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Old 08-10-2009, 05:52 PM   #56 (permalink)
Gavin B.
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Ras Gavin's Reggae Remix Project


Good News for Reggae Fans!

I just pulled together all of my movie making software and meshed with my digital mixiing board and I'm starting convert my collection of nearly 2000 rare albums into studio quality digital wmv. files for people to download for their own enjoyment. I'm fairly confident of my mixing skills but when I heard the finished product on these, I have to say they are among the best remixes I've ever done. The sound fidelity sounds better than the songs when they were on virgin vinyl. Please stop me from gushing all over my own work. Two songs are now posted, both are out of issue.

By way of explanation, Ras Gavin is both a steet and trade name I've used for years. If you want to hear the high definition version hit the button that says HQ at the bottom of the YouTube player when the video starts play, it will turn red HQ as demonstrated if you're successfully in the high def mode.

I recommend high def for maximum listening pleasure. On other the second song Black Star Liner, Robbie Shakesphere's bass grabs you right in the face on the high def version.

Walk On By- The I-Tones

I chose launch my YouTube reggae remix project with song that meant a lot to me for sentimental reasons of my own...read on.

The I-Tones are a reggae band that I occasionly played guitar for and almost always did the sound board for at their live gigs. The I-Tones made one album in 1980 and released this song Walk On By as a 12" single around 1983, if my memory serves me. The band broke up in 1989 and I really haven't seen any members of the band since because I moved halfway across the country shortly after the I-Tones broke up.

The band was built around three principle performers, Ram who had a beautiful Smokey Robinson type soprano, Jah Shirt a Jamaican toaster and deejay of some noteriety and Chris Wilson a white Jamaican national who moved to the USA during his college years. I am no longer in touch with anyone in the band but I know that Chris is Heartbeat Record's primary executive producer.

The little youth girl whose picture graces the video is my daughter I-Ayna whom I promised to put on the cover of the first YouTube video I produced.




Black Star Liner - Jah Thomas The second video is a 1978 rendition of Black Star Liner by Jah Thomas which is murderous toast that I promise you won't find anywhere else on the face of the earth but this YouTube video. I searched for years for a second copy and its was nowhere to be found. There isn't even another copy of it anywhere on YouTube, which usually 50 copies of every song in the world posted.

My personal feeling about the Black Star Liner" is it's the only toast that I've ever heard that was good enough to shake my faith in the mighty U-Roy.

If you want info on the musicians who played in the session just double click through to the YouTube site and read my notes.

There a rather annoying 10 second lapse of silence before this song starts is because it's embedded in the vinyl pressing of the original song. I was afraid of destroying the sound fidelity of digital file if I tried edit the gap, so instead I just threw up a title card for most of the lapse. When I learn more about editing vinyl to mp3 to wmv formats I'll take more chances on the cutting and editing.

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