The Falconaires - Falcondip Souvenir Album.
RCA Records from about 1960.
This excellent mento record was a surprise aquisition along with a large joblot of reggae 12s. Despite the packaging which promotes only the hotel - the sleeve doesn't show the band or even mention their name (that's on the label at least) - this is quality rural mento music.
14 tracks of mainly traditional folk songs together with some original compositions. Includes classics like Penny Reel, Calabash, Hill & Gully Rider, John Tom...
This relatively small (53 rooms) Ocho Rios hotel opened in 1958 but was re-named in the mid-60s as the Island Inn.
''Many of the releases from mento's golden-age were targeted to tourists.
This continued into the 1960s, with most (but not all) mento LP releases
having strong tie-ins with the hotel where the band performed. Not only did the
jackets celebrate the hotel (often to a greater degree than the band), but judging by the large number of surviving
autographed LPs from this decade, the LP was sold at the hotel as well.
This practice continues as today's mento bands
performing at hotels typically have a CDR for sale.
These hotel LPs span the rural, jazz and
folk styles''.
''A very good middle period hotel LP.
Rural lineup, albeit with an electric
rhythm guitar, including some real good banjo playing, ukulele banjo and fine vocals with
more and one lead singer and some high pitched wordless throat singing and
mouth trumpet that accents a few
songs''.
