We Are Time

I think occasionally we will use this spot to discuss and showcase some of our finds--generally from flea markets, yard sales, and thrift shops.
The first one of discussion is a rare 78 rpm record from Lord Fly on the MRS label (Motta's Recording Studio)of Kingston, Jamaica. The MRS label was the first Jamaican label.

This one was found at a flea market over the past weekend. The vendor wanted to get rid of all her 78s, I suppose she was tired of looking at them. Well, she offered a stack for 50 cents--I did find a Brazilian 78 in the bunch as well, but back to the Lord Fly recording.
The 78 is sort of Calypso sounding, but isn't --- it sounds almost like a mixture of calypso with dancehall reggae-- but since it was a predecessor to reggae and ska -- It is called "Mento".

The recordings on the MRS label are highly sought after and go for some good cash, something I did not know until I picked it up. The first release on the label is going for over 100 dollars currently on an ebay auction. This is the second release on the label.

The recording sounds great and looks great. It's authentic and a great piece of history of Jamaican music. I have been coming across a batch of 78s in really nice condition as of recent-- which seems to be tough to across.


Some choice links on Mento

http://mentomusic.com has some nice scans and history regarding Mento.

You can listen to a NPR piece from 2004 about the label and a recent compilation that came out titled "Mento Madness: Motta's Jamaican Mento 1951-56".
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1842828
and...from "all songs considered"--
http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/archives/asc63/#madness