Dub Side of the Moon: a Reggae Tribute to Dark Side of the Moon

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Talk about high concept: Dub Side of the Moon 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 recognisable but reggae fashion. Here, the All Stars turn Floyd's strangely surreal world even stranger and more surreal, adorning the 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 mandatory 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 humour. 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

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Customer reviews

review by: Les Ward date: 2008-05-08 rating:
quirk side of the loon
This is an astonishing record! On paper the idea of a reggae cover of Dark Side Of The Moon sounds demented - but in practise it's truly fabulous. The All-Stars perform dub alchemy, conjuring roots rock out of prog rock like it was the most natural progression. Great Gig In The Sky had me sobbing at its beauty - honestly.

Any Floyd fans with a passing interest in reggae - or, alternatively, any reggae-ists with a passing interest in Pink Floyd - this is for you. Carefully treading that fine line between homage and parody, the All-Stars present a classic work of art in a new way that shines a white light into the prism of your heart. The result is a mind-bending rainbow.

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review by: se1955 date: 2007-09-21 rating:
Greatest Covers Album Ever?
Unusual, in that it's a cover album, rather than an album of cover songs, if that makes sense. If the purpose of a cover version is to bring a new interpretation or sound to familiar work, then this is as good as it gets.
The songs are actually pretty faithful to the originals, but the reggae rendition adds another dimension, which seems to meld perfectly. The title is a little misleading, I'd say it's reggae with a bit of dub rather than out-and-out dub.
I'd also say that the success of the album, musically, should be taken as huge compliment to Pink Floyd.
I welcome the element of wit which diverts from the slight, typically early '70s, tendency to rock pomposity of the original, but I guess the odd Pink Floyd purist might be outraged.

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review by: Lizzy date: 2007-08-30 rating:
Lizzy
This is an out and out copy of Dark Side of Moon. I've seen the All Stars perform it live and it's even better than the CD. It will never be the same as Pink Floyd's version and I don't think they have tried to do that. It just works beautifully as a Dub version and I think they've done a fantastic job!

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review by: date: 2007-07-26 rating:
I pity the fools...
...who fail to get this album. A couple of reviewers have slated this, one says it is cheating, the other says it is only good for a laugh. I presume these are die-hard Floyd fans, who are far too precious about the original work to see how brilliantly the All-Stars have rearranged this record into a dub masterpiece. If you like Pink Floyd but are not too anal about them, or if you are a fan of dub, then this album is a must. Brilliantly conceived and wonderfully executed, what are you waiting for??


review by: date: 2007-05-24 rating:
There is no dark side of the moon in fact it's all dub
This one passed me by on its initial release and it was only when I got one an Amazon recommends notification. It's a great idea and very well executed., certainly for someone like me who still has a soft spot for both the Floyd orginal and most forms of Dub reggae.

If dub has an age I'd say this performance sounds like late 70's / early 80's dub and the use of Ranking Joe who toasts over Time puts the sound firmly in the early 80's.

Whilst there are some standout performances like Breathe, The Great Gig In the Sky, Brain Damage and Us and Them there are some horrors like Money and Time. Whilst I like Ranking Joe when he's doing his own thing he rather mucks up Time with a rather tedious talk over that boast lines like "Time is the master and time can be a disaster" - not his best I'm sorry to say.
That aside it's great summer music and I've been playing it to death.

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