VA - Jamaica Is the Place to Go An Invitation to Jamaican Mento (2015)

Drawing mainly on recordings from the genre's golden age of the 1950s, the 48-track Jamaica Is The Place To Go explores Mento, the island's original popular music. Together with the American R&B favoured by local sound systems, Mento represents the origins of modern Jamaican music. History lesson aside, Jamaica Is The Place To Go offers over two hours of infectious fun: the perfect soundtrack to your summer! When Fantastic Voyage released Mento, Not Calypso! The Original Sound Of Jamaica in 2013, it was a journey into uncharted waters for the label, but one that has proved so popular that, two years on, we are proud to present Jamaica Is The Place To Go, another 2CD survey of Jamaica's most popular form of indigenous music pre-ska. Though often erroneously regarded as simply a variation of calypso, Jamaican mento is a distinct musical style that developed independently from its similarly styled Trinidadian cousin. Its roots can be traced to both African and European musical traditions, with its rhythmic structure and lyrical content (generally focusing on current news and carnal relations) having a profound influence upon the subsequent development of reggae. Like its predecessor, Jamaica Is The Place To Go: An Invitation To Jamaican Mento can be viewed as an instalment in Fantastic Voyage's exploration of the origins of reggae, and follows on from the release of four highly successful volumes in the Jamaican Sound System Classics series, exploring the American rhythm & blues which was so influential on Jamaican musicians, and Youths Boogie, Mash It! and the vinyl-only Feel So Fine, all compilations of ska and the American R&B-influenced Jamaican boogie that predated ska.
Tracklist
Disc: 1
1 Invitation To Jamaica (Lord Tanamo and Charlie Binger's Six) - Lord Tanamo & Charlie Binger's Si - Lord Tanamo & Charlie Binger's Six
2 Island In The Sun (Count Owen and His Calypsonians) - Count Owen & His Calypsonians - Count Owen & His Calypsonians
3 Mama No Want No Rice, No Peas (Lord Lebby with The Jamaican Calypsonians) - Lord Lebby & The Jam - Lord Lebby & The Jamaican Calypsonians
4 Hold Em Joe (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band) - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band
5 Baba Kill Me Goat (Laurel Aitken and The Boogie Cats) - Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats - Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats
6 Referendum Calypso (Lord Laro) - Lord Laro - Lord Laro
7 Chico Chico (Count Sticky and His Calypsonians) - Count Sticky and His Calypsonians - Count Sticky and His Calypsonians
8 Rough Rider (Alerth Bedasse with Local Calypso Quintet) - Alerth Bedasse with Local Calypso Quintet - Alerth Bedasse with Local Calypso Quintet
9 Naughty Little Flea (Lord Flea and His Calypsonians) - Lord Flea and his Calypsonians - Lord Flea and his Calypsonians
10 Rum And Coconut Water (Hubert Porter with The Jamaican Calypsonians) - Hubert Porter & the Jamai - Hubert Porter & the Jamaican Calypsonians
11 Charlie s Song (Clyde Hoyte's Manor House Mentones) - Clyde Hoyte's Manor House Mentones - Clyde Hoyte's Manor House Mentones
12 Hool-A-Hoop Calypso (Count Owen and His Calypsonians) - Count Owen & His Calypsonians - Count Owen & His Calypsonians
13 Maintenance (Cobra Man with Ganny Gabbison and His Calypso Band) - Cobra Man with Ganny Gabbison &am - Cobra Man with Ganny Gabbison & His Calypso Band
14 Back To Back, Belly To Belly (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band) - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Ba - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band
15 Strip Tease (Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet) - Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet - Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet
