ben Bowers - Brown Skin Girl
4. Louise Bennett - Hosanna
5. Hubert Porter - Iron Bar/Mas Charley Bell
6. Lord Flea - Solas Market/Water Come A Mi Eye
7. Lord Flea - Donkey Bray
8. Lord Flea - Donkey City
9. Laurel Aitken - Nebuchadnezzar
10. Count Lasher - Mango Time
For
more on this song...
11. Harold Richardson - Don't Fence Her In
For
more on this song...
12. Lord Messam - Take Her To Jamaica
13. Boysie Grant - Noisy Spring
14. Count Lasher - Island Gal Sally
15. The Wigglers - Linstead Market And Day O
16. [Arthur Knibbs with] Cecil Knott And His Joybell Orchestra - Banana
For
more on this song...
17. Chin's Calypso Sextet - Woman Style
18. Flea Lord - Irene and Yo'fr'en
1. The Wigglers - Don't Touch Me Tomato
2. The Wigglers - Calypso Medley
3. Lord Flea - Magic Composer
4. Lord Fly - Donkey City
5. Baba Motta - Jamaica Talk
6. Hubert Porter - Old Lady You Mash Me Toe
7. Count Lasher - The Ole Man's Drive
8. Count Lasher - Breadfruit Season
9. Lord Flea - It All Began With Adam And Eve
10. The Wrigglers - Limbo
11. The Wrigglers - Mary Ann
12. Hubert Porter - Bargie
13. Count Lasher - Doctor
14. The Wrigglers - Biggest Maracas
15. Count Lasher - Perseverance
16. Chin's Calypso Sextet - Night Food Recipe
17. Count Lasher - Calypso Cha Cha
18. Laurel Aitken - Sweet Chariot
Next comes two budget
CDs, Souvenir Of Jamaica and Calypsos from Jamaica, released simultaneously
on Valmark in 1998. If you saw these in a budget bin, you could have
easily passed them by, with their cheap
packaging that lacks any information other than the song titles. But they collect
a variety of genuine 1950s mento with
good sound quality, are carried by on-line retailers such as Amazon
-- and are dirt cheap, to boot!
Thanks to Paul Coote,
Daniel Neely and others who provided the artists for some of the songs.
Calypsos from Jamaica:
|
1. Linstead
Market/Day-O - The Wigglers
For
more on this song...
2. Old Lady, You Mash Me Toe - Hubert Porter
3. Jamaica Mermaid - The Wigglers
For
more on this song...
4. Mama Don't Want No Peas - Lord Lebby
5. Ten Penny Nail - Hubert Porter
6. Miss Goosie - Hubert Porter
7. Rum and Coconut Water - Hubert Porter
8. Limbo - Harold Richardson
For
more on this song...
9. Not Me - Denzil Lanig Trio
For
more on this song...
10. Solas Market/Water Come from Me Eye - ?
11. Dr. Kinsey Report - Lord Lebby
For more on this song...
12. Mary's Lamb - Hubert Porter
|
This collection is weighted to the dance-band
style, as you would expect from all the Hubert Porter tracks. At least
some of these are good remakes of the originals. It does include the
classic rural Lord Lebby track, "Dr. Kinsey", but the version of
his "Mama Don't Want No Peas" is an OK remake of
his superior original
version.
|
Souvenir Of Jamaica:
|
1. Not Me - Denzil Laing Trio
For
more on this song...
2. Mary Ann; Papa's Going Away -
Denzil Laing Trio
For
more on this song...
3. Island in the Sun - Count Owen
For
more on this song...
4. Hula-Hula-Calypso - Count Owen
For
more on this song...
5. Love (And Love Alone) - ?? For
more on this song...
6. Jamaican Mambo - ?
7. Mambo from the W. I. - ?
8. You're a Real Operator - Chin's Calypso Sextet
(actually, this track
is called "Rough Rider")
For more on this song...
9. Money Is King - Chin's Calypso Sextet
10. Rufus Said (Honey Moon) - Chin's Calypso Sextet
For more on this song...
11. Limbo - Harold Richardson
For
more on this song...
12. Ding Dang Walla - ?
|
Perhaps the more balanced of the two
Valmark releases. Two good Count Owen tracks and
some classics by Chin's. Jamaican Mambo is not
mento (neither is "Mambo from the W.I. "), but the lyrics do mention
mento. Love (And Love Alone) is a great rural track, worth the price of
admission, though no one seems to know who the performer is!
