Desmond Dekker Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
Desmond Dekker, the original rude boy, was instrumental in taking reggae out of the Jamaican ghettos and bringing it to the world. Bob Marley gets all the credit, but the Wailer walked through a door that Dekker pushed wide open back in the '60s. Dekker's producer Leslie Kong unlocked the door for him with an unerring ear for twigging Jamaican music for international audiences. Myriad compilations were built around the two men's music, and truthfully they're all virtually interchangeable, as Dekker's canon is so high caliber that even new fans will never get burned. Gimme Gimme, is a case in point. It includes a trio of crucial hits -- "The Israelites," "You Can Get It If You Really Want," and "It Mek" -- and some notable omissions, with the rest swinging from much compiled popular numbers to relatively rarer songs like the mistitled title track (aka "Gimme a Divorce"), "Coconut Water," and "Fu Manchu." Nothing here for the hardcore fan nor for those looking to expand their collection, but it's as good a place to start as any for those just discovering the many delights of the legendary Desmond Dekker. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Desmond Dekker unleashed a flood of fine singles across the '60s and early '70s, all under the aegis of producer Leslie Kong. Taking a chance on an untried youngster barely into his teens, who'd already been shown the door by Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid, Kong nurtured Dekker to international stardom, only to die suddenly in 1971, two years after the singer's breakthrough. In those nine years, however, the singer and producer recorded a canon of music that remains untarnished by time, a vast catalog that continues to enrapture new generations of fans. Inevitably with time, lazy labels tended to pick from an ever-shrinking pot of songs, making for a growing pile of bewildering compilations that all seemed to feature many of the same numbers -- which is what made Intensified such a treat. Light on the hits, lighter still on the heavily represented songs, this compilation hones in chiefly on the rocksteady and early reggae age, making it a must for all Dekker fans. Along the way, your "Problems" will melt away, bouncing off the irrepressible reggae rhythms and the Aces' bounding harmonies. It may be "Too Much Too Soon" for those looking for yet another hits comp, but with bubbly numbers like this, reggae aficionados will be in heaven. Rocksteady fans, meanwhile, will be boarding the "Rude Boy Train," while those looking for the path to salvation can read the "Writing on the Wall." The emotive "My Lonely World," the lovely, lilting repatriation number "Pretty Africa," and the jubilant title track are all classics, amidst an entire album of less familiar numbers that are all their equals. A wonderful set. . ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Desmond Dekker was as important to 1960s reggae as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Sam Cooke were to R&B, and no discussion of early reggae would be complete without some mention of his work. First released as an LP and reissued on CD in 1996 (with four bonus tracks), Action! is essential listening for even casual reggae fans. Reggae has been called "Jamaican R&B," and in fact, that's pretty much what it is. One cannot miss Cooke's influence on "Sabotage," "Young Generation," "Personal Possession," "Mother Young Gal," and other late-'60s gems he recorded with his group the Aces. The best-known song on the CD, however, is "007," also known as "Shanty Town." With its reference to Jamaica's rude boys, the song took a look at violent crime in Jamaica's poor ghettos and became one of the biggest reggae hits of the 1960s. Although the sound quality isn't great by late-'60s standards (let alone digital '90s standards), the importance and vitality of these recordings cannot be overstated. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One of those ideas which look great on paper, but disappoint in reality. The concept of pairing the Jamaican singing legend with the Specials is indeed brilliant, unfortunately it occurred around a dozen years too late. So this is not the adrenaline fueled two toners of yore, but a more sedate version circa 1993, accompanied by a quartet of session men. King of Kings is not a total abortion, however, the thought of what could have been weights heavily on the final result. The band run through a dozen Jamaican gems from the 1960s, hits from the likes of Eric Morris, Derrick Morgan, Justin Hines, Jimmy Cliff, Theo Beckford, Hopeton Lewis, and Dekker himself. It all swings along pleasantly enough, but few of the tracks exude enough energy to really grab one's attention. Not surprisingly, one of the stand-outs is Dekker's own "King of Ska," where everyone goes hell for leather; equally good is a smoking version of "Carry Go Bring Come." Elsewhere the bland arrangements and slick playing bleed the lifeblood right out of the songs. Dekker valiantly attempts resuscitation, and his own performances saves the album from flat lining, but it still remains on life support. The Fuel label's reissue, under the title King of Ska, pulls the plug by dumping two tracks ("Dancing Mood," deservingly, "Oil in My Lamp" less so) and adding three original Dekker hits, which merely reinforces the lifelessness of the rest of the record. