Amral’s Trinidad Cavaliers Steel Orchestra - The World Is A Ghetto
Who’s Amral? Well, Amral is a travel agency operating out of Trinidad and Tobago, and also sponsors of the Trinidad Cavaliers, a surprisingly successful steel band who toured the world throughout the 70’s, bringing serious vibes to the crewnecked yipsters with drylook hair of the 1970’s. These songs undoubtedly spun on many a hi-fi as folks passed around the plate at key parties. Man. I was born too late.
The song covered here, The World Is A Ghetto, was originally performed by War, and released on their 1972 eponymous LP, 2 years after the departure of celebrity frontman Eric Burdon. Much of the weight of the original is shed with the exclusion of the lyrics, which seem to bemoan the dehumanizing effects of city livin’ and social injustice. It’s an interesting turn to have what is essentially a depressing song turned into a jaunty, island-tinged jam.
A bunch of dudes in dashikis fiddle with The Trinidad Cavaliers’ Steel Drums. Photo source: Australia’s Victoria Museum of Immigration.
