Wonderful World, Beautiful People/ Waterfall

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. By the way, don't neglect the catchy uptempo Northern Soul number on the flip! Note: This beautiful styrene pressing has pristine Mint audio. The picture sleeve is near mint in the upper 3/4 but VG (some apparent water damage) in the lower fourth (see scan).