Dub Side of the Moon

Easy Star All-Stars | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 18, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Easy Star
• ASIN: B00008A7U9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,805 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > World Music > Reggae
  • #1 in Music > World Music > Reggae > Dub
  • #8 in Music > R&B > Funk > Jazz Funk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Talk about high concept: this project features the house band of noted New York reggae label Easy Star covering Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in the same sequence and in recognizable but reggae fashion. Here, the All Stars turn Floyd’s strangely surreal world even stranger and more surreal, adorning the English band’s dark psychedelic music with slow reggae beats and head-spinning dub-style production that is both inspired and effective. "Money" opens with the sound of bong hits and coughing instead of the cash register, then grooves to a reggae beat as guitar and organ churn out the classic riff--there’s even the signatory sax break in the middle. The group hits it just right on "Great Gig In The Sky," retaining the soaring gospel voice, while the remake of the chiming bells on "Time" reveals a bit of irreverent humor. Tearing away at the alienation of the original, this infusion of new personality makes it all work, elevating the album’s concept from the half-baked to visionary. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A seriously good version of a Floyd classic!, March 5, 2003

By 

Matthew Johns (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dub Side of the Moon (Audio CD)

With perfect timing to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary celebrations of Pink Floyd's classic, Dark Side Of The Moon, comes this ambitious, authentic and even amusing reinvention.

Using the pick of the reggae and soul community, who spent over three years on the work, Dub Side Of The Moon is one of the more outrageous attempts at reworking Floyd tunes that has come along over the years. And it works fantastically well! It might seem sacriligious to some, but I think this is a great album! A fantastic job has been done from beginning to end. If you are a purist, hate cover bands, cover versions, and the like, you will probably hate this. If, however, you enjoy hearing fresh versions of old favourites, I urge you to check this out...

The idea came about in 1999 when New York reggae label vice president Lem Oppenheimer convinced his colleagues that this was a viable concept to cover. He imagined it would "echo Dark Side's album artwork - refracting Pink Floyd's music vision through a prism of reggaes's rich rhythmic and instrumental possibilities". Gathering some of the best musicians of their genre, the producers have approached the work seriously - so seriously in fact, that the (alleged) Wizard Of Oz syncronicity apparently works throughout!

Nyabinghi drumming kicks off the album, along with the heartbeat (this bookends the album). Speak To Me, with re-recorded comments (every sound, voice, whatever - has been rerecorded in an appropriate style) moves into a nice version of Breathe, easing the listener gently into the different sound given to this very familiar work. A great vocal as well from Sluggy Ranks.

A kicking drum'n'bass version of On The Run follows. The style fits this fairly timeless synth heavy track well. The song climaxes, then some very funny alarm clocks herald the start of Time. The opening (once the chimes have subsided) plays down the normal rototom drum solo, David Gilmour's solos have been replaced by some toasting, which works well. The song seems none the worse for the lack of guitars...

Great Gig In The Sky has been done really well - lovely, atmospheric, and a soulful vocal from Kirsty Rock. Money then kicks off - no cash registers but the sound of bongs (apparently - not that I would know) which puts a smile on the face. Musically, the song is very similar to the original. The vocal is provided by Gary "Nesta" Pine and Dollarman, who provides the effective toasting that replaces David's traditional solo.

Up next, Us and Them. A nice, uplifting bass line and a pretty faithful sax performance. Frankie Paul does a pretty straight reading of this track, just adding a touch of his own interpretation. Like Money, not a huge departure from the original. Us And Them blends into another faithful (if reggae flavoured) reading of Any Colour You Like, with David's solo replaced effectively with horns.

A stripped down Brain Damage follows, with Dr Israel sounding like he's singing through a megaphone in places, which naturally leads to Eclipse, which to my mind is the least successful rendering on the album. For what should be the climax, it seems poorly paced, particularly vocally, and muted. However, the Nyabinghi drumming that leads out, nicely wraps things up.

