QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Facts are facts an' t'ings are t'ings: dem's all a lotta bullshit. Hear me! Dere is no truth but de one truth, an' dat is de truth of Jah Rastafari.” — Bob Marley

SONG OF THE WEEK: “Grooving On An Inner Plane” — Robyn Hitchcock

Rockers: 25th Anniversary DVD Edition
MVD/Blue Sun (1979/2005)

So you’ve seen “The Harder They Come” 38 times, you have every Jimmy Cliff album, your dreads are now longer than the time it’s been since you had a girlfriend to admire them, and you just know you’re gonna hit the mother lode of lost and rare Jamaican 45s on the ol’ e-Bay any day now, huh? Well, if that’s you, you surely have a copy of this DVD in your collection already. And if that’s you and you don’t, well, I an’ I gotta tellya you ain’t even close to havin’ a complete reggae collection.

Originally released in 1979 (1980 in the culturally-retarded U.S. of A.), the Jamaican-filmed and acted mocku-doc “Rockers” is, hands down, the greatest movie ever made about reggae, Rastafarianism and the rock bottom, salt-of-the-earth culture of that balmy island nation.

Frankly, the viewer could simply zip through this DVD and find live performance after live performance that would captivate and cultivate the mind—but there’s so much more to this little gem. Beyond the almost overwhelmingly great musical appearances (Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Third World, The Heptones, Junior Murvyn and literally dozens more), superbly remastered sound and crystal-clear camera shots lies an equally fascinating movie dealing with the desperation, oppression and, ultimately, the raw, undeniable hope of a people who take the absolute worst social and personal situations and find Jah—their personal spiritual leader—shining inside of each and every one.

Starring the Rasta-riffic Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace as your humble protagonist—along with a veritable who’s who of Jamaican legends in the roles of such colorful characters as Dirty Harry, Jah Tooth, Big Youth, Smart, Dillinger, Honiball, Leggo Beast, Jeep Man and Bongo Herman—“Rockers” follows the daily musical and social exploits of a close-knit group of friends living in the heart of the ghetto. Horsemouth, a “hard” drummer (meaning really, really fucking good), splits his time between playing gigs where he invariably pisses off someone he’s working for, and dabbling in music-related business.

After borrowing a sizeable sum of cash from friends, associates, lovers and his girlfriend (with whom he has several children, and who is in a constant state of agitation over his misadventures), Horsemouth lays down the bread for an almost-new motorbike. His plan is to use the bike to start a record distribution business in direct competition with the Jamaican mafia. The mafia, who have been ripping off recording artists and folks around the countryside in general, have a huge warehouse full of all of their ill-gotten gains. One fateful day, Horsemouth’s bike is stolen by a mafia stooge, and once he tracks it down to said warehouse, the shit hits the fan.

What follows is a slew of killer live reggae performances interspersed with Horsemouth’s revenge on the mafia. I won’t give away the ending (natch!), but suffice it to say that there’ve been a lot of movies (and music) made in the intervening years solely because somebody watched this flick. The fact that it’s shot on location, with real musicians and native actors, is all the more credit to producer Patrick Hulsey, who, in an interview on Rockers TV (check out the many extras in this package—it’s loaded!) says, “I used to go down and watch “The Harder They Come” over and over. And smoke a fattie. Then I went to Jamaica...”

An awesome piece of history and a welcome breath of musical fresh air from a land that will never be the same and a time that can never return. Worth a watch for ANY discerning music fan, and an absolute must-have for reggae fans. Now I an’ I shake out, mon, take dis spliff an’ t’ink on it. Rasta can’t live in no tenement yard ... One Love!

Buy “Rockers”—and a cornucopia of other great reggae titles—online at MusicVideoDistributors.com.

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUCKBILL!!*

That’s it for this time ‘round, mates. Tune in again for another blast of rock ’n’ roll reality, same time, same space, next week. Until we meet again—make yer own cho! news! ||

If you have local music news/gigs/events/CDs you’d like to see mentioned in this column, or you’d just like to get natty wit’ my dread, send replies to: Tmygunn777@peoplepc.com.