The Best of Straker's: Ah Feel to Party

The Best of Straker's: Ah Feel to Party

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Bass Man [Road March '74] - Shadow

2. Grine Um - Lord Melody

3. Sparrow - Count Robin

4. Streaker - Squibby

5. Chauffeur Wanted - Chalkdust

6. Ah Feel to Party [Monarch '91] - Black Stalin

7. Pan By Storm [Pan Lead] - Ken "Professor" Philmore

8. Warning - Lord Nelson

9. Wizard - Singing Francine

10. Still de Best - Cro-Cro

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Stickman's Lament - Chalkdust

2. Kaiso Music - Black Stalin

3. Going for King - Bill Trotman

4. Leh We Punta - Calypso Rose

5. Travelin' Man - Trinidad Rio

6. Carnival '76

7. Carnival - Winston Soso

8. 1st in de Party [1991 Young King] - Machel Montano

9. Tonight - Poser

10. Rock Meh - Duke "Mighty Duke", Duke

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
If you want great party music for hot summer nights, look no further than the Caribbean. Straker's is one of the foremost Calypso and Soca labels and this is a retrospective of their first 25 years. Hot, hot, hot is the only way to describe it with the entries forming a veritable "who's who." Shadow, Lord Melody, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Calypso Rose, Explainer Protestor, and Lord Nelson are just a few artists cutting and strutting many a favorite Road Marches for Trinidad and Tobago's carnival. Part of the reason for the strength of these cuts goes to the fact that often the backup band is the famous Equitables under the leadership of the great Frankie McIntosh. Fire up the conch fritters, mon, it don't come better than this. --Derek Rath

Tracks:

'Bass Man' Road March '74 - Shadow
Grine Um - Lord Melody
Sparrow - Count Robin
The Streaker - Squibby
Chauffeur Wanted - Chalkdust
Ah Feel To Party - Black Stalin
Pan By Storm (Pan Lead) - Ken 'Professor' Philmore
Warning - Lord Nelson
The Wizard - Singing Francine
Stell De Best - Cro Cro
Young And Restless - Protector
Dat Is How I Like It - Marcia Miranda
Old Time Days - Nappy Mayers

Tracks:

Stickman's Lament - Chalkdust
Kaiso Music - Black Stalin
Going For King - Bill trotman
Leh We Punta - Calypso Rose
Travelin' Man - Trinidad Rio
Carnival '76 - Blakie
Carnival - Winston Soso
1st In Da Party - Machel Montano
Tonight - Poser
Rock Meh - Duke
Abu Bakr Take Over - Brother Ebony
Mango - Explainer

Amazon.com

If you want great party music for hot summer nights, look no further than the Caribbean. Straker's is one of the foremost Calypso and Soca labels and this is a retrospective of their first 25 years. Hot, hot, hot is the only way to describe it with the entries forming a veritable "who's who." Shadow, Lord Melody, Black Stalin, Chalkdust, Calypso Rose, Explainer Protestor, and Lord Nelson are just a few artists cutting and strutting many a favorite Road Marches for Trinidad and Tobago's carnival. Part of the reason for the strength of these cuts goes to the fact that often the backup band is the famous Equitables under the leadership of the great Frankie McIntosh. Fire up the conch fritters, mon, it don't come better than this. --Derek Rath

Customer Reviews:

My friends and I endorse this compilation!.......2004-03-04

To give you an idea of just how fetching this record is, I will tell you that I shared it with some friends. They liked it so much, they stole it for themselves! So let it be said of this excellent disc set, beware! Your friends may like it better than they even like you! (Or is it me????)I'd tell you more about the artists, but, well, I guess you already know what happened. Worth a listen!

Straker's not striking.......2000-08-27

This CD, while pretty good, was a little more primative than I expected. I guess I was looking for more of a tourist Calypso sound and this is island roots.

Kaiso Kaiso!.......2000-02-12

I have been to Strakers record shop on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn and the place is like a mini warehouse. I have been trying to figure out an angle on getting them to let me in the back with a flashlight and some excavation tools. But until they do, I will have to enjoy this gem of a recording put out by Strakers and Rounder in conjunction. ALMOST everybody is here from the past twenty-odd years of Kaiso/Calypso history. The first disc starts off with Shadow's perennial BASSMAN, a song people still demand as soon as they walk into a Shadow concert today, even though this Giant of Soca has produced at least 15 other blockbusters since. Shadow is arguably the Monarch of Soca and my favorite of all time. Lord Shorty, not represented on this recording, may have invented Soca, but Shadow's insane, mystical genius took it places Shorty might have only dreamed. On the second disc is Chalkdust's eloquent tribute to the stick fighting origins of Calypso, STICKMAN'S LAMENT, a beautiful, somewhat mournful song of those bygone days of rhythmic battles in the slave barracks. It was done quite recently but remains true to the old Kalinda spirit. Chalkdust is a Calypso scholar and author of books on the topic so you get it straight from the horse's mouth here. Black Stalin's matter of fact lyrics and infectious Afro-Latin melodies are well represented here. Lord Melody's naughty, comic genius in GRINE 'UM always makes me stop moving my hips so I can double over in laughter. I can't wait for the next Straker compilation.

A great cultural document.......1999-08-31

Wonderfully infectious, good natured music. I bought it because of the previous recommendation, and Mark was right: it's great. And I knew practically nothing about calypso or soca. The liner notes are indispensable because they explicate the often political nature of the songs and allow a better understanding of the music itself. Fantastic!

The BEST Calypso-Soca compilation available........1999-04-02

Again Rounder and Gene Scaramuzzo have put together, for my money, the best introduction to Calypso and Soca. With classics,like Black Stalin's (check out Roots, Rock, Soca also on Rounder) "Kaiso Music" you cannot go wrong. There is traditional Calypso also included here that gives one a feel for the real roots of Soca. Again, the liner notes are extensive and well written. Straker is a legendary name in Brooklyn and Trinidad when it comes to Calypso/Soca. These selections are only a tease of what lies in the Straker vaults. An impressive collection of music from Trinidad and Tobago! Buy it if you have never heard music from these islands and buy it if you have. No disappointments in the over two hours of classic Kaiso music. I will personally refund your money if you're not moving at the end of the first track.

Music Review:

Music Review

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