Calypso

I first discovered Calypso when I was 13, and I gained a sudden fasination with my parents extensive vinyl collection. One warm summer night while they were out, I put on Calypso and began to dance around the house to the happy and wistful tunes. Very, very rarely do I listen to an album all the way through, and even more rarely do I enjoy every single song on an album. Calypso, along with Sarah M's "Fumbling Towards XTC" are the only albums I can listen to all the way through and never want to hit the fast track forward button on my CD player. I am endlessly glad to have gotten myself the CD version, and I'm sure it would be a salvation to me on that desert island. The tranquil "Jamacian Farewell" and "How I do adore her" for those quiet and homesick moments, "Day-O" or it's sequal song, "Star-O," for singing along to playfully when the days starts of it ends, and many other songs to dance to. "Man Smart" and "Will His Love Be Like His Rum" will make you laugh and want to sing and dance. "Dolly Dawn" and "Hosanna" are terrific, but my favorite is the lyrical and poignant "Brown Skin Girl."

Belafonte's voice is smooth, sweet and dark as molasses, and the songs are all wonderful for any age. This is one of the best CDs ever cut, and I sincerely recommend it to any one of any age. On my desert island, the palm trees will be swaying right along with me as I enjoy this awesome CD.

The digitally remastered sound quality is excellent but there are, however, no liner notes included and, in terms of his hit singles, the only ones included from among the 10 he charted between 1953 and 1957 are: Jamaica Farewell [# 14 in late 1956]; and Banana Boat (Day-O) [# 5 early in 1957], along with its flipside, the very similar Star-O.

Some labels have long since re-released CDs that originally offered up 10- or 12-track vinyl LPs, inserting additional tracks to make them more palatable to the consumer. Some examples include Sarah Vaughan, several Elvis Presley albums, and Donovan.

This one would go to 5 stars at once with the addition of: Hold 'Em Joe [# 84 in 1957] and its follow-along B-side, I'm Just A Country Boy; Mama Look At Bubu [# 11 in 1957] and its flipside, Don't Ever Love Me [# 90]; and Cocoanut Woman [# 25 in 1957] and its B-side Island In The Sun [# 30].

That would bring it to a more acceptable [by today's standards]17 tracks, and if they wanted to even it out they could add the other side of Jamaica Farewell, Once Was. And if they REALLY wanted to do us all a favour, they could go to 20 tracks and add his 1956 Christmas hit, Mary's Boy Child [# 12] and its B-side, Venezuela.

But I'm not holding my breath.