“007 Shanty Town” by Desmond Dekker and The Aces - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1967Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s

TJR says

Six years had passed since Desmond’s successful audition for Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s record label when he sang “Honour Your Mother And Father”. But, at last, following a long string of hit singles, the 26 year-old had an LP in his very own name. Strange that it should have been a UK label led by an Australian that would take the initiative, but that’s what happened when Graeme Goodall’s Doctor Bird Records seized the opportunity, following the incredible UK Top 20 success of the “007 (Shanty Town)” single. The song, recorded late in 1966 and released as a single in January 1967, established Dekker as a rude boy icon in both Jamaica and the UK. Jamaican rude boy culture may have been reflecting the violence and social problems associated with ghetto life in Kingston, but Britain’s mods and skins sensed a working-class connection, and although Dekker’s own songs weren’t as extreme as others on the island, he wasn’t shy in courting a trend, as the inclusion here of “Rude Boy Train”, “Rudy Got Soul” and “Keep A Cool Head” testifies. The real secret of Desmond’s early success lay with his easily recognisable falsetto, and his ability to find melody lines and socially conscious lyrics that could keep the dancehall sweet at the same time, with songs such as “Unity”, “Wise Man”, “Shing A Ling” and “Mother’s Young Gal” all holding up well here. This Rocksteady business was working wonders for the dancehalls. And Desmond’s debut LP proved it had great characters with stories to tell…

The Jukebox Rebel
05–Oct–2010

Tracklist
A1 [02:40] 8.5.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - 007 (Shanty Town) (Desmond Dacres, Leslie Kong) Ska / Rocksteady
A2 [02:24] 8.4.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Unity (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
A3 [02:06] 7.1.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Wise Man (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
A4 [02:18] 6.6.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Rude Boy Train (Desmond Dacres, Leslie Kong) Ska / Rocksteady
A5 [03:15] 5.9.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - You’ve Got Your Troubles (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
A6 [02:49] 6.7.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Rudy Got Soul (Desmond Dacres, Leslie Kong) Ska / Rocksteady
B1 [02:47] 6.7.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Mother’s Young Gal (Desmond Dacres, Leslie Kong) Ska / Rocksteady
B2 [02:04] 6.8.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Keep A Cool Head (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
B3 [02:25] 9.3.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Shing A Ling (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
B4 [02:11] 7.8.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Mother Long Tongue (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
B5 [02:57] 6.1.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Personal Possession (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
B6 [02:32] 6.5.png Desmond Dekker and The Aces - Sweet Music (Desmond Dacres) Ska / Rocksteady
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