Record Review: "Calypso" By Harry Belafonte

“Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana, Daylight come and me wan' go home” - Harry Belafonte

Title: Calypso

Artist: Harry Belafonte

Release Year: 1956

Genre: Calypso

Status: Platinum (about 1 million sold)

Number of Tracks: 11 (5 side one, 6 side two)

Record Label: RCA Victor

Number Album Released: 3rd  

What I Think

I got this album for $2 used at a 2nd hand store. Getting this album for $2 was a steal. This album is one of Belafonte’s most iconic albums. My favorite track on this album is “Day-O”. I first heard that song in the movie Beetlejuice (1988) at the scene where the family is sitting at the table and Betelgeuse makes them all sing this song and I 1st saw that movie when I was 4 and that song still stuck with me. The 1st track on the album is “Day-O”. Belafonte’s singing on this track is strong and his voice doesn’t strain. The backup vocalist’s voices are very strong. The band is good with a simple beat and rhythm with an upbeat tempo. The message is simple with a story of a man working and wanting to go home. The 2nd song is “I Do Adore Her”. Belafonte’s singing is smoother on this track. The backup vocals are also smoother. The band still plays well with a simple rhythm and a guitar solo at a slow tempo. The song is a simple love song about a man adoring a woman and wanting to love her. The 3rd track is “Jamaica Farewell”. Belafonte’s singing is smooth on this track as well. The backup vocalist’s voice is also smooth. The band has a simple rhythm with only a bass and a guitar and again the guitarist has a solo and the track has a slow tempo. The message is of a man that has to leave a girl he likes behind in Kingston, Jamaica. The 4th song is “Will His Love Be Like His Rum?” Belafonte’s singing is more powerful on this track. The backup vocals are also strong. The band again has a simple beat and rhythm and there is a flute solo and is upbeat. The message is about a man going to get married and people are asking if his love will be as good as the rum being served at the wedding. The 5th song is “Dolly Dawn”. Belafonte’s singing is smooth on this track. The backup vocals are also smooth. The band again has a simple beat and rhythm with a flute solo and has an upbeat tempo. The message is about a girl that is going to perform and have everyone cheering for her and impressing everyone. The 6th song is “Star O”. Belafonte’s singing is the same as on “Day O”. The backup vocals are the same as on “Day O”. The band plays the same music as on “Day O”. The message is a continuation of the message in “Day O”. The 7th song is “ The Jack-Ass Song”. Belafonte’s singing is fast and powerful and the same for the backup  vocals. The band plays a simple beat and rhythm lead by a flute solo and is played upbeat. The message is about letting a donkey enjoy itself and for people not to interfere with it. The 8th song is “Hosanna”. Belafonte’s singing is strong and the same for the backup vocals. The band plays a simple beat and rhythm lead by a flute and is upbeat. The message is about if you have a strong foundation that you will last for a while (Using a house as a metaphor). The 9th song is “Come Back Liza”. Belafonte’s singing is smooth on this track and the same for the backup vocals. The band plays a simple beat and rhythm and at a slow tempo. The message is about a man that wants his woman to come back to him to stop his sadness. The 10th song is “Brown Skin Girl”. Belafonte’s singing is smooth. The band plays a simple beat with only a bass and a guitar with a guitar solo and has a slow tempo. The song is about America invading an island and a white sailor having a kid with one of the natives and him telling her to stay on the island and take care of the baby. The 11th song is “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)”. Belafonte’s singing is strong as well as his backup vocals. The band plays a more complex beat and rhythm than on other songs and plays upbeat. The message is about a man telling about how women are smarter than men.         

Scoring (Out of 10)

• How well the album did (Diamond 10/10, Platinum 8/10, Gold 6/10): 8/10
• How well is the singing: 7/10
• How well is the band: 6/10
• How impactful the messages of the songs are: 5/10:
• How appealing is the cover: 7/10
• How creative is the cover: 4/10
• How relevant is the album after 10+ years since release: 6/10  
• How much did it revolutionize its genre of music: 7/10
• How creative are the instruments: 4/10
• How creative are the lyrics: 4/10

Total Score: 5.8/10
Percentage: 58%
 

My Favorite Songs

1. Day O
2. Jamaica Farewell
3. I Do Adore Her
4. Brown Skin Girl
5. Man Smart (Woman Smarter)
6. Come Back Liza
7. Star O
8. Hossana
9. The Jack-Ass Song
10. Will His Love Be Like His Rum?
11. Dolly Dawn

Videos of Harry Belafonte performing songs from this album

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9angh4KdQ “Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat Song (live) 1997”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-PTafd-ymQ  “Harry Belafonte,Jamaica Farewell,live”

Comment what you think of this album and if you agree with me or not and stay tuned for my next record review which will be “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis.