Easy Star All Stars - Dub Side of the Moon

After years of listening to this artwork, it is still a nice twist on the masterpiece. Hard Core Floyd folks could be put off by it. The only humans that did not realize it was not the original, were the few that were "put off" by it. The Money bass line is "off tha hook"!

Awesome! As a fan of both Floyd and Reggae I was floored. All of the songs are complementary reinterpretations of the originals. A perfect fusion. If I were Roger Waters, et al, I would be very pleased.

Breve explicación para que sepan de lo que se trata antes de entrarle, los artistas firmados con la disquera Easy Star hicieron un disco tributo (Easy Star, 2003) al un album conceptual de los más famosos de la historia, el Dark side of the moon de Pink Floyd. La mezcla es perfecta y el resultado es sorprendente, te puede gustar tanto el original como el inspirado pero atención a rockeros puritas, pueden sentirse ofendidos. Como dato curioso, en el librito del Dub side of the moon dice que también esta sincronizado con el Mago de Oz, sólo tienes que iniciar el disco en el tercer rugido del león... Dub side of the rainbow?

Heard about this from an old issue of Entertainment Weekly I was thumbing through a couple of days ago - what an awesome find!!! I'm a HUGE Floyd fan, and this is spot-on perfect. Funny, yet deft in the approach and incredibly enjoyable all the way through, especially on headphones. "Money" had me cracking up on the bus on the way to work tonight, lol.

Not since Dread Zeppelin have I dug cover versions of classic tunes from a Supergroup(s).

Get yer mitts on this immediately.

Multiple bong hits produce perfectly psychedelic rasta. Great DVD, too Easy Star All-Stars: Dub Side of the Moon Live. Also see A Reggae Tribute to the Beatles, Vol. 1, Paint It Black: A Reggae Tribute to the Rolling Stones, Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead and Is it Rolling Bob?: A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan. Visit my geocities site for a complete library of stonedsongs.

I'm not a big Pink Floyd fan, but I love reggae, and this is one of my all-time favorites. Different artists do different songs - my favorite being Dr. Israel doing Brain Damage. I have lost track of the number of copies of this CD I've bought for all my friends.

It's impossible to review this without reference to the original. What does this version offer? Well, it's a well played and enjoyable album which offers some good interpretations of brilliant rock music. For sure it's reggae approach is suited to DSOM, but therein lies a problem - the tracks come at you like London buses. The first one is a bit of a novelty, but by the time the third or fourth one comes along you've got the picture and the 'sameness' starts to descend. Listened to in proximity to the original then I have to say that this album misses the edge of the original. 'Exhilirating'is how I would describe the original, this one - well it's fun, it lumbers along (sometimes at quite a pace) and it's a good ride at times.

Having appeared to rain on the party, I would offer that it is a good album, and enjoyable too. 3*'s is a fair assessment in my view, and perhaps this will offer a bit of balance to the hyped reviews which dominate this release.

Seriously, I can actually listen to Pink Floyd (ala All Stars) now without falling to sleep or flipping through the cd case looking for something else. Serious props!

I think dub side of the moon is a creative rendition of dark side. I just love it.

This is the best cover album of all time. OF ALL TIME!!! One thing is to cover a classic tune, but this is covering an entire album. The reggae version is an entire different version of a great album. This is a project unto itself and nothing comes close.... nothing. The cover may have surpassed the original.

I first heard of this album while listening to my XM-The Joint. I then went ahead and downloaded some songs... after many listenings I decided I had to buy the entire album and get the beginning-to-end experience and Dark Side of the Moon tribute requires. Just like the original, it is a great concept album, although with all due respect for the Easy All Stars, nothing compares to Pink's masterpiece. With that said, this is a very interesting project and must-have for any Pink Floyd fan.
Going through my favorite tracks:
- Speak To Me / Breathe in the Air: Awesome arrangements, great vocals... very loyal (like most of the album) to the original.
- Money: The bong being lit up in the beginning that loops along the the coins and register is the BONG! I mean... BOMB!
- The Great Gig in the Sky (Track 04) is absolutely breathtaking... the vocals are brilliant! (although I would have rather a more reggaeish singer)

The rest is quite goos as well... I guess I would have loved to hear more experimental version of Us and Them or Time... but again, as a concept album it get great props from me.

