The Harder They Come [50th Anniversary LP]

by Jimmy Cliff

Overview

In 1973, when the movie The Harder They Come was released, reggae was not on the radar screen of American pop culture. The soundtrack went a ways toward changing that situation. It is a collection of consistently excellent early reggae songs by artists who went on to thrive with reggae's increased popularity, and others for whom this is the most well-known vehicle. Jimmy Cliff is both the star of the movie and the headliner on the soundtrack. He contributes three excellent songs: the hymnal "Many Rivers to Cross," "You Can Get It If You Really Want," and "The Harder They Come" (the latter two are repeated at the end of the album, but you probably wanted to hear them again anyway). Interestingly, the better production values of his songs actually seems to detract from them when compared to the rougher, but less sanitized, mixes of the other tracks. All the songs on this collection are excellent, but some truly stand out. Toots & the Maytals deliver two high-energy songs with "Sweet and Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" (covered by the Clash among others). Scotty develops a mellow, loping groove on "Stop That Train" (not the same as the Wailers' song by the same name) and the Slickers prove on "Johnny Too Bad" that you don't have to spout profanity or graphic violence to convey danger. The Harder They Come is strongly recommended both for the casual listener interested in getting a sense of reggae music and the more serious enthusiast. Collections don't come much better than this. ~ Toby Ball

Product Details

Release Date:	12/09/2022
Label:	Island
UPC:	0600753971604

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jimmy Cliff   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Eric Donaldson   Primary Artist
Desmond Dekker   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Desmond Dekker & the Aces   Primary Artist
The Uniques   Primary Artist
Johnny Nash   Primary Artist
The Ethiopians   Primary Artist
Scotty   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Dave & Ansel Collins   Primary Artist
The Melodians   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals
The Maytals   Primary Artist
The Slickers   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals
The Aces   Primary Artist
Toots & the Maytals   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals
Sydney Crooks   Vocals
Winston Bailey   Vocals
Derrick Crooks   Vocals
Winston Grennan   Drums

Technical Credits

Sydney Crooks   Composer
Toots & the Maytals   Performer
Eric Donaldson   Composer
Delroy Wilson   Composer
Leonard Dillon   Composer
Derek Scott   Composer
Derrick Harriott   Composer,Producer
Desmond Dekker   Composer,Performer
Leslie Kong   Composer,Producer
Vartan   Reissue Art Director
John Bryant   Cover Illustration
Lynford Anderson   Recording
Perry Henzell   Producer
Derric Crooks   Composer
Hylton Beckford   Composer
Margaret Goldfarb   Reissue Production Coordination
Renford Cogle   Composer
K. Smith   Composer
Trevor McNaughton   Composer
Mathieu Bitton   Reissue Design
Winston "Shadow" Bailey   Composer
Trevor Wilson   Composer
Edward Lee   Composer
George Reyam   Composer
Desmond Dacres   Composer
Winston Bailey   Composer
Brent Dowe   Composer
Keith Rowe   Composer,Composer
Warwick Lynn   Composer,Producer
Guilly Bright   Composer,Producer
Derrick Crooks   Composer
Texas Dixon   Composer
Brenton Dowe   Composer
Bob Marley   Composer
D. Scott   Composer
Larry Fallon   Recording Arranger
Frank Farian   Composer
James McNaughton   Composer
Frederick Hibbert   Composer
Toots Hibbert   Composer
Carlton Lee   Producer
David Scott   Composer
Fredrick Hibbert   Composer
Erick Labson   Mastering
S. McNaughton   Composer
Johnny Nash   Composer
Jimmy Cliff   Composer,Producer,Performer
Roger Steffens   Liner Notes
Scotty   Performer
Neville Hinds   Producer
The Melodians   Performer
The Maytals   Performer
The Slickers   Composer,Performer
Ansel Collins   Composer
Byron Lee   Producer
Dana Smart   Reissue Supervisor
Winston Riley   Composer
Bill Levenson   Reissue Supervisor
Chris Blackwell   Composer,Producer