Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff - Give The People What They Want - Oneness - 1981.

Jimmy Cliff was the first reggae artist to suffer at the hands of the rock press, back in the 60's. Jimmy then gave himself the impossible task of trying to make an album they would like. He's made some great singles over the years but everytime it came to an album he lacked the confidence to reject the idea that he should try to appeal to these fools. In 1981 he finally did. This is an album of hard roots/reality music, featuring the likes of Black Uhuru and Sly & Robbie.

Jimmy Cliff - Reggae Greats - Island - 1985

Jimmy's stormy relationship with Island Records and it's owner Chris Blackwell was where the trouble all started for him. The rock press were quite happy to accept Jimmy as a folk/rock artist - Island thus marketed him as such to them - except the reggae tracks kept getting in the way. And here they are. Gathered together in one great set. All the big hits, plus songs that Jimmy wrote for others, that were hits. As well as great songs that should have been massive but weren't.

Jimmy Cliff - Images - Cliff Sounds & Films - 1989

After 'Give The People What They Want' Jimmy seemed to more or less retire. In the years from 1981 to 89 all that was heard was a single or two. Then in 1989 he came forward again with the great single 'Pressure' which featured Josey Wales deejaying. Then came this. A truly superb album - which took him straight into the ragga style musically, although it contained enough variety in production (an amazing amount of musicians and studios) to really show that he had been listening very closely to the music as a whole.

Jimmy Cliff - World Of Music - Shanachie.

Jimmy made such a huge impact with 'The Harder They Come' film. It introduced reggae music to thousands and thousands of people throughout the world. That was the seventies. It would have been great to see Jimmy in 'The 'Harder They Come 2' but it never happened, perhaps it might happen someday though. Meanwhile, by the time we reached the nineties - with a major change in video technology - it was now possible for independent producers to make documentaries - which were released by record companies.

This completely bypasses the usual gatekeepers of television broadcasting who like their radio confederates - have little or no time for reggae music.

Or if they did put something on TV it would be full of people with little or no interest in reggae music, but who like being on TV!

Artists like Jimmy Cliff deserve better than that. And this is a lot better than that.

What you get in an hour or so - is Jimmy encountering people and places that made him. 'The Harder They Come' is featured briefly in the documentary - and rightly so. But Jimmy had an incredible career before the film and after the film.

He goes back to where he was born in the country, and then onto to where he lived in Kingston.

A visit is then paid to the Ward Theatre - where talks about Vere John and the talent shows that the man organized for many years. That gave so many reggae artists the break they needed.

You also find Jimmy in a little rehearsal studio with a band that features Ansel Collins and Members of Chalice.

One of the most memorable moments in the documentary is when he visits a Muslim Mosque and talks to clergy about how important Islam was to Africa and how in recent times - that interest has waned. And makes a good point about how culture and religion are connected.

He also visits a Christian Church - where he reasons with himself about the importance of Christianity. Perhaps the best moment comes when he checks out a gathering of Rastafari and he sits in and plays and sings the nyabinghi drums. He nearly breaks into 'Bongo Man' a tune he did for Beverleys.