There are four bonus tracks - and they enter heavy dub territory! You get Time, which starts like a Zabriskie outtake, before heading into an instrumental, dub version. Great Gig In The Sky gives you more of the same but with some awesome bass. A great version! Finally, you have Step It Pon The Rastaman Scene/Any Dub You Like, which is based on Any Colour You Like but dramatically different, with a nice vocal by Ranking Joe.

It is a sign of a great piece of music that it can be covered in different ways successfully - think about the many ways that Lennon & McCartney songs have been covered; Dark Side is arguably the pinnacle of Pink Floyd's career. To still be so respected thirty years on, and in this case, in a completely different music community, is a sign of Dark Side's enduring quality and appeal.

As a concept, it sounds like it just shouldn't work - but it does. Their obvious respect and love for the original shines through and ensures the album stands up to repeated playings. This is no "interesting novelty" that a project like this could be in danger of becoming. Go on - give it a try. You'll be missing a treat if you don't!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An incredible reinvention of the original, May 14, 2005

By 

David Bock "javaguy" (Hamilton, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dub Side of the Moon (Audio CD)

Dark side of the moon, remade, Reggae style. And it works. Second for second the same, but different, and it even claims to be 'Wizard of Oz Compatible'.

Unoforunately, the best song from this remake is not on the samples provided by Amazon - the 'Speak to Me' transitions into 'Breathe', with its familiar but Reggae feel, the experience is absolutely surreal - worth buying the album for that experience alone - expecially if you are a real fan of Pink Floyd.

As a whole, the reggae feel fits on top of the themes from Dark Side of the Moon naturally - you can easily forget what the 'original' sounds like, because you begin to think it should have sounded like this the first time around. The album has its moments though where the singer just becomes... annoying, and it goes a little over the top. Normally with an album like Dark Side, I would just get lost in the audio experience, almost meditative. While this happens with this version, the annoying singer 'pulls me out' of that a couple of times. There are just a couple of those moments though, and the do not spoil the entire experience. Prevents it from getting a '5' though.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THERE IS NO DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, JUST DUB!, February 18, 2003

By 

James Snidow (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dub Side of the Moon (Audio CD)

Pink Floyd's epic 1975 album Dark Side of The Moon is one of the most listened to albums of all time without question. It is concept album of all things that drive humans mad, money, being late, war, and of course that celestial orb, the moon. Well, folks now it's 2003, and we are all very mad these days and what a better time to revisit this album for it's devine tranquility in a whole new guise. 2003 finds Dark Side of the Moon in a new mantle, a reggae infusion of the highest magnitude featuring that monstrous invention of Jamaican reggae of the seventies, Dub. Yes, Dub- that mysterious collection of reverb, sound effects and dj chatter. Easy Star records has re-created Dark Side of the Moon and pun intended, dubbed it "DUB SIDE OF THE MOON". Utilizing some of the great artists that have worked with Easy Star over the past couple of years such as the Meditations, Ranking Joe, Gary Pine (Wailers)we have something both Reggae fans and Pink Floyd fans will want to grab quickly.
Using Roots, Dub, DJ, even some techno and jungle beats, DUB SIDE OF THE MOON is something I am sure the members of Pink Floyd could agree is a loving tribute to their music, unlike some horrid "techno" redo's of some of their albums going round.
Even those who are just not "OLD" enough to enjoy the availble orchestral versions of Dark Side and other Pink Floyd material, this album does not loose you during listening unlike other "tributes", it stays to the recognizable framework of the original album. One does not expect to hear a DJ like Ranking Joe coming ripping into the mix just a bubbling, and that is what makes the magic. Also included are 3 bonus remixed tracks which use different mixes including some great horns and melodica. All these tracks are great but especially Breathe, Time, Eclipse.
As a reggae DJ and Pink Floyd fan, I think this was a great idea whose time was long overdue and I have to hand it to excellent folks at Easy Star Records in NY, this one scores BIG!