Drink the coconut water I cannot get in America
August 5, 2012 4:44 PM Subscribe
A little known gem of americana, Calypso is Like so....., was recorded by actor Robert Mitchum in 1957. The record was inspired by Mitchum's meeting Mighty Sparrow and Lord Invader while filming in Tobago.
Wonderfully catchy, and amusingly anachronistic, the album contains such gems as Jean and Dinah,
I Learn A Merengue,
Mama Look at Boo boo, and From a Logical Point of View".
Robert Mitchum---is there anything he can't do? I mean, besides open his eyes.
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 7:18 PM on August 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 7:18 PM on August 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
If the song From a Logical Point of View sounds familiar, it may be because it's similar to Jimmy Soul, If You Wanna Be Happy and Cash Money & Marvelous, Find An Ugly Woman.
posted by jonp72 at 7:46 PM on August 5, 2012
posted by jonp72 at 7:46 PM on August 5, 2012
By the way, other calypso singers who got famous in other fields include Louis Farrakhan (A White Man's Heaven Is the Black Man's Hell) and Maya Angelou (Rum Joe from the Miss Calypso LP).
posted by jonp72 at 7:54 PM on August 5, 2012
posted by jonp72 at 7:54 PM on August 5, 2012
Oh man, my friend and I used to car dance to this on road trips occasionally yelling MITCHUM! at anyone who looked at us funny.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:36 AM on August 6, 2012
posted by louche mustachio at 3:36 AM on August 6, 2012
I absolutely adore playing this album for unsuspecting folks. My dad's become a big fan of the record, to the point where I suspect he thinks of Mitchum as a singer/actor (in that order).
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:36 AM on August 6, 2012
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:36 AM on August 6, 2012
No link to What is This Generation Coming To?! That's the "hit"!!
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:40 AM on August 6, 2012
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:40 AM on August 6, 2012
Man, I like this album so much, I was hoping that the links would be a little more robust that the standard Amazon/IMDB/Wiki pap. For those who want a little more context on Mitchum the singer, here's some info (1,2,3).*
This isn't the only time Mitchum sang. Here's Mitchum singing in Night of the Hunter. Here, he sings the theme song to he sings the theme song to the film Thunder Road. Here's a couple songs from his western, Rachel and the Stranger. Here's some unreleased tracks from that unfinished jazz album that is referenced in one of those context links (1,2,3,4).
But he's rightly known for the acting, not the music. When he made an oblique reference to the album as a guest on What's My Line?, he stumped the bunch.
_____________
*Not much by way of feature articles on this that I can find. You've let me down, Internet.
posted by .kobayashi. at 5:11 AM on August 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
This isn't the only time Mitchum sang. Here's Mitchum singing in Night of the Hunter. Here, he sings the theme song to he sings the theme song to the film Thunder Road. Here's a couple songs from his western, Rachel and the Stranger. Here's some unreleased tracks from that unfinished jazz album that is referenced in one of those context links (1,2,3,4).
But he's rightly known for the acting, not the music. When he made an oblique reference to the album as a guest on What's My Line?, he stumped the bunch.
_____________
*Not much by way of feature articles on this that I can find. You've let me down, Internet.
posted by .kobayashi. at 5:11 AM on August 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
No one ever believes me when I tell them that this album is actually pretty good.
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:23 AM on August 6, 2012
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:23 AM on August 6, 2012
My Grandma liked this album! She danced with me to it! So neat to see folks digging it here.
My absolute favourite version of "Mama Look at Boo Boo" - the playfulness between Harry Belafonte Jr. and Nat King Cole and their youthfulness make me wish I had hours more of their interplay to gaze upon.
posted by batmonkey at 10:03 AM on August 6, 2012
My absolute favourite version of "Mama Look at Boo Boo" - the playfulness between Harry Belafonte Jr. and Nat King Cole and their youthfulness make me wish I had hours more of their interplay to gaze upon.
posted by batmonkey at 10:03 AM on August 6, 2012
Robert Mitchum---is there anything he can't do?
Man, that dude was. like, so fuckin' 4/20 way back back when 4/20 was, like, 1/5. Like before the Big Bong, if ya know what I mean....
And I don't--I'm tellin' ya! No fuckin' way!
posted by y2karl at 5:37 PM on August 6, 2012
Man, that dude was. like, so fuckin' 4/20 way back back when 4/20 was, like, 1/5. Like before the Big Bong, if ya know what I mean....
And I don't--I'm tellin' ya! No fuckin' way!
posted by y2karl at 5:37 PM on August 6, 2012
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