Well, here's a prototype of what could have been:

http://www.c64audio.com/bit4/bit4.mp3

Essentially the album's structure represented by SIDs and remixes that already exist. Listen in conjunction with the story up above

There are two "'Sclusives" in this: (1) Rob Hubbard's 2000 version of Kentilla, done by him and Steve Scherer (the version that appeared on the DVD was Markus Schneider's re-engineering of that later on). And (2) Super Huey by Paul Norman himself. As with all of Paul's work, it's rough round the edges, but has a lot of heart and soul, especially the way it builds at the end, and a really nice US-style middle-break section.

Chris

Downloading now .. a big thx in advance..

I'll have to have a good listen soon..

Indeed, thanks a lot for posting this - I especially enjoyed the "Super Huey" arrangement immensely! This track was arranged by Paul Norman himself? I guess it was meant to appear on the ill-fated "Project: Norman" album then? Another glimpse at what could have been. Can you reveal what other tracks Paul was working on for this project?

Listened to it today... interesting.

busy writing a review when my fekin pc works

One thing that I thought really worked was having RealSID 'interludes' between tracks - even though these were probably only included in the mp3 as placeholders (you really need my lovely 'Wiz' SID recording Chris - rather than the nasty emulated version that you used!)

Good stuff though, a nice taster of what could have been ....

I always believe when you want to do something you can and i am also a big believer in youthful enthusiasm. If you lose that and inevitably you do then the task ahead becomes less enjoyable and what was once fun becomes hard work and somewhat difficult to even think about.

Since i was 13 i have been involved in various scene's.. From the c64 to the Atari ST cracking/demo scene to the retro scene. Alas at the age of roughly 30 i started losing the will - somethings in life take up more importance or they change your perception or even change direction and slowly but surely you look at things in a different light almost without you realising.

I don't know if chris feels simular but the task ahead which i would personally like to see materialise might just be something which may seem just too much to pursue and contemplate although inside he'd like to tackle if he could just find his old inner being.

Energy and enthusiasm is paramount for anything to succeed. Fail either one and then don't bother imho.

I have never heard the Rob/Steve version .... just got a midi file ! And I am noticing it sounds very similar. I still want to go over all those notes and make it perfect. But time ...

Most. Under-remixed. 64. Track. Ev-AR.

*swaggetty swag... 84MB!?!?!??!?!!!*

I love you, mate.

Thnx for that gem!!

BTW. never heard that version of Barbarian, only a short snippet. Nice!

Thinking about it, these three albums would get made if I had (a) enough time, and (b) new tech. I tend to produce a load of new tracks when I get a new toy to play with (which is why Karma64 appeared a scant six months after BIT 3 was launched: me and Boz loved that Karma, and also some of the tracks already existed in various forms).

In this case, I'd really love to experiment with lots of these new "performance synths" (solo violins, harps, etc).

BIT 2 was driven by my new synths at the time, a Korg Z1, a JV2080 and a Novation Supernova. They cost a fortune at the time! They were joined a year or so later by the JP8080 which Sonic Wanderer now has (the Z1 was bought by Darryl Sloan and the JV2080 by Feekzoid).

As such, I've only got the Supernova and an Emu Virtuoso 2000 (and the Karma) left, but my desk is so small I can't even set the Karma up.

D'oh!

That Barbarian is from R64 vol 2, btw. I always thought it was a bit thinner and less dramatic than the one in my head I was going to put on BIT 4: but then, hey, that exists and mine doesn't. And things always sound better in your head. All credit to R64 vol 2 for getting that piece realised in polycarbonate!

Chris

It's a painful and expensive way of doing business, Chris, but I entirely sympathise.

I've got my eye on a Dell 30" monitor at the moment. 2560x1600, so the first "Proper Work Res" monitor I'll have had since I ran out of CRT room and went to Flatland. It's gotten so I curse my 19" of 1280x1024 and 17" of same more than anything else.

Feels. So. CRAMPED!

*paws at the walls*

But any upgrade's a good excuse to use the bejabbers out of it.

My best monitor is 41cm, that equals to 16"...

A 30" Monitor...
I could KILL for such a gadget...

New tech will never beat imagination

But New tech can inspire imagination, by activating parts of the brain that haven't been used for a while, or making easy things which once were difficult.

Imagination without the technical means of realising it is very frustrating. The two things (tech and imagination) are not in competition. They go hand in hand, although obviously there are people who think new tech is a substitute for imagination. I guess that's what you were talking about here.

Chris