The
songs on the two Valmark CDs are collected on a budget two CD package,
called "Caribbean Holiday", (on the Allegro label, 1999, left, and on
the Columbia River Entertainment label, 2000, right). Actually, all the
tracks could have fit on one CD. It can be harder to find, and offers
nothing that the individual Valmark CDs do not have.
|
"Voyager Calypso Passion", a 2001 release on the Columbia River
Entertainment label has the same tracks as the Valmark release,
"Calypsos From Jamaica". Not surprisingly, this budget release does
not provide the artists' names either. |
See also the
More Middle Period Album Scans
page to see the LPs that collected this material before it was released
on CD.
|
|
In August of 2003 a CD called "Jamaica Mento - Authentic Recording"
appeared on the Traditional label out of France. It includes 18 golden
age tracks in good sound quality (that's good), but many have been
collected on other CDs (that could be better). The
back cover liner notes are
minimal and the song listing have errors and does not include artists'
names. (That's a shame, but the song titles are corrected below and most
of the artists are provided .)
|
This CD (as well as others on the page) can be purchased at
www.reggaeCD.com.
|
1. Healing In The Barn [Balm] Yard -
Harold Richardson
For more on this song...
2. Talking Parrot - Count Lasher
For more on this song...
3. Hill and Gully Rider[/Mandeville Road] - Lord Composer
For more on this song...
4. Ethiopa - Lord Lebby
For more on this song...
5. Old Lady - Hubert Porter
6. Blu La Lup - Lord Fly
For more on this song...
7. Penny Wheel [Penny Reel] - Lord Power
For more on this song...
8. Long Time Gal - Monty Reynolds
For more on this song...
9. Linstead Market - Lord Messam
For more on this song...
10. Ten Penny Nail - Hubert Porter
11. Dry Weather [House] - George Moxey For
more on this song...
12. Country Gal - Harold Richardson
13. Night Food - Chin's
For more on this song...
14. Green Guava - Harold Richardson
15. Big Boy - Chin's
For more on this song...
16. Miss Goosie - Hubert Porter
17. Manasa - Lord Fly
18. Chambolona - Lord Power
|
|
Trojan Record's simply titled "Mento &
R&B" is a 2011 double CD that may be of more interest to fans of the
latter than the former. Most of is R&B, and most of its better mento
tracks are available elsewhere. |
Disc 1
01. Night Food - Bedasse, Chin's Calypso Quintet
02. Talking Parrot - Calypsonians, Charlie Binger, Count Lasher
03. Strip Tease - Trenton Spence, Lord Power
04. Ethiopia - Lord Lebby & the Jamaican Calypsonians
05. Limbo - Lord Tickler
06. Little Sheila - Laurel Aitken
07. Hoola Hoop Calypso - Count Owen
08. We’re Gonna Love - Wilfred‘ Jackie’ Edwards
09. Jamaica Is The Place To Go - Charlie Binger & His Quartet
10. One Kiss For My Baby - Lord Lebby, The Caribs
11. Boogie In My Bones - Laurel Aitken
12. Please Let Me Go - Owen Gray
13. Dumplings - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
14. Tell Me Darling - Jackie Edwards
15. Far Love - Owen Gray
16. Little Vilma The - Blues Busters, Luther "Wee Willie" Williams & His
Orchestra
17. Too-Woo-Up-To-Woo - The Jiving Juniors, The Caribs
18. Jenny Lee - Owen Gray
19. Worried Over You - Keith And Enid
20. The Wasp - Bubbles
Disc 2
01. Fat Man - Derrick Morgan
02. Jenny V - Teddy Brown
03. Album Of Memory - The Mellowlarks, Kenneth Richards & His Band
04. S-U-K-I-N - Kes Chin
05. Whenever There's Moonlight - Jackie Edwards
06. Now We Know - Derrick Morgan, Eric Morris, The Trenton Spence
Orchestra
07. Verona - Jimmy Sinclair
