Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff was one of the first performers to take the music beyond his native Jamaica.
His voice is higher and sweeter-sounding than Bob Marley's, yet like Marley, Cliff has that fervent, declarative style, righteous but never overbearing.
SPECIAL is from 1982, and is a fine sampling of Cliff's brand of easy-going, pop-tinged reggae.
"Treat the Youths Right" and "Roots Radical" are both groove-oriented and topical--the former is a plea for understanding for young people, the latter a declaration of pride in Jamaican roots and culture.
"Keep on Dancing" and "Rub-a-Dub Partner" are bright, summery exhortations to good times and romance.
This is not an album for those seeking the darkly intense "culture" style of reggae--for that, check out Burning Spear and Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Cliff takes the reggae form and adds a chorus of soothing yet soulful chorus, flute, fuzzy guitars and electronic keyboards, making for a fine album for those who prefer their reggae light, bouncy, and instantly catchy.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SpecialJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | Love Is AllJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | Peace OfficerJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Treat the Youths RightJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Keep on DancingJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 6 | Rub-A-Dub Partner | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 7 | Roots Radical | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | Love HeightsJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 9 | OriginatorJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:59 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 10 | Rock Children | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | Where There Is LoveJimmy Cliff | Jimmy Cliff | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 43 mins | 100 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 243 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Alfieri | Design |
| 2 | Byron Allred | ARP Synthesizer, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 3 | John Berg | Design |
| 4 | Dougie Bryan | Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Radcliffe Bryan | Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Junior Chin | Trumpet |
| 7 | Jimmy Cliff | Bongos, Composer, Congas, Niabingi, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Ansel Collins | Organ, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Carlton "Santa" Davis | Drums (African) |
| 10 | Alvina del Bettis | Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Pee Wee Dread | Flute |
| 12 | Sly Dunbar | Drums |
| 13 | Timothy Eames | Design |
| 14 | Dean Fraser | Guest Artist, Saxophone |
| 15 | Wayne Jobson | Kalimba |
| 16 | Barbara Jones | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Chris Kimsey | Producer |
| 18 | Jackie Kingstonian | Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | David Madden | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 20 | Bertram "Ranchie" McLean | Bass |
| 21 | John Paris | Harmonica |
| 22 | Harry T. Powell | Bongos, Congas, Niabingi |
| 23 | Phil Ramocon | Piano, Synthesizer |
| 24 | Mikey "Boo" Richards | Drums |
| 25 | Ronald "Nambo" Robinson | Trombone |
| 26 | Earl "Chinna" Smith | Bongos, Congas, Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Niabingi, Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Uziah "Sticky" Thompson | Percussion, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Sydney Wolfe | Bongos, Congas, Niabingi |
| 29 | Ron Wood | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 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). |