Third World first

Third World has had a profound impact on Caribbean music over the years. But nearly 30 years after their distinctive sound first arrived, are they classic or passé? Roxan Kinas hears the verdict

By Roxan Kinas | Issue 52 (November/December 2001)

Cat and Bunny in concert, October 1999. Photograph by Eric Young
Ritchie on guitar, October 1999. Photograph by Eric Young
Cat on cello. Photograph by Eric Young
Third World

Cat and Bunny in concert, October 1999. Photograph by Eric Young

Ritchie on guitar, October 1999. Photograph by Eric Young

An eight-year-old prodigy braces a gigantic cello across his chest, studiously practising a piece of classical music. In another part of Kingston, a young boy plucks an acoustic guitar in his school band. In Manchester, a youngster sings in his father’s church. A decade or so later, these boys, an unlikely match, were the backbone of Third World: Stephen “Cat” Coore the cellist/guitarist, Richard “Bassie” Daley the acoustic guitarist/bassist, and William “Bunny Rugs” Clark, lead singer.

The Caribbean grew up on this band that dared give us fusion reggae. And 28 years later, we still feel the Third World magic. Pick any song from 96 Degrees in the Shade and watch young and old alike respond with fond familiarity. And what other band could possibly succeed at glissing into an intense, classical cello piece in the midst of a roaring reggae concert?

It took 16 months to get my first Third World interview. I met founder and lead guitarist/cellist Cat Coore first, in 1997. His locks, fat like stogies dangling to his waist, were topped with his signature Dr Seuss-like yarn hat. A stark contrast to his North American sports clothes and running shoes, but it reflected his two fanatical loves: reggae and cricket.

It was a Friday night in Barbados. The band had just arrived and Cat wanted fish. Somehow that led us to the massive outdoor fish fry in Oistins. As we sidled through the dense crowd to the crackling grills blanketed with fresh fish, he was constantly hailed. He greeted everyone with a grand smile, explaining: “I love being among the people.”

Cat loomed taller than I expected. He denied that he was limping, and instead showed me his right hand, which days earlier he’d injured in an accident on Colorado’s mountain roads. A chip fracture. Two fingers were badly swollen, but he went on playing. “It’s getting easier now.”

We got fresh grilled mahi-mahi. Cat plopped at a picnic table, wedging himself between a portly older woman and me. Across from us, some grizzled local men devoured their food, oblivious. Cat chatted with nearby patrons, then told me the plan for next day. I would meet him and lead singer William “Bunny Rugs” Clark while the other band members went elsewhere. “We always divide up for these things.” He munched his fish.

Next morning, the smile spoke volumes. When Bunny Rugs beams, his face radiates warmth. Genial, with a ribald sense of humour, his laughter infects the more philosophical Cat, flowing like a waterfall.

We gathered round an umbrella table by the hotel pool, and as if there was some kind of radar, a parade of autograph seekers immediately arrived. Bunny, his tiny locks peppered with grey, joked with every fan. Two young police officers, a man and a woman, nervously approached; without a word, Bunny pulled out his fountain pen to autograph a slip of paper for the female officer. “I have fantasized so much about making love to a policewoman,” he told her. “The gun, the baton, the cuffs, the flashlight.” The crimson-faced woman giggled; guffaws echoed around the pool.

Cat asked to use Bunny’s pen, but was rebuffed. “Find your own, nobody uses my tool.” Bunny carefully returned his fountain pen to his shirt pocket. Autographing is serious business to Bunny Rugs. Cat uses my pen instead.

So what keeps this band going?

Cat says: “Third World has a history of records and popularity that is not easy to kill. It comes down to the fact that all of us decided to be musicians. To me the ultimate secret is the commitment each member made, not only to Third World but to the profession and to performing.” And to the band over everything else. “Third World is a brotherhood. I wouldn’t say it can’t accept change because when Carrot left the band, there was no animosity. We made the necessary adjustments and continued without him . . . If any other member were to leave we would still continue.”

Rugs interjects. “I think Third World’s fortune was the members decided very young to take this charted course. It’s difficult to make a career decision when you’re young, but it was easy for me because I was given the talent.”

Here’s one area where Third World has had a huge influence. Take Barbados singer Geoffrey “Biggie Irie” Cordle, for instance. As a 15-year veteran reggae artist, he too chose his life path early, thanks to Bunny’s influence. “I was a fan of Third World from 1976 and when I heard Rugs sing, I knew I wanted to be a singer.” He’s fronted Splashband, Spice & Co and the Israelites, and has shared the stage with Maxi Priest, Buju Banton, Beres Hammond, Garnet Silk and Beenie Man. “I was so captivated by Third World that when I recorded my first single, Shine On Jamaica, everyone said I had eaten all my Third World albums because I sounded exactly like Rugs. Rugs told me as much when he heard my recording of their song, Always Around. He thought he’d sung it and asked Richie Daley when they had done that song over. Richie told him, ‘Dat’s Biggie Irie my bredren, not us’.”

Third World’s professionalism, proficiency and unique sound attracted world attention. Their eclecticism too: many influences were stirred into the Third World pot. “We got more criticism for that over the years,” Rugs says, “but the joyful thing about it is that everybody is coming that way again . . . I cannot change the way I sing and I doubt if Mr Cat can change his guitar style or the musical training he had.”

The distinctive sound that Third World evolved became their biggest trademark. “People think we sat down and planned our sound and songs for the market,” says Cat. “But it’s just not true. Regardless of who wants to think we were more commercial than we should have been, Third World has always done basically what came naturally.”

John Roett, 34-year veteran keyboardist and one-time Musical Director for Maxi Priest, is a long-standing admirer of Third World. “It is to their great credit they instantly achieved a unique, identifiable sound. It’s the one thing every artist strives for, yet can take years to achieve. While their lyrics may not be perceived as being as radical as many others of the 1970s, they sent the same message, sometimes a little deeper, and in their own way.”

But it wasn’t just the Third World sound. “Our music,” says Bunny, “was Rasta-oriented, with conscious lyrics. Lyrics with something to say to the world, lyrics with a message from the heart, and that is where the spirit is, in the heart. We’re just ordinary folks who see stuff and want to talk about it through our music and teach people to enjoy themselves and laugh and be happy.” The songs spring “from things that actually happened, or divine inspiration. Some come with a melody, or just a chord progression. Sometimes it comes and you don’t have anything to record it on and you lose that one, or you’re in the middle of trying to put something together and the phone rings, and when you go back to it you forgot the damned thing.”

John Roett, currently Musical Director of the Plantation Band and co-owner of the record company Roett/Hoyos Productions, agrees on the importance of the Third World message. “There is a certain quality of message in their songs that always succeeds in making its way through the chord structures and layered harmonies, and this, I think, is what captivates anyone who hears their music.”

When Cat Coore left the Inner Circle Band in 1973 to launch Third World with Leslie Colin, there was no shortage of talent willing to help chart new ground. Michael “Ibo” Cooper joined on keyboards, Richard “Bassie” Daley on bass, Carl Barovier on drums and Irvin “Carrot” Jarrett on percussion. Their 1974 Kingston debut marked the arrival of reggae fusion as well as an unusual union of trained musicians.

A few months later, Third World opened for the Jackson Five in Kingston. Their versatility and professionalism landed them gigs in England where Chris Blackwell of Island Records spotted them. He offered the band a record deal and a European tour, opening for Bob Marley and The Wailers.

Their 1976 debut album, Third World, featured the classic anthem Satta Amasa Gana. Soon after came perhaps their best body of work, 96 Degrees in The Shade. This introduced the distinctive vocals of Bunny Rugs, the final element in the “Third World sound”. By this time, membership of the group had settled down — Cat, Ibo, Willie, Richie and Bunny Rugs.

Third World made a significant sociological impact on Jamaica. Dr Brian Meeks, Head of the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies, Mona, has done landmark work on the development of Jamaican music and its impact on society. “The emergence of Third World represents a critical moment in Jamaican society when there was an opening of the typically hermetic class structure, however brief, which led to the meeting of uptown and downtown. This is evident in both the social origins of the members of the band and the nature of the music.

“This was not the first time that popular Jamaican music drew inspiration from different social streams, but it occurred simultaneously with a profound social upheaval, now generally referred to as ‘the seventies’ . . . Their influence involves a stance of rebellion against the status quo and a certain quality of musicianship. Their song Roots with Quality perhaps sums it up.”

It was not just in the late 1970s that Third World influenced the reggae scene. Says Biggie Irie: “I think Third World further changed the direction of reggae when they started to experiment with songs like Now That We Found Love, Talk To Me, Try Jah Love and You’re Playing Us Too Close. They got a lot of heat because they were changing their music, but I remember hearing an interview where Cat said, ‘You gotta move with the times, or you’re gonna be left behind’.”

It was during this period that the band collaborated with Stevie Wonder, sparking the style shift. When Reggae Sunsplash took place the summer of Bob Marley’s death in 1981, Stevie Wonder came and performed with Third World in a Marley tribute. He invited Third World to his Los Angeles studio to record “a single or two” with him, Cat says, and that led to Try Jah Love and Playing Us Too Close, part of the album You’ve got the Power, recorded in Wonder’s studio. “It was tremendously successful,” says Cat. “It went platinum in Japan.”

Still, Cat’s favourite is 96 Degrees in The Shade, “because it was recorded in a time when we were really concerned with putting out good songs. And not only was it done in that spirit, but over the years it proved to be one of the most popular albums we ever did.” Dr Meeks agrees. “If there is any single piece that captures the spirit of the time and band, it is 96 Degrees in the Shade. What they bring to this remarkable work is a deep sensibility to the rich, emergent music around them, combined with an intellectual grasp of Caribbean and Jamaican history. It is the fusion of oral tradition with scribal.”

“We were born in that era so to speak, so our concept was that way,” Rugs says.

But the music was soon moving in another direction. “Some acts moved away from that during the 1980s because a lot of dancehall and gangsta youths felt that to get attention they had to be as raw and outrageous as possible. I think that led to the total abandonment of any form of intellectual discipline toward lyrics, and this was proliferated by Jamaican radio who played this garbage and gave it notoriety.”

Some dancehall artists put out good work, Cat says, but “some of the songs are just frivolous and silly. When we were coming up in the music business the standards were extremely high and we couldn’t put out just anything. We have tape after tape of good songs that were turned down by record companies. So to people like us it’s amazing to see what’s out in the street now as music.” John Roett concurs. “As a musician, from the first time I heard them it was blatantly obvious this was a group with considerably more talent than many before them, and by today’s standards, all after them.”

According to Barbadian singer John King: “Third World is one of the most innovative, professionally competent bands to emerge in their genre. Their showmanship, musicianship and the intangible spirit that comes through in their music is peerless. Any aspiring Caribbean musician can study Third World as an example of these attributes.” John himself certainly did. With eight albums to his credit and a reputation for impeccable professionalism, he admits: “Third World, more than any other band, showed me what you can accomplish if you apply yourself to your art.”

As that first interview drew to a close, I asked: “Your most embarrassing moment on stage?” This brought a quick response from Cat. “One time when we went to perform the whole stage was pitch dark. We were just about to start and I had everything turned up to maximum volume. In the middle of the stage my guitar strap popped, the guitar fell off of my neck and hit the ground and made this incredible loud sound braaaaahhhhhhg.” He imitated the effect, at full volume. “I was shuffling around on the ground in the dark trying to find it when it went wheeeeeeee . . .” His voice shot up a couple octaves. “That was pretty terrible.”

