The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad

 

Often times people misinterpret reggae music: they label it as a product of weed culture, as lacking substantial themes, as all sounding the same...if you are one of these people (which I know you are not) prepare to free yourself from ignorance.  The Slickers may not be one of the best known groups out there, but they achieved a certain level of success behind this super jam "Johnny Too Bad."  Following its release, they were forever immortalized when their song was used in Perry Henzel's 1972 film The Harder They Come starring reggae legend Jimmy Cliff.  The film introduced me to The Slickers as well as other dope artists like Desmond Dekker, Scotty, and The Maytals when I saw it back in my younger youth.  This article may be about a Jam and a Half but it could easily be a "Flic and a Half" as The Harder They Come masterly portrays the sentiments and themes its soundtrack presents.

"Johnny Too Bad" presents a youth that has turned to a life of crime, as well as the social implications of the culture that such choices produce...in 8 lines!  I dare you to name another genre that can get a point across in less.  But while the lyrical material may be heavy, The Slickers keep the jam light with a rocksteady style characteristic of the late 1960's Jamaica.  Add in a serious organ solo and you have rhythmic piece of soulful social commentary.  So enjoy the track, and all reggae, for the fantastic music that it is; and if you get a chance find a copy of The Harder They Come.  As a forewarning, you might not be able to understand any of the words in the movie, in fact, unless you are from Jamaica you wont understand any of it (outside of the music).  But the soundtrack prefaces the scenes of the movie to give you an understanding of the plot, and either way the flic is so dope that you dont even need to know what the hell they're saying. Trust us.

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