Edric Connor - Manchester United Calypso (7")

First-time 7" vinyl single reissue, remastered by Simon Francis, full colour printed sleeve with specially commissioned artwork from Stanley Chow.

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.

1. Manchester United Calypso
2. Manchester Football Double