Rugs quickly trumped Cat. “One of my most embarrassing times was when I fell off the stage. Normally a stage is square but this one was round and as I walked to the left side, the lights went off. I couldn’t see a thing and I walked right off the stage . . . I just got up, went to the other side, and then did the same damn thing.” “Choreography, is what you call that,” laughed Bunny.

Three days after this interview, drummer Willie Stewart and keyboardist Michael “Ibo” Cooper left the band. My story was dead in the tape machine. There were whispers about new members and touring again. But it took another two and a half years to finish the story.

Finally, in October 1999, I met Cat again in Barbados, with founder member Richard “Bassie” Daley, at the end of a gruelling two-month US tour. The band was exhausted, even though their stage presentation was as spirited as ever. When music courses through Bunny Rugs, there’s no escaping its power. The same with Cat’s guitar riffs and facial expressions. But this time he also played his cello, leading a classical piece with Bunny conducting; it involved vibrant yet intricate percussion, creating unusual excitement.

By now, Third World had seasoned new members. Herbert “Herbie” Harris on keyboards, Tony “Ruption” Williams on drums, Rupert “Gypsy” Bent on keyboards and kete drum: and they were as excitingly professional as their predecessors. Third World was as impressive on stage as ever, each member a master of his genre and a true showman. Even in exhaustion, they were joyous and sincere.

According to many reggae pundits, the departure of Willie and Ibo in 1997 left the band dated and barren. But for Cat and Richie, new blood brought new energy and direction. Says Cat: “The new infusion was great, because we had reached the point in our career where we were wondering what the hell to do next to keep things bright and lively. The change helped move Third World forward. Like a divine destiny.”

As for the split, Richie says: “They did not want to do the Third World thing any more. There was nothing wrong with that, they just wanted to do something else.” The Third World sound acquired a new twist. “Nothing is going back the way it was,” says Richie of contemporary reggae. “There will never be another Bob Marley, there won’t be another 96 Degrees in The Shade. But there will be something else, which we look forward to and embrace.”

In late 2001, is Third World classic or passé?

Their 1999 Generation Coming won a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae album. Last July’s Third World Live in Europe was further evidence of the band’s continuing international popularity, and the latest album, 25 Years, “the definitive retrospective of Third World’s work”, celebrates a quarter century of recordings — not to be mistaken with their 28 years as a band. Its 25 tracks feature a blend of new material and sophisticated remakes. Old favourites like 96 Degrees in The Shade, Try Jah Love, Sense of Purpose and Always Around maintain their integrity with a seamlessly fresh feel and an edge that puts them right in step with the times rhythmically, musically and technically. The harmonies still cook, the instrumentation is richer with the addition of uplifting horns, vibrant percussion and matured musicianship. The new titles, such as Feeling Better Now, have the silky feel of “lovers’ reggae” and blend nicely with the older tunes.

Says John Roett: “In an era of individual reggae stars like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Burning Spear, Third World has to be rated as the greatest reggae group of the century. That they still perform and remain in demand is testament to the quality of their music. In particular, their memorable melodies and meaningful lyrics, elements that are sadly lacking in the majority of today’s reggae artists . . . Had there been a Grammy category for reggae music during the height of their popularity, Third World would have made it their own.”

Brian Meeks concludes: “The wellspring from which they drew their inspiration — the social movement of the 1970s — dried up by the mid-1980s. We are living in different times and both the form and content of life is changing. Third World cannot become Jamaica’s equivalent of generation X.” But that does not detract from what they achieved. “It is as if to say that because abstract expressionism is dead that Pollock or Kandinsky have no worth. Indeed, it is after the era out of which they emerged has passed that we can define what is everlasting and classic. Third World had the temerity to break away and join with the social movement from below. They also possessed the ephemeral quality of genius. They will last.”