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2003 CD Review, by Lauren Harris
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Rolling Stone, 2003 CD Review, by Lauren Harris >>
In the reddened eyes of many stoners, it's the perfect pairing: Pink Floyd's sacred Seventies landmark Dark Side of the Moon reworked by reggae collaborators Easy Star All-Stars, an army of dub royalty that includes dancehall singer Frankie Paul, former Wailers singer Gary "Nesta" Pine and blues guitarist Corey Harris. The result, Dub Side of the Moon , recently released from reggae label Easy Star Records, infuses the prog-rock opus with the meandering bass, melodic organ, electronic effects and the unmistakable spirit of reggae.
Work began on the project over three years ago, after co-founder of the All-Stars Lem Oppenheimer came up with the idea after listening to The Dark Side of the Moon while walking around Manhattan. Oppenheimer grew up a devoted fan of the album, spinning Side Two each morning before junior high school for six consecutive months, and he brought his idea to producers/musicians Michael Goldwasser (a.k.a. Michael G.) and Victor Axelrod (a.k.a. Ticklah), collaborators and friends since high school.
At first, the idea didn't move Goldwasser. "I'm always looking to do completely original things," he says, "so to do a cover of a whole album didn't really appeal to me. But then I realized there was so much interesting musical work just to do in arranging it."
Of course, the album's legend and storied sales success also worried him. "It's a classic work," Goldwasser says. "If you don't do right, people are going to pan. But once we gave it a few listens and became more familiar with it, I thought we could really do it."
The All-Stars then approached the members of Pink Floyd and eventually received their blessing, though they haven't spoken personally to the band. "Roger Waters sent us a fax," Goldwasser says, "and he said 'I received the CD, I read the liner notes, but it's my policy not to endorse any covers of my material.' He didn't say if he liked it or not, which was kind of weird."
Several of the musicians who appear on the record were familiar with Dark Side , but some of the singers, Jamaican ex-patriots now living in New York, had never heard of Pink Floyd, let alone heard the album. "It was an interesting challenge for these singers," Goldwasser says, "who are used to singing more standard reggae, to get into these lyrics that Roger Waters wrote thirty years ago about his take on life and death and all that."
The idea was to remain as true to the record's original concepts as possible, retaining the sequencing and even the cover art. But each of the songs has been slightly altered in favor of reggae traditions. For example, "Great Gig in the Sky" was re-christened "Great Dub in the Sky" and treated to an entirely new bassline that becomes a new focal point for the song. "We really took that to a different place," says Goldwasser. "There's parts of it that are really just mellow piano and vocals." And for "Money," the guitar part for was traded for a trombone. Goldwasser felt the rock guitar didn't fit over the "reggae vibe."
Dub Side arrives as a recent wave of reggae and dancehall is enjoying success on the pop charts. "We're hoping a lot of non-reggae fans will be listening to this," Goldwasser says, "and will learn something about reggae and come to appreciate it." 04/23/03
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