Hip Hip Hurray, what a happy day. Burning Spear, the "Master of Roots" is back. His last studio album, Jah is Real, was released in 2008. After that, things got pretty quiet about the “Master of Wailing” because he withdrew to his old age and “retired”. The 77-year-old has finally changed his mind and is touring again. Hopefully many more people will have the opportunity to experience a Burning Spear concert live. Most concerts I've seen with Burning Spear have been mystical events. Burning Spear and his virtuoso Burning Band have never disappointed me live.
Due to the joyful occasion, I have spent the last few days reading Burning Spears works once again - and for the Dubblog naturally prefers the “Living Dubs” – listen very carefully.
Burning Spear released his first self-produced Marcus' Children in Jamaica in 1978. Iceland released the LP entitled "Social Living" and was promptly hailed by many as a roots masterpiece. The album is still rightly considered one of the best reggae works from this era.
Shortly after the release of Marcus' Children, Winston Rodney released Living Dub Vol. 1", mixed by Silvan Morris, among the people. This original mix is also what the 2003 release "Burning Spear: Original Living Dub Flight. 1“ (Nocturne), which can actually still be found on the streaming services. "Living Dub Volume 1” in its original version is undoubtedly Spear's Dub-Explosion. The riddims and grooves presented are the purest essence of hypnotic music from the Burning Spear brand. These incredible Dubs transcend the human spirit into the other dimension of musical experience. There they are, those immortal bass and drum rhythms, those echoes and reverbs, with Spear's vocal track fading in and out of the mix, and most importantly, that unique vibe that only Burning Spear can deliver. "(Original) Living Dub Volume 1” is definitely one of those albums that I would take with me to the desert island. Let yourself be enchanted and keep the Spear burning!
Quick note on the Barry O'Hare remixed version: The 1992s "Living Dub volume one' has a slightly different track list than the original mix and of all things the Rasta song 'Irie Nyah Keith' - my favorite song from the original album - which Spear previously sang in Studio One entitled 'Zion Higher' - is missing and replaced by 'Run Come Dub“ replaced. We also find an additional title on the release: “Hill Street Dub“. Ok, of course collectors also need this completely remixed album released by Heartbeat. O'Hare's interpretation is by no means bad, but sounds different due to its digital purity. That's why reggae purists tend to call it "Original Living Dub Vol. 1”.
5 Responses to “Burning Spear: Original Living Dub Vol. 1 "
Well, that's really good news, Burning Spear is back on tour... honestly, I don't know if I'm happy about that right now. Because I also saw Speer live two or three times in the 90s and it was similar to that Ras Vorbei remembered as a mystical, groundbreaking, deep experience that still has a very vivid and genuine effect on me.
And I'm now considering whether I wouldn't rather preserve these undoubtedly unique memories than experience a new edition again (which in the worst case is just a poor copy of the past - why so negative and pessimistic? I've unfortunately already experienced a few disappointments, maybe because of this!).
In any case, I'll think about it very carefully if he actually comes around and plays again...
And yes, the Burning Spear really got me live and on the Dubrecords impressed, his singing is otherwise too monotonous and peculiar to me in the long run, whereby right now while writing these lines it comes to my mind that I have listened to the album "Farover" very often for a while... but it's a long time here.
Anyway, nice here's a review of one Dubto read the classics and in the course of this to put the record back on a few extra times. She truly deserves it and is also considered something of the better in my cosmos, that dubwas published moderately... whether it would be enough for me on the lonely island, I'll leave it open...
I would prefer the review of Ras Vorbei click "copy paste" and then "sell" it as my comment ;-)
There is nothing for me to add!
But I'm listening to this fantastic Dubs got so heartwarming again that I can't help but at least try to top it.
I also listened to “Far Over” a lot, because that was the album that introduced me to Burning Spear in the first place. It's supposed to have been released in 1982, which means to me that I've been listening to reggae "excessively" for a whole two years without even suspecting the existence of Burning Spear. That's how it happened that I was only able to marvel at one of his magical concerts (back in 1981 in the Rockpalast) on YouTube many years later. ( I don't say anything bad anymore about YouTube ...... ). The intro of his band alone is and will remain pure magic for all eternity. I think he found the sound (the way he played) of his BAND so magical that he didn't even want to start singing. There's also a story about Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, who probably once dared to tell Burning Spear that he should start singing, because that's what people mainly came for after all. I think I understood it that way, which is why Winston Rodney fired him. If I've misunderstood something, I'd be (un)happily corrected. But later I was very lucky to experience Burning Spear Live And Direct and especially the concert
from which the "Live In Paris Zenith 88" was created, was the absolute top hammer in terms of live concerts. I experienced the concert in Hanover but it was almost identical to the sound on the album. The shell in the "wind section" was also used. There are also other very good live albums by Burning Spear, and the album is particularly close to my heart, where some of my heroes from ASWAD showed that they were able to weave an equally magical and mystical rhythm carpet for the magician, and I'm sure they always will still could, if they aren't just on the road as "fiddler crabs" without a band just with the DJ. The last sign of life I have from ASWAD is unfortunately only an embarrassing appearance at the reggae jam, where, like Michael Jackson, they always grabbed their crotch when they weren't busy waving. That's when I realized that they're only human. I'm also writing this to show that it's really hard to be disappointed if you think it could still be as good after 40 years as it was "back then". I once had a Burning Spear concert at the Loreley, where the spark just didn't want to fly, at least for me, but I'll leave that out for now.
After all, there are these fantastic ones Dubs that us Ras Vorbei recalled here. Thank you again for that Ras Vorbei ;-) !!!
Although – or perhaps because of this – I “Living Dub Vol. I" neither on vinyl nor on CD, i.e. only as a "data quantum package", it would almost be enough for me if I only had the first Dub "Children Of Today" could take to the "lonely island". Already the vocal version "Marcus Children Suffer" inspires and enchants me to this day and as long as I can listen, it will continue to do so. That's for sure ! the DubIn my opinion, the version expressly underlines why so many Dubs from today, a "little" - almost - sound censored. Here with "Volume I" especially with "The Original" not only is every effect set to the point with the greatest euphoria, but the riddims were also extremely "dubwise” recorded. Here, every bass tone already corresponds to a galactic bass line, which underpins and manifests the entire magical energy of reggae in an impressive way, even without any effects, and burns it into your memory forever. "Keep The Spear Burning in my Brain !!!"
I don't like it! I love it!!! ….. and “when I fall in love, it will be forever” !!! Not only with “Living Dub Vol.I” I am not overwhelmed with long, jazzy and virtuosic “overproduced” wind tirades. This is about the – for me – essential! A skilful "BläserHookLine" is brought in, seasoned with some reverberation and echo and then disappears where it came from. No funny keyboard "squeaking" and otherwise everything is perfect for me (if I disregard the fact that the hi-hat seems a little too clear and too dominant ...... uninteresting, because hardly noticeable and with such great riddims perfect anyway, I wanted to mention it anyway, so I at least noticed it ).
But I'm also a bit surprised that the DubVersion of "Civilised Reggae" here only goes beyond the two minutes that already exist in the showcase version of the vocal album.
I would have liked to have been able to record them for more than two hours, if only to top the version from “Social Living / Marcus Children”.
yeah man!!! "You do the Reggae!!!" ………………. lemmi
(From deep inside my brain: The best for me at the moment Dubalbum of all time! If only because I can't pull it out of the cover at home... one reason why my collection of reggae albums doesn't deserve the name COLLECTION! But that will be the case again, because even today, even if one should not praise the day before the evening: “Hip Hip Hurray! What A Happy Day!" )
Yeah, that's my favoritedubBurning Spear album for all time. There is no other way to describe it, this disc is just fantastic and I own the Jamaican pressing of it. A masterpiece of Jamaican music!
With Living Dub Vol. 1 Burning Spear (Winston Rodney) and his sound engineer Sylvan Morris have created what surely is among the most entrancing dub ever. It has a rich, full, warm, textured sound. This one is the first dub album I recommend to anyone interested in dub. A great classic roots dub album. Play at night with the lights low and feel the spiritual intensity.
Many thanks for recommendation!
The long wait is over, the new Burning Spear: No Destroyer has finally been released: https://songwhip.com/burning-spear/no-destroyer