JIMMY CLIFF Original '76 DJ Promo LP FOLLOW MY MIND

JIMMY CLIFF FOLLOW MY MIND LPCategory / Style / Moods: Reggae Roots Reggae, Soul, Reggae-Pop19.77 / 2008-11-02 FP asocc1976 REPRISE LPTITLE: FOLLOW MY MINDARTIST: JIMMY CLIFFCONDITIONCOVER: VGVINYL: VG+Click here for info on grading and abbreviationsORIGINAL PRESS RARE PROMO LABEL WITH COVER STICKERClick the pix for a better view TRACKS: Disc: 11.Look at the MountainsCliff 3:162.The NewsCliff 3:243.I'm Gonna Live, I'm Gonna LoveCliff 3:284.Going MadCliff 3:015.Dear MotherCliff, Higgs 3:306.Who Feels It, Knows ItCliff, Higgs 3:447.Remake the WorldCliff 2:458.No Woman, No CryFord, Marley 3:529.Wahjahka ManCliff 3:3510.HypocritesCliff 4:3911.If I Follow My MindCliff 2:4612.You're the Only OneCliff 4:36Label: Reprise Records Catalog#: MS 2218 Format: Vinyl, LP Country: US Released: 1975 Genre: Reggae Style: Reggae Credits: Producer - Jimmy Cliff Producer, Arranged By [Strings, Horns] - Trevor Lawrence Biography by Jo-Ann Greene It's one of life's great ironies that today, outside of reggae circles, Jimmy Cliff is better known for his film appearances than his music. Even after a string of hits, the singer never quite managed to break into the mainstream, although in the late '60s/early '70s, he seemed poised for international stardom. The singer was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, on April 1, 1948, with the less prosaic name James Chambers. His talent was obvious from childhood, and he began his career appearing at local shows and parish fairs. At 14, he felt ready for the big time, moved to Kingston, and took the surname Cliff to express the heights he intended on reaching. Cliff recorded two unsuccessful singles before he was spotted by Derrick Morgan, who brought him to Leslie Kong. His first single for the budding producer, "Hurricane Hattie," was an instant hit. Unusually, Cliff remained with Kong until the producer's death; most Jamaican artists flit from studio to studio. The singer's loyalty was rewarded, however, as the hits just kept coming. In the early years, the pair helped set the ska scene alight, both in Jamaica and in Britain, where the singer's singles were picked up by Island Records. "Miss Jamaica," "King of Kings," "One Eyed Jacks," and "Pride and Passion" were all classics from the ska era. Review by Steve Leggett Perhaps more than any other Jamaican singer, Jimmy Cliff always had his sights set on the international market, and while he obviously works from a reggae base, his sound -- featuring full productions often cushioned with strings -- completely defines what has come to be known as reggae-pop. Ironically, given that it was his contemporary Bob Marley who broke through to become reggae's icon, Cliff may not have sounded, in the end, Jamaican enough. Follow My Mind originally came out in 1975 on the heels of the U.S. release of the Harder They Come soundtrack (which featured a quartet of Cliff's finest songs, including the magnificent "Many Rivers to Cross"), and rode Harder's wake onto the lower reaches of the pop charts. But Follow My Mind was a smooth, polished album, with few of the charming rough edges that characterized Cliff's previous work with producer Leslie Kong (who died in 1971, shortly after the Harder soundtrack was completed), and while it definitely had a Jamaican lilt, it sounded as much like Marvin Gaye as it did Marley, and ultimately it was the ragged, gospel-fueled songs of The Harder They Come that ended up sticking in the public's memory. Not that Follow My Mind lacked solid performances. "The News" was Cliff at his persecuted, paranoid best, while his version of Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" brought out the wounded regret inherent in the song even better than Marley did in his various versions. The set closer, "You're the Only One," was a great, classic love song, and "If I Follow My Mind" projected the confident hope that was Cliff's stock-in-trade, pulled along by a great melody and smooth as silk production. Cliff seemed poised to become a major star in the States, but it wasn't to happen, and in retrospect, as much as Follow My Mind was initially helped by the popularity of the Harder They Come soundtrack, it was also hurt by it, since nothing on the new album was as strong as the Kong-produced tracks. Smooth and melodic, Follow My Mind was hardly a creative failure, but by reaching so hard for an international pop sound, Cliff may have ironically overlooked the strong roots base that might have actually delivered the mass audience he deserved. This exquisite piece of retro music history is a vinyl sound recording (not a CD). Please visit the A Sound Deal store for similar items and information on grading and shipping. Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Combine Items to Save $$$! Click here to check the store for more!�A Sound Deal