08. Times Are A-Going - Martin & Derrick
09. Baa Baa Black Sheep - Cecil Byrd, Sir Dee's Group
10. A Thousand Teardrops - The Rhythm Aces
11. Girls Rush - Lloyd Clarke
12. Last Night - The Dragonaires, Byron Lee
13. Referendum Calypso - Lord Laro
14. You Said You Loved Me - Lloyd Robinson
15. I'm Sorry (Album Version) - Jimmy Cliff
16. My One Desire - The Sonny Bradshaw Quartet, Owen Gray
17. Independent Jamaica - Lord Creator
18. Sugar Dandy - The Jiving Juniors
19. Behold - The Blues Busters
20. Come Back My Love (aka I Need Your Love) - Basil & Yvonne, Sir Dee's
Group
|
In
the middle of 2013, a double CD collection of golden age tracks called
"Mento, Not Calypso" was released on the Fantastic Voyage
label. In addition to some oft collected songs, it has a good
portion of tracks making their CD début including some
significant tracks (highlighted in
green below), making
this collection quite necessary to own. |
Disc 1
01. Mambo Jamaica - Sir Horace and His Merry Knights
<link>
02. Brown Skin Gal - Tower Islanders
03. Red Head - Lord Lebby
04. Montego Calypso - Clyde Hoyte and The George Moxey Quartet
05. Medley: Sweetie Charley; Mr. Parney; Mango Walk - Lord Tickler
06. Mary’s Lamb; The More We Are Together - Hubert Porter
07. Calabash - Count Lasher
08. Wheel And Turn Me - Lord Flea
09. Give Her Love Aka Woman’s Tenderness - Chin’s Calypso Sextet
10. Limbo - Denzil Laing and The Wigglers
11. Man Is Smart, Woman’S Smarter - Jamaica Boy (Denzil Laing)
12. The Talking Parrot - The Mighty Panther and The Jamaican Calypsonians
13. Kitch - Ben Bower and Baba Motta and his Orchestra
14. Penny Reel - Lord Power
15. Whai Whai Whai - Lord Fly and Dan Williams and his Orchestra
<link>
16. Green Guava - Harold Richardson
17. Hard Hearted Lover (Man Could A Smart) - Harold Richardson and The Ticklers
<link>
18. The Ole Man’S Drive - Count Lasher & George Moxey & his Calypso Quintet
19. Honeymoon - Chin’s Calypso Sextet
20. Hold ‘Im Joe - Lord Lebby
21. Advice To Men - Tower Islanders
22. Transportation Kingston Style - Lord Fly and Dan Williams and his Orchestra
<link>
23. Donkey City - Lord Flea
24. Take Her To Jamaica - Count Owen <link>
25. Calypso Cha Cha Cha - Count Lasher
<link>
26. Mambo La La - Lord Power
Disc 2
01. Morgan’s Mento - Sir Horace and His Merry Knights
<link>
02. Special Amber Calypso - Lord Power
03. Limbo - Lord Tickler
04. Brown Skin Gal - Count Owen <link>
05. Solus Market - Boysie Grant and Reynolds Calypso Clippers
06. Ethiopia - Lord Lebby
07. Industrial Fair - Chin’s Calypso Sextet
08. Dalvey Gir; Parson - Count Lasher
09. Miss Goosie - Hubert Porter
10. Mattie Rag; Brown Skin Gal - Lord Flea
11. Parish Gal - Harold Richardson and The Ticklers
<link>
12. Cinemascope - The Mighty Panther
13. Back To Back, Belly To Belly - Lord Lebby
14. Miss Daisy; Brown Skin Girl - Hubert Porter
15. Trek To England - Count Lasher <link>
16. My Brother Calamity - Joseph Clemendore
17. Adam And Eve - Chin’s Calypso Sextet
18. Mary Ann; Brown Skin Gal - Jamaica Boy (Denzil Laing)
19. Perseverence - Count Lasher
20. Ugly Woman - Hubert Porter
21. Run Mongoose; Linstead Market - Lord Flea
22. Water The Garden - Count Lasher <link>
23. Bloodshot Eyes - Lord Lebby
24. Money Is King - Chin’s Calypso Sextet
25. Hold ‘Im Joe - Tower Islanders
|
Released in 2015 on the Fantastic
Voyage label is double CD collection called "Jamaica Is The
Place To Go",
There's a few tracks that have never been on LP
or CD (perhaps must significantly
"Bed Bug" by Count Zebra),
but most of the key tracks are already available on the CDs above.
