16 Likes
George Benson - Give Me The Night / 2015 Warner / Japan CD / WPCR28201
Arrived late Sunday, and as expected sounds so much better than the disc in the 5 Originals Box set.
A worthy edition to my collection of this series, and like the Larry Carlton Sleepwalk disc I have, it has the new Warner Records logo on it which indicates a pressing after May 2019 when it was changed.
13 Likes
Thanks Paul, I feel honoured that my writing inspired you to take a listen. It’s a very special album for me.
Hope you liked it too
1 Like
Always reminds me of the Clash doc “From The Westway To The World” iirc where Paul Simonon was talking about the excitement of getting the opportunity to meet Lee Scratch Perry. Paul asked him what he thought of their version of Police & Thieves whereupon Scratch replied “you ruined it!” 
2 Likes
David Bowie
NO TRENDY RÉCHAUFFÉ (LIVE BIRMINGHAM '95)
Listening on Qobuz, first time ever listening to any of these live albums from David. About a third of the way through and I like it a lot.
Edward
7 Likes
Hilarious!
8 Likes
Greensleeves 12" Rulers “Gussie” Clarke
The famous reggae label Greensleeves had some really fruitful relationships with some of the top producers in JA who exclusively licenced recordings to the label which were released on 12" extended mix singles.
Some years back Greensleeves compiled 4 volumes of those 12" singles each focusing on one of those producers.
Augustus Gussie Clarke had been producing records in a tiny 2 track studio since the early seventies and his “Music Works” label became synonymous with quality.
Two notable early productions were the LP’s of Dee-Jays Big Youth Screaming Target & Presenting I Roy where Gussie helped take the art of Dee-Jay to a new level.
Gussie produced many great singles & albums throughout the 70’s including Augustus Pablo,Leroy Smart, Gregory Isaac’s, Dennis Brown and the marvelous Music Works Showcase various artists LP.
As the seventies rolled into the eighties, the music started changing into the Dance Hall style, then in around '84 everything changed following the discovery of an electronic rhythm on a cheap casio keyboard which Prince Jammy used as the basis of the monster tune Under Mi Sleng Teng by Wayne Smith which almost completely changed the direction of JA music overnight.
Suddenly cheap computer generated “riddims” were all the rage, costly studio time and real musicians were no longer a barrier for ghetto artists, literally hundreds of small studios churning out Dance Hall and Ragga music started carrying the swing, alienating some traditional producers and musicians in the process.
Initially Gussie was one of those producers who didnt favour the changes taking place. Then a couple of years later he custom built a new Music Works studio with state of the art sophistication. Embracing the new “digital” production style but bringing a level of depth, sophistication, quality and more international outlook to the sound.
He re introduced the element of dub mixing to his dance Hall productions using the brilliant engineer Stephen Stanley. Also vitally important imo was Gussie with Stephen Stanley put the bass back into the music, so much “digital” dancehall had become thin and harsh sounding, what JA detractors called “Tin Pan Sound”
These extended mixes were all licenced exclusively to Greensleeves records in the UK and were massively influential and stood the test of time.
Informative sleeve notes and pics with the CD or available to stream.
Also worth checking out this career spanning anthology from VP/17 North Parade
Which includes Gussies first ever recording with U Roy The Higher The Mountain, early recordings with Big Youth, I Roy, Gregory Isaac’s, Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson etc through to the aforementioned Dance Hall period (although not the essential full extended mixes that are covered by the 12"Rulers set)
The Music Works Sho’case (1982) album, a couple of years before the “digital” revolution in the music, lush, sophisticated extended mixes of soulful lovers and roots material which Gussie translated a few years later into his “digital” productions represented on the 12" Rulers set
