from the 7” single, Beverly’s Records, 1968:
I was hooked on this tune from the very first time it ever graced my ears---it was probably around 1991 or 1992, and I was watching the film “Drugstore Cowboy” on VHS, rented from the local store (another one to watch, if you haven’t before). At that point in time, my knowledge of reggae music didn’t extend much beyond Bob Marley and Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It”, so hearing this doo-wop-inspired rudeboy anthem was something of a shock to my system; I had to track it down! The distressing hymn of a so-called “poor Israelite”, this track nearly follows the punchline of so many jokes about country music: making just enough to eat, wife & kids left you, your clothing is old and torn. Quite frankly, this is what makes the tune so enduring, as Mr. Dekker was able to overlap ancient history with the poverty-stricken state of Jamaica in the late ‘60s, and in so doing, he crafted a song which everyone in the world could relate to. This was basically the first unadulterated reggae track to ever perform well outside the Caribbean, the first to ever hit #1 on the British charts, and it even rocketed into the top ten in the USA. The impact this success had in Jamaica cannot be stated ardently enough; basically, it gave all the producers and musicians there sufficient confidence in their native-grown style of reggae, that they would no longer spend time trying to sound American or European. Transported along by what our modern ears recognize as the standard cadence of reggae-guitar, this track really gets your head moving thanks to the deeply pulsating bassline & the perfect duet of Desmond’s saccharine falsetto, and his buddy’s sonorous baritone. Relatable to practically anyone, anywhere, the modern history of reggae music starts right about here.
