Two CD set. 50th anniversary release. Most comprehensive release of the trio's output ever! Originally released on Leslie Kong's celebrated Beverley's Records at the start and end of 1968, respectively, the Action! And Intensified albums effectively demonstrated why Desmond Dekker & the Aces were Jamaica's premier musical act throughout the late '60s. Both of these now immensely rare long players provide the focus for this set, which also includes the remainder of the trio's magnificent output from the rock steady era, including rare alternate cuts and the original versions of their three major UK chart hits - '007', 'Israelites' and 'Ah It Mek'. A rock steady music lover's delight, there has quite simply never previously been a more comprehensive or compelling collection of Desmond Dekker & the Aces' output.
Product details
Product Dimensions
:
5.59 x 4.88 x 0.47 inches; 4.16 ounces
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
All the hits are on these two cd albums that made Desmond Dekker a household name and international reggae star long before Bob Marley. Smooth rocksteady along with early reggae songs like Israelites, 007 and It Mek are just some of the songs on these albums along with heaps of bonus songs and alternate versions. I have the Trojan records Desmond Dekker greatest hits collection but listing to these albums makes you realize just how hot Dekker was when these albums came out. 5 stars for two great albums with two dozen bonus songs. Thanks to Doctor Bird records for releasing these albums after a long absence. You cannot beat the value of this Desmond Dekker two album collection. Get this rare import while it is still in print.
'Israelites' was a song that I was drawn to as a young kid when it was re-released in the mid 70s. I loved the song and it stuck with me throughout the years. I bought a CD version of the song in my early adult years and played it often. Then, recently, I found a Desmond Dekker CD in a second-hand music shop. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to seek out some of his other recordings. Hence, I bought this double CD of the 'Action' and 'Intensified' albums - with bonus tracks.
The sound quality is very good - very clear.
How would you describe Desmond Dekker's voice? I'll try. Plaintive and expressive, occasional use of wonderful vibrato and a few tones of male soprano creeping in every now and then. Nice falsetto, when he sings like that. Sometimes, he sounds just a bit like Aaron Neville.
The songs on 'Action and Intensified' mainly have a feel-good atmosphere, even though the lyrics sometimes deal with serious subject matter. One reason why I like this music is because it speaks of the experiences and lives of people in a place so far from where I live. It's a wonderful thing to be able to hear of the lives and snippets of stories, (most songs don't tell a narrative in detail), as expressed through music. As a listener, you feel uplifted.
Certainly, the style from song to song is very similar, but, still, listening to the whole collection from beginning to end is not monotonous at all. You still feel that each song is unique and that you are being taken from one enjoyable place to another.
I have read that Desmond Dekker was instrumental in discovering Bob Marley and in encouraging him to record. Bob Marley was all over the airwaves in my youth. I think I prefer Desmond Dekker, though.
'Action and Intensified' is a great CD collection. I always feel good, and engaged and stimulated, when I listen to it. Fresh and refreshing, all these years after the music was recorded.
Open Web Player
