So why is Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come soundtrack on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
While The Harder They Come is a “Jimmy Cliff” album (and soundtrack for the While The Harder They Come is a “Jimmy Cliff” album (and soundtrack for the movie of the same name), it’s just wild and mind blowing that not only do we get some all-time Jimmy Cliff tracks here, but we also have absolute smashers from reggae icons ranging from Toots & The Maytals to The Melodians to Desmond Dekker to Scotty.
Ah, Scotty… we’ll get back to him in a minute.
But overall you can easily say that this is one of the best collections of roots reggae songs of all time.
Let’s start with the Jimmy Cliff numbers, which include a few tracks that are also on the amazing Wonderful World, Beautiful People album (#245 of best 1,000 albums ever). The best Cliff song on the soundtrack for my money is the jubilant yet yearning reggae of the title track, “The Harder They Come.”
Okay, back to Scotty. “Draw Your Brakes” isn’t just my favorite reggae song of all time – it’s one of my all-time favorite songs of all time.
It’s a song I will never, ever get tired of as it’s nearly mesmerizing in its laid back, hazy yet crazy exciting groove. And yes, if you’re wondering, I got my first taste of “Draw Your Brakes” off of the also dazzling (in a super different kind of way), “B-Boy Bouillabaisse,” from the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique.
“Pressure Drop,” by Toots & The Maytals, is another iconic reggae song. It’s so cheerful in sound
Also, don’t forget to check out The Clash’s rather fascinating, punked-up cover of “Pressure Drop,”
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come
The Harder They Come is a 1972 Jamaican crime movie that also stars Jimmy Cliff and, via Wikipedia, is renowned for “bringing reggae to the world.” Here’s more:
The film was a sensation in Jamaica due to its naturalistic portrayal of black Jamaicans [sic] in real locations and its use of Jamaican Patois, the local creole. According to Henzell, “Black people seeing themselves on the screen for the first time created an unbelievable audience reaction”.
Some stats & info about Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Compilations, Film Soundtracks, Reggae, Roots Reggae
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #174
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Harder They Come released? 1972
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #203 out of 1,000
Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Stop that train, I want to get on – my baby, she’s leaving me now.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.