Roosevelt in Trinidad - Calypsos of Events, Places and Personalities, 1933-1939

Songs about British royalty, American movie stars and singers, of local politics, sporting events and disasters all vie for attention in the calypso song. Enormously popular during the 1930s, today these songs are a window on a specific place and time, mirroring contemporary attitudes towards international events. But more than that, these songs are charming, clever, philosophical and funny, possessing a sophisticated (and often biting) wit. Several of the songs heard here were revived in the '70s by such artists as Ry Cooder, Van Dyke Parks and others. With Wilmoth Houdini, Lionel Belasco & His Orchestra, Atilla (Atilla the Hun), Tiger, Lord Beginner, King Radio, Lion, Caresser, Executor, Growler, Black Prince.


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Fall of Man- Calypsos on the Human Condition 1935-1941

Boomp3.com



This album features insouciant, trenchant, and politically incorrect commentary on the war of the sexes, clothed in jaunty rhythms and with tongue firmly in cheek.
The lyrics are placed in the few melodies used by all performers in the 1935-41 period covered by the CD. The great names of the "golden age" of Trinidadian calypso are represented - Tiger, Attila, Lion, King Radio, Growler and others. The accompaniment features piano, horns, violin, bass, and trap set, contributing jazzy instrumental interpolations on the generous 23 selections included here.
- Stacy Phillips



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Calypso Calaloo - Early Carnival Music in Trinidad

This collection of treasures from the Smithsonian, other archives, and commercial studios transformed a series of tracks by the set's producers into a heady taste of carnival through the decades. Calypso Calaloo is actually the aural accompaniment to Donald R. Hill's written volume Calypso Calaloo: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad, a fascinating account of that island's music pioneers, its world-famous annual carnival, and the culture that spawned it.
--Elena Oumano


http://www.mediafire.com/?fgekjmwyjnd

Calypsos From Trinidad: Politics, Intrigue and Violence in the 1930's

This is an expanded version of the lp "Where was Butler" posted at (http://listentoyourears.blogspot.com/). My man YO YO posted the lp version which has 16 tracks, but I am posting the CD version which has 24.

This socially-conscious collection draws upon the first few generations of calypsonians, with a special emphasis on seminal figures like Atilla The Hun, The Tiger and Lord Executor (who reportedly made his debut in 1897, and remained on the scene for another six decades). Their concerns are local ("Shop Closing Ordinance"), international ("The Gold in Africa,") specific ("The Rats," which describes the practices of local prostitutes) and sweeping ("Money Is King," which takes social inequality for its subject). A great many concern a 1937 strike by workers in Trinidad's oil fields, which created a viable labor movement, and resulted (eventually) in the end of colonial rule. The jazz-inflected arrangements are dated, but still delightful ("Down the Road" is almost an anthem). The lyrics have lost none of their bite.

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Wilmouth Houdini - Poor But Ambitious

This is an expanded version of an earlier LP that was posted at (http://listentoyourears.blogspot.com/)with an assortment of Houdini's recordings with string band, tamboo bamboo, and a small 'Jazz' orchestra (Gerald Clark's Night Owls).

The LP was released in 1984 by Arhoolie Records, then re-released by Arhoolie on CD under the title Poor But Ambitious in 1993 with an additional eight tracks that Houdini recorded in the mid-'40s added.



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Growling Tiger - The Alan Lomax Portait Series

Boomp3.com


Most of this was recorded by Alan Lomax in Trinidad in 1962, with a traditional-styled band backing Marcano with flute, fiddle, guitar, bass, and percussion. It's pretty well-recorded, Marcano is in good vocal form, and the band has a fine loose, informal vibe. This largely sticks to songs about romance and gently moralistic tales, getting into more serious territory with "War" (sung with Lord Iere and Indian Prince), with its references to the atomic bomb. The tunes have Marcano's trademark minor-key melodies, yet they're sung and played in a jovial style that makes them rather uplifting. Two tracks recorded at the 1966 Newport Folk Festival -- Marcano talking at length about calypso music, and an a cappella "Atomic Energy Calypso" -- are tough to enjoy because of the mediocre fidelity and dry unaccompanied vocals.
~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide


http://www.mediafire.com/?iztiodi5ez2

Growling Tiger - Knockdown Calypsos

In 1977, American calypso enthusiast, Steve Shapiro visited Trinidad and sought out Tiger who had long since retired and was presumed to be dead by most people. Shapiro prevailed upon Tiger to do a modern recording of some of his finest works in their original style. At sixty-four years of age, Tiger had lost none of his prowess and the resultant 1979 album titled, KNOCKDOWN CALYPSOS on the Rounder Records label later earned a Grammy nomination.


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