Roots Archives Forum

I've just been reading the article relating to Jammyslies which made me go back and listen to the Scientist Vs Prince Jammys big showdown lp.

I bought this when it was originally released and never questioned the fact that Jammys mixing is not present anywhere on this LP until i read the article.

I havn't listen to it for a long time as it's not one of my favourite scientist LP'S,but after re listening with a new perspective it's totally obvious that the whole album is mixed by Scientist.Track 6 is not even mixed at King tubbys at all!

I have always been a fan of Greensleeves output in the early 80's,those great record sleeves and 12'" disco 45's are all a part of my musical upbringing and play a great part in my musical DNA.

How many other albums have been misrepresented? Obviously Barrington Levy's Englishman as it came from the same session.

Have a read of this if you havent already brethren.

http://www.unitedreggae.com/articles/n2 ... -scientist

Very informative about just how rough the Reggae music biz is in general. I didnt realise that a lot of the CD's i had been buying had been just basicaly nicked off the people who made the music. I mean i had some idea but its articles like this that just show you how ruthless even the so called reputable labels are.

The problem with the Scientits courtcase, is that a dub mixer is nothing more than an engineer. Copyright laws dont apply, same with remixes. If somebody remixes a song, he gets a fixed pay, note a share in the copyrights.

So as an example, eventhough Junkie XL scored a international megahit with a remix of an elvis pressley song, he only received a fixed pay. and if that song get's lisenced to a movie or video game, the copyright fee goes to the copyright holders of the original song.

So for any dubversions of any reggae songs the entire copyright belongs to the authors, not the mixer.

That many of these songwriters(like marley, cliff etc.) never received any payment for their works, is a grouse injustice, but another point.

I understand that copyright law does not extend to engineers remixers etc,but if you check the Greensleeves Scientist albums and any other dub albums the engineer is portrayed as the artist.I can't think of any other genre of music where this is done.The vocalists and musicians on the album are not even credited for writing the songs

In my humble opinion Scientist is a special case when it comes to engineering/mixing and injustice is nothing new in the music business.If the musicians, artists,engineers knew what they had back then i guess history would of been written a little differently.

Its funny it took Scientist over 20 years to come up with the court case. Since he ran out of money from the payment from Greensleeves at the time.Who ripped who off Henry Junjo Lawes ripped off Scientist or Scientist ripped off Henry Junjo Lawes!!

Still the losers are the musicains and Henry Junjo Lawes.

Its funny how one can re-write history after the people involved are dead. Isn`t it Scientist.

Not that it turns you off Scientist records because they were Henry Junjo Lawes doing all the work. And to rely on Prince Jammy to win a court case.

stepping razor wrote:
Not that it turns you off Scientist records because they were Henry Junjo Lawes doing all the work.

What does that mean? May you elaborate the

"Henry Junjo Lawes doing all the work"

part

Thanks.

I'm with digitalj what does that mean stepper?

Henry Junjo Lawes, Linval Thompson,Prince Jammy & others who produced and mixed the Greensleeves releases & Scientist was the mixing engineer.

Stepping Razor

With all due respect, you are making more noise than sense with this thread. Some things are best left alone unless you know the actual details (from all parties).

Just like Scientist re-writing history. Who can question it!! To rely on Prince Jammy to win his court case!!