Roots Archives Forum

The original Clocktower pressing is superior to the "Abraham" CLocktower version. The former was mastered from original tapes, whereas the latter was mastered from vinyl ( a copy of Brad's original pressing).

Coming back about "Life is gonna easy" track...

first i would like to know why some of you guys consider this track to be weaker than the rest of the set?
I really like both lyrics, relaxed jazzbo toasting, and the wonderful vocals in the background.

My second question is then, do you know who does the backing vocals on this track (and also the previous track 'live good today')?

Both songs are Sam Carty: 'I Dont Mind' and 'Life Is a Flower'.

Following on ...I got a pukka CD version of " Natty Passin' Thru " on Corn-Fed Productions (tu)
Edit : Quality is awesome , perhaps PS should be using the services of this guy !

AnorakTrev wrote:Following on ...I got a pukka CD version of " Natty Passin' Thru " on Corn-Fed Productions

Don`t mention Cornfed Trev, you`ll start a war Pretty good though isn`t it especially with those bonus tracks

Yes it is , Dave ...

Thank you very much for listing the songs, appreciated!

edit: now i guess i should have read the first post better

If memory serves me well, Kalcidis should be right that mixes are somewhat different.
I bought the original Clocktower pressing when it came out and got the real Black Wax original many years later and I remember having the same impression as Kalcidis. But I never compared them track by track. In fact I never listened to the Clocktower again.
I will try to compare them as soon as possible, at least a few tracks. But as I'm very busy at the moment, please allow me some time to do so.

Both releases are the same mix, also the track times and fade outs are identical which suggests that both were sourced from the same mixed-down tapes. But "Natty Passing Thru" has more dynamic range than the original press of "Ital Corner", and as such it breathes a bit better. The highs are higher, lows lower, and the vocals more pronounced. The tapes were already a few years old when Brad released his "Ital Corner" version, as his came out about three years after "Natty Passing Thru", so there could be just a slight bit of sonic deterioration involved as the tapes aged a bit.

The Abraham version is sourced from a vinyl copy of The Clocktower version, and is a little more compressed sounding with a slight bit of surface noise at times. This would be the least desirable version sound-wise, although it's still very listenable.

"Natty Passing Thru" has an Jazzbo extra track ("Life Is Gonna Easy"), although it doesn't have "Prophet Dub" which is on "Ital Corner". All in all, "Natty Passing Thru" is the masterpiece, with the original Clocktower "Ital Corner" a close second, the Abraham Clocktower "Ital Corner" third.

One of the greatest Scratch productions ever IMO. According to Jazzbo "Natty Passing Thru" it was originally recorded for release on Island, but it was rejected based on it being "too militant"!