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why do they call it VERSION?

youngEINSTEINyoungEINSTEIN 2,443 Posts
edited March 2008 in Strut Central
i'm asking about raggae instrumentals? can anyone explain why its called version? thanks very much. happy easter and peace, stein. . .

  Comments

  • BurnsBurns 2,227 Posts
    i'm asking about raggae instrumentals? can anyone explain why its called version? thanks very much. happy easter and peace, stein. . .

    same here
  • 1219197712191977 323 Posts
    From what I understand most of the music behind the vocal side of the reggae songs we love were not exactly written by the musicians and singers that made them famous. Most of the rhythms had been created by unknown sources that were re-done by the contemporary artists and musicians that we love and that achieved success on the backs of these earlier created rhythms. The versions are very close to the original version but a little different, thus being called a version of the known "traditional" music that had inspired the musicians and singers of the "golden roots" age of reggae. Please correct or clarify me if I???m wrong.
  • Lucious_FoxLucious_Fox 2,479 Posts
    I've heard the term "Version" since the 80's. Is the Reggae Golden Age from the 60's or 70's.

    I always thought it simply meant a version of the said beat/song/riddim.
  • hammertimehammertime 2,389 Posts
    because it's a different...version??!

  • On_the_Red_ClayOn_the_Red_Clay 1,728 Posts
    version = riddim, a specific instrumental tune / background that is "versioned" by different singers / mc's / dub enigineers.

    EG: tenor saw "ring the alarm" is said to be the birthplace of the stalag riddim, with 100s of versions now in existence.


    b/w


    if you want some historical context (and a very nice read) pick up this book:

  • djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts
    i always thought they just shortened it from "instrumental version"
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    i always thought they just shortened it from "instrumental version"

  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    i always thought they just shortened it from "instrumental version"

    There you go

    I agree on the Bass Culture[/b] recommendation, great book. It may still be in the archives, but there was a bit of discussion here about it, some feeling that there were a few inaccuracies but I thought it was a lot better than some of the other books I had read up to that point. I haven't read David Katz's book yet. Or start out with the "Rough Guide To Reggae" as a primer.

    BTW - Bass Culture[/b] was released this way in the U.S.


    I'm not sure if the US version revises anything from Bass Culture[/b], but I would assume the bulk of the book is the same.
  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts
    i always thought they just shortened it from "instrumental version"

    yes
  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts


    EG: tenor saw "ring the alarm" is said to be the birthplace of the stalag riddim, with 100s of versions now in existence.
    ]

    no, the "stalag" pre-dates the Tenor Saw "version' by over a decade with almost a hundred vocal & dj takes on it, but Ring The Alarm begat it's resurgence and hundreds of modern takes on a 70's classic


  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts
    From what I understand most of the music behind the vocal side of the reggae songs we love were not exactly written by the musicians and singers that made them famous. Most of the rhythms had been created by unknown sources that were re-done by the contemporary artists and musicians that we love and that achieved success on the backs of these earlier created rhythms. The versions are very close to the original version but a little different, thus being called a version of the known "traditional" music that had inspired the musicians and singers of the "golden roots" age of reggae. Please correct or clarify me if I???m wrong.

    no, not at all

    the studio bands would create an instrumental track (sometimes "adapted" from pop sources, mostly unique & new) for a producer, economics in JA being what they are/were, the producer would use the backing track for as many vocalist & dj toasters as possible, if a success in the dancehall's more would be recorded on it, if the the producer had a hit with his vocalists take on it the competition would copy it for their own use. until the mid 90's each of these takes on the same backing rhythm would be mixed differently for the instrumental "dub" version b side of the single
    many long time producers (like winston riley/techniques who controlled the "stalag") would pull it out for the new crop of singers ever few years, so hundreds of versions exist from several decades (but he knows who created the rhythm, since he paid for it & was involved in its creations)
    many times later studio musicians would update these instrumentals for modern producers usage

    now the story of JA reggae "adaptions" of pop chunes & their strange spelling "Adoptian" is another story
  • captainplanetcaptainplanet 626 Posts
    two cool RIDDIM/VERSION related sites:

    - JamRid.com gives you the history of individual riddims since their first time being recorded til the present.

    - Versionist.com reggae info and sharing +samples and loop sharing.
  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts
    two cool RIDDIM/VERSION related sites:

    - JamRid.com gives you the history of individual riddims since their first time being recorded til the present.

    - Versionist.com reggae info and sharing +samples and loop sharing.



    a "version" anecdote, in the early 90's one summer we had an intern at work (from Columbia, no less) and in the attempt to find him useful busy work, he was tasked with alphabetizing several hundred titles of 7" we had quantity of. after a week at work on the project, the genius had half of the titles under "v" for version ?!?
  • kicks79kicks79 1,334 Posts


    EG: tenor saw "ring the alarm" is said to be the birthplace of the stalag riddim, with 100s of versions now in existence.
    ]

    no, the "stalag" pre-dates the Tenor Saw "version' by over a decade with almost a hundred vocal & dj takes on it, but Ring The Alarm begat it's resurgence and hundreds of modern takes on a 70's classic




    I always thought sister nancy was the first stalag riddim. Shows how much i know...
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