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Dusting Off The Vinyl:  The Harder They Come Soundtrack

Before the film "The Harder They Come" was released in the United States, reggae was a little known sub-genre. The film chronicles the rise of a poor Jamaican played by Jimmy Cliff (the artist performing many songs on the album) from poverty to reggae stardom and wealthy drug dealer. The film is excellent, but the soundtrack for it is astounding.

The songs have a hopeful sound, one of overcoming adversity -- "the officers are trying to keep me down, trying to drive me underground... but as sure as the sun will rise, I'm going to get my share of what's mine. And then the harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all." They chronicle the struggle of attaining goals -- yes "can get it if you really want it, but you must try, try and try, try and try" and will often find yourself "sitting here in limbo, waiting for the dice to roll."
Violence is a means to an end, albeit an impermanent one: "walking down the road, with a pistol in your hand, Johnny you're too bad... one of these days, when you here those voices come, you're going to run."

A fantastic ensemble of early reggae artists including Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, and the Melodians make appearances.  If you purchase it off of iTunes, I also highly recommend getting the "deluxe version" which includes other fantastic reggae cuts, particularly "Israelites" by Dekker, a fantastic reggae spiritual and, "54-46 (That's My Number)" by the Maytals, a song famously covered by Sublime. If you aren't, consider getting finding those tracks and giving them a listen -- they are worth your while!

This album is for anyone ready to graduate from Bob Marley reggae and gain a richer experience of the island sound. It provides an excellent primer covering less well known but equally fantastic artists.