Desmond Dekker - This Is Desmond Dekker (Enhanced Edition) (1969)

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.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - 007 (Shanty Town) (2:29)
1.02 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Sabotage (2:44)
1.03 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Shing a Ling (2:19)
1.04 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Hey Grandma (2:49)
1.05 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Beautiful and Dangerous (2:49)
1.06 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Wise Man (2:06)
1.07 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Intensified '68 (2:45)
1.08 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Rudy Got Soul (2:49)
1.09 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Unity (2:14)
1.10 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Mother Pepper (2:23)
1.11 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - It Pays (2:57)
1.12 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Mother's Young Gal (2:58)
1.13 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - It's a Shame (2:24)
1.14 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Rude Boy Train (2:19)
1.15 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Sweet Music (2:30)
1.16 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Pretty Africa (2:31)
1.17 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - You've Got Your Troubles (3:16)
1.18 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Keep a Cool Head (2:04)
1.19 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Personal Possession (2:59)
1.20 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Mother Long Tongue (2:11)
1.21 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Young Generation (2:10)
1.22 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Hanging Tree (3:02)
1.23 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Bongo Gal (2:29)
1.24 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Fu Man Chu (3:09)
1.25 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Don't Blame Me (2:24)
1.26 - Desmond Dekker - Coconut Water (3:29)
1.27 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - It Mek (2:33)
1.28 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Writing On the Wall (2:21)
1.29 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - Nincompoop (2:08)
1.30 - Desmond Dekker, The Aces - It Is Not Easy (2:10)
1.31 - Desmond Dekker - Israelites (2:35)