View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 3.5 (10 ratings)
- Date Released: September 26, 2000
- Genre: International
- Style: Caribbean
- Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Calypso's consummate professional.
-
We Say...
Lord Invader (aka Rupert Westmore Grant, born in Port of Spain in 1914), who spent long stretches abroad and tailored many of his best songs to the concerns of West Indian expats, also had immense potential as a crossover artist. His "Rum and Coca Cola" was covered by the Andrews Sisters in 1945 and sold four million records. (Invader sued, and won $150,000 in royalties, but lost his rights to the composition.) In 1946, he began recording for Moe Asch's Folkways Records, which presented him, misleadingly, as a rough-hewn, avuncular folk artist. In fact, like his labelmate Lead Belly, Invader was a consummate professional, and — for his day — a surprisingly candid lyricist. "Some passing you empty/ And yet they won't stop" he sang (on "New York, Subway"). "I had money but I had to roam/ I couldn't get a cab to drop me back home." Like the best calypsonians, Invader (who died in 1961) had a way of smiling through clenched teeth.
-
They Say...
All of the material on this 26-song, 73-minute CD was recorded for Moe Asch of Folkways Records between 1946 and 1961; half of the tracks were previously unreleased. It may be that many of the arrangements he used were more accessible to American ears than those used by some of his calypso peers, or just that the fidelity on many of these numbers (particularly those from the later 1950s and early 1960s) is superior to that heard on many vintage calypso recordings. But Lord Invader does seem more comfortable with full-band, slightly jazzed-up calypso arrangements than some other calypso performers, without compromising the verve and bite of his lyrics and vocal delivery. Occasionally these recordings have minimal backing, as on "Ten Thousand to Bar Me One," on which he's accompanied only by drum, bottle, spoon, and chorus; sometimes the songs are traditional, such as the arguably overdone "Brown Girl in the Ring," on which again he's backed only by percussion and chorus. More often he combines calypso with instrumentation reminiscent of pre-war jazz, especially on the cuts on which he's accompanied by Felix and His Internationals, featuring Gregory Felix on clarinet. The topicality of his songs actually isn't too overt, but it's there to hear on songs about taking the New York subway, his experiences in Chicago, and "Yankee Dollar" (about his frustration question for compensation in his "Rum and Coca-Cola" plagiarism suit). "God Made Us All," prefaced by a speech from the ubiquitous Pete Seeger (a staple of Smithsonian Folkways releases), is a gentle anti-racism admonition. Whatever he's singing about, however, Lord Invader conveys easygoing nobody's-fool charm, in a manner that's less strident than some other calypsoites of the time.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Out the Fire |
2:48 |
|
| 02. | |
Ten Thousand to Bar Me One |
2:01 |
|
| 03. | |
Cousin Family |
2:21 |
|
| 04. | |
When You Hear I Die |
2:08 |
|
| 05. | |
New York Subway |
2:26 |
|
| 06. | |
Me One Alone |
1:42 |
|
| 07. | |
Sly Mongoose |
2:22 |
|
| 08. | |
Happy Land of Canaan |
2:01 |
|
| 09. | |
Mary Ann |
2:27 |
|
| 10. | |
Yankee Dollar |
2:31 |
|
| 11. | |
Pepsi-Cola |
1:46 |
|
| 12. | |
Tied-Tongue Baby |
2:44 |
|
| 13. | |
God Made Us All |
4:32 |
|
| 14. | |
The Soldier's Came and Broke My Life |
2:33 |
|
| 15. | |
Labor Day |
2:34 |
|
| 16. | |
Brown Girl in the Ring |
1:49 |
|
| 17. | |
Chicago, Chicago |
2:56 |
|
| 18. | |
My Intention is War |
4:18 |
|
| 19. | |
No Place Like the West Indies |
2:55 |
|
| 20. | |
My Experience on the Reperbahn |
2:49 |
|
| 21. | |
Auf Weidersehen |
2:30 |
|
| 22. | |
Cat O'Nine Tails |
3:06 |
|
| 23. | |
Crisis in Arkansas |
3:16 |
|
| 24. | |
Steel Band War |
3:29 |
|
| 25. | |
You're Wasting Your Time |
4:13 |
|
| 26. | |
I'm Going Back to Africa |
4:55 |
|
26 Total Tracks, 73:12 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Lord Invader, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Lord Invader fans
Credits
- Pete Seeger - Performer // Pete Seeger - Performer // Lord Invader - Main Performer // Lord Invader - Main Performer // Moses Asch - Recorder // Jack Towers - Disc Transfers // Anthony Seeger - Producer // Pete Reiniger - Mastering // David Gahr - Cover Photo // Mary Monseur - Production Coordination // William Gottlieb - Booklet // John Cowley - Composer // John Cowley - Annotation // Peter Seitel - Editorial Assistant // Felix & His Internationals - Performer // Mighty Dictator - Performer
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC