Now that we've sullied Akira Kurosawa's name, we'll throw more Black Uhuru at you. Red and Sinsemilla were pulled, but now we have them up again. So while you're working for the cause, you can slave away in the optics factory with a Sly and Robbie back-beat.
Once this post gets disengaged from The Most Beautiful, none of this babbling will make sense. But when does anything around here ever makes sense? Enjoy some lossless Black Uhuru!
From Lindsay Planer:
When Tom Tom Club sang "reggae's expanding with Sly & Robbie" on "Genius of Love," perhaps they were referring to their influence on Black Uhuru's landmark crossover, Anthem (1983). Their musicianship and ability to tailor the arrangements and presentation was seminal to the success of the long-player. The original incarnation of the band -- whose name translates as "to be free" in Swahili -- evolved from the fertile environs of Kingston, Jamaica. By the early '80s the lineup centered around the trio of Michael Rose (vocals), sole founding member Derrick "Duckie" Simpson (vocals), and in 1981 Sandra "Puma" Jones (vocals), an American who had previously been part of the all-girl combo Mama Africa. With Anthem, the threesome took a bold and ultimately fruitful step, trying to appeal to a much larger audience. While the platter would earn Black Uhuru the very first Grammy award given to a reggae artist, many purists were less than impressed by the undeniably overt pop/rock elements, including the copious use of synthesizers. The end result was a less-than-authentic interpretation of the material. As the title of this four-disc box set intimates, [...] Complete Anthem Sessions (2004) is the final word on the album. Housed within are all the unedited full-length mixes, dub mixes, U.K. and U.S. versions, and widely sought 12" renderings of "Party Next Door," "Party in Session," "What Is Life," and the Steve Van Zandt-penned "Solidarity." Plus, a pair of never-before-available interpretations of "Somebody's Watching You." Providing every possible option in one anthology is nothing short of inspired. It likewise allows a juxtaposition of production styles that aid in understanding both the impact of the music, as well as the various alterations -- some subtle and others significant -- made in an attempt to cater to specific listeners. The [record label] issued The Complete Anthem Sessions in a strictly limited edition of 5,000 copies.
Disc 1 Technical Information:
Artist: Black Uhuru
Album: Complete Anthem Sessions
Disc: 1. Original Full Length Mixes
Year: 1983-1984/2004
Audio Codec(s): FLAC
Encoding: Lossless
Rip: EAC split tracks
Avg. bitrate: 921 kb/s
Sample rate: 44100 Hz
Bits per sample: 16
Channels: 2
File size: 337 MB
Length: 0:51:13
Tracklisting:
01. What Is Life (5:42)
02. Party Next Door (3:06)
03. Try It (5:28)
04. Black Uhuru Anthem (5:28)
05. Botanical Roots (4:58)
06. Somebody's Watching You (5:47)
07. Bull in the Pen (5:23)
08. Elements (3:52)
09. Party Next Door (12" Single Mix) (5:56)
10. Party in Session (5:34)
Disc 1: Original Full Length Mixes Megaupload Link
Disc 2 Technical Information:
Artist: Black Uhuru
Album: Complete Anthem Sessions
Disc: 2. Original Dub Mixes
Year: 1983-1984/2004
Audio Codec(s): FLAC
Encoding: Lossless
Rip: EAC split tracks
Avg. bitrate: 878 kb/s
Sample rate: 44100 Hz
Bits per sample: 16
Channels: 2
File size: 277 MB
Length: 0:44:15
Tracklisting:
01. What Is Life (Dub Mix) (5:42)
02. Try It (Dub Mix) (5:24)
03. Black Uhuru Anthem (Dub Mix) (5:35)
04. Botanical Roots (Dub Mix) (10:36)
05. Somebody's Watching You (Dub Mix) (6:08)
06. Bull in the Pen (Dub Mix) (5:59)
07. Elements (Dub Mix) (4:52)
Disc 2: Original Dub Mixes Megaupload Link
Disc 3 Technical Information:
Artist: Black Uhuru
Album: Complete Anthem Sessions
Disc: 3. UK Remix Album
Year: 1983-1984/2004
Audio Codec(s): FLAC
Encoding: Lossless
Rip: EAC split tracks
Avg. bitrate: 963 kb/s
Sample rate: 44100 Hz
Bits per sample: 16
Channels: 2
File size: 364 MB
Length: 0:52:59
Tracklisting:
01. What Is Life (4:22)
02. Solidarity (4:22)
03. Black Uhuru Anthem (5:17)
04. Try It (5:00)
05. Botanical Roots (4:14)
06. Somebody's Watching You (4:32)
07. Bull in the Pen (4:08)
08. Elements (4:37)
09. What Is Life (Frances Kevorkian Remix) (4:15)
10. Solidarity (Zeus B Held Remix) (4:15)
11. Party Next Door (ET Thorngren Remix) (5:28)
Disc 3: UK Remix Album Megaupload Link
Disc 4 Technical Information:
Artist: Black Uhuru
Album: Complete Anthem Sessions
Disc: 4. US Remix Album
Year: 1983-1984/2004
Audio Codec(s): FLAC
Encoding: Lossless
Rip: EAC split tracks
Avg. bitrate: 917 kb/s
Sample rate: 44100 Hz
Bits per sample: 16
Channels: 2
File size: 337 MB
Length: 0:51:24
Tracklisting:
01. What Is Life (5:05)
02. Solidarity (4:28)
03. Black Uhuru Anthem (5:17)
04. Try It (5:02)
05. Botanical Roots (3:32)
06. Party Next Door (5:49)
07. Bull in the Pen (4:09)
08. Elements (4:37)
09. Somebody's Watching You (Bruce Forest Remix) (8:23)
10. Somebody's Watching You (Bruce Forest Dub Mix) (5:03)
Disc 4: US Remix Album Megaupload Link
