Description
We can’t hide the fact that we’re a Manchester label with some very strong feelings for the Red side of the city. Regardless of your tribal affiliation – whether you have one or not – Edric Connor’s “Manchester United Calypso” is an undisputedly joyous, soulful classic. Like the bunch of bouncing Busby Babes the song sought to raise up, it’s remarkable, stylish and profoundly memorable; and its magical legacy has only grown in the 70 years since it first surfaced.
A testament to its enduring brilliance, “Manchester United Calypso” is heard to this day on the terraces of Old Trafford and beyond. However, it’s impossible to find a copy of the original 78rpm shellac release or, indeed, the 45rpm vinyl. So, we’re delighted to reissue this unforgettable anthem – with Lord Kitchener’s equally dazzling “Manchester Football Double” on the B-Side – and make it available on 7″ vinyl to United fans of any vintage; as well as fans of vintage calypso fire! Featuring typically striking, specially commissioned artwork from the legendary Stan Chow, this record is a collectors item for the ages.
“Manchester,
Manchester United
A bunch of bouncing “Busby Babes”,
They deserve to be knighted
If ever they’re playing in your town,
You must get to that football ground
Take a lesson come to see,
Football taught by Matt Busby
Manchester,
Manchester United”
Whether you have United in your heart or not, “Manchester United Calypso” is a record that, like the best football teams in Old Trafford’s history, swaggers with an addictive beauty that’s impossible to ignore.
It’s impossible to discuss the significance of the calypso without remembering what ultimately ripped through the heart of this most beloved youthful side.
Eight of the Babes who were celebrated in the Calypso tragically lost their lives on 6th February 1958 in the Munich air disaster.
Like the players and the club itself, the United calypso radiates a special type of magic and speaks to the spirit of United:
the demand to be fearless, unrelenting, creative and obliged to entertain the viewing public.
The Calypso was written by Eric Watterson and Ken Jones and sung by Edric Connor, who moved to England from Trinidad in 1944.
Connor is considered a pioneer, popularising calypso music, becoming the first black actor to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company, setting up the Afro-Asian Caribbean Agency to represent Black and minority artists with his wife, Pearl and establishing a theatre workshop.
“I would think coming to this country right after the war, as Edric did, and getting into BBC radio, and moving among the people, he did a great deal of good for our own community,” Pearl once revealed.
He saw himself as a self-appointed ambassador for his country, Trinidad. We were very nationalistic back then. We believed we had a country worthy of recognition”.
The B-Side is another doozy.
Swoon along to Lord Kitchener’s fantastically woozy “Manchester Football Double” – a fitting ode to the city where you’ll “find football’s headquarters”.
Then and, after the 2024 FA Cup Final, now.
Simon Francis remastered the original audio for both tracks and Cicely Balston’s precise cut for Alchemy at AIR Studios ensures this 7″ well and truly soars.
The immaculate Record Industry pressing will ensure this sought-after gem finds a home in many more collections, from Manchester to Malta, Mumbai to Malaysia.
