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| From | Gabriel Fuentes <gabriel.fuentes@sbcglobal.net> |
| Subject | Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon - IN DUB.. |
| Date | Sat, 20 Mar 2004 13:41:53 -0800 (PST) |
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Ok..I admit I am a reggae snob..I grew up listening to roots and culture reggae and did not go through the more popular Bob Marley route to the music..thus my tastes are a bit more refined and more Jamaican than most non-Jamaicans...
Needless to say, when I first heard that someone had put out a complete dub version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, I was more than skeptical. I had found the cd a few times and looked at the cover. I was still no convinced since I was not real familiar with the Easy Star label (not surprisingly since they are relatively new) and the musicians that played on the record were not listed. When you do not know the singer of a reggae record always look at the musicians..see what backing band is being used..(e.g. Roots Radics, Hi-Times, Lloyd Parks and We the People)..that will tell you a lot of how good the record is..well in this case..I could not make that distinction..so I ignored.
Then I picked up a few reggae mags at the end of the year..and saw that the record had made the top ten of many critics that I know are hardcore reggae music lovers (.e.g., Chuck Foster in Reggae Beat)..so my interest grew. Today I picked up the cd..
Dub Side of the Moon is a classic. Keeping true to all the original melodies..but adding a distinct reggae dub feel..the bass is powerful and prominent..almost used as a weapon..very much like an old King Tubby mix..but not as sparse as he used to do..the vocals are handled by various artists..the most prominent of them being Frankie Paul on Us and Them..Frankie Paul's voice is strong..soulful..if he had been born in the states there is no doubt he would be a soul singer. One thing to note..the soaring guitar solos of Gilmour have been replaced by either melodica, horns, or Jamaican toasting..but it does not take away from the feel of the record..each song is done a different style..the drumming is the key..whether it is a one drop style..or the Radics style (dance hall)..
Like the original..the cd is spacey..atmospheric..best listened to loud..in the dark..meditation music..heartbeat music..
I know this is not a pop cd..but some of the more adventerous on this list will be pleasantly surprised by this disc..if you loved the original..my guess is that you will like this as well..but NOTE..this definitely reggae music..I would usually recommend something like this to Advanced Reggae listeners only..but since you all know the original music..Beginners may enjoy
Easy Star All Stars - Dub Side of the Moon
Give praises to H.I.M.
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