Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff's two best performances --both groundbreaking reggae classics --are included on the soundtrack of The Harder They Come. Twice. Apart from "You Can Get It If You Really Want It" and "The Harder They Come," the rest of Cliff's career has been devoted to a frustrated, one-sided affair with the American pop-soul mainstream. Wonderful World, Beautiful People contains his only other true contender --"Vietnam," a searingly melodic and rhythmically bold interpretation of the reluctant draftee blues. But the title track of this 1970 album exhibits the shallow sentimentality that sinks his subsequent efforts. At least "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" is catchy enough to get your attention for three minutes; Jimmy Cliff's later albums don't even get that far. Avoid the slick remakes of earlier material on In Concert: The Best of Jimmy Cliff, and stick with The Harder They Come. (M.C.)

From The New Rolling Stone Album Guide