Trojan Vinyl & CDs

Review: To mark what would have been Desmond Dekker's 80th birthday, Trojan Records is serving up a variety of celebratory releases. The King of Ska takes us back to the formative years of the Jamaican superstar's career between 1963-67, when he was an aspiring young singer signed to producer Leslie Kong's Beverley's Records imprint. Loosely chronologically arranged, disc one begins with Dekker's celebrated debut single, 'Honour Your Mother & Father', and continues to chart his efforts in the first couple of years of his career - both alongside unnamed studio bands and with the backing of The Cherry Pies and The Four Aces. On CD2, we hear a more confident Dekker belting out the singles that would turn him into an international star, including rude boy anthem - and his first UK top 50 smash - '007'.