This is surprising weighty for a song of its time. The tone is a lot darker than much of Desmond Dekker’s work.
Released in 1968, the song exhibits from rocksteady and reggae.
Dekker’s singing is infectious and powerful, from the ‘it mek… no sense at all’ part to the serious dread ‘face of fu man chu’ chorus.
“The Face Of Fu Manchu” is a 1965 film, a bit dated in some of its attitudes now, about a Chinese villain. I’ve not seen it, but evidently it was on Desmond’s mind at the time!
There’s even some jazz style scatting!
Absolutely timeless.