Search - Desmond Dekker :: Moving On

Desmond Dekker's thrilling tenor was the sound of the quintessential ska "rude boy." Together with his band, the Aces, he recorded tunes like "007" and "Rude Boy Train"--rude-boy anthems that articulated the frustration and despair of urban poverty of postcolonial Jamaica. His career was launched in '62 with "Honor Your Father," recorded for producer Leslie Kong's fledging Beverly's Records label, and the leap in the rude boy's consciousness and militant stance is signaled by Dekker's later international hit, "Israelites"--an archetypal account filled with Rastafarian Biblical imagery of Africans sold into Caribbean bondage. It was also the first reggae tune heard on American radio stations. This set captures Dekker in league with one of his many ska "sons," U.K. ska outfit the Specials, who were among the leaders in the wave of "two-tone" ska bands of the '70s that took over both the British Isles and America. Together, Dekker and the Specials liven up covers of pop songs like "When I Need You" and "Wonderful World" with ska's antic bounce, as well as revitalize ska originals such as "Mount Zion" and chestnuts like "Blackbird," creating a synthesis of black and white expression that makes for a convincingly spikey mix. --Elena Oumano