Shows

Today I bring you a little piece of a stoner’s paradise: the Rastafarian interpretation of Pink Floyd. Dub Side of the Moon bridges together two influential cornerstones in drug culture. If you haven already figured it out from the album title, the Easy Star All-Stars took Pink Floyd’s most commercially successful album Dark Side of the Moon and reworked it in their own reggae-ish musical style while keeping the lyrics in tact.

To cover Pink Floyd is a daunting task. Floydheads would contend that the duo of Gilmore and Waters on vocals is impossible to replicate – and it is. Dub Side is not an attempt to copy Dark Side, but is rather a tribute to it. Pink Floyd’s airy guitar work, overbearing synth work, control of feedback and the extensive use of sound effects are traded for a more inaccurate wah sounding guitar, metal percussion and imprecise vocals.

My favorite innovation of the Easy Star All-Stars is on their interpretation of Money. Pink Floyd does excellent work mixing the sound of coins, checks, and a cash register into a funky rhythm. The Easy Star All-Stars take the idea to another level all together; the coins, checks and cash register are traded for another form of currency – weed. The track begins with a massive bong rip and it eventually turns into a funky melody of lighting the bong, ripping the bong and coughing. Similar to Money, Pink Floyd’s track Time has a very distinctive introduction characterized by the majestic ticking and working of clocks, eventually reaching a crescendo of alarms. This time around, Easy Star All-Stars stay closer to home in their sound effects. They employ less ___ clockwork, using a single clock for the beat and using bird and rooster calls in their alarm crescendo. The rest of the track over, takes much more liberty than anything else. They add entire verses and add statements such as “Time is the master, time can be such a disaster”. However, this is not a bad thing as it is tastefully done and adds another layer to the depth of message.

The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd had two purposes. Primarily, it looks at the overarching path and themes that life takes. Secondarily, it was meant a societal critique and exploration of human motivations. One of the greatest albums of all time, I am happy to report that the Easy Star All-Stars did DSOTM justice. The production is quality and worthy of Floyd itself.

Below, I have posted three of my favorites from the album along with their Pink Floyd counterparts.

Money – Easy Star All Stars

Money – Pink Floyd

Time [feat Corey Harris & Ranking Joe] – Easy Star All Stars

Time – Pink Floyd

The Great Gig in the Sky – Easy Star All Stars

The Great Gig in the Sky – Pink Floyd