Two years after the release of Shanty Town Original, a compilation drawn mainly from the early reggae age and comprised of songs that illuminated ghetto life, fans were offered Best of Desmond Dekker: The Israelites. This set duplicates 12 of Shanty Town's 13 tracks, replacing the sole rocksteady offering on the previous album, "Rudy Got Soul," with the equally classic "Rude Boy Train" from that same era, then adds another five songs on top. This expansion adds value for the money, by a   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

Well, these 18 tracks are at least some of the best, compiling Desmond Dekker's best-known hits and a number of less-remembered gems. The album zigzags across the singer's career, from his early ska days to his heady rocksteady height to his arrival on the international scene as a reggae superstar. The sleeve notes provide an excellent pocket biography and help put many of the songs into proper perspective. The sequencing, as so often is the case, remains inexplicable, and careens merrily back a   [ read more ]

CD $10.43

Desmond Dekker had a string of poppish ska singles in Jamaica beginning with "Honour Your Mother and Father" in 1963, but he really hit his stride when rocksteady started to break, issuing the classic "007 (Shanty Town)" in 1967 and following it up with the eccentric but undeniably catchy "Israelites" a year later. "Israelites" was a huge hit in both the U.K. and the U.S., and opened a door to international success that would allow fellow Jamaican artists like Jimmy Cliff, {$Toots Hi   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

CD $11.38

Desmond Dekker was one of the first Jamaican singers to break rocksteady and reggae into the world market when "Israelites" became a surprise international pop hit in 1968, and as this three-disc set released by Shakedown Records shows, his high, expressive tenor has lost none of its vitality since. Disc one consists of re-recordings of several of his best songs, including "Israelites" and "007 (Shanty Town)," done in 2004, while the second disc captures some of the same songs from a   [ read more ]

CD $23.73

In Memoriam: 1941-2006 was Desmond Dekker's last studio recording, tracked in London in January of 2004 with a more than capable band (Steve L. Roberts, Aubery Mulrain, Eddy Thornton, Leroy Green and Michael Rose) behind him. Dekker's voice is strong and clear, and the production by Delroy Williams is spotless, making this technically one of Dekker's cleanest-sounding albums, which is either good or bad, depending on one's point of view. Dekker tackles his classic hits (most   [ read more ]

CD $20.88

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 protTgT, it would take a few years before Dekker managed to regain his   [ read more ]

CD $43.68

What Desmond Dekker fans really want is a comprehensive compilation of the legend's back catalog, but they've been disappointed time and time again. However, You Can Get It If You Really Want: The Definitive Collection finally delivers the goods with a two-CD, career-spanning overview. The set begins at the beginning, with Dekker's 1963 debut single, "Honour Your Mother and Father," then charts his progress across the ska years and into rocksteady. As usual, there's a bit of scrimping on the for   [ read more ]

CD $18.95

CD $6.63

Desmond Dekker has been well served by the reissue labels, with the shelves buckling under all the compilations dedicated to his music. The bulk, however, invariably draw from the same limited pool of songs, with most ignoring the singer's early years entirely. The two-CD You Can Get It If You Really Want: The Definitive Collection is pretty much the only compilation that provides a proper career retrospective, with the rest drawing exclusively from his 1967-1971 recordings. {^Israelites: The Best of    [ read more ]

CD $13.25

Orphan and ex-welder Desmond Dacres, better known to the world as Desmond Dekker, had a string of poppish ska singles in Jamaica beginning with "Honour Your Mother and Father" in 1963, but he really hit his stride when rocksteady started to break, issuing the classic "007 (Shanty Town)" in 1967 and following it up with the eccentric but undeniably catchy sufferer's tale "Israelites" a year later. "Israelites" was a huge hit in both the U.K. and the U.S. in 1968, and opened a door to    [ read more ]

CD $9.45

Desmond Dekker has been well served by the reissue labels, with the shelves buckling under all the compilations dedicated to his music. The bulk, however, invariably draw from the same limited pool of songs, with most ignoring the singer's early years entirely. The two-CD You Can Get It If You Really Want: The Definitive Collection is pretty much the only compilation that provides a proper career retrospective, with the rest drawing exclusively from his 1967-1971 recordings. {^Israelites: The Best of    [ read more ]

CD $14.23