Here's some classic calypso for you. I know this isn't the regular T&W sort of thing but I love this stuff and it isn't available anywhere else on the internet.
Before there was Mighty Sparrow there was Rafael de Leon - better known as Roaring Lion. In the late 70s his music was bastardized with the newly uprising dancehall sound (see Papa Chunks) but his early compositions were superior to anything he did later or anything his contemporaries did in the 50s.
The song Ugly Woman was the inspiration for the 1963 Jimmy Soul classic "If You Wanna be Happy" which, ironically, was the basis for the Skatalites version of the song.
1 Miss Tina
2 Rhumba Dance
3 Concertina
4 Love Thy Neighbor
5 I am Going to Buy a Bungalow
6 Wash Your Hands
7 Suzi Q
8 The Blue Tail Fly
9 Royal Tour
10 Cheek to Cheek
11 Charming Trinidad
12 Weather Man
13 Bananas
14 I ain't Gonna do it no More
15 Bamsee Lambay
16 J'ouvert Barrio
17 Mary Ann
18 It Wouldn't Work
19 Advantage Mossolino
20 Money Money
21 Ugly Woman
22 Ba Boo La La
23 I Can Make More Love Than Romeo
24 Some Girl Something
25 Netty Netty
"Rhumba Dance"
"Weather Man"
DOWNLOAD
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this re-post! I've been looking for this for about 7 years (missed it first time around)- it seems impossible to find.
Which I don't understand. This is part of a common series (Sparrow, Kitchener, etc) - why has this one gone the way of hens' teeth?
The old Catch 22 I suppose. Its become unavailable 'cos no-one knows about it and no-one knows about it 'cos its unavailable.
Good on you for spreading its good sounds and historic importance, & 3 cheers for going outside "the regular T&W sort of thing".
I was a little worried when I saw it was only 44Mb, but hey, IT SOUNDS GREAT!
I'm going to tell ALL my friends! (about 3 people) Mick from Oz
Thanks for posting this. When I started listening to old calypso, Lion's tunes quickly became among my favorites.
ReplyDeleteBut I think the post (and the wikipedia link) are incorrect on one point. The Skatalites never recorded Happy For the Rest of Your Life.
When Napster and other .mp3 sharing tools first hit the scene, TONS of mislabeled tracks created much confusion. Harry Chapin tunes were labeled, Cat Stevens; and a myriad of 80's tunes all credited to The Cure. It was a mess.
Every time I would download this supposed Skatalites track, it would turn out to be Johnny Soul. Also, I cannot find any evidence of an official Skatalites release with this song on it.
Even the youtube, featuring a Skatalites logo, is labeled Johnny Soul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baRswZawbGo