The Vinyl of the Day is ‘The Harder They Come’, 1973; the soundtrack album of the film of the same name, featuring Jimmy Cliff and a host of other Reggae stars. Few albums in the history of recorded music have had an impact on so many upon its release as this one. Enormously successful in Jamaica, the film also reached the international market and has been described as “possibly the most influential of Jamaican films and one of the most important films from the Caribbean”. The heart of the soundtrack comes from performances by the film’s star, reggae singer Jimmy Cliff. Only the title track “The Harder They Come” was recorded by Cliff specifically for the soundtrack, with three earlier songs by Cliff added. The remainder of the album is a compilation of singles released in Jamaica from the period of 1967 through 1972, assembled by the The Harder They Come director and co-writer, Perry Henzell, from songs by favored reggae singers. In addition to Cliff, these artists include The Melodians, The Slickers, DJ Scotty, and seminal early reggae stars Desmond Dekker and Toots And The Maytals.
The soundtrack album played a major part in popularizing reggae in the United States and the world beyond, the film itself preventing the genre from remaining an isolated phenomenon in Jamaica. In 2003, the album was ranked number 119 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The album also appears on greatest albums lists from Time and Blender, and was named the 97th best album of the 1970s by Pitchfork Media.
If the very least this does is make the listener curious to hear more authentic Jamaican music of the pre-Bob Marley ‘60’s, then it’s done its job. Fun, passionate, life affirming stuff. “The Harder They Come” is probably still the greatest reggae mixtape of all time, and it’s a perfect soundtrack for your excruciatingly hot summer. Spark up, crack open a cold one, and chill mon.
AllMusic Review by Toby Ball
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.