Smashbomb

"This reminds me of recording at Sawmills Studios at Fowey in Cornwall. It was a really beautiful environment and, thanks to the estuary, you had to come over by boat, loading the gear on depending on whether the tide was in. Then once you arrived it was this cut-off, really beautiful house. It felt like a holiday camp. Those first days in the studio were so exciting, we almost couldn’t contain ourselves. We were desperate to get in and start setting stuff up. We’d done a lot of four-track demos in the living room of the cottages so we kind of knew what we were doing but it was a very free time. I remember Danny and I being in the main living area there and getting really hooked on Either/Or. I think it was his almost Beatles-like sensibility in terms of his melodies and song structure. The technical side of things always interests me and I saw him doing similar things: finding a way to play four chords in a slightly odd way. His stuff wouldn’t always land on the chord that you expect, which was cool and very inspiring."

Source

Kudos

Darren Fisher (2474 KP) rated Harder They Come Soundtrack by Jimmy Cliff in Music

Dec 12, 2020 (Updated Jan 15, 2021)

Superb Soundtrack

Pretty much introducing reggae to the rest of the world outside of Jamaica, this is very much an album of my childhood. The cassette player in the parents car, blaring this out, normally on our lengthy car journeys to our holiday destination. It wasn't until the late 80's that I actually got around to seeing the film. Blown away I invested in my own copy of this superb soundtrack, and it's been a consistent 'go to' album ever since. Jimmy Cliff provides the bulk of the album. The main theme song, which you get two excellent versions of here, was the only track especially recorded for the film. The rest of the album comprises of some of the greatest reggae tunes ever recorded from 1967-72. Featuring Desmond Dekker, The Maytals, Scotty, The Slickers and The Melodians, we hear infectious rhythms, funky Kingston breaks, a whole lot of soul, all topped off with Jamaican patois. It really doesn't get much better than this. An absolute classic.

Album highlights:
The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff
Johnny Too Bad - The Slickers
Pressure Drop - The Maytals