|
CD 1
- Invitation To Jamaica (Lord Tanamo and Charlie Binger’s Six)
- Island In The Sun (Count Owen and His Calypsonians)
- Mama No Want No Rice, No Peas (Lord Lebby with The Jamaican
Calypsonians)
- Hold ’Em Joe (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band)
- Baba Kill Me Goat (Laurel Aitken and The Boogie Cats)
- Referendum Calypso (Lord Laro)
- Chico Chico (Count Sticky and His Calypsonians)
- Rough Rider (Alerth Bedasse with Local Calypso Quintet)
- Naughty Little Flea (Lord Flea and His Calypsonians)
- Rum And Coconut Water (Hubert Porter with The Jamaican
Calypsonians)
- Charlie’s Song (Clyde Hoyte’s Manor House Mentones)
- Hool-A-Hoop Calypso (Count Owen and His Calypsonians)
- Maintenance (Cobra Man with Ganny Gabbison and His Calypso Band)
- Back To Back, Belly To Belly (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band)
- Strip Tease (Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet)
- Banana (Arthur Knibbs with Cecil Knott and His Joybell
Orchestra)
- Wicked Woman (Lord Tanamo)
- Calypso Rock N Roll (Laurel Aitken)
- Bed-Bug (Count Zebra and The Seasiders)
- Love, Love Alone (Unidentified)
- Aye, Aye, Aye (Count Owen and His Calypsonians)
- Wheel And Tun Me (Bertie King)
- Lousy Mother In Law (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band)
- Little Boy (Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet)
CD2
- Sweet Jamaica (Lord Lebby with The Jamaican Calypsonians)
- Chambolina (Lord Power with Calypso Quintet)
- Lawd Some Man Could A Smart (Count Owen and His Calypsonians)
- Nebuchnezer (Laurel Aitken)
- Drive Her Home (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band)
- Cat-O-Nine (Count Zebra and The Seasiders)
- Animal Instinct (Lord Tanamo and His Calypsonians)
- Old Firesticks (Clyde Hoyte’s Manor House Mentones)
- Bam Celiena (Count Sticky and His Calypsonians)
- Mama Look Tea (Lord Tickler and The Jamaican Calypsonians)
- The Weed (Count Owen and His Calypsonians)
- Let’s Do It (Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet)
- Stone Cold Dead In The Market (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso
Band)
- Rege Dege Ding (Laurel Aitken and His Calypso Band)
- Wrong Impressions Of A Solder (Lord Laro)
- Little Fist (Lord Tanamo and His Calypsonians)
- Honey Bee (Alerth Bedasse with Chin’s Sextet)
- Not Me (Hubert Porter with The Jamaican Calypsonians)
- The Lost Watch (Count Owen and His Calypsonians)
- Miss Constance (Count Lasher and Charlie Binger's Six)
- Jamaica Is The Place To Go (Harold Richardson with Charlie
Binger and His Quintet)
- Jamaica Farewell (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band)
- The Mermaid (The Wigglers)
- Tomato (Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet)
|
Released in 2015 is the 4-CD box set,
"Simply Calypso" on the Union
Square Music label.
Mento is represented by 6 already
available on CD tracks:
Calypso Cha Cha - Count Lasher
Miss
Constance - Count Lasher
Monkey Talk - George Moxley
Guzoo Doctor – Chin’s
Jamaica Gal
- Chin’s Chico Chico - Count Sticky
|
|
In 2018, released by Dub Store
Records out of Japan, came
"Calypsos From Jamaica", a collection of
Hubert Porter's recordings
for the Time Store label in the 1950s. Don't be
misinformed by the rural trio on the jacket. This mento is at the
far end of the smooth, polished jazzy spectrum.
Tracks: |
1. Names Of Funny Places
2. Millie 3. Not Me 4. Rum And Coconut Water 5.
Miss Daisy 6. Old Lady 7. Miss Goosie 8. Ugly Woman
|
. Bargie 10. Don't
Fence Her In 11. Mass Charley Bell 12. Mary's Lamb
13. Mary Ann 14. Gal And Boy 15. Ten Penny Nail 16.
Gimmie More
|
|
[Click
above for large image]
[Click here for back cover]
|
In
1999, the Reggae Retro label released "Laurel Aitken... The Pioneer of
Jamaican Music". It can be a bit tricky to find for such a recent release. The
first 5 of 25 tracks are calypso-influenced mento recorded from 1957 to 1959,
often in Aitken's rough and unique style. The last two tracks have Jamaican great
Ernest Ranglin on electric guitar. The rest of the tracks are calypso,
R&B and ska. Informative liner notes and lyrics are included.