16 Banana (Arthur Knibbs with Cecil Knott and His Joybell Orchestra) - Arthur Knibbs with Cecil Knott a - Arthur Knibbs with Cecil Knott and His Joybell Orchestra
17 Wicked Woman (Lord Tanamo) - Lord Tanamo - Lord Tanamo
18 Calypso Rock N Roll (Laurel Aitken) - Laurel Aitken - Laurel Aitken
19 Bed-Bug (Count Zebra and The Seasiders) - Count Zebra and The Seasiders - Count Zebra and The Seasiders
20 Love, Love Alone (Unidentified) - Various Artists - Various Artists
21 Aye, Aye, Aye (Count Owen and His Calypsonians) - Count Owen & His Calypsonians - Count Owen & His Calypsonians
22 Wheel And Tun Me (Bertie King) - Bertie King - Bertie King
23 Lousy Mother In Law (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band) - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band
24 Little Boy (Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet) - Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet - Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet

Disc: 2
1 Sweet Jamaica (Lord Lebby with The Jamaican Calypsonians) - Lord Lebby & The Jamaican Calypsonia - Lord Lebby & The Jamaican Calypsonians
2 Chambolina (Lord Power with Calypso Quintet) - Lord Power with Calypso Quintet - Lord Power with Calypso Quintet
3 Lawd Some Man Could A Smart (Count Owen and His Calypsonians) - Count Owen & His Calypsonians - Count Owen & His Calypsonians
4 Nebuchnezer (Laurel Aitken) - Laurel Aitken - Laurel Aitken
5 Drive Her Home (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band) - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band
6 Cat-O-Nine (Count Zebra and The Seasiders) - Count Zebra and The Seasiders - Count Zebra and The Seasiders
7 Animal Instinct (Lord Tanamo and His Calypsonians) - Lord Tanamo & His Calypsonians - Lord Tanamo & His Calypsonians
8 Old Firesticks (Clyde Hoyte's Manor House Mentones) - Clyde Hoyte's Manor House Mentones - Clyde Hoyte's Manor House Mentones
9 Bam Celiena (Count Sticky and His Calypsonians) - Count Sticky and His Calypsonians - Count Sticky and His Calypsonians
10 Mama Look Tea (Lord Tickler and The Jamaican Calypsonians) - Lord Tickler & The Jamaican Calypso - Lord Tickler & The Jamaican Calypsonians
11 The Weed (Count Owen and His Calypsonians) - Count Owen & His Calypsonians - Count Owen & His Calypsonians
12 Let's Do It (Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet) - Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet - Lord Power with Trenton Spence Quartet
13 Stone Cold Dead In The Market (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band) - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso B - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band
14 Rege Dege Ding (Laurel Aitken and His Calypso Band) - Laurel Aitken & His Calypso Band - Laurel Aitken & His Calypso Band
15 Wrong Impressions Of A Solder (Lord Laro) - Lord Laro - Lord Laro
16 Little Fist (Lord Tanamo and His Calypsonians) - Lord Tanamo & His Calypsonians - Lord Tanamo & His Calypsonians
17 Honey Bee (Alerth Bedasse with Chin s Sextet) - Alerth Bedasse & Chin Calypso Sextet - Alerth Bedasse & Chin Calypso Sextet
18 Not Me (Hubert Porter with The Jamaican Calypsonians) - Hubert Porter & the Jamaican Calypsonian - Hubert Porter & the Jamaican Calypsonians
19 The Lost Watch (Count Owen and His Calypsonians) - Count Owen & His Calypsonians - Count Owen & His Calypsonians
20 Miss Constance (Count Lasher and Charlie Binger's Six) - Count Lasher & Charlie Binger's Six - Count Lasher & Charlie Binger's Six
21 Jamaica Is The Place To Go (Harold Richardson with Charlie Binger and His Quintet) - Harold Richards - Harold Richardson with Charlie Binger and His Quintet
22 Jamaica Farewell (Lord Foodoos and His Calypso Band) - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band - Lord Foodoos & His Calypso Band
23 The Mermaid (The Wigglers) - The Wigglers - The Wigglers
24 Tomato (Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet) - Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet - Marie Bryant and Mike McKenzie Quintet