You Can Get It If You Really Want: The Definitive Collection

Artist	Desmond Dekker
Format	CD
Genre	Reggae
Label Name	Sanctuary/Trojan
Producer	Desmond Dekker, Will Birch, Tony Cousins, Leslie Kong, Roger Lomas, Warrick Lyn, Bruce White, Graham Goodall, Delroy Williams, Robert D. Palmer
Release Date	2005 04 26
Song List	1: Honour Your Mother and Father (2:24) 2: Parents (2:30) 3: Labour for Learning (2:37) 4: Jeserine (2:39) 5: King of Ska (2:43) 6: Get Up Edina (2:39) 7: This Woman (2:32) 8: Mount Zion (2:43) 9: Soldering (2:32) 10: It's a Shame (2:24) 11: Wise Man (2:15) 12: 007 (Shanty Town) (2:33) 13: Rudy Got Soul (2:48) 14: Rude Boy Train (2:17) 15: Mother's Young Gal (2:57) 16: Young Generation (2:09) 17: Unity (2:23) 18: Keep a Cool Head (2:02) 19: Mother Long Tongue (2:10) 20: Sabotage (2:46) 21: Pretty Africa (2:31) 22: It Pays (3:01) 23: Beautiful and Dangerous (2:49) 24: Mother Pepper (2:21) 25: Don't Blame Me (2:25) 26: Intensified '68 (Music Like Dirt) (2:45) 27: Fu Man Chu (3:19) 28: Israelites (2:35) 29: It Mek (2:20) 30: Problems (2:43) 31: Medley: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da/Wise Man [Medley] (2:44) 32: Pickney Gal (2:55) 33: Generosity (3:00) 34: Perseverance (2:46) 35: You Can Get It If You Really Want (2:37) 36: Coomyah (2:10) 37: You Got Soul (2:21) 38: Polka Dot (1:47) 39: (Where Did It Go) The Song We Used to Sing (3:07) 40: Get Up Little Suzie (3:12) 41: My Reward (2:22) 42: Archie Wah Wah (2:36) 43: Hippopotomus (2:51) 44: Licking Stick (2:14) 45: Live and Learn (The More You Live) (3:18) 46: Warlock (3:56) 47: Life of Opportunity (2:42) 48: It Gotta Be So (2:47) 49: First Time for a Long Time (2:29) 50: Mother Nature (3:35) 51: Beware (3:07) 52: Sing a Little Song (3:01) 53: (I'm A) Busted Lad (3:19) 54: Money and Friends (2:45) 55: Moving On (2:40) 56: Book of Rules (3:05) 57: Hot City (3:36) 58: Dance the Night Away [Live] (2:38) 59: Jamaica Ska (2:23)
Style.Categories	Bluebeat, Rocksteady, Ska

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What Desmond Dekker fans really want is a comprehensive compilation of the legend's back catalog, but they've been disappointed time and time again. However, You Can Get It If You Really Want: The Definitive Collection finally delivers the goods with a two-CD, career-spanning overview. The set begins at the beginning, with Dekker's 1963 debut single, "Honour Your Mother and Father," then charts his progress across the ska years and into rocksteady. As usual, there's a bit of scrimping on the former era to make room for the rude boy icon who emerged in the latter. Reggae's arrival created a rough break with the past for many producers, but not Dekker's mentor, Leslie Kong, and the set flows seamlessly from rocksteady into reggae. By now Dekker had begun his climb to international stardom, with disc two opening with his 1970 hit "Pickney Gal." The singles just kept coming, with the title track another international smash. In 1971, Kong died of a heart attack; the second half of disc two is given over to the aftermath, as Dekker tried to regain his footing and his international standing. He never really did, but never faded away entirely either, with occasional new albums, a stream of compilations, and exultant live performances helping to maintain his reputation. While this is a definitive overview, it's not a complete collection of Dekker's work, not even of the Kong years. The omission of "Bongo Gal" is surprising, the lack of "Writing on the Wall" perhaps a matter of taste, but inevitably a few of your faves will be missing as well. So, not the perfect collection, but pretty close. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide