Ruthless People is a 1986 American black comedy film written by Dale Launer, directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, and starring Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Anita Morris, and Helen Slater, with Bill Pullman in a supporting role in his film debut.

The film is the story of a couple who kidnap their ex-boss’s wife to get revenge and extort money from him. They soon realize he does not want her back and was planning to kill her himself. Meanwhile, the boss’s mistress plans a blackmail attempt on him which also does not go as planned.

Although it has been perceived that Ruthless People was influenced by O. Henry‘s story The Ransom of Red Chief, writer Dale Launer claims that it was inspired by the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst and that the similarities between the film and the earlier story were a coincidence.^[2] It also shares plotline similarities with the 1959 film, Too Many Crooks.

Kool & the Gang‘s penultimate album, and vocalist James “J.T.” Taylor‘s last with the band before he left for a solo career, 1986’s Forever marked the group’s final Top Ten hit. And, while it was still a slick slab of competent R&B, Forever was a far cry from the driving funk grooves of Kool‘s earlier material. Having been fully in the grasp of the mainstream since the beginning of the decade, Kool & the Gang popped a further three songs into the Top 20 in late 1986/early 1987. Both “Victory” and “Stone Love” are sharp, synthesized pop, while “Holiday,” though heavy on lyrical clichés, is graced by a wonderful bassline — and guitar stroke by Alex Williams was sorely missed from much of the band’s latter-day repertoire. The title track, meanwhile, emerges as an elegant ballad by 1980s standards, while elsewhere the band combines both elements across “Peace Maker” and the melancholy “Broadway,” which hides power ballad rock guitars deep in the mix. Long past their classic funk prime, Kool & the Gang were also fast teetering on the precipice of wearing out their pop welcome as well. Despite some rocky moments, best forgotten, Forever remains a competent last hurrah for Taylor, and indeed for the band itself.

Gathered together for one night in a lifetime, the legendary names of Reggae music and more met at Fort Charles, Jamaica, in a musical Event that would reverberate around the world. For one night, the stars, spanning two generations, took the stage in a performance that would make reggae history. On Stage: Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Chrissie Hynde, Grace Jones, The I-Three, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, The Neville Brothers, Carlos Santana, Sly & Robbie, and Bunny Wailer. Featuring: Alex Williams, Coati Mundi, Tyrone Downie, and Stephan ‘Cat’ Coore. Introduced by Neville Garrick.

This was the album that showed the vocal range of alex williams on the tracks Dance Champion” By Kool and the Gang” as the background vocals ignited the track there were no questions.

We All Are One: The Best of Jimmy Cliff Jimmy Cliff Label: Sony Release Date: 6/11/2002 1 You Can Get It if You Really Want – 2:40 2 Roots Woman – 4:19 3 We All Are One – 4:34 4 Wonderful World, Beautiful People – 3:14 5 I Can See Clearly Now – 3:16 6 Treat the Youths Right – 3:43 7 Hitting with Music – 4:20 8 Third World People – 4:20 9 Special – 3:51 10 Reggae Night – 5:22 11 Roots Radical – 4:26 12 Sitting in Limbo – 4:54 13 Peace Officer – 4:12 14 Hanging Fire – 5:25 15 Now and Forever – 4:56

Credits

Artist	Credit
Cliff Adams	Trombone
Mark Attalla	Guitar
Amir Bayyan	Composer
Robert “Kool” Bell	Drum Programming, Guitar, Keyboards, Overdubs, Producer, Synthesizer Bass
Jim Bonnefond	Producer
Gully Bright	Composer, Producer
Glen Brownie	Bass
Harold Butler	Keyboards
Jimmy Cliff	Composer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals
Wilburn “Squiddley” Cole	Drums
Ancel “Double Barrel” Collins	Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Prophet Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
Alvina del Bettis	Vocals (Background)
Sante d’Orazio	Photography
Sly Dunbar	Guest Artist, Hi Hat, Simmons Drums
Greg Fitz	Vocals (Background)
Howard Fritzson	Art Direction
Steve Goldman	Producer
H. Harris	Composer
Raymond Harris	Composer
Gary Henry	Keyboards, Piano, Synthesizer
Paul Henton	Producer
Manuel Herrara	Keyboards
Cynthia Huggins	Vocals (Background)
Rick Iantosca	Guitar, Keyboards, Producer
John Jackson	Project Director
La Toya Jackson	Composer
Barbara Jones	Vocals (Background)
Chris Kimsey	Producer
Leslie Kong	Producer
Kool & the Gang	Guest Artist, Overdubs
Fernando Luis	Guitar
Patti Matheny	A&R
Carroll “Bowie” McLaughlin	Keyboards
Bertram “Ranchie” McLean	Bass, Guitar (Rhythm)
Christopher Meredith	Bass
Meekaaeel Muhammad	Vocals (Background)
Johnny Nash	Composer
Risa Zaitschek Noah	Design
Elena Oumano	Liner Notes
Joseph M. Palmaccio	Mastering
Kim Palumu	Guitar
Jaco Pastorius	Bass, Guest Artist
Phil Ramocon	Ob Xa, Piano
Jerry Rappaport	Compilation Producer
Michael Ray	Trumpet
Mikey “Boo” Richards	Drums
Darren Salmieri	A&R
Robbie Shakespeare	Bass, Guest Artist, Guitar
Earl “Chinna” Smith	Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Kendal Stubbs	Bass, Drum Programming
Uziah “Sticky” Thompson	Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Randy Weber	Synthesizer
Alex Williams	Keyboards
Curtis “Fitz” Williams	Saxophone
Mallory Williams	Keyboards
Tony Ruption Williams	Drums
Lloyd “Gitsy” Willis	Guitar (Rhythm)
Sidney Wolfe	Nyabinghi Drums, Percussion
Ron Wood	Guest Artist

One of the great albums from Jimmy Cliff Featuring “Alex Williams ” On guitar and Keyboards and synth programming

“Celebration” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 7, 1981, and held that position for two weeks before being ousted by Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5“.^[4] It remains the band’s only No. 1 hit.

By late 1980, the song had also reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts. The song was featured heavily on the radio throughout the year and is still heard today at weddings and parties,^[4] and is a popular anthem for sporting events. It was also an international hit, reaching No. 7 in the United Kingdom on November 29, 1980, spending 13 weeks in the chart