'Nuff said.... An amazing combination of unreal writing (Dark Side of the Moon, the original) and screamingly perfect cutting-edge reggae. Creative mixes, great vocals..... One of the best reggae albums ever.

Check out their version of the 'alarm-clocks' at the beginning of Time....

This has become a 'desert island classic' for me, after just one listen.

and what can I say, but, "Wow." Trancey and meditative in it's own special way, this album manages to be totally unique, and yet still play fair with both dub reggae and Pink Floyd's original album; it's part tribute, part cover, part re-interpretation-- and it works. I found myself getting lost in the audio, loop the loop, maze... I heard a voice and realized my supervisor at work was standing behind me asking a question! With my earphones on I had gotten "lost" and was sitting at my desk slack-jawed, staring off into space. Embarassing! But proved the record's point well... this is a genuine space maze... with some witty moments as well. Sit back, relax, and Enjoy where this one will take you.... very far off... as the original intended. Ethiopian-inspired Cooking, Vegetarian Specialties

I like to think of myself as a Pink Floyd fan. In no way does this CD take away from the Darkside of the Moon experience. It is almost entirely faithful to the original in most parts but with a Reggae twist (except for On the Run which is a little more drum and base feel but still works in nicely)

I am glad they decided to do the entire albumn as I can never just listen to a single track off Dark Side of the Moon.

If you buy 1 CD this month. Make it this one.

Dub Side of the Moon

I'm not sure if I heard this on Satelite radio or from a DJ the first time, but I LOVE IT!

If you like Reggae and Pink Floyd, you will to. I think that a lot of people who have an interest in either will enjoy this album and I highly reccomend it.

They didn't just re-record the classic DARL SIDE OF THE MOON, they did it from Jamaican perspect. Sample it on Amazon, then order your own copy!

There are lots of Floyd tributes/covers, but this truly brings a unique and new interpretation to DOS. If you like Floyd and reggae, get this CD.

I LOVE Pink Floyd and I like Bob Marley. So for me for me this combination of musical styles really work well together. The musicians are talented and the production quality is extremely good. Really cool and VERY clever music... Check out the first part of Money.

Covers are fun... if you're playing them, but they're not always fun to listen to. Ninety-nine percent of the time the best we get is competent imitation. Then, quite a bit later, when we're anything but expecting it, along comes that pesky one-percent.

Add to that genre hopping, a weird and treacherous enterprise. Too often does it simply fail, or worse, the effort gets consigned to parody without getting the attention it deserves. Laziness and a lack of presence notwithstanding, this is one recording that requires a bit of attention before rendering judgement.

I first read about this project when I lived overseas... and at the time, I'll be frank, it sounded half-baked. But for some reason, it was the first cd I bought when I got home in 2003.

Truth be told, I've never been more satisfied with a cover than I have with this one. It is truly remarkable that the all-stars, or anyone for that matter, could pull this off. There is reinvention on a grand scale, but also tremendous attention (and respect) paid to the original recording. To render this album in such terms reveals countless similarities between Floyd and reggae in general, but it also speaks to a capacity for reinvention when dealing with music as seminal as Floyd's.

one could cynically accuse the all stars of glomming onto one of the top-selling albums of all time for this cover album. but, in fact, the reggae-floyd marriage works beautifully and this is a nice addition to the floyd pantheon.
in fact, dark side's ambient, luscious aural landscape fits perfectly with reggae's emphasis on texture and multi-layered production. the all stars musicianship is impeccable and they add nuance and new facets to the floyd classic. try it!

I first heard Pink Floyd's DSOTM when I was 13, and it completely changed my concept of what music could be. It is, of course, a seminal recording in rock music.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered this CD. As a traditionalist and generally unforgiving when you try and alter defined classics, I was VERY skeptical. But, I love DSOTM, and I love reggae, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Wow.

It works...it really does. Absolutely true to the original while changing the feel at the same time. They have taken great care to replicate certain critical aspects of the original: Nyambingi-style drumming replaces the opening heartbeat pattern in Speak To Me perfectly, the oscillating keyboard sound during On The Run, the woman's vocal lines during Great Gig In The Sky, and the keyboard feel during Any Colour You Like.

To me, Any Colour is the standout on the entire recording. It just seems so natural with a reggae beat behind it, and the trombones that cover Gilmour's guitar parts are dead on.

The only thing I found troubling was On The Run. It slips into this heavy raggamuffin hip-hop kind of techno beat. I've since grown accustomed to it, and it is okay, but it is quite different from the rest of the recording.

This is a VERY good tribute to the original. If you like reggae and you dig the Floyd, you will appreciate this heartfelt and sincere effort at a tribute of one of the greatest recordings of all time. Well done, gents.

Please send me my purchase or my money back

I did not like this as much as I thougth I would. It was okay. It startee out good but I was disappointed all in all. Being a big Pink Floyd fan, it did not do them justice. It is not meant to be in this venue I guess.

I listened to this album non-stop for a month straight. It's awsome.

As if this CD needed another 5 star review. I guess the main question I had going into this was - will Pink Floyd and Reggae actually work together? I like both although I've been around long enough that Dark Side Of The Moon has lost a lot of it's initial thrill. Familiarity with music you like does provide a kind of comfort zone but let's face it... after 30+ years that familiarity can put you to sleep. Well gang, it's wake up time. This CD puts a whole new light on The Dark Side. Just seconds into it I had a smile on my face. It's that good.

As most of the reviewers, I have listened Dark Side of the Moon probably hundreds of times.
I am not a great fan of reggae music: I know the "basics": Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, etc.
But to the impact of listening a Reggae, dubbed version of Dark Side of the Moon was a great experience. I have ben listening and listening to this version, and its a lot of fun.
It gives you a different but fresh perspective of Dark Side of The Moon, maintaining its original timing and intention, but now puts you in a different mood.
Just Great!!!!!

If you like to hear a different kind of Fusion, I would also recommend you to listen to "Lagrimas Negras", a great CD by Chucho Valdes (Cuban Pianist) and Cigala (a flamenco singer from spain).

Reggae collective Easy Star All Stars paid homage to Pink Floyd and their artistic triumph, Dark Side Of The Moon, with this album, which was cheekily titled Dub Side Of The Moon.

Too many cover albums are overly reverent and will sometimes find the artist trying too hard to adapt to the style of the artist that originally performed the song. Here, while each track is easily recognizable, the songs all take on unique identities of their own thanks to the clever touches used by the All Stars. These are most prominent in "Time", with the cuckoo sounds complementing the famous ticking of the clock along with the toasting of lines like "Time is the master / Time can be a disaster", and "Money", with bong hits replacing the cash register sounds. Floyd purists may cringe at the prospect of their songs being tinkered with, but the message comes through loud and clear, and the songs are true enough to the originals that Dub Side Of The Moon is compatible with The Wizard Of Oz, much like the album that inspired it.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that the joyful exuberance that accompanies the island sounds are present in most of these Floyd renditions. That certainly helps to give the album its own unique personality. All of the performers that appeared on Dub Side also give each track a unique touch with their distinctive voices. You also have to love the dub tracks at the end of the album if you are a fan of the genre. Whether taken as a whole or each track individually, the songs here are a great listen and make for great driving music.

In summary: Dub Side Of The Moon is that rare tribute album that rises above the status quo and stands strong as a recording of its own. It's nearly as good as the original, and that in itself is an accomplishment. It almost sounds as if the songs were intended to be recorded this way, as the reggae adaptation goes very smoothly. Highly recommended if you're a fan of Pink Floyd or reggae, or are looking for something very different and unexpected. Also check out Radiodread, the Easy Star All Stars's tribute to another classic album, Radiohead's OK Computer.

When I first heard about this I assumed that it would be like any other "tribute" album, namely insultingly bad and highly inferior to the original. While this doesn't completely measure up to the original, it still is very entertaining and worth buying. Some parts (the opening of Money) are just hilarious, while the rest does a great job of capturing the feel of the origninal.

I bought this CD being on a trip in NYC and it surely does the job. The timeline is like the original record and adding the dub feeling to it is a surprisingly successful idea!

Musical purist will hate this. A reggae version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, but I say Who cares! This is an amazing album. This album is so amazing that if someone had never heard of Pink Floyd and listened to this, they would assume this was an original by the Easy Star All Stars. The music flows well in its Reggae rendition but never strays to far from the original. Amazing disc, great to listen to when you are just sitting around!

