Harder Than the Rock is a rollercoaster of a film that charts the highs and lows of the music business, as well as its precarious nature. But it also highlights the passion, commitment and humility that drives the creative architects of reggae, The Cimarons, to deliver such heartful joy to their fans – in spite of the personal cost.
My first encounter with The Cimarons was listening to Trojan Reggae Party Volume One (1971), a live album recorded from the White Hart pub in Harlesden, north west London. This LP formed part of my father’s cherished record collection.
It was played relentlessly on the fabled radiogram every Saturday afternoon after the communal ritual of watching the wrestling on TV. Much of the music that I would go on to listen to, and eventually collect, would be compositions and arrangements delivered by the very same band.
If, like me, you listened to reggae or were party to the host of sub-genres it spawned during the 1960s and 70s, then it’s likely that you too witnessed The Cimarons. They were the go-to backing band of the era and worked with luminaries such as Lee Perry and Bob Marley. They were heavily influenced by rock groups such as The Kinks and Cream.
If Detroit and Memphis can be considered the beating heart of Black music in the US, then Brent in north-west London is the British equivalent. The Cimarons were formed there during the swinging 60s. It was a time of social change and cultural revolution, not to mention the nation’s heady high of winning the football world cup for the first time, just a few miles up the road in Wembley.
Before other well-known British bands such as Aswad, Steel Pulse, Matumbi, Black Slate and Capital Letters had exploded on the scene at the height of reggae’s popularity in the late 70s, this tight and well-accomplished outfit of musicians had already been carrying the reggae banner for well over a decade.
The band led the emergence of the distinctively British mod reggae, a sub-genre popular in the skinhead subculture which was often faster and more danceable than traditional reggae. Like Marley and Jimmy Cliff, The Cimarons were pioneers.
They paved the way for Jamaican music to be heard globally for the first time in places such as Thailand and Japan, and in regions of west Africa. And let’s not forget the impact that the band had in Ireland, which highlighted the nearness that existed between the West Indian communities and the Irish on the British mainland.
The Cimarons effortlessly fused the rich and rebellious sound of Jamaican music with the equally rebellious but frenetic sound of rock and punk. They proved that music – arguably more than religion, politics or sport – can impel and encourage connectivity and integration. This was particularly potent during the 1970s and 80s when the country was marred by social exclusion and anti-immigration propaganda.
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Unfairly, The Cimarons never accrued their rightful financial reward for their music. In the words of reggae’s first prince, Dennis Brown, they were instead offered “praise without raise”. In spite of this, the reggae rhapsody pushes on, and the band are rightfully celebrated in Harder Than the Rock.
The film is an audio visual masterpiece that brilliantly captures the history of British reggae music. Director Mark Warmington has achieved something very special in providing a favoured insight into the history of not only one of the greatest British reggae bands, but one of the greatest British bands full stop.
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Kenny Monrose does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
