Jimmy Cliff: Music Maker

Jimmy Cliff: Music Maker

1974

Reprise Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Brother  2. I Want to Know  3. You Can't Be Wrong and Get Right  4. House of Exile  5. Foolish Pride  6. No. 1 Rip-Off Man  7. Long Time No See  8. I've Been Dead 400 Years  9. Look What You've Done to My Life, Devil Woman  10. Music Maker  11. My Love Is Solid as a Rock  12. Money Won't Save You


Woah! To what do we owe the pleasure of the big-titted woman on the album cover? Was this Jimmy's attempt to cash in on the "Tighten Up" market?

Nah, I doubt Jimmy had much to do with this...This album was originally released as "House of Exile"...

I hate to say it, but I think I prefer the "House of Exile" album cover, with its side of a van-worthy painting of Jimmy Cliff in bitchen mirror shades...The more I look at it, the more I think it may be his best album cover (unless you're counting "The Harder They Come" which beats it by a narrow margin)...

Oh yea, remember about a year and a half ago when I did the post for "The Best of Jimmy Cliff" and marveled at the liner notes lambasting Jimmy Cliff for being a bitter has-been? I didn't understand it then because I hadn't heard his run of albums from '73-'74, culminating in "Music Maker" which is probably the pinnacle of Jimmy's bitterness...Damn, this is some bitter shit...Like washing a mouthful of coffee grounds and orange peels down with a gallon of industrial-strength espresso...But honestly, all this anger seems to light a fire under Jimmy's usual peaceful demeanor, making this one of my personal favorites...

Just good, earthy reggae topped with a (sometimes) healthy dollop of righteous anger. Although this is Jimmy Cliff we're talking about, so it's never anything less than tuneful and will probably sound pleasant if you ignore the lyrics...For example, track 6 is an uplifting good-time Motown rave-up until you realize that the song is called "No 1 Rip Off Man" and he starts listing off names... Pretty fucking bitter but also ridiculously entertaining...

 The only time he goes a bit too far is on "Look What You've Done to My Life, Devil Woman" where he blames a woman for tempting him away from his family....What?! You don't bear any of the responsibility of leaving your family for another woman? Again, it's amusing for its sheer hubris but you can't shake the feeling that this guy is a nothin' but a big jerk...

But on the flip-side this vitriol also results in flat-out amazing stuff like "Brother," the title track and best of all, "You Can't Be Wrong and Get Right" which is the album's big winner. Just a solid sing-song melody that makes great use of Jimmy's little-used lower register to memorable effect. Definitely one of those songs I've never played just once..."You Can't Be Wrong and Get Right" falls into that rare category of "automatic rewinder" for me...

It's not all venom, though..."I Want to Know" is a beautiful slice of gospel reggae that almost steals the show..."Music Maker" is a convincing tribute to the power of music...I guess "My Love Is Solid as a Rock" is pretty nice too, but it's a little too lightweight...

I wouldn't start here but for folks already well-acquainted with the classics, this shouldn't be overlooked...I like it much more than the follow-up "Follow My Mind" which usually gets the critical nod...For nothing else, buy it just to hear Jimmy mercilessly stick it to everybody who's ever wronged him in the most lilting manner possible...

Here's "You Can't Be Wrong and Get Right" by Jimmy Cliff...Enjoy...