The 2015 Caroline / Island / Universal CD release of Social Living is legit (with original mixes) although it has obviously been mastered for CD release. Although nothing will every match the sound from the vinyl LPs the sound on the CD is nowhere near as inferior as suggested above. If you can't find the LP versions I would have no hesitation recommending the Social Living Caroline / Island / Universal CD edition - plus it has a nice 8 page booklet included and won't cost a fortune - it's currently selling on Amazon UK for the very attractive price of £5.75. CD details here Burning Spear - Social Living / Living Dub
There is at least a stand-alone CD of the first volume There is a stand-alone legit CD of Vol 1: Burning Spear - Original Living Dub Vol. 1 I have both, and a quick comparsion netted the following result: The stand-alone has much more detail in the upper register; some might even consider it a little bright. Personally, I think it sounds very good. The Caroline version sounds somewhat muffled by comparsion, but I agree that it's not unlistenable; I guess you could even argue it sounds more "relaxed". I used to have the parent album on vinyl, but not the dub, so I can't say which is closer to the "original", but I suspect it's the stand-alone CD.
I don't have the Brurning Spear CDs from Caroline, but I do have Jimmy Cliff, Culture, Rico, The Gladiators, Toots, The Heptones and The Paragons from Caroline. I like these CD masterings quit a lot.
Yes I had them, they were released by Spear and are needledrops but you can then remove the pops and clicks (very few of them and easy to manage) using any cleaning application like Izotope They had the original covers Burning Spear - Living Dub Vol: 1 Burning Spear - Living Dub, Volume 2 Then Spear reissued them with new artwork and clean sound Burning Spear - Original Living Dub Vol. 1 Burning Spear - Living Dub Volume Two
I think this issue runs a bit fast, and the last track is faded/shorter than the original. If I remember correctly... Burning Spear - Original Living Dub Vol. 1 And is Volume Two really the original mix? I haven´t heard it, but the discogs entry states "remixed in the 90´s". Burning Spear - Living Dub Volume Two
I just checked, and you remember correctly: The last track is missing the final 1'15'', and the other tracks are usually 2 or 3 seconds shorter than on the Caroline version, which is most probably the result of them being very slightly sped up (or the Caroline version runs slow).
As was mentioned the Caroline CD vocal/dub is a little duller in the top end but not anything that can't be fixed with a quick EQ adjustment. I compared this issue to the B&F vocal album and the B&F is a little brighter too but not by a great deal. Maybe the Caroline dub was EQd to match the vocal album. I guess it depends on how much that small difference weighs out against the convenience of availability.
Aswad's A New Chapter has arrived and I've played it a couple of times. And now I'm gonna chuck it in the bin. Awful, verging on cheesey pop. Don't like it at all.
Ways of The Lord, Tuff We Tuff, Ina Your Rights and Love Fire make it worth keeping in my opinion - but to each their own.
And African Children. I saw them live around about this period and they were rather good. The added bonus was that Jah Shaka was responsible for the sound system.
I noted that the first 2 tracks were OK and maybe worth putting on a comp with my favourites from the first 2 LPs. But when I didn't like anything after that I just thought sod it. Ah well, back to Ijahman.
You need to put the Warrior Charge/Dub Charge 12” on your Aswad compilation. Along with their collaboration with Dennis Brown, Promised Land.
I think the studio version is good but not a patch on the live cut. Live & Direct blows the studio versions away on most tracks to be fair.
Does anyone know if the new releases like the one below from Studio 1 are from tape or vinyl transfers? From the Vaults, Vol. 1, by Various Artists
Pretty sure that most, possibly all of them, are from tape, can you imagine trying to take that Gladiators album from vinyl, impossible. Whatever the issues we have with Studio One they did seem to keep most of their tapes, I guess Coxsone could afford to.
Needing some advice on this Horace Andy comp. Legit good stuff, or a lame cash grab? Horace Andy - Legends Of Reggae Volume Six
Don't know it, but it does look legit, though those are later cuts to some of his well known tracks rather than the better known versions.
Yeah, I should have figured that out on my own since they are King Jammy productions. Gonna pass on this....thanks.
Has there ever been a properly comprehensive Horace Andy compilation? For me it would have to include his first stuff for Phil Pratt, the Santic recordings, Keith Hudson, Studio 1, Bunny Lee, Prince Jammy, his self-productions, Wackies... and probably a bunch of recordings I can't think of right now not the Everton Dasilva stuff tho, I've never understood the praise it gets Although the more I think about it I guess not, it'd be a complete nightmare to try to license
