Black Uhuru—Let Us Pray скачать в хорошем качестве

Black Uhuru—Let Us Pray

People have been asking for this one for a long time...the final encore. Black Uhuru Alive, was a big project that did not have the debut that Stafford and I intended for it when it was completed in 1987. We planned to release the concert—which was recorded live with 24-track sound as a CD, and the video, as a nice package, a first in reggae. It was gong to be well-coordinated visually; liner notes, photos from the show—something special. We wanted it to be a first for reggae, as befitted the first reggae group to win a Grammy, Black Uhuru. The visuals were also switched live, and the many, many hours went into editing this video in my studio (who feels it knows it)— an analog, hard cuts only process...then timing out every dissolve, frame by a frame, hand-copying all the time-code numbers on actual paper for the one-inch studio edit to follow. Dinosaur days that lasted a few months. And then, when the project was almost finished and there was just one task left to do: add the final mixed and edited stereo soundtrack onto the 1" video master, there was a plot twist. Someone got antsy. Not Black Uhuru, not Step Lively. This weary editor arrived at the studio, track under arm, to discover that final payment had been made (although final work had not been completed), and that both of the one-inch video masters (one was Step Lively's protection master), had been whisked away. Just like that. Minus the final sound, mixed sound. And then a quick CD followed, that some of you have and love, as is. Glad for that anyway. So this is the explanation of why, Black Uhuru Alive, has been a raiders of the lost ark kind of video all these decades and a stinging thorn in my perfectionist side. I only remained with the working copies of each song, not the high-quality master that I felt the project deserved. But so many people remembered and kept asking me about the video. And some horrible-looking bootleg copies emerged somehow, grinding me even more. Finally, with Duckie's approval, I decided to remaster and upload the songs, to the best of my ability, on the channel this past year. It's history, after all. And now, although I still don't have the 1-inch master, I have finally acquired all the equipment I need to access the original Step Lively analog archive. Today, I at least have access to the 3/4" copies of every individual song I received after completion, as post-production progressed. And I do have the mixed audio track as well. So, viewers, my intention is to string these together, remove the burn-in titles,, and make the video available as a full concert on the Step Lively channel, sometime in 2023. Not sure exactly how I will offer this yet, or how long it will take. But stay tuned and I will let you know. Step Lively, is a one-woman operation, so please share and continue to support this channel so I can pay my bills and get this work done sooner, rather than later. Lastly, regarding Black Uhuru: watching this concert now just affirms how special that time and place was, and this group, Black Uhuru, is. Also, how particularly special Puma Jones was. I think Puma stands alone in reggae history and I have yet to hear or see the reggae community give her her due. She was unique; irreplaceable. A forever young, serious, evocative griot of movement and expression. To my mind, there are only two people whose faces immediately say BLACK UHURU—Puma and Duckie. Everyone else came and went. These two stand predominant, and since Duckie is the one who had the vision to bring a woman into the front line of a reggae band in the first place, and since he has remained steadfast throughout, I think it's well-past time to stop questioning who the authentic Black Uhuru is. At the end of this video are credits for the full band and crew on this project. I am looking forward to bringing more treasures out of the Step Lively archive for you in the coming days. In the meantime, Let Us Pray. Diane Strong NYC, 11/22/22