Album: The Harder They Come
Two of the lesser-known tracks, The Slickers’ Johnny Too Bad and Scotty’s Draw Your Brakes, best reflect the violence and hardship of Jamaican ghetto life portrayed in the film. Opening track, You Can Get It If You Really Want, is more upbeat and though it's a Jimmy Cliff song, it had already been released as a single by Desmond Dekker two years previously. Jimmy Cliff's version of his own song feels more personal but it's no great improvement on the original. Desmond Dekker's only contribution is 007 (Shanty Town), the archetypal rude boy song that details a student demonstration ("them a shoot / them a loot / them a wail") against government plans to concrete over a beach. Toots & The Maytals contribute Sweet & Dandy and the astoundingly brilliant but simple Pressure Drop, while The Melodians' Rivers of Babylon has a strong Rastafari flavour and would become a huge hit for Boney M later in the decade. Of the several Jimmy Cliff songs, my favourite is Many Rivers To Cross, with its elements of gospel and blues showing the influence of the Deep South on the Jamaican music scene, but sung in his own unique and spiritual way. Reggae's main innovation was giving Jamaican music the freedom to travel in space and time.
Artist: Various, including Jimmy Cliff, Toots & The Maytals and Desmond Dekker
Born: Kingston, Jamaica
Released: July 1972
Genre: Reggae
Influenced: Culture, Patti Smith, The Clash, The Specials, Blondie
The 70s saw an explosion in music from Africa (polyrhythmic Afrobeat from the likes of Fela Kuti, etc) and Jamaica (reggae, dub), transforming pop in the US and UK throughout the decade. Reggae's influence was already filtering through before the release of this landmark album; Paul Simon's self-titled solo album released earlier in 1972 contains Mother & Child Reunion, a great reworking of reggae but not nearly as satisfying as going to the source. Toots Hibbert is credited with christening this new genre that emerged in the late 60s, a mix of rocksteady (but faster) and ska (but tighter), with a strong Rastafari influence on the drum rhythms. Both the film and the soundtrack of The Harder They Come brought reggae to a much wider audience, with Jimmy Cliff playing the lead role and also contributing 6 of the album's 12 tracks. Jimmy Cliff plays Ivan Martin, a young man looking for his break in the music business and to escape from the shanty towns of Kingston. The soundtrack gathers together now legendary performers Toots & The Maytals and Desmond Dekker with lesser-known acts like The Melodians and The Slickers, and remains the ultimate introduction to reggae.
The 70s saw an explosion in music from Africa (polyrhythmic Afrobeat from the likes of Fela Kuti, etc) and Jamaica (reggae, dub), transforming pop in the US and UK throughout the decade. Reggae's influence was already filtering through before the release of this landmark album; Paul Simon's self-titled solo album released earlier in 1972 contains Mother & Child Reunion, a great reworking of reggae but not nearly as satisfying as going to the source. Toots Hibbert is credited with christening this new genre that emerged in the late 60s, a mix of rocksteady (but faster) and ska (but tighter), with a strong Rastafari influence on the drum rhythms. Both the film and the soundtrack of The Harder They Come brought reggae to a much wider audience, with Jimmy Cliff playing the lead role and also contributing 6 of the album's 12 tracks. Jimmy Cliff plays Ivan Martin, a young man looking for his break in the music business and to escape from the shanty towns of Kingston. The soundtrack gathers together now legendary performers Toots & The Maytals and Desmond Dekker with lesser-known acts like The Melodians and The Slickers, and remains the ultimate introduction to reggae.
Two of the lesser-known tracks, The Slickers’ Johnny Too Bad and Scotty’s Draw Your Brakes, best reflect the violence and hardship of Jamaican ghetto life portrayed in the film. Opening track, You Can Get It If You Really Want, is more upbeat and though it's a Jimmy Cliff song, it had already been released as a single by Desmond Dekker two years previously. Jimmy Cliff's version of his own song feels more personal but it's no great improvement on the original. Desmond Dekker's only contribution is 007 (Shanty Town), the archetypal rude boy song that details a student demonstration ("them a shoot / them a loot / them a wail") against government plans to concrete over a beach. Toots & The Maytals contribute Sweet & Dandy and the astoundingly brilliant but simple Pressure Drop, while The Melodians' Rivers of Babylon has a strong Rastafari flavour and would become a huge hit for Boney M later in the decade. Of the several Jimmy Cliff songs, my favourite is Many Rivers To Cross, with its elements of gospel and blues showing the influence of the Deep South on the Jamaican music scene, but sung in his own unique and spiritual way. Reggae's main innovation was giving Jamaican music the freedom to travel in space and time.
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