Monday, November 30, 2009

A Christmas Miracle!! Thanks Bunnycounta!


The 2009 Jamaican Christmas mix rises from the ashes of annoyance! Thanks again goes to Bunnycounta for providing me with the two tracks I had my heart set on to use from the Merry Christmas From Black Roots LP and thanks to the US Postal service which delivered 5 more Christmas 45s this afternoon! Let the mixing begin! I'll post the mix as soon as I get it finished!

I'm putting together the music for the Christmas Mix and I have hit a huge roadblock that jeopardizes the entire project... over the summer I bought a copy of the Merry Christmas From Black Roots LP hoping to utilize a song by Lui Lepke called "Christmas Season" and Sugar Minott's "While Shepherds Watch" - the first 2 songs on the A-side and I can't get the, if you'll excuse my language for a moment, fucking record to play without jumping and skipping all over the fucking place!!! I've tried all the techniques... weighted down the cartridge with quarters and nickels, adjusted weight on the tone arm, etc. but it will not play! DOES ANYONE HAVE THIS RECORD AND WOULD BE WILLING TO PROVIDE ME WITH A CLEAN, JUMP-FREE RIP OF THE FIRST TWO SONGS ON THE A-SIDE? I don't usually use the blog to request things from the readers but I'm ripping my hair out trying to get these two songs and I'm so pissed off right now I feel like shit-canning the whole thing!

6 comments:

Christofari said...

I share your pain!!!

As I'm sure you know, Jamaican pressings are notorious for their poor quality - sometimes due to clapped-out secondhand presses brought over from the US, and sometimes just due to no quality control (over the years, I've found all kinds of crap pressed into the vinyl, even ganja debris). But these issues more commonly affect 45s - I can't remember a single album jumping like that (without visible reasons, like a huge scratch). So I'm afraid I'm plain stumped too, buddy - and since I don't have Christmas Season either, I'm not going to be any damn use. So Sorry.

But try not to let it blight the whole project, huh? If I know you, you have some other Christmas crackers cued up...

Hoping someone else will step up with a solution, and wishing you (in advance) a really happy Christmas. All the best.

John AKA Reggaexx said...

It looks to me as if the grooves on the record are so fine that it's having a problem keeping the stylus in the groove... I mean this is a brand new press and doesn't have a scratch on it! I can overcome the jumping but there is one spot on the Lui Lepke tune that skips - like repeats the same part over and over - I haven't had a problem like that since I listened to my well worn Disney read along in your book records when I was a kid! I'm working a few angles on trying to get an MP3 copy of the tunes or maybe even buying another copy and hoping for better results.

bunnycounta said...

Dear John,
i got a copy which is a bit poor in sound but has no scratches. I could make you a copy of the needed songs. What bitrate do you prefer.

Greetings - bunnycounta

John AKA Reggaexx said...

anything higher than 128kbps

Christofari said...

Bunnycounta, you're a hero. Nice one.

And John, great to read your update.
I had total faith that something good would happen. This stuff's life-affirming. One love, people.

Anonymous said...

9 days left....

you can do it!!!!

...christmas blessings...& god speed!