1. Ghana Independence (They Got It)
2. Mas Charlie (Prisoner Song)
3. Nebuchadnezzar
For more on this song...
4. Baba Kill Me Goat
5. Tribute to Collie Smith
|
|
|
"Swingin' Calypsos", by Lord Flea and His Calypsonians released
on Capitol Records in 1957.
This is a strong LP with a lot of great songs, vocals and playing. It's
worth seeking out at your favorite used-record store, on-line dealer or
eBay, where it can be obtained inexpensively. (Since this was released
on Capitol, there are many copies floating around.) See the
Lord Flea page for more information and
song clips from this LP.
|
Hold everything! Don't hit the used record stores yet. In April of 2009,
Capitol finally released Lord Flea's "Swingin' Calypsos"
on CD, though you wouldn't know it at first glance. For more
information, visit the Lord Flea page
here. |
|
front |
|
back |
|
[Click above for large image]
[Click here for back cover]
[Click here for liner notes] |
More hidden mento. Released in 2001 on the Legacy International
label, "Steel Drum and Calypso Music" is neither. Instead, it's a CD
release of the Lord Foodoos mento LP, Calypso!". The cover
features - and liner notes describe - steel drums, which are not present
anywhere in the music. And the artist's name is misspelled, omitting the
final "o". But do grab this budget priced CD (Amazon and others carry
it) and you can hear an OK rural mento set with more of a 1960's
middle-period sound, even though it was recorded in 1957. The Lord
Foodoos LP, "Calypso!" is pictured and
discussed on the More Golden Age Album Scans page. |
|
|
Though not a typical in sound for its time, here is a
collection of songs from the mid-1950s by Lord Composer that is available for purchase through a number of paid download services, such as
www.emusic.com. Backed by
The Calypso Champions, Composer is in a relaxed mood,
pleasantly performing mento hits with a piano, hand drum and
maracas accompaniment. A pleasing set, as long as one does not
expect a sound anything like the
burning single Composer recorded for MRS in the
1950s. A track listing follows: |
1. Hard Times
2. Glamour Girls
3. Donkey Race
4. Come Down From America
5. Daisy
6. Ugly Woman
7. Daphne Walking [also includes "Parson"]
8. Holiday Rumba |
9. Banana
10. Little Fly Song
11. White Girls and Black Girls
12. Chi Chi Bird Oh [also includes "Fan Me Soldier Man"]
13. Linstead Market
14. Nobody's Business
15. Mattie Rag [also includes "Natta Bay Road"]
16. Wheel And Turn Me |
Half of these tracks were originally released on
a 10" LP from a US record company in Florida
as seen here.
Middle Period
|
In the summer of
2005, the Dub Store Japan label, has released
Count Owen's middle period LP,
"Calypsos Down Jamaica Way" on CD. It's available from Ernie B's
(http://www.ebreggae.com/)
and from other retailers that specialize in Japanese imports.
Londoners can also pick up a copy at Honest Jons Records on
Portobello Road.
For more on this release click this
link. |
|
Readily
available from their web site
is a Smithsonian-Folkways CD of the 1960 LP, "Calypso Jamaica".
Only 1000 copies were originally released on the Cook-Microfusion
label. But in 1990, Emory Cook and his family donated all of his
recordings to Smithsonian-Folkways.
Don't let the folded sheet of paper that
serves as a jacket fool you. The sound is excellent and the performance
is very strong. The unnamed group consists of Lord Myrie on guitar and vocals,
Cecil Mitchell on banjo, and James Convery on
marimba box.
|
(Cecil is still going strong,
playing in Montego Bay as a member of
The Triangles.)
