The Best of Desmond Dekker: Rockin' Steady

If you are into Rocksteady, Ska or Reggae, you need to listen to artists like Desmond Dekker. These are the artists from Jamaica that have had a major influence on today's music. Desmond's voice is beautiful and smooth. The music is very hypnotic. I also love how the Jamaican artists sing these protest songs that don't sound angry. They pull you in with their beauty and then you realize what they are about. Great introductory record from Desmond Dekker.

I like reggae, but I'm hardly an expert. I first heard of Desmond Dekker after falling in love with "The Israelites" while wathcing "Drugstore Cowboy." I eventually bought this CD, and it's been a favorite for several years. It's a pretty comprehensive catalog of his best work, and there isn't a song on it I don't like.

When I was in Europe in the late 1960's, I was rockin to the music on Radio London. When I got home to the USA, I expected to hear the same songs on the American charts but, surprizingly, only half of them were. One song I had enjoyed and expected to hear more of back here was Desmond Dekker's "007". It was my intro to Reggae music and, although the lyrics were hard to understand, I liked the sound of it. Later Dekker hit the US charts with "The Israelite", another good tune. Last Spring I was on a cruise and had a side trip on a catamaran in Montego Bay. There was a Reggae CD playing and I found myself enjoying the sound again. I never caught the name of the artist but, when I got to town, I thought I'd buy a Reggare CD of my own. I asked for a Desmond Dekker CD but no one selling had heard of him. I figured I'd get one off Amazon.com when I got home.I chose "Rockin' Steady" and I'm glad I did. It contained the two hits I previously mentioned and some more that I'm starting to enjoy. Two in particular are the Reggae Gospel song "Honour Your Mother and Your Father" and the anti-war "Warlock". Others are also starting to grow on me. In time I may see this as deserving higher than the "3 star" rating I'm giving it now. For the time being, however, I'm content to enjoy it without feeling the need to overrate it.

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I had to control myself at work because the minute I put this CD into my personal CD player, the beat was booming and Desmond's voice is melodical and beautiful. It is an excellent collection of songs to listen and dance to. This was worth the investment in my collection of old school reggae.

Like a lot of people, I became enchanted with Desmond Dekker because of his song "Israelites" (which is included on this compilation). Little did I know how much more he had to offer. This compilation is jam-packed with absolute dancehall magic. It starts with the inexplicably bouncy "Honour your Mother and Father", and it just does not stop after that. Some excellent tracks to sample: "This Woman", "007 (Shanty Town)", "Rude Boy Train", the aforementioned "Israelites", and my favorite "Licking Stick". Unfortunately, Mr. Dekker passed on a few years ago, but he left behind some of the most joyful danceable music on the planet. Buy this, push your couch & coffee table back and play this at full blast during your next house party - you will be rocking steady all night long!

Bob Marley is by far the most famous reggae performer there has yet been, but even he probably owes some of his success to Desmond Dekker (born Desmond Dacres), who blazed the trail for reggae music in the sixties.Desmond began his recording career in 1963 with Honour your father and mother. He had a long run of hits in his native Jamaica, many of them going to number one, eventually scoring internationally as well.He made his debut in the UK charts in 1967, when 007 (inspired by James Bond, of course) made the top twenty. It seemed to be a one-off until, in 1969, Israelites went to the very top of the UK charts and also became a top ten American hit. It meik (a UK top ten hit) and You can get it if you really want (a number two UK hit in 1970) consolidated his reputation. Between those hits, Desmond had a minor UK hit with Pinckney girl.The international hits dried up although Israelites was re-issued in 1975 and again made the UK top ten. A follow-up (Sing a sad song - not included here) made the UK top twenty. By that time, other reggae performers had emerged, foremost among them being Bob Marley.So this collection contains the important international hits of Desmond Dekker, together with the best of his other recordings. It would take a lot more than a single CD to include all his Jamaican hits, but this is enough for most people.

I bought this to learn a little more about Reggae's roots. While this is a vast collection of songs by ska's master, it just doesn't live up to what would follow. The arrangements are sparse and (sorry) boring, and the doo-wop delivery disappoints. It should also be said that the recording quality and overall sound quality leave a lot to be desired. This is an important CD for any collector, but probably not a great choice for a casual listener.