{"id":2882,"date":"2009-06-18T21:52:23","date_gmt":"2009-06-19T05:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evolvingmusic.wordpress.com\/?p=2882"},"modified":"2009-06-18T21:52:23","modified_gmt":"2009-06-19T05:52:23","slug":"easy-stars-lonely-hearts-dub-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/2009\/06\/18\/easy-stars-lonely-hearts-dub-band\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Star&#039;s Lonely Hearts Dub Band"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you hear the word &#8220;cover&#8221; what comes to mind? Is it a wedding band singing crowd favorites to fill a dance floor? Is it bad karaoke? One of the more unique ways to cover a song is, of course, to recreate it in a different genre. Think <a title=\"Johnny Cash\" href=\"http:\/\/www.johnnycash.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Johnny Cash<\/a>&#8216;s gorgeous rendition of the <a title=\"NIN\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">NIN<\/a> classic &#8220;Hurt&#8221;, the tongue-in-cheek folk-rock cover of &#8220;Boyz in da Hood&#8221; by <a title=\"Dynamite Hack\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dynamite_Hack\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Dynamite Hack<\/a>, or even <a title=\"The Fray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thefray.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">The Fray<\/a>&#8216;s cover of <a title=\"Kanye West\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kanyeuniversecity.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Kanye West<\/a>&#8216;s &#8220;Heartless&#8221; (or American Idol winner <a title=\"Kris Allen's version\" href=\"http:\/\/www.zimbio.com\/Kanye+West+Music\/articles\/464\/Fray+Heartless+Kris+Allen+Cover+Kanye+West\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Kris Allen&#8217;s version<\/a> for that matter.) Sometimes, the cover song ends up being better or more popular than the original. Just look at <a title=\"this list\" href=\"http:\/\/digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com\/pages\/best_coversongs.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">this list<\/a> of greatest cover songs and you&#8217;ll probably be surprised at how many of the covers you thought <em>were<\/em> the originals!<\/p>\n<p>Well, what if you take not just one song, but rather an entire album and recreate it in a different genre? That is precisely what <a title=\"Easy Star Records\" href=\"http:\/\/www.easystar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Easy Star Records<\/a> has been up to. Take a look:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b7q9lGRk_hQ?wmode=transparent&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;showsearch=0&amp;rel=1&amp;theme=dark\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>As mentioned above, in 2003 the <a title=\"Easy Star All-Stars\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Easy_Star_All-Stars\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Easy Star All-Stars<\/a> released <a title=\"Dub Side of the Moon\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dub_Side_of_the_Moon\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\"><em>Dub Side of the Moon<\/em><\/a>, a reggae tribute to Pink Floyd&#8217;s <a title=\"Dark Side of the Moon\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\"><em>Dark Side of the Moon<\/em><\/a>. It went on to become one of the most successful reggae albums of the 21st century and spent over 5 years on Billboard&#8217;s Top Reggae Chart. As if that wasn&#8217;t enough, they then tackled Radiohead&#8217;s <a title=\"OK Computer\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/OK_Computer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\"><em>OK Computer<\/em><\/a>, putting out <a title=\"RadioDread\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Radiodread\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\"><em>RadioDread<\/em><\/a>, which spent 18 months on that same chart (and apparently earned some accolades from Radiohead themselves.) Notice anything that those two classic albums have in common? They are both considered (by some) to be <a title=\"concept album\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Concept_album\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">concept albums<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Producer Michael Goldwasser, the musical wizard behind much of the All-Star magic says &#8220;We&#8217;ve focused on re-envisioning concept albums as reggae and it&#8217;s really important that the source material works as a whole and is not just a collection of songs. So, what better to take on next than the mother of all concept albums?&#8221; He was referring to the one and only <em><a title=\"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sgt._Pepper%27s_Lonely_Hearts_Club_Band\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Sgt. Pepper&#8217;s Lonely Hearts Club Band<\/a><\/em>. If it&#8217;s been a while, here&#8217;s an interesting <a title=\"breakdown of the songs\" href=\"http:\/\/math.mercyhurst.edu\/~griff\/sgtpepper\/sgt.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">breakdown of the songs<\/a>. And for the real fanatics among you, a little <a title=\"album art history\" href=\"http:\/\/www.beatlesagain.com\/btsgtppr.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">album art history<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously it takes balls to cover the Beatles, let alone the album considered to be one of the most influential and greatest albums of all time. And yet, in April of 2009, the All-Star&#8217;s put out <em><a title=\"Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band\" href=\"http:\/\/www.easystar.com\/releases\/show\/22\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Easy Star&#8217;s Lonely Hearts Dub Band<\/a><\/em>. The album features a number of reggae and dub greats including Steel Pulse, <a title=\"Matisyahu\" href=\"http:\/\/www.matisyahuworld.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Matisyahu<\/a>, <a title=\"Luciano\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lucianoreggae.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Luciano<\/a>, and <a title=\"Steel Pulse\" href=\"http:\/\/www.steelpulse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">Steel Pulse<\/a>, along with the usual suspects &#8211; the usual suspects being a collection of some of the finest reggae musicians in the New York area.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.easystar.com\/releases\/show\/22\" class=\"xLink\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2884 aligncenter\" title=\"EasyStarAllStars\" src=\"http:\/\/evolvingmusic.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/06\/easystarallstars1.jpg\" alt=\"EasyStarAllStars\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/easystarallstars1.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/easystarallstars1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>What immediately stands out about this album, upon first listen, is how accurately they were able to preserve the <em>vibe<\/em> of each song. Though each song has been deftly crafted into a vibrant new reggae interpretation of its original, you can almost picture the Beatles nodding their heads in approval in the background because the emotion is the same.<\/p>\n<p>Noteworthy tracks:<\/p>\n<p>Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds &#8211; Frankie Paul&#8217;s haunting vocals and the psychedelic guitar and effects stand out, deliciously juxtaposed against the mellow dubbed out percussion and keys, giving this track a certain irresistible je ne sais quoi.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s Leaving Home &#8211; Singer Kirsty Rock&#8217;s mellifluous voice soars delicately above the more upbeat ska-infused high hat and brass section. The reggae style keys come and go, a couple of interesting instrumental breakdowns happen unexpectedly and overall the listener is left constantly wondering what&#8217;s next.<\/p>\n<p>This album is unique to say the least. Check it out. And while you&#8217;re at it, follow the All-Stars <a title=\"on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/easystarallstar\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"xLink\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you hear the word &#8220;cover&#8221; what comes to mind? Is it a wedding band singing crowd favorites to fill a dance floor? Is it bad karaoke? One of the more unique ways to cover a song is, of course, to recreate it in a different genre. Think Johnny Cash&#8216;s gorgeous rendition of the NIN [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[5,15,17,23,25],"tags":[204,421,571,582,583,1475,1512,1633],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2882"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mixmatchmusic.com\/evolvingmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}