This July 26, 1960 session foreshadows the
sound of the mento resurgence
and that of today's hotel bands. The songs are
comprised of middle period staples, less commonly covered golden age
songs, what are most probably Trinidadian calypsos, and one "old
standard". And it may have been recorded in 1960, but some tracks
sure sound like (not ska, but) reggae!
|
|
1. Darling I'm
Starving So
2. Kinsey Report
3. Don't Roll Those Blood
Shot Eyes At Me
4. Spelling Song
5. The Secret Murder
6. Big Bamboo
7. Woman Smarter Than Man
8. Take Her To Jamaica
9. Miss Emily
10. Adam and Eve
11. Marianne
12. Goodnight Ladies |
Thanks to Brian Keyo for alerting me to
this release and providing the background.
A single from this LP
was also released, as seen here.
|
Smithsonian-Folkways
will also burn you a CDR of the 1979 LP "Calypso Rock Songs of
Jamaica" by Horace Johnson & The Eagle Star. Needless to
say, the title is a double misnomer, as the music is strictly
rural mento. The music is OK if unremarkable. Sound quality is
excellent. (Sorry, a larger image is not available.) |
|
1. Education in School
2. Island in the Sun
3. Paradise Island
4. Yellow Bird
5. Come to Jamaica
6. January, February, March
7. The Donkey Want Water
8. Love in the Cemetery
9. Can't Make Love Without
Money
|
Vocals and harmony are quite nice. Eagle
Star consists of Leroy Jones, Noel Dona and Enel Allen, though it is
not stated who plays what instrument. Song choices include some popular
folk/mento numbers and a few from calypso. One unfamiliar track "January,
February, March" is quite evocative, even though the lyrics are just a
recitation of the months. It features a folksy sound that to my ears
provides the missing link between rural mento and Simon and Garfunkel!
Thanks to Robin Bleakley, of Louisville, Kentucky, for alerting me to this release.
|
|
The Hiltonaires "Big Bamboo" LP has been
released on CD. Amazon stocks it.
Their "Ska-Motion in Ska-Lip-So" LP
was re-released on vinyl and can be purchased from
ErnieB's Reggae, for
example.
|
|
For more on these releases be sure
to visit The
Hiltonaires page.
The late-2004 release, "Trojan
Jamaica Box Set", has a number of tracks that will be of interest to
mento fans. First, there are six middle-period mento tracks, as
described below:
|
The Hiltonaires - Jamaica
This pretty good
Hiltonaires track come from their LP, "Meet
Me In Jamaica With Sunshine")
Count
Owen - Take Her To Jamaica [Where The Ska Comes From]
An updated version of
the mento tourist song "Take Her To Jamaica [Where The Rum
Comes From]" from his "Skalipso"
LP, that falls between urban mento and ska.
|
Lord Kitchener - Jamaica Woman
Kitchner is really a calypso,
rather than mento act. But this Jamaica-themed, Jamaica produced (by
Leslie Kong) jazzy track blurs the already indistinct line
between jazzy dance band mento and jazzy calypso.
Webb Ralston and The Drumbago
Band - Jamaica Mento
I was surprised to see a
mento track by a band led by the famous ska drummer, Arkland "Drumbago"
Parks - but not very. All of the original ska musicians,
such as the Skatalites, had jazz background. That typically
entailed jazzy dance dance mento recordings and performances. Not
surprisingly, this dance band mento has an emphasis on percussion.
(The single's original flipside, Cornmeal Dumpling , is described a
bit here.)
Duke
Harris - Jamaica Way
A somewhat urbanized rural
mento, from an LP or perhaps a single that I am not familiar with.
Count Lasher - Jump Independently
The same track as found on
the "Trojan Calypso Box Set" and on "Jump
Up Calypso", both seen below.
Additionally, this collection includes two
reggae covers of mento songs:
Paragons - Island In The Sun
John Holt - Jamaica Farewell
And finally, a
Lord Tanamo reggae track "My Sweet
Jamaica", with something of a mento feel to the vocals.
|
Keeping their promise, the 2002 release, "Trojan Calypso Box
Set", does indeed include some mento tracks. These were singles
that were recorded by Duke Reid and others between 1960 and
1970. This is polished urban mento with, at times, a calypso
aspect to the sound.
