One of the strongest albums that Jimmy Cliff recorded in the '80s was Give The People What They Want, which finds the reggae icon backed by such Jamaican heavyweights as guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith and the team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare.
Combine a rock-solid band with first-rate songwriting and charismatic, expressive vocals on Cliff's part, and you have an album that is a winner all the way around.
There isn't a trace of filler on this LP; the romantic "Shelter of Your Love" is every bit as memorable as sociopolitical gems like "World in Trap," "Majority Rule" and "Material World." Many of the songs on Give The People What They Want are as spiritual as they are sociopolitical -- and while Cliff is a devout Muslim, he preaches a universal message while never coming across as sectarian.
In fact, Cliff has a lot of Rastafarian and Christian fans who can easily relate to his lyrics.
Give The People What They Want is enthusiastically recommended to reggae lovers.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Son of ManJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | Give the People What They WantJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | ExperienceJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Shelter of Your LoveJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Majority RuleJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 6 | Let's Turn the TablesJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Material WorldJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | World in TrapJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 9 | What Are You Doing With Your LifeJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | My PhilosophyJimmy Cliff, Leonard Smith | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 37 mins | 84 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 191 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wally Badarou | Synthesizer |
| 2 | "Deadly" Headley Bennett | Saxophone |
| 3 | Barry Biggs | Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Arnold Brackenridge | Trumpet |
| 5 | Radcliffe Bryan | Guitar |
| 6 | Jimmy Cliff | Composer, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Ernest Cole | Photography |
| 8 | Ansel Collins | Keyboards, Organ, Piano |
| 9 | Santa Davis | Drums |
| 10 | Sly Dunbar | Drums |
| 11 | Bobby Ellis | Trumpet |
| 12 | Dean Fraser | Saxophone |
| 13 | Audrey Hall | Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Pam Hall | Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Jimmy "Senyah" Haynes | Bass |
| 16 | Stephen Innocenzi | Digital Remastering |
| 17 | David Maden | Trumpet |
| 18 | Bertram "Ranchie" McLean | Bass, Guitar, Mixing |
| 19 | Augustus Pablo | Keyboards, Piano |
| 20 | Harry T. Powell | Percussion |
| 21 | Michael Richards | Drums |
| 22 | Ronald "Nambo" Robinson | Trombone |
| 23 | Michael Rose | Vocals (Background) |
| 24 | Carlos Santana | Photography |
| 25 | Robbie Shakespeare | Bass |
| 26 | Ducky Simpson | Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Earl "Chinna" Smith | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 28 | Leonard Smith | Composer |
| 29 | Steven Stanley | Mixing Assistant |
| 30 | The Tamlins | Vocals (Background) |
| 31 | Lisa Tanner | Photography |
| 32 | Uziah "Sticky" Thompson | Percussion |
| 33 | Sydney Wolfe | Percussion |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |