File
From left: William 'Bunny Rugs' Clarke, Stephen 'Cat' Coore and Richard Daley of Third World.

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

When Third World did Now That We've Found Love in 1978, the band of reggae rockers was on the up. They had done two albums for Island Records, Third World and 96 Degrees in The Shade, opened for Bob Marley at the Lyceum concerts in London which were recorded for the Live! album and their 'Explanitation' concert series was doing well.

But they were yet to crack the tough market 'up North' and really break big in Europe.

They did, with the remake of an O'Jays number which they were very familiar with, done uptempo rockers style and recorded virtually in secret, without even them knowing.

Work scope widen

"Chris Blackwell took us to Nassau to work with a brethren named Alex Sadkin," Stephen 'Cat' Coore, Third World's guitarist and cellist, told The Sunday Gleaner. "When we were a road band we used to play Now That We've Found Love on the hotel circuit and we would bring the house down every night."

He added that former Third World keyboard player Ibo Cooper had a lot to do with Now That We've Found Love.

The band was in the studio in Nassau, and Coore says "We got into this half reggae and half R&B sound, Blackwell was passing outside and said (to Sadkin) 'My God, do you hear that? Stop them and start taping now'. Sadkin said 'I already taped them'."

It was this 'secretly' recorded jam session which was the basis of the hit record that made the US Billboard charts, as it was unchanged and various parts added to it, Coore saying "we tightened up the words and did some overdubs".

Wonderful composition

Coore points out that while the song is a Gamble and Huff composition, "the first part is us". That 'first part' includes lead singer Bunny Ruggs' irresistible invitation to "make natty shook", the 'baldheads' also happily shaking away. Coore points out that "lots of men were singing about natty at Channel One, Great ad lib".

Coore said Now That We've Found Love, which was released as a single, "was a smash. But the one that was really successful was the 7 inch record".

"In addition to the Billboard action, Now That We've Found Love went to number one in New York and number two on the British charts. It was incredible. As a Jamaican band, you had to come rough. We had to go up against some rough songs."

Massive exposure

Now That We've Found Love led to massive exposure for Third World, as Coore said "we did Soul Train four, five times". There was also a stop on the 'Good Morning America' show, plus 'Music Hall', a huge TV show in Germany.

"That song broke the band. We toured everywhere in Europe," Coore said. It did not hurt that they had a following from 96 Degrees in the Shade, but Now That We've Found Love "broke it wide open".

They were in the Caribbean when Now That We've Found Love started to pick up steam, Coore saying "When we reached Guyana we heard that it started to break. It started to take off in New York and we went there and performed it for the first time."

It is still very much central to Third World's live set.

And Coore points out that "I did not play guitar on that song when it was time to do the solo. I played timbales on that song."