2CD Set presented in a fold out digipack, along with a 12 page booklet with fascinating sleeve notes written by journalist Winston Smith.
In 1963, a 21-year-old welder with dreams of becoming a full-time singer-songwriter, auditioned for one of Jamaica’s new elite record producers, Leslie Kong, owner of the recently launched Beverley’s Records label. After performing a number of original compositions, a deal was secured and within weeks, Desmond Adolphus Dacres saw his name in print as “Desmond Dekker” on the label of what would prove to be the first of what would be a catalogue of 7” singles. The record, which coupled two of his own songs, “Honour Your Mother And Father’ and ‘Madgie’, became an instant best-seller and heralded the beginning of a long and immensely successful fun of singles by Dekker, both as a solo artist and. Later, as lead singer for The Aces.
This 2xCD set showcases Dekker’s first twenty singles for Kong’s Beverley’s labels which established him as a true Jamaican superstar and is presented in a fold out digipack, along with a 12 page booklet with fascinating sleeve notes written by journalist Winston Smith.
Tracklist
Disc 1:
1. Honour Your Mother and Father - Desmond Dekker
2. Madgie - Desmond Dekker & Beverley's All Stars
3. Happy Birthday Jamaica - Desmond Dekker
4. Sinners, Prepare! - Desmond Dekker
5. Parents - Desmond Dekker
6. Labour for Learning - Desmond Dekker
7. Dracula - Desmond Dekker
8. Spitfire - Don Drummond
9. Jeserine - Desmond Dekker & The Cherry Pies
10. Take Your Time - Theophilus Beckford
11. King of Ska - Desmond Dekker & The Cherry Pies
12. Boof Ska - Tony Washington & The D.C's
13. Get Up Adina - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
14. Sleepwalk - Sonny Burke & His Group
15. It Was Only a Dream - Desmond Dekker
16. Just One Little Girl - The Four Aces
17. This Woman - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
18. Mount Zion - Desmond Dekker & The Four Aces
19. Soldering - Desmond Dekker
20. Just in Time (It's Always a Pleasure) - Sonny Burke & His Group
Disc: 2:
1. It's a Shame - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
2. On the Move - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
3. 007 (Shanty Town) - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
4. El Torro (Edit) - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
5. Wise Man - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
6. Middle East - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
7. Rude Boy Train - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
8. Nothing for Nothing - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
9. Mother's Young Gal - Desmond Dekker
10. Jungle Bit - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
11. You've Got Your Troubles - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
12 Don Special - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
13. Unity - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
14. Sweet Music - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
15. Keep a Cool Head - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
16. Charade - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
17. Mother Long Tongue - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
18. Halls of Montezuma - Roland Alphonso & Beverley's All Stars
19. Sabotage - Desmond Dekker & The Aces
20. Pretty Africa - Desmond Dekker & The Aces