THE DVD: "Dub Side of the Moon Live"(EasyStar)
PERFORMER: Easy Star All-Stars
WEBSITE:
www.easystar.comYOU'LL LIKE IT IF YOU LIKE: Some rasta with your psychedelia
SELECT TRACKS: "Time," "Us & Them," "Money"
SOUNDS LIKE:"Dark Side of the Moon" meets "The Harder They Come"
It's estimated that one in 20 people owns a copy of Pink Floyd's 1973 masterpiece "Dark Side of the Moon" and the album still holds one of the longest stints on the Billboard album charts. In 2003, New York's prominent (only?) Reggae label Easy Star Records observed the 30th anniversary of the landmark psychedelic album by re-envisioning it with the dub riddims most associate with Bob Marley.
The result was "Dub Side of the Moon," a CD that topped the Billboard Reggae charts and created such a buzz that a touring group of the label's All-Stars hit the road to perform the record live. While the studio effort featured guest appearances by
Corey Harris and the sultry female singer Kristy Rock of Trumystic, the Dub Side LIVE DVD features a crack team of reggae enthusiasts. They put their fever behind fond reinterpretations along with wacky visuals to enhance the trip.
The performance seen here took place in Falls Church, Va., but the DVD begins with an animated sequence set in outer space. While the band warms up with "Speak to Me," a space shuttle bearing the name Syd Barrett (the recently deceased original Pink Floyd front-man) orbits through the atmosphere carrying it's lone Rastafarian astronaut into "The Dark Side." When the monitor blinks "Now Entering Dub-Side," the band comes to life with "Breathe" and we get our first glimpse at the 11-piece ensemble. The sound is unmistakably reggae and Pink Floyd, and the two are melded together so seamlessly, you get the impression that Roger Waters and David Gilmour may've had a subconscious dub track looping in their head while conceiving Dark Side.
The two most notable things about this performance are the surprisingly cohesive arrangements that pay great attention to the original melodies, and the galactic space jams that stretch into pure instrumental bliss -- they are musically impressive but never grow overly jammy. Remarkably, they feel nicely drawn-out, the way a Phish jam, say, doesn't.
Stellar vocalist Tamar Kali does a bluesy take on the vocal howling from "The Great Gig in the Sky," a passage that I previously thought was impossible to recreate.
"Money" and "Time" both feature raps delivered with cultural conscience by Menny More. Although his interpretation is an artistically cool thing to do with the lyrics, they become completely unintelligible in his rapid-fire Jamaican accent.
More animated sequences with our Rasta-spaceman are interspersed between tracks. Instead of ripping bills and ringing cash registers, "Money" starts with our space man. He is in the midst of "Increasing Crew Awareness" with a deep inhale, a deeper cough, and immediately bloodshot eyes as the lilting, off-kilter and unmistakable bass line creeps in. You'll be surprised at how natural this comes off with the dub back-beat.
Musical highlights include smooth vocals from guitarist Junior Jazz on "Us & Them" and some atmospheric sax and flute by Jenny Hill. Jeremy Mage brings his keyboards to the front for an outspoken solo during "Any Colour You Like." Foghorns of reverb and wah-drenched trombone, provided by Buford O'Sullivan, complete "Brain Damage," and the entire concert comes to a close with a basic dub jam between the bass and drums. With that, our rasta-naut leaves the dark side and goes back to orbiting in a less enchanted atmosphere.
The bonus features don't offer much insight. There are a few studio shots of Corey Harris and Frankie Paul in a three-minute, sad excuse for a "Making of..." feature that only features small amounts of studio work and massive amounts of super-toking. The final interview with drummer Ivan Katz hints at the next Easy-Star project, a reggae re-take on Radiohead's 1997 acclaimed concept album "OK Computer."
