Though it would be years before Reggae music became well known and loved in the U.S., 1968-69 were remarkable years when you think of the breakout hits that brought success to Johnny Nash ("Hold Me Tight"), Desmond Dekker ("Israelites") and Jimmy Cliff ("Wonderful World..."). At the time, as with Paul Simon's 1972 hit "Mother and Child Reunion," the sound of reggae made hits because of its novelty... not because of widespread adoption of reggae rhythms and arrangements by mainstream rock artists, as was the case by the late 1970s with bands like The Police and The Clash. Also don't miss the terrific Northern Soul dancer on the flip, which is a non-album tunes unavailable on LP except on later compilation sets. Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage A&M Records factory sleeve. It has Near Mint labels with a touch of ringwear on the A side. The vinyl (styrene) looks only lightly touched, and the audio sounds pristine! (This scan is a representative image from our archives.)
