Personnel: Jimmy Cliff (vocals, guitar); Joseph "Joe" Higgs (vocals, percussion); Ernest Ranglin, Noel "Diggles" Bailey (guitar); Ernest "Sterling" McCleod (keyboards); Earl "Baga" Walker (bass); Carleton "Santa" Davies (drums); Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion).
Personnel: Jimmy Cliff (vocals); Joe Higgs (vocals, percussion); Ernest Ranglin, Noel Sowell Bailey (guitar); Ernest McCleod (keyboards); Carleton Davies, Carlton "Santa" Davis (drums); Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion).
Photographer: Peter Cunningham.
Although he had been at it for years, it wasn't until the '70s that Jimmy Cliff helped reggae break through to the masses, largely on the strength of his performance as an actor and musician in THE HARDER THEY COME. So it's no surprise that on this 1976 recording, which is both a live record and a greatest hits package, nearly half of the songs come from that stellar record. And judging from the excited crowd response, this was no disappointment.
Backed by a loose yet rhythmically tight backup band and vocalists, Cliff delivers 10 impassioned songs in versions that are faithful to the well-loved originals. Cliff is in fine form here, energized and in great voice. While he will forever be associated with reggae, Cliff is comfortable stretching beyond the genre's limitations. "Many Rivers to Cross," one of his signature songs, strongly recalls popular soul ballads of the '60s like "When a Man Loves a Woman." He also revisits an early hit, the enchanting "Wonderful World, Beautiful People," turns in a nifty version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" and a stirring "Vietnam," among many highlights.