This is a great album. The rapper on "Time" says "Time is the master, time can be a disaster." Time has certainly not been a disaster to "Dark Side of the Moon. "Dub Side of the Moon" reaffirms the classic status of the original while adding to it with creative brilliance.

This is the album I had been (unknowingly) waiting for ever since I played dub-ups from Scientist and The Mad Professor during my 70s prog-rock show on college radio.

I have one request of the Easy Star All Stars: how about a dub version of Yes? I am thinking specifically of one rather lengthy track from the Close to the Edge album. You could call the dub version "And I and I."

There's nothing like hearing an old favourite, is there? And these days there are plenty of old favourites for the generation that tapped into 'The Dark Side of the Moon' when it was first released in the early seventies. I doubt there are many for whom it doesn't provide some sort of soundtrack of their lives at some point in time.

So how does it stand up to the change of style? Pretty good, actually. Great music is great music no matter what guise it appears in. My greatest fear had been that it was going to be like a lot of those tribute albums that have been appearing in the last few years: great songs, by a diverse set of artists, that somehow lost the thread of what was supposed to be celebrated and had become diminished in the process. Not this one!

I'm unfamiliar with all of the contributors and the producers but am happy to say that they obviously knew what they wanted and how to get it. They have successfully captured the spirit of the original and made it a true homage, a celebration of the original, without doing it just by the numbers.

I'm not going to get into a track by track discussion. It just isn't necessary. This is how any tribute should be. The original is honoured and you are able to enjoy the differences and gain an appreciation of both.

Well done, I say, well done.

P.S. I have to say, though, that I particularly liked the clocks in 'Time"

One of the problems I have with reggae and dub is that covers of songs from other musical genres, like rock for example, often end up sounding like parodies of the originals; they too often amount to not much more than novelties and have no where near the same impact as the originals (anyone remember Dread Zeppelin?). Not so with "Dub Side of the Moon". While there is a lot of riffing on the original, i.e. using bong hits instead of a cash register in "Money" etc., the reggae version is just as good as the original, and never seems to cross the line into parody. I can't decide whether that is a sign of the original material's quality (and let's make no mistake, Dark Side is a modern classic, one of the few records from the end of the 20th century that will still be listened to in a hundred years), or a sign of the Easy Star All Stars' unique, inspired vision. At any rate, this recording is worth buying--not downloading, or burning a friend's copy--and keeping on a small shelf next to the rest of those slowly devolving & denaturing pieces of plastic you invested your hard-earned cash in.

This album is what it promises to be. If you like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and you like Reggae, you will most definitely enjoy this album.

So much has been said here already ,but I just had to add in my own thoughts. Yes this album is about Dark Side of the Moon and adding reggae to that existing body of music. And if you listen to any individual song, you can make your comparisons and talk about where the album succeeds (most of the time) or fails (Breathe, Brain Damage). But this album is about so much more than just the source material or reggae alone.

When you listen to the whole album, you can't help but realize what a wonderful achievement it is. It is just incredible how beautiful the music as a whole is, and yes a lot of credit has to go to Pink Floyd and the original album, but so much has to go to the Easy Star collective for what they were able to do. There is a ton of mediocre reggae covers of classic music out there, and this could have been the same. But it is nothing close to mediocre, instead it is inspiring! As you listen to the album there are moments that just bubble over in musical greatness...Great Gig in the Sky, when Ranking Joe first comes in on Time, the intro to Money, Frankie Paul's amazing rendition of Us and Them, the airiness of Any Colour You Like....and then when it is all done and the Dub Versions creep in, you know you are listening to something special.

If you are reading this and have checked the samples and are still not sure if you want the album, do not hesitate! Buy it, put it in your IPod or Stereo and just let it play, go about your business, don't try to over think it, forget about the original for a second and just enjoy, I think you will realize that this is a great album. A great album for Reggae, for Pink Floyd and for Music. This is the music business at it's best, taking something totally accessible and mainstream, combining it with something more organic and specialized, and making something totally new!

Jus t how i sayed, it is a great way to remember the past in a very much positive rithym.!