2.27.13

On February 27th I listened to Jimmy Cliff The Harder They Come, Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings And Food, and Yuck Yuck.

I didn’t realize this was the soundtrack to the movie The Harder They Come, but it’s got plenty of Jimmy Cliff. He can be a little schmaltzy at times, “Many Rivers To Cross," but I love the energy of “The Harder They Come.”  

NEW NOTES - On a subsequent listen to this album, I realized I LOVE the schmaltz! "Many Rivers To Cross," "Sitting In Limbo," and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" are sadly beautiful. Jimmy Cliff, I owe you and apology. I'm gonna listen to more of your music.

The star of this soundtrack is “Pressure Drop” by The Maytals. One of my all time favorites songs that The Clash has recorded. Maytals version has more charm and a cooler vibe though.

A great “oh shit,” moment occurred during the catchy “Draw Your Brakes,” by Scotty. It’s the song the Beastie Boys sampled on “Stop That Train,” from “B Boy Bouillabaisse.”

Was this a sophomore slump for the Talking Heads?

“Take Me To The River” is the only song really worth being a single. Just a couple of OK tunes here and nothing to really get all worked about. I like “Found A Job,” and mostly just the sound of “The Good Thing.” And I had a love/hate relationship with “Artists Only.”

The first time I listened to this record, it literally hurt my ears. It is mixed so fucking poorly and on purpose. It wasn't until the record was out for a while and I saw the video for “Get Away," that I started to get it. Something clicked and I had to run for the album again. Once you scrape past the sloppy distortion, rudimentary fuzz and just plain awfulness of the recording, there are some great songs on this album! Believe me, I get the charm of this style of album, it just could have been done better. Still, I can’t wait for more from this London outfit.

Oh, and I should mention that when I first listened to this album it was recommended to me by a 20-year-old puke. Thanks Mike Pops!