Roots Archives Forum

Hi Henrik

I know what you are saying and at times I wish I could appreciate it, but the old Revolutionaries rimshot snare sound is as good as it gets for me. It could not get better.

As a wiser man than me once said; 'The only constant is change.' Too true. However, it doesn't mean a)it's better or b) I have to like it.

As my listening time is finite I have checked out this vibe, don't buy into it and prefer to mine the rich(er) vein that uses pre-synth drums.

Incidentally, although every music form does have to morph and change to survive (as has been pointed out often within this thread) each and everyone of them - Reggae, Blues, Jazz, Country - does have it's own 'Golden Period'.

I agree with 6anbatte, new, or experimental isn't always better.

And for me also, wood hitting skin via steel rim sounds really, really good.

I do listen to digital music, some reggae and some dance music. But I'm a bit of traditionalist as far as dub goes.

Hi leggo rocker

Yes, what a sound that is!!

Actually, I saw Black Uhuru with Sly and Robbie twice in the early eighties in Brighton. Once at the Revolution and the other time at the Top Rank. (It's now the King's West, I think.

Amazingly, before one of the gigs I bumped into (and briefly chatted to) Sly and Robbie in the pub opposite the Top Rank. Seriously.

I saw Uhuru at Glastonbury, must have been 1981 I guess. I arrived at the place just as they were striking up 'I love King selassie-I' (His Imperial Majesty). The sound seemed to float across the Somerset countryside, drawing us to the stage.

I stood transfixed as they played, and then turned to my right and noticed I was standing right next to a long-lost and very dear reggae loving friend who I hadn't seen for years. A magic night for sure! (and we've stayed in touch ever since!)

It's still my favourite Uhuru track by a mile.

Hi Leggo Rocker

Good story! Synchronicity in action.

When I saw them at the Revolution, which was a tiny club (not sure what it's called now), I swear Robbie was using my chest cavity as his speaker!!

How the building didn't fall down around our ears I'll never know.

This may be borderline blasphemy, but even the beloved radics went synth and took Israel Vibes with them.

I've read throught his thread again and wanted to set the record straight on a few things.

What I meant by overuse was the very early use of Synth drums, which seemed to be crudely overdubbed onto analogue riddims. It had a wrecking effect on the vibe of the music and just sounded like the guy had just got them out of the box and was going a bit mad with his new toy!

Later on, their use was much more sophisticated and integrated into the riddim.

The subsequent change from analogue instruments to purely digital instruments is another matter entirely - and one that has been discussed on this forum many times.