Dub and cover
‘THERE IS A VERY LONG HISTORY OF COVER VERSIONS IN JAMAICAN MUSIC'
Rather than just a gimmick, The Easy Star All-Stars’ reggae reworking of Radiohead is in keeping with years of tradition. Mark Edmundson is impressed
I seems that these days the cover version is more
popular among artists and listeners than ever. Mark
Ronson‘s stone-cold funk renderings have made him friends aplenty (as well as a few enemies). and one cottage label has made the high concept leap into re- reading full seminal works as reggae originals.
‘We don't know of any other label or band that has put out complete album adaptations as we have with OK Computer and Dark Side of the Moon.‘ says Michael Goldwasser. the producer. musician and arranger at the heart of the Easy Star All-Stars‘ Radiodreud and Duh Side of the Moon releases.
‘But there is a very long history of cover versions in Jamaican music. dating back from before reggae. where the local musicians took music from the US and played it in a way that felt natural to them. So in that sense nothing has really changed: we were just carrying on that tradition but taking it to a different place.”
New York-based label Easy Star is the brainchild of Goldwasser and high school chums Iiric Smith. Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein. who. lamenting the absence of live instrumentation in contemporary Jamaican music. were intent on reproducing the classic reggae they knew and loved using the genre's original artists and old school techniques. It was with 2003‘s comprehensive reworking of Pink Floyd's epic masterpiece in the reggae discipline. and with guest appearances from some of Jamaica’s most esteemed artists. that the small label achieved critical and coffee table recognition.
‘It's gratifying and pretty amazing to have sold so many copies of the album. being such a tiny. tiny label.’
36 THE LIST 23 Aug—6 Sep 2007
says Goldwasser. ‘So it was surprising. But we ptlt a lot of effort. time and tnoney (those last two being titles on Dark Side . . .) into making this album. We wanted to put out not just a cover of Pink Floyd but a reinterpretation. something that had artistic merit.’ After the success of Duh Sit/e . . . the label’s attention
soon turned to a sequel and Radiohead's ()l\' ('ompuler
appeared at first to be a natural successor.
‘l3irs‘t of all it‘s a great album. and if you‘re going to adapt an entire album to a different style of music you have to start with great source material or else the end result is not going to be great. Radiolicad is considered by some people to be a 90s analogue to Pink liloy d. in so much as being a progressive rock band that is taking
a lot of chances and really expanding the boundaries of
what you can do with rock milsic. So there was a
parallel there. And to take it ey en further ()ly' (‘om/mter is sometimes hailed as a ()()s version of Dark Side of
the Moon. in being a concept album that‘s very progressive. So it jtist made a lot of sense to its.‘
Beyond this. (ioldwasset' concedes that liasy Star \y as keen to produce another album that would challenge not only themselves but also public perceptions of yyhat could and should be done.
Disappointingly. he remains tight-lipped on the nature of the All-Stars‘ current project. (ioldwasser's approach to arrangement and production is so ineticulous that he fears some upstart jumping the gun on the label. But you can rest assured that it is unlikely to be Mika‘s Life in ('urtoon Motion.
The Arches, Glasgow, Sun 26 Aug.
=11 The Black Lips Atlanta. Georgia may be hoaching wuth hip hop stars for the most part but there's also lowdown rock'n'roll dogs like this bunch. Come feel their twang. Optirno, The Sub Club. Glasgow. Sun 2 Sep. (Rