DON’T F*CK WITH ME!

If you ever saw “The Harder They Come,” you know this scene. If you haven’t watched the movie, you should.

They started to promote reggae. Only this was in a world with no YouTube, never mind the internet. We weren’t sure how to PRONOUNCE IT! Was it like “Reggie” in the “Richie Rich” comics or was it like “gay” or… You see the way they promoted something back then was via the press. There were articles in “Time” and other magazines, there was a big push, but there was no radio airplay.

Most of the push came with the release of the Wailers “Catch a Fire,” their first “rock” album, produced and released by Chris Blackwell. Marley and the group were stranded in London, needing cash, and Blackwell gave it to them in return for this record that he adjusted for white audiences. Which didn’t catch a fire whatsoever, not in the U.S. That didn’t happen for Marley until five albums later, with the release of “Live!,” which percolated in the marketplace during 1976 and is a one listen smash…all you need to hear is the opener, “Trenchtown Rock.” After that…Marley and the Wailers were stars. And it was definitely Bob Marley and the Wailers, he pointed to the emblem on his white BMW and said that was what it stood for.

But before that…

The first reggae hit to break in the U.S. was by an American! Johnny Nash, with his original “I Can See Clearly Now,” a phenomenal track that one can never burn out on. The attendant press said it was reggae, but the success of the track transcended the hype, it was EVERYWHERE! And if you bought the album it was littered with Marley covers, it opened with “Stir It Up,” but no one in the U.S. knew who Marley was.

But before Marley gained traction, there was the 1972 film, “The Harder They Come,” directed by Perry Henzell and masterminded by Chris Blackwell. It was not released in America until 1973, part of the reggae push, but unlike “Catch a Fire,” “The Harder They Come” did ignite, albeit slowly, via word of mouth after continued exhibition, especially in the college student mecca of Boston, where the film had a seven year midnight run at the Orson Welles Cinema.

But it wasn’t only the film, within which Jimmy Cliff starred as Ivan, it was also the SOUNDTRACK! A cornucopia of reggae’s greatest hits featuring first and foremost the work of Cliff, the album caught you immediately with “You Can Get It If You Really Want.”

“But you must try, you must try…”

I never heard this on the radio. But I bought the album and the music was undeniable.

The record also contained the Melodians’ “Rivers of Babylon,” and the Slickers’ “Johnny Too Bad,” and the Maytals’ (soon to be known as “Toots and the Maytals”) “Pressure Drop, but…

As good as those tracks were, and they were great, they were superseded by the work of Jimmy Cliff, the title track and then “Rivers of Babylon” and the piece-de-resistance…”Sitting in Limbo.”

“Sitting here in limbo

But I know it won’t be long

Sitting here in limbo

Like a bird without a song”

You’d never heard something quite like this. It was a giant leap forward. Soft, hooky, ethereal and meaningful, wow!

But as big as the movie and these songs were, “The Harder They Come” was still a cult item. Not a cult item like today, a small vertical, but without mainstream AOR airplay only dedicated music fans and those who’d seen the movie were exposed. And for them…the album was a staple of their collection, that never went out of style.

And Jimmy Cliff was the biggest star in reggae. Eclipsing Bob Marley by far. Whose Island career really didn’t gain any significant traction until “Rastaman Vibration,” four studio albums in.

But when Jimmy’s 1973 Island album “Struggling Man” did such, despite the movie, Jimmy jumped ship. To the major labels. EMI in Europe and Reprise in the U.S. It was like he sold out, in search of stardom, he was not an authentic Jamaican spliff-smoker, he was part of the machine, he was no longer one of the struggling originals. And this perception spread from the island to the mainland, and the small group who were reggae fans shunned Cliff, he was for everybody else, not them.

But Reprise couldn’t break Cliff, not in the traditional way. Meanwhile, Marley was percolating up from the bottom, and when he and his group finally got a toehold, it was not radio that spread the word, but the public, who adored the Wailers like fans adored the Grateful Dead. The Wailers got even less radio airplay. But word was you just had to see them. And people did, and the legend grew.

Jimmy put out “Give Thankx” in 1978, and it received a push from Reprise, I bought it and liked it, but sans Chris Blackwell, sans being part of the Island reggae cult, sans a hit (which even Marley and the Wailers did not have), Jimmy Cliff was just another major label act trolling for radio airplay to rocket them into the stratosphere, and that never happened.

And then Jimmy Cliff converted to Islam, when reggae fans were all over Rastafarianism. And this sealed his outsider status. And reggae fans knew. Jimmy was not a pariah, he was just a sideshow, a very small sideshow… Reggae lifted the boats of everyone playing it except for Jimmy, the wind was no longer in his sails.

Jimmy even switched to Columbia, worked with the Stones’ producer Chris Kimsey, but the reggae cult shrugged its shoulders.

Meanwhile, Bob Marley had died of cancer, and it’s impossible to compete with a dead man. Marley was seen as the epicenter of reggae, true believers considered him the god, and Jimmy Cliff was just a guy who starred in a movie. But he wasn’t!

But in music back then, commercial success was everything. And you couldn’t sell many tickets without it. Furthermore, tickets were still cheap.

So…

Jimmy Cliff continued to live, he made records, but he was now seen as separate from Jamaica.

Now the last time I saw Jimmy Cliff was in 2012, at Coachella, on the main stage, in the afternoon, when not only are there few in attendance, there are not many in front of the main stage. And neither was I… But I heard this voice… I remember immediately looking to the sky. Who is this? And I turned around and…

It was Jimmy Cliff. Who was promoting a new album, “Rebirth,” but you didn’t have to know the record to get the performance.

It was the kind you never forget. Sans big production, in the sun, which is not conducive to impact, Jimmy seemed to hover twenty or thirty feet above the stage, that’s how powerful his voice and music were. It was astounding.

And now he’s dead.

Coda:

The news is everywhere. Boomers and Gen-X’ers know his name. Youngsters? I’ve never heard one of them reference “The Harder They Come,” even though Jimmy Cliff was more than that, much more…

There was “Vietnam,” released in ’68, but most people did not catch on until after the war was over. There was no internet to provide alternative airplay, sans the radio…you were dead in the water, or close to it.

And then there was “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” in ’69… Another track that didn’t really gain traction until later, in the seventies.

As for “You Can Get It If You Really Want.” This used to be the ethos of America, the so-called “American Dream,” which today is more achievable in Canada and certain European nations than the U.S. But it was even harder to move up the ladder in Jamaica…but at the time…as many tickets as today’s musical acts sell, as many streams as they have, acts were much bigger fifty years ago. Music was beyond entertainment, it was laden with  meaning, it drove the culture, music was IT! And the best way to go from nowhere to somewhere was to have a hit, not be on a reality TV show or concoct some scam in Silicon Valley.

As for the movie’s title track…

“Well they tell me of a pie up in the sky

Waiting for me when I die

But between the day you’re born and when you die

They never seem to hear you even cry”

There’s more truth in that verse than you find in today’s Spotify Top 50. An honest appraisal of the human condition. Today they’re selling fantasy, back then reality triumphed.

And in the song Jimmy ultimately did:

“So as sure as the sun will shine

I”m gonna get my share now, what’s mine

And then the harder they come

The harder they fall, one and all”

This is not the false braggadocio of a rap record, this is not the trappings, this is the essence…through sheer will I’m going to lift myself up, all by lonesome, because no one is helping me, and as far as those who held me back…F*CK THEM!

“Many Rivers to Cross”?

“Many rivers to cross

And it’s only my will that keeps me alive”

Live long enough and you struggle. You think you’re flying high, then you lose your job, your spouse…it’s not clear sailing for anybody, ANYBODY! And it’s hard to put one foot in front of another. It’s only sheer will that keeps you alive.

“And this loneliness won’t leave me alone

It’s such a drag to be on your own”

When you’ve got nothing, nobody wants to be your friend, no one wants to date you, you’re alone, in the wilderness, and staying upright and functioning is extremely difficult, not that you’ll learn about this in today’s music…where too many are complaining they’re not yet rich or famous, or from internet influencers, who believe by laying themselves bare and talking about how screwed they are that this resonates…even though what they’re really looking for is attention…and money.

And then there’s “Sitting in Limbo,” alone with your thoughts on the beach.

“Well they’re putting up resistance

But I know that my faith will lead me on”

Faith in yourself. That’s how you break through.

“Sitting here in limbo

Waiting for the tide to flow

Sitting here in limbo

Knowing that I have to go”

To succeed you must take action. You must confront your issues, your problems, your naysayers. You cannot cower, you must hold your head high.

Like Jimmy Cliff.

(Due to a technical snafu, there was a rerun last week.)

Tune in Saturday November 22nd to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

Yemi Oyediran is the director of the must-watch documentary “King of Them All: The Story of King Records” presently airing on PBS.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yemi-oyediran/id1316200737?i=1000737576785

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/0197154e-0fe1-4421-896b-a1b595ce0db7/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-yemi-oyediran

I co-manage Herb Alpert and want to thank you for your piece today.  So thrilled that you enjoyed the show and were willing to spread the good word.

When Herb decided to do this tour in honor of the 60th anniversary of Whipped Cream and his 90th year on this mortal coil, he wanted it to really celebrate the music, and that feeling that his original live band and studio players captured (Note- the wrecking crew recorded on Whipped Cream), but also feel real, vibrant and current.   We all agreed to hand pick images, film clips, musicians, lighting fixtures, and even off-stage staff who would amplify his joy for this music, simple but powerful presentation, and the kindness/authenticity he insists upon with all those who surround him.  Herb shares himself up there, and along with his fantastic band, we are so glad to see the ripple effect it’s having on his fans and beyond.  I saw people checking out of the hotel next door on Sunday morning.  It was pouring rain, and yet they were all still smiling, having travelled far and wide to see this hometown show!   What a blessing…

Thanks again for your glowing endorsement, as I hope others will get to come spend time with us in the near future… XS

Alexander (Xander Smith) Wolton

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I’m Herb’s agent…glad you enjoyed the show.  I had the pleasure of experiencing the tour in different cities across the country this year and I’m pleased to report the response is always the same — happiness, joy and multiple standing ovations.  To me, this is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake…the songs are hits, the melodies are timeless, the archival videos are integrated perfectly to help tell the story…and maybe most importantly it’s a little welcome break from tough times.  Herb put together the revamped Tijuana Brass for 2025 and it has been the under the radar tour of the year – 39 consecutive sellouts (and counting), 36 cities and over 65,000 tickets sold.

Michael Morris

MINT Talent Group

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The fascinating story behind “The Lonely Bull” can be found in “Hollywood Eden.” The most intriguing aspect t me is that there was no ready market for this music — it was born wholly of Herb’s imagination and there was really nothing like it (unless you count those oddly popular bullfight music albums, which don’t really count). Also keep in mind that Herb got his start alongside his songwriting partner Lou Adler writing and producing Sam Cooke. Flea told me he used to see sheet music at Fairfax High with Herb’s name still on them.

Cheers,

Joel Selvin

PS: Check the composer credit on “Whipped Cream.”

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Love Herb I saw him at Vibrato right before Covid hit. His playing is still great as is his voice and he has a ton of great stories that he loves sharing. And those songs were the best and as you mentioned crossed genres. My dad started his career in Cleveland and ended up running a big distribution company,  A&M was one of the labels they handled. I remember Jerry Moss staying at our house in Cleveland before the label started selling in big numbers. When we moved to LA dad was named Head Of Sales at A&M. Whipped Cream was the largest selling record of the year in America. The Peter Whorf cover was brilliant and certainly didn’t hurt the sales.

Michael Rosenblatt

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Saw Herb & TJB at the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center back on March 28, and it was like time had stopped, and/or was irrelevant. A night filled with pure joy and rediscovery. Having Lani Hall of Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 (who’s also Herb’s wife, I believe) come out and perform four songs mid/late set was also a treat.

I immediately went and found my Audiophile Series edition of their Greatest Hits LP, ordered the 60th anniversary picture-disc LP reissue of Whipped Cream, and then went and bought the reissue LP of Rise in a local record store since I never owned it. Pure magic.

Herb’s going back out in 2026, and I’d see him/them again in a heartbeat.

Mike Mettler

Editor, Analog Planet

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I was only 8 years old. My uncle owned a record store so we got albums early and often. With hindsight, I think my first fantasies about women probably came about thanks to the album cover art for “Whipped Cream and Other Delights.”

To this day, I still enjoy that music. To this day, every mention of this album triggers a vivid memory of the album cover.

Mark McLaughlin

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I attended Herb Albert at the Dolby on Friday night. As one of the younger members of the crowd at almost 63, it brought back sweet memories of my mom playing HATB on the family hi-fi. She loved music! Then again, she might’ve liked his dimples too, lol. What a handsome man he was, and still so charming. I could have listened to his bits (have no doubt he has tons of stories), and music all night.

I agree with you. His music has a certain optimism to it even for the slow tunes. It brought back the feeling of that era. It was impossible not to hum and bop along to the perfectly arranged songs. By the end of the night, my face hurt from smiling.

So many people don’t know the extent of the effect that Herb had on the music business/scene. He is a living legend.

I’d forgotten abou Laugh-In, and Teaberry. It evoked glimpses of my childhood that made me teary eyed. My parents both gone. My oldest sister’s favorite gum, she’s gone too. Yet somehow I felt content and fulfilled after being in his presence as he walked us all back in time.

I’m so thrilled that I finally got to see him perform, and urge anyone who grew up during that era to get a ticket, get in the car, just go! You won’t regret it.

Sincerely,

Janine Weltman

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A year ago I asked Siri to play Herb Alpert on Spotify and it brought me back to the sixties.  I had forgotten about the Teaberry Shuffle and the TJB song played when introducing contestants on the Dating Game.  The theme from Casino Royale was also a gem.  His music was simply fun.  I was in elementary school at the time and one of my best friends was Herb’s nephew, Derek.  Derek’s family lived next door to my aunt & uncle in Studio City so whenever we would visit, I would go next door to play at Derek’s house.  Uncle Herb was there once when I visited and he sat Derek, Randy and myself down and played us “We Can Fly” by the Cowsills.  Apparently their MGM contract was expiring and he was considering signing them.  I gave the record a big thumbs up but Derek & Randy were not as enthusiastic.  Oh, well.  When I ran for student office at Carpenter Avenue Elementary School in 1968, Derek was my campaign manager.  Our teacher suggested that each candidate display a poster on the side of one of the bungalow classrooms.  Derek went to A&M and had one of the techs use backdrop material to fashion a “poster” that was probably 15 feet long which covered the entire side of the building.  After Derek was asked to explain how this was a “poster,” he replied that he was not told of any size limitations at which point the teacher let out an “F-Bomb” and suggested we get lost. Rather that “get lost,” I won the election, in no small part due to Derek’s planning and execution.  Good times.  Bob Paris

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Herb often does a Q&A with the concert audience, and when I saw him backstage a couple of tours back, I told him I would have asked which band on A&M he thought should’ve been big but wasn’t. He immediately replied, “The Flying Burrito Brothers.“ How about that!

Richard Pachter

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Herb Alpert is still the only artist to hit No. 1 with an instrumental (1979’s “Rise”) and a vocal (“This Guy’s In Love With You” 1968).

Vince Welsh
DeLand, FL

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The show was incredible. Holy cow. I wasn’t sure what to expect knowing he’s 90…then he came skipping out and me and my 77 year dad got so excited we giggled.

I love the way he loves his wife…and how he gets choked up with talking about how much he loves her. Any partner should be so lucky. My dad noted that it was neat that the images on the big screens of them together were essentially re-created when she came out on stage.

His stories were so informative – I could listen to him talk about his experiences for hours. His story about his horn teacher Caruso in NY was interesting. “You are the instrument, this is just a piece of plumbing” Good stuff. His wit and ability to deliver info is spot on – he’s sharp as a tack. He is a master class in how it’s done. His label is also a master class in how it’s done. He can create social content on the fly, he knows what he wants and delivers it EVERY TIME. To be 90 and firing on all cylinders is pretty awesome. We should all be so lucky.

This one will go down in the memory books for sure.
Oh, and the Tijuana Brass band was spectacular. I mean, wow.

Jocelynn Pryor

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We saw this show in Winnipeg recently – and it was the show we didn’t know we needed.  Easily a hi-lite of the year!  The crowd here was mixed for sure, but definitely leaned into the demographic who grew up with his music.

He even brought out his adoring wife (and she was spectacular)!!!

I’d go far as to say – not only one of the best of the year, but one of THE most memorable in quite some time.

What an incredible treat to see this 90 YEAR OLD perform as though he was…at least a much younger version of many people of his vintage.

Dale Robertson

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Loved yoir review of Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass.

I saw him in Dallas 1.5 years ago. He blew me away how vital, unbowed, still excited, etc that he is at this age.

An inspiration.

And yes, his show is like being in his living room.

Colin Boyd

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We saw Herb in May and he blew that horn in every song for the whole two hours. Videos for almost every song on the background scrim, but his video budget was helped no doubt by his being the “A” of “A&M Records.”

His stories between songs were the best.

How Jerry Moss didn’t think much of “ A Taste of Honey,” but the crowd reactions on the road were enthusiastic. Then he and the band play it for us, I roll video, and at the end the crowd is on their feet, I’m closing in on Herb’s face and his eyes are swimming in tears. He is overwhelmed, after this song, every night of this tour, by how the fans still react.
You cannot buy a better feeling than that, just being there: him enjoying us enjoying him.

Only in America.
—Emory Damron
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My wife and I saw Herb Albert last year without the Tijuana Brass.  Herb was playing with his wife Lani Hall (previously lead vocalist for Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66) and a small backing band.  It was a magical concert.  Herb would tell a story, play a song, tell another interesting story, play a song, etc.  I wasn’t sure at 90+ years old he still had the musical chops, but he did not disappoint.   What a discography!

Denis Konouck

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Saw him w TB 1963.   My 1st live show ever at The Greek

Art Geier

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Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss, Chris Blackwell – the most incredible music men I have ever had the privilege to meet ….understated , gracious, authentic and always about the music first.

It was my privilege as an entry level PR guy to put Lonely Bull to No:1 in NZ ..,and lucky enough to meet Herb at the A&M 20th Anniversary celebrations many years later!

Victor Stent

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When I was producing music videos back in the late 70s/80s etc., we used to use the Chaplin Stage at A&M Records, on La Brea, all the time. It was a favorite with a lot of music video production companies – the great director Wayne Isham was once the production manager there.  Herb’s office was close by and he was often there – always approachable and always gracious.

One video my partner Jim Yukich and I shot there was Jeff Beck’s “Ambitious”, in 1985. We had the conceit of people “auditioning” with Jeff and had them actually sing the song live over the track (Donny Osmond and Marilyn McCoo were standouts!). We asked Herb to make an appearance and he did, coming in right at the end.

He is, as you note so well, a class act.

Paul Flattery

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Thank you…

For your beautiful and heartfelt words about Herb. I too was there Saturday night and felt this same kind of happiness hearing all those songs and seeing a true master (and one of my main mentors in life and music) at work.

He had that entire audience in the palm of his hands—I didn’t want it to end! And all the while I’m thinking…would I be able to play like that ALL night when I’m 90? Uh, doubt it. 🙂

His life is like one of his pieces of art…he sets quite the example of how to live a creative life.

I’m so glad you wrote that piece, as this is a must-see show for as long as this sold out run lasts. Lucky for us we got in to see it!

Much love, DK.

—
Dave Koz