Yes, that's the original Toots and the
Maytals recording of "Bam Bam". It definitely is not calypso, so it
must be included as a mento song. Hard to argue, after hearing the
arrangement of the the old Count Lasher
track "Mango Time". The mento
songs on |
|
this box are listed below:
Bam Bam - Count Lasher & Williams with Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band
'Mufridite - Count Lasher & Williams with Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks
Band
The Weed (aka Man Piabba) - Count Lasher
with Lyn Taitt & the Baba Brooks Band
Jamaica Is The Place To Go - Charlie Binger & His Quartet
Woman A Love In The Night Time - Lord Spoon & David
In The Park - Count Alert with Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band
Bam Bam - The Maytals
Country Gal - Charlie Binger & His Quartet
|
The 2004 collection, "Trojan Sunshine
Reggae Box Set", includes two 1960s mento tracks:
"Jamaica Farewell" by Jamaica Duke
has banjo playing the mento rhythm and lead alto sax fulfilling
the role that would have been clarinet or bamboo a decade
earlier. Acoustic guitar, electric bass and hand drums complete
reggae-influenced rural mento cover of the
Harry Belafonte hit. An LP by
this artist can be seen on the "More
Middle Period Album Scans" page. |
The second mento related track on this release is "A Dash of the
Sunshine" by Lord Tanamo. This track is discussed on the
Lord Tanamo page.
|
[Click above for large image]
[Click here for back cover]
|
This 1966
Treasure Isle album, "Jump Up Calypso" was reissued on CD in 1998 on the Jet Set
label. Mento in the same style as on the Trojan box above. Beware: there
are a number of tracks repeated between the two. The liner notes
indicate that mento was sometimes known as "jump up", (though
its really more of a calypso term). It was also at
times called "Jamaican Rhumba". Is it any wonder that the word
mento is so obscure? In addition to the mento tracks listed below,
the CD is rounded out with 5 ska tracks.
|
1. Jump Independently -
Count Lasher
2. The Weed (aka Piabba) - Count Lasher
3. Old Man's Drive - Count Lasher
4. Hooligans - Count Lasher
5. Dog War Jump Up - Baba Brooks and Lynn Taitt |
6. Bam Bam - Count Lasher
7. 'Mufridite - Count Lasher
8. In the Park - Count Alert
9. Hard Times - Count Alert |
Thanks to Olivier Albot for pointing out
that "Old Man's Drive" is mislabeled, and not by Count Lasher.
Also, see above for the
description of the collection "Dip and Fall Back" for more middle-period
mento available on CD.
Resurgence
|
|
In early 2008, the rare 1973 LP, "From Mento To Reggae To Third World
Music", by saxophonist
Cedric "Im" Brooks saw its first release on CD. It includes
some mento tracks.See here for
details. |
I enjoyed The Jolly Boys CDs for years before I
had the opportunity to hear any other mento. When I finally heard artists like
Lord Lebby, I was
struck by how true the Jolly Boys line up and sound was to the classic rural
mento sound of 40 years earlier. Strictly banjo, acoustic guitar, rumba box,
maracas, hand drum and vocals.
The first three CDs listed below are out of
print, but can be found fairly easily and inexpensively by pinging
used-record stores, liquidators and eBay. The live CD is an in-print
Japanese-only release, and can be purchased from sites that offer imported
CDs (though the
high cost of Japanese imports may give you pause). The
3 studio CDs are recommended as an excellent way to hear
resurgent mento. The great majority of these songs are
covers of old mentos, with only an occasional original or non-mento cover.
As of 2011, these out-of-print CD are being
made available as digital downloads from
Funzalo Records.
In 2011, The Jolly Boys returned with
an new lineup, a new LP and more as seen here on this site's
The Jolly Boys page.
|
described on that page are
recommended as an excellent way to hear
resurgent mento and
reggae-mento.
Thanks for Wallace Pryor of
St. Louis, Missouri for providing the following information about a
mento band called The Upbeaters,
who appeared in two 1990s Hollywood movies. Though they did not appear
on the soundtrack CDs, can be seen
performing on the DVDs.
In "Prelude To A Kiss" (1992, with Meg Ryan
and Alec Baldwin) this mento trio (banjo, guitar and rumba box) perform
"Jamaica Farewell" by a hotel swimming pool. They also appear in "How
Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1998, with Angela Bassett and Whoopi
Goldberg), where they perform "By The Rivers Of Babylon" (originally
done by The Melodians).
Wallace was able to determine The
Upbeaters are Simon Street, Harold Dawkins and Kenneth Buckford,
though it is not known who plays what instrument.
|
Also see:
|
|