Hiltonaires - Big Bamboo mp3 download

Vetibert

The Hiltonaires' "Big Bamboo" is probably the most common mento LP out there, but don't overlook it - it's a rural mento gem. These are excellent recordings of (mostly) well-known calypso and mento songs in an accessible but distinctive style. All of the tracks are good and would have been familiar to tourists in the Caribbean in the sixties. "Chinese Baby" is a particular standout as it seems to be the first mento version of this Trinidadian calypso.As for all the different versions... the WIRL and Island Music pressings are pressed from the same masters, but the WIRLs seem to be older and therefore the masters were in better shape, so they sound better. The Coxsone pressing replaces "Wings of a Dove" with either "Seven Bells" or "Sammy Dead" depending on the particular pressing. So in order to get the full set of tracks, you will need to buy at least three copies of the LP! But still... three copies of this album will cost you less than one copy of any other mento record, so I say it's well worth it.

Steel_Blade

"Big Bamboo" is arguably The Hiltonaires' most popular LP, having been reissued in several versions over the years. The original 12-track issue is on the 1st pressing 'white' Jamaican Island Music label 'without' the distribution credits (the second pressing showed additional credits on the labels), and it features their original rendition of "Chinese Baby"). The LP was later re-issued by the NY-based Hilary Records using the same album number (ILP-1041), and subsequently on Coxsone (1967) and WIRL (1968).A solid mento recording, produced by Clifford Rae, it features classic rural instrumentation, including what sounds like a bamboo saxophone (though only a regular sax is ever pictured on the LP jacket) and sometimes augmented with a little electric guitar.

Whitebinder

Just a note - a Mento specialty website lists this release as 1966