Rockers is the soundtrack to the 1978 film of the same name. It was released in 1979 by Mango Records and includes some of the songs heard in the film by Jamaican reggae musicians such as Junior Murvin, Bunny Wailer, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh and Jacob Miller.[1][4] In 2024, Rolling Stone magazine named Rockers the 52nd greatest soundtrack of all time.[7]

Rockers
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released1979
RecordedVarious
GenreReggae
LabelIsland
Mango Records
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB+[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
MusicHound Soundtracks[4]
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide[5]
Martin C. Strong9/10[6]

Track listing

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Side One

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  1. "We 'A' Rockers" (Ian Lewis, Bernard Harvey) - Inner Circle
  2. "Money Worries" (Wilson) - The Maytones
  3. "Police and Thieves" (Junior Murvin, Lee Perry) - Junior Murvin
  4. "Book of Rules" (Barry Llewellyn, Harry Johnson) - The Heptones
  5. "Stepping Razor" (Joe Higgs) - Peter Tosh
  6. "Tenement Yard" (Jacob Miller, Roger Lewis) - Jacob Miller
  7. "Fade Away" (Earl "Chinna" Smith) - Junior Byles

Side Two

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  1. "Rockers" (Neville Livingstone) - Bunny Wailer
  2. "Slave Master" (Gregory Isaacs) - Gregory Isaacs
  3. "Man in the Street" (Coxsone Dodd) - Rockers All Stars
  4. "Graduation in Zion" (Frank Dowding) - Kiddus I
  5. "Jah No Dead" (Winston Rodney) - Burning Spear
  6. "Satta Massagana" (L. Manning, D. Manning, B. Collins) - Third World
  7. "Natty Take Over" (Justin Hinds, Michael Roper) - Justin Hinds & the Dominoes

Note: Some versions replace "Man in the Street" with "Dread Lion" by Lee Perry & the Upsetters.

Personnel

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Songs not included in the album

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The following songs are heard in the film, but were not included in the released soundtrack album:

  • "Satta Amasagana" – The Abyssinians with Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus (Nyabinghi version)[8]
  • "Man in the Street" – Rockers All Stars
  • "Money Trouble" – The Maytones & I-Roy
  • "Satta Amasagana" – Rockers All Stars
  • "Stumbling Block" – Dillinger
  • "Midnight Rock Live Dubplate (Answer Riddim, Channel One)" – Big Joe & Jah Thomas
  • "Waiting for the Bus" – Rockers All Stars
  • "Sweet Sensation" – The Melodians
  • "Honeyball" – Rockers All Stars
  • "Rockers" – Rockers All Stars
  • "The Beating" – Rockers All Stars
  • "Water is Power" – Mount Salem African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
  • "Get On Up (Get On Down)" – Roundtree (Disco-Funk)
  • "Queen Majesty" – The Jays & Ranking Trevor
  • "Treasure Dub" – Joe Gibbs & The Professionals
  • "The Raid" – Rockers All Stars

References

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  1. ^ a b Greene, Jo-Ann. "Rockers [Original Soundtrack] Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Consumer Guide Album – Rockers". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. p. 350. ISBN 0-679-73015-X.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  4. ^ a b Deutsch, Didier C., ed. (2000). MusicHound Soundtracks: The Essential Album Guide to Film, Television and Stage Music. Visible Ink Press. p. 499. ISBN 1-57859-101-5.
  5. ^ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John, eds. (1983). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2nd ed.). Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 625. ISBN 0394721071.
  6. ^ Strong, M. C.; Griffin, B. (2008). Lights, Camera, Soundtracks. Canongate. p. 306. ISBN 9781847670038.
  7. ^ "The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time". Rolling Stone. 24 September 2024.
  8. ^ Nishimoto, Dan (11 October 2005). "Rockers (1977)". PopMatters. Retrieved 15 November 2024.