Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 198 - Desmond Dekker

This Is Desmond Dekkar - Desmond Dekker

Trojan Records

Produced by Leslie Kong

Released 1969

UK Chart #27 

Today would have been the birthday of the Late Great Desmond Dekker.

He was born on this day in the Saint Andrew Parish in Jamaica in 1941.

He died at the age of 64 from a heart attack on 25th May 2006.

The proof readers for the Cover artwork clearly didn't do their job well way back in 1969 when they spelt Desmond Dekker's name wrong! Though the label on the actual record did manage to spell it correctly.

The album was a Compilation and includes his first UK hit single 007 (Shanty Town) that became the first Jamaican produced record to break into the Top 20 (peaking at #14). It also includes a couple more of his early singles like Sabotage, Rudy Got Soul, Mother's Young Girl and Mother Pepper.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Tidy Tunes 2015: Desmond Dekker

It would have been the birthday of Desmond Dekker today so we'll have a mega Tidy Tunes today by blasting out Black and Decker

Rewind: 1972 - The Harder They Come Soundtrack Released

Dedicated to Marie from Montreal 

The Harder They Come - Soundtrack

Released 7th July 1972

Island Records

1.  "You Can Get It If You Really Want"  - Jimmy Cliff.  

2."Draw Your Brakes" - DJ Scotty.

3.  "Rivers of Babylon" - The Melodians.
4. "Many Rivers to Cross"-  Jimmy Cliff.
5. "Sweet and Dandy" - The Maytals.
6. "The Harder They Come" - Jimmy Cliff.
7. "Johnny Too Bad" - The Slickers.
8. "007 (Shanty Town)" - Desmond Dekker.
9. "Pressure Drop"- The Maytals.
10. "Sitting in Limbo"- Jimmy Cliff .
11. "You Can Get It If You Really Want" - Jimmy Cliff.
12. "The Harder They Come" - Jimmy Cliff .

Only the title track was specifically written for the film by Jimmy Cliff, the other three tracks were earlier singles of his. The remaining tracks that make up the album were chosen by Perry Henzell (the Director and Co-Writer of the Film) from Singles that had been released in Jamaica between 1967-72 and includes Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, The Slickers, DJ Scotty, and The Melodians.

The album gave Reggae a voice in the USA when it was released there in 1973 (reaching the lower reaches of the Billboard Chart). Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Albums of All Time places The Harder They Come Soundtrack at #119. 

The album actually contains a few of my favourite Reggae tunes (Johnny Too Bad, Pressure Drop, Sweet and Dandy, and Many Rivers To Cross) and it still stands up as great Reggae Album and one of the best Soundtracks ever (in my opinion).

I had read somewhere a couple of years ago that plans were underway to remake the film and that filming was due to start in 2013, not sure what became of that but this year word came that Jimmy Cliff would reprise his role as Ivanhoe Martin in the Jamaican Crime Drama.

Remembering Desmond Dekker

Born Desmond Adolphus Dacres in Kingstown, Jamaica on this day in 1941. He died on 25th May 2006 at his home in London of a heart attack aged 65.

Dekker (whose name change came around 1963) had managed to get an audition for Coxsone Dodd of Studio One and Duke Reid of Treasure Isle but neither was succesful and he eventually signed a deal with Leslie Kong's Beverely label but it would be another two years before his first recorded work appeared.

(Click on the Links to enjoy the music)

That first single, 'Honour Your Father and Mother'. He followed that up with 'Sinners Come Home', and 'Labour For Learning'. He was breaking into the Jamaican charts with these early singles but his best was yet to come. Backed by The Cherrypies (aka The Maytals) his fourth single 'King of Ska' (1964) brought him further success and his music reached a new audience as he became one of the islands biggest stars.

In 1967 he appeared alongside his band The Aces on Derrick Morgan's 'Tougher Than Tough' and then solidified his status among the Rude Boy Culture with the release of '007 Shanty Town'. That single gave him a top 15 hit in the UK and his reputation grew with sold out concerts and a heavy mod following. 'Rudy Got Soul' (1967) and 'Rude Boy Train' (1967) continued the Rude Boy theme. In 1968 he scored his first number one hit in the UK with 'Israelites'. The single was also a top ten hit in the USA a year later. In 1969 relocated to London and continued releasing singles.

1970 he had another top chart single, reaching #2 with the Jimmy Cliff song 'You Can Get It If You Really Want' on the mighty Trojan label. When 'The Harder They Come' movie was released in 1972 Dekker's '007 Shanty Town' was part of the soundtrack. 'Sing a Little Song' (1975) would be his last hit in the UK reaching the top twenty.

Prior to going bankrupt in 1984 he signed with Stiff Records and produced 'Black and Dekker' in 1980.

On this album he was backed by The Rumour (Graham Parker's backing band) and Akrylykz (which featured Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals). The album was a bunch of cover versions and rerecorded versions of his hits. Robert Palmer produced the 1981 album 'Compass Point' and despite declining sales he still continued to tour backed by The Rumour.

In 1993 he recorded an album 'King of Kings' with The Specials.

There have been untold compilations of Dekker's music down through the years and his music regularly turns up on Trojan Boxsets.