Desmond Dekker - Israelites: The Best of Desmond Dekker (2008)

Desmond Dekker was the first Jamaican reggae artist to break through in the United States, when his powerful and anthemic tune "Israelites" rose to number nine on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart in 1969. While "Israelites" was the first time most Americans had ever heard of Desmond Dekker. he was already a major star at home, cutting well-mannered ska singles (such as "Honour Your Mother and Father") since 1963 before moving on to more full-bodied rocksteady and reggae sounds with pointed and thoughtful lyrics as the decade wore on, scoring hits like "007 (Shanty Town)" (featured prominently on the soundtrack of the film The Harder They Come), “Rude Boy Train," "It Gotta Be So," and "The Song We Used to Sing (Where Did It Go)." 007: The Best of Desmond Dekker is a two-disc collection that features 25 classic hits from Dekker's catalog, as well as another 25 rare and unreleased sides including alternate takes of some of the artist's fen favorites of the '60s and '70s. ~ Mark Deming

Tracklist:
01 - Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Israelites (2:36)
02 - Desmond Dekker - You Can Get It If You Really Want (2:38)
03 - Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town) (2:33)
04 - Desmond Dekker - It Mek (2:32)
05 - Desmond Dekker - Pickney Gal (2:51)
06 - Desmond Dekker - Honour Your Mother and Father (2:23)
07 - Desmond Dekker - Music Like Dirt (2:43)
08 - Leslie Kong - Licking Stick (2:12)
09 - Desmond Dekker - Unity (2:13)
10 - Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Mount Zion (2:42)
11 - Desmond Dekker - Live and Learn (The More You Live) (3:17)
12 - Desmond Dekker - It Pays (2:55)
13 - Desmond Dekker - Reggae Recipe (3:03)
14 - Desmond Dekker - Pretty Africa (2:29)
15 - Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Archie Wah Wah (2:30)
16 - Desmond Dekker - Fu Man Chu (3:08)
17 - Desmond Dekker - (Where Did It Go) The Song We Used to Sing (3:02)
18 - Desmond Dekker - King of Ska (2:43)
19 - Desmond Dekker - Sabotage (2:42)
20 - Desmond Dekker - Hippopotamus (2:49)
21 - Desmond Dekker - Wise Man (2:05)
22 - Desmond Dekker - Problems (2:42)
23 - Desmond Dekker - Beautiful and Dangerous (2:48)
24 - Desmond Dekker - Get Up Adina (2:39)
25 - Desmond Dekker - Mother Pepper (2:24)