Third World was originally formed in 1973 by keyboardist Michael "Ibo" Cooper and guitarist/cellist Steven "Cat" Coore. Both had played around the Kingston reggae scene before joining the original line-up of Inner Circle around 1968. When they left to form their own band in 1973, they took Inner Circle bassist Richard Daley with them, and also recruited drummer Carl Barovier, percussionist Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett, and lead singer Milton "Prilly" Hamilton. Cornell Marshall quickly replaced Barovier, and the group made its live debut that year at Jamaica's independence celebration.

In 1974, Island Records issued their debut single, "Railroad Track", and sent them out on a European tour as the opening act for Bob Marley & the Wailers. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1976 and featured a successful cover of the Abyssinians' roots classic "Satta Massagana". The follow-up, 1977's "96 Degrees in the Shade", introduced new drummer Willie "Roots" Stewart and new lead singer William Clarke, aka Bunny Rugs. It was an enormous success in Europe, and spawned an all-time classic single in the title track.

"96 Degrees In The Shade" was the second full-album release by Third World, and is a must for any serious lover of reggae. It features dynamic rhythms, unforgettable lyrics and a great arrangement of songs. An excellent example of what you can expect is the massive intro of "1865". The production is very solid, with a high quality standard that can easily keep up with today's work. In 1977, Third World was an arrangement of some of the greatest musicians of the island.

The highlights on this album are "1865", "Third World Man", "Human Market Place" and "Rhythm Of Life", and probably the other four songs as well...

(Last edit: 2007, Jul 03, SB, Reggae-Shack)