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Proof positive that Dekker had a potentially vital future along with his accomplished past, this Robert Palmer-produced release brings state-of-the-art studio craft and a global sensibility to a set of strong new Dekker tunes. Rich, varied, and mature, this should have had more impact, but it came a few crucial years too early for the world music boom. ~ Bob Tarte, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1967, Desmond Dekker broke into the British market with his Top 20 rocksteady smash "007 (Shanty Town)"; two years later "The Israelites" made him an international star, as the single stormed to number one in the U.K. and became the first pure Jamaican song to set foot in the American Top Ten. But in 1971 tragedy struck with the death of Dekker's longtime producer, Leslie Kong. Like Jimmy Cliff, another Kong protégé, it would take a few years before Dekker managed to regain his footing, eventually returning to the U.K. chart in 1975 with the Top 20 hit "Sing a Little Song." After that, the singer began slipping off the radar, until 2 Tone swept in a new wave of fans in the late '70s. Quick off the mark was Stiff Records, who signed Dekker before the decade was out. Unfortunately, Stiff no longer had the cachet nor the stable they'd boasted at their height, which explains why the label paired him with Graham Parker's backing band, the Rumour. They were Stiff's workhorse, a solid, reliable unit whose members emerged from the early-'70s pub scene, and were inevitably called upon to support any solo singers the label picked up. With Parker, the Rumour shined; with Dekker, however, they fizzled, totally out of their element with ska, a situation worsened by their attempts to imitate the energy fizzing from the 2 Tone bands. And so, across a dozen tracks, including all of Dekker's biggest hits, the band bombs, and even the singer can't salvage anything from this disaster, no matter how hard he tries. That was the view at the time, but hindsight softens the blows somewhat. The Rumour were excellent musicians, and they're incredibly tight here, with the sizzling sax solos giving the proceedings a blast of Stax that shakes up the pubby flavor of the arrangements. Compared to Dekker's sugary 1975 set, The Israelites, and the nadir of new releases still to come, Black & Dekker stands tall. Nowhere near as bad as memories suggest, but one expected better nevertheless. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
'You Can Get It If You Really Want'
Release Date 1/1/1970
Tracks 12
Label Trojan
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It took two years for Desmond Dekker & the Aces to follow up their first British hit, 1967's "007 (Shanty Town)," but once they did, there was no holding them back. The chart-topping "Israelites" was first off the mark, charting in March 1969, followed by "It Mek" in June. "Pickney Gal" opened the quintet's account in the new year, with their cover of Jimmy Cliff's "You Can Get It If You Really Want" completing their run of masterpieces. Released in 1969, This Is Desmond Dekker was obviously compiled before "Israelites" broke big, which explains its omission from a set that bundled together the group's earlier Jamaican hits. And oddly, producer Leslie Kong didn't include the number one smash on this set, either. Instead, You Can Get It If You Really Want, titled after the band's latest single, rounded up another slew of the group's recent Jamaican singles, including two other British hits. The infectious, bouncy "Perseverance," the rousing "Coomyah," the romantic "You Got Soul," the highly syncopated yet delicate "Polka Dot," and the Latin-flavored "Get Up Little Suzie" had all spun successfully on 45 back home in Jamaica. Fashions would shift dramatically in later years, with the lush orchestral string-laced arrangements of this era no longer finding favor with reggae fans, who grew to prefer the more "authentic" sounds of Jamaican music. Thus, beyond the U.K. hits, the rest of this set has been virtually ignored by the reissue labels. But back in the day, this album was adored by myriad reggae fans who appreciated Dekker's phenomenal songwriting, the numbers' lavish arrangements, the phenomenal backings, and the group's gorgeous harmonies. This was the set the cemented Dekker & the Aces' international reputation, with a brilliant mix of upbeat themes and luxurious sound. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
'This Is Desmond Dekker'
Release Date 1/1/1969
Tracks 12
Label Trojan
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Although newcomers should be directed to Trojan's 1997 best-of, The Original Rude Boy, among the many retrospectives, fans of Dekker and original Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and founding reggae are well served by this narrowly focused CD. Ostensibly a reissue of his 1969 U.K. LP of 1966-1968 recordings, which had been rushed out on the heels of his breakout number one hit there that March, "The Israelites" (more surprising, the song hit the U.S. Top 10, exposing American masses to reggae, too!), this CD takes the collection's 12 cuts and adds 19 more from 1966-1968. At 31 songs and 80 minutes, it makes for a thorough, pleasing guide to the Jamaican legend's productive rocksteady mid-period. A renowned writer who again became a British star when the Specials covered This Is Desmond Dekker's classic opener, "0.0.7 (Shanty Town)" (a 1967 U.K. number 14 later made famous in The Harder They Come soundtrack), this presents a wealth of his finest compositions, all set to the soothing midtempo style so prominent in later-'60s Kingston. Relaxing but never mellow, and often addressing the island's "Rude Boy" gang violence and poverty, Dekker uses his pleasant but deep, high-ranged voice and languorous timing to complement the swaying, offbeat rhythms. Dekker may have given the world Bob Marley (by introducing his nobody coworker Robert to his producer in 1961), but his own canon remains significant too, and this is a highly agreeable slice at a great value. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, All Music Guide
