Harry Belafonte - Calypso - [Vinyl]

This is the album that made Harry Belafonte�s career. Up to this point, calypso had only been a part of Belafonte�s focus in his recordings of folk music styles. But with this landmark album, calypso not only became tattooed to Belafonte permanently; it had a revolutionary effect on folk music in the �50s and �60s. The album consists of songs from Trinidad, mostly written by West Indian songwriter Irving Burgie (aka Lord Burgess). Burgie�s two most successful songs are included - �Day O� and �Jamaica Farewell� (which were both hit singles for Belafonte) - as are the evocative ballads �I Do Adore Her� and �Come Back Liza� and what could be the first feminist folk song, �Man Smart (Woman Smarter).� Calypso became the first million-selling album by a single artist, spending an incredible 31 weeks at the top of the Billboard album charts, remaining on the charts for 99 weeks. It triggered a veritable tidal wave of imitators, parodists, and artists wishing to capitalize on its success. Years later, it remains a record of inestimable influence, inspiring many folksingers and groups to perform, most notably the Kingston Trio, which was named for the Jamaican capital. For a decade, just about every folksinger and folk group featured in their repertoire at least one song that was of West Indian origin or one that had a calypso beat. They all can be attributed to this one remarkable album. Despite the success of Calypso, Belafonte refused to be typecast. Resisting the impulse to record an immediate follow-up album, Belafonte instead spaced his calypso albums apart, releasing them at five-year intervals in 1961, 1966, and 1971.

Harry Belafonte - Calypso - [Vinyl]

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