Various Artists - Pay It All Back Volume 2
My current focus on the On-U stuff should have completed by now as it was intended only to be a December exercise. I have spent much of my free time over the past five days searching for potential flaws in my system set-up, which seemed to cause overly loud rips and distortion at higher frequencies. After changing cartridges on my deck, re-balancing the tone arm, cleaning or changing all the connectors and then re-installing various software items, I can find nothing which is attributing to the issue. I have a couple of Bim Sherman rips on the back burner which sound very toppy in places. This morning I took time to rip The Mothmen album (coming here soon) and it sounds spot on, well as spot on as a 33 year old very worn slither of vinyl could do. I can only assume that there were pressing issues with some of the mid-eighties On-U vinyl releases which are more noticeable when scrutinised during modern digital processes.
I have been dabbling in 24-bit 96kHz rips again whilst I was looking for issues with my hardware, and can say that I am more than happy with the way PIAB2 came out. So to celebrate the end of 2014 (I personally am glad to see the back of this year), here's my rip in a choice of standard lossless 16bit/44.1kHz or high definition 24bit/96kHz.
The later PIAB releases were very much hit and miss, but this album is superb without any addition of filler (even though I am no fan of West Ham United - from the enclosed magazine, Mr Sherwood clearly is). The African Head Charge track is an uplifting joy to be hold, and as their first entry into the world of soca it's a dedication to the sport of cricket, which has to be a wonderful thing in my book. The Forehead Brothers are Tackhead ...and Circular Motion is a damn fine piece of Tackhead. The four dub reggae tracks by Lee Scratch Perry, Bim Sherman, Prince Far I and Dub Syndicate are superb, especially Prince Far I watering his smokey garden. Happy New Year!
Ripped from a crackly vinyl album released on On-U Sound Records ON-U LP 42) in 1988 to high resolution flac audio.
A1 Lee Scratch Perry & Dub Syndicate
- Train To Doomsville
A2 Barmy Army - Billy Bonds M.B.E.
A3 Forehead Bros - Circular Motion
A4 African Head Charge - What A Wonderful Day
B1 Dub Syndicate Featuring Doctor Pablo - No Alternative (But To Fight)
B2 Bim Sherman / Singers & Players - Run Them Away
B3 Prince Far I / Singers & Players - Water The Garden
B4 African Head Charge
- Throw It Away
B5 Eskimo Fox - Digital (Theme From On The Wire)
