Toppa Top 10: Ten Essential Mento Tunes

Words by Daniel Neely

When the kings of mento music (and the longest-running band in Jamaican history)–The Jolly Boys–started making some serious noise again, we knew we had to get with our friend of a friend Dan Neely, who as we understand it, has a doctorate in mento-ology. Or maybe it was ethnomusicology. Either way, he is an expert on the genre–the forerunner of ska, rocksteady and reggae and Jamaica’s original musical export–and as such was instrumental in reviving interest in the JBs. Just consider this Top 10 mento tunes he put together for us as assigned reading to get you ready for the Jolly Boys episode of LargeUp TV–premiering tomorrow!

10. Jolly Boys, “Hanging on the Telephone” (Great Expectations)

At this point, any mento Top 10 would have to include something off this album because it took mento in a new creative direction and has brought people back in search of the music’s originals, like Bedasse, Lasher and others. Also, it’s great music! This cover of Blondie’s new-wave classic is one of my favorites off the album.

9. Chin’s Calypso Sextet, “Big Boy and Teacher” (Boogu Yagga Gal)

Not unlike the trickster character “Anancy,” “Big Boy” is a similar sort of character in Jamaican folklore who is known for asking his teacher rude, often sexual questions for his own amusement, and for that of everyone around him. With Bedasse and Williams behind it, of course it was popular! There’s no Youtube video of the original; instead, above, we have U-Roy doing a version of it.

8. Lord Tanamo & His Calypsonians, “Animal Instinct” (Soundman Shots)

Another song about man and woman’s favorite sport, this time from a singer who went on to sing with the Skatalites. This one isn’t on Youtube but you can click here to hear a sample.

7. Count Lasher & His Calypsonians, “Perseverance” (Soundman Shots)

Lasha is one of my favorite mento artists and one of the most important. This track was a big hit for him in 1956 and features a different kind of mento beat. One of Count Lasher’s finest.

6. Calypso Quintet, “Night Food” (Boogu Yagga Gal)

This record features vocalist Alerth Bedasse and writer Everald Williams, who together collaborated on some of the music’s most memorable songs as the Chin’s Calypso Sextet. This particular song was extremely popular, in part because it was one of the first “slack” records ever released in Jamaica. In fact, this and other “rude” records caused a controversy in government in 1956 that almost saw slack tracks get banned!

5. Harold Richardson and the Ticklers, “Healing in the Balmyard” (Mento Madness)

Very popular on the early sound systems, this song written by Everald Williams, who is perhaps the most under-recognized songwriter in Jamaica’s history. A balm yard was a place where you’d go to meet with the “balm man,” a person who would use herbs, oils and rituals to “cure” you of whatever malady you suffer from.

4. Bill Rogers, “West Indian Weed Woman” (78 record)

This recording is not a mento (Bill Rogers was from Guyana), but the song made it to Jamaica in the 1930s and quickly became very popular with mento artists – it’s been covered pretty regularly over the years. The Bill Rogers version was a “cleaned up” version of what most people sing – in his version, he doesn’t mention that the only weed she never have was the wicked ganga weed. It was later covered by the Meditations in the ’70s with the proper lyrics restored.

3. Stanley and the Starlites, “Soldering” (The Starlights Featuring Stanley Beckford)

Although this sounds like a straight reggae recording, this is actually a style of reggae called “reggae mento.” “Soldering” was a very well known and much loved song, especially in country parts of Jamaica. Every now and again, you hear contemporary deejays borrow from it’s lyrics. And here’s Stanley Beckford doing a straight ahead traditional version with the Blue Glaze Mento Band.  Desmond Dekker and I Roy would go on to do ska and deejay versions of this tune, respectively.

2. Lord Myrie, “Don’t Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes at Me” (Calypso Jamaica)

Featuring the amazing banjo playing of Cecil “Motherless” Mitchell, this is a Jamaican adaptation of an American rhythm and blues song. You’re not likely to hear better banjo playing! This one isn’t on Youtube but you can hear a clip here.

1. Lord Flea and his Calypsonians, “Calypso Be Bop” (Swingin’ Calypsos)

A great song about the love of jazz in the Caribbean, this one was originally recorded by Lord Kitchener in the early 1950s, but Lord Flea popularized this song in Jamaica and around the United States.