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119) The Harder They Come
Original Soundtrack
The movie was a spicy Jamaican stew of Robin Hood, High Sierra and Easy Rider -- reggae singer turns outlaw hero, goes on the run with guns blazing -? with patois dialogue so thick that U.S. audiences needed subtitles. But the magic in the soundtrack needed no translation. The four tracks by the filmÕs star, Jimmy Cliff, are paragons of Jamaican sunshine soul -? his spiritual ballad ÒMany Rivers to CrossÓ is one of the finest songs to come from the island ?- while the rest of the LP introduced Babylon to the deep roots and mighty voices of the Melodians, the Slickers and the unstoppable Toots and the Maytals.
Total album sales: Under 500,000
Peak chart position: 140 - Rolling Stone
Discography
Trenchtown History, Volulme 1 (lp)
Reggae Soldier (lp)
Hold Me Tight with Jessica Star (single)
Upright Reggae (featuring Richie Canatta)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Slickers are pure Jamaican reggae. Throw in some of that old time "pocomania" church music, and some of that mento from the 1950s, and you have the package. The Slickers have been around since 1964, coming from the Studio One label with The Wailing Wailers, Ken Boothe, The Heptones and Bob Andy to name a few. They started recording with Leslie Kong on the BeverlyÕs label, then left to record on the Miami label owned by Joe Gibbs.
In 1970, they started recording with Byron Lee on the Dynamic Sound Label where they scored with a monster hit titled ÒJohnny Too BadÓ which sold over 3 million copies. Johnny Too bad was featured in the movie, ÒThe Harder They ComeÓ. Taj Mahal, John Martin and U40, to name a few also covered that song.
Lead singer Hylton Beckford's new single, a duet with Jessica Star, ÒHold Me TightÓ written by Johnny Nash, will be released on the SunStorm label in early spring.
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