Reggae band Third World’s rendition of “Now That We Found Love” is sited by music producer Michael Goldwasser as the best cover song by a reggae artist in RollingStone Magazine article published May 16, 2023. Covers are reinterpretations of existing songs not to be confused with the altering an existing song which is called a sample.
Goldwasser, who founded Easy Star Records is on a mission to reimagine classic albums like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon as reggae. He describes Third World’s version of The O-Jays (1973) classic as “one of those songs where the cover version has surely eclipsed the original.”
Originally written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the song first appeared on their Ships Ahoy album and five years later the reggae-disco hit by Third World (1978) was released by Island Records and peaked at number 10 on the U.K. singles chart.
“It didn’t even occur to me that it was a cover — it was just a massive Third World song” Goldwasser further explains.
Founding member of Third World Cat Coore told WMV in an exclusive interview in 2018 how the group started after he was once part of Inner Circle.
“In 1973 I broke away from Inner Circle along with two other members and then joined by Ibo Cooper to form Third World. Ibo was the band leader of Inner Circle so he became the leader of Third World,” he explained.
The Cello player said there were no hard feelings but there was a market demand for more reggae bands at the time especially in the U.K., “I just left, because I wanted to do my own thing. They continued with their lineup and had tremendous success with Jacob Miller. At the same time, Third World was doing our thing. People started to love Jamaican bands because Bob Marley was breaking in England.”
He recalled how they group staged a record deal with Island which propelled the into global acts, “Chris Blackwell eventually signed us in 75’ and we released the Just Third World album. In 1777, we did the 96 Degrees In The Shade album, and that propelled us. Then in 1978 we did Now That We Found Love and that song went up the charts and we became big stars.”
Aided by his personal opinions and anecdotes Michael mentions the East Star All-Stars 5 times and gives honorable mention to classic Jamaican soul singer Barry Biggs for his cover of Kashief Lindo and King’s “Love Come Down.” ending with “I love that one too!”
See Michael Goldwasser full list of “best” covers below:
Legal requirements to cover a song:
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Mechanical License: If you want to record and release a cover version of a copyrighted song, you typically need to obtain a mechanical license. This license grants you the right to reproduce and distribute the song in a physical or digital format. Mechanical licenses are usually obtained from the music publisher or through a mechanical rights organization, such as the Harry Fox Agency in the United States.
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Royalty Payments: When you obtain a mechanical license, you are required to pay royalties to the original songwriter(s) or their publishing company. The royalty rates may be based on a statutory rate or negotiated between the parties involved.
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Attribution: It is important to properly credit the original songwriter(s) of the covered song. This includes mentioning the original songwriter(s) in the cover song’s title, artist name, and any accompanying promotional materials.
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Permission for Derivative Works: Some songs may contain additional elements, such as samples or interpolations from other copyrighted works. In such cases, you may need to obtain additional permissions to include those elements in your cover version.
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Performance Rights: If you plan to publicly perform the cover song, such as in a live performance or through broadcasting, you may need to obtain performance rights licenses from the appropriate performing rights organizations, such as ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC in the United States.
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Territory-Specific Requirements: Different countries may have specific laws and regulations regarding covering songs. It is important to research and comply with the legal requirements in the specific jurisdiction where you intend to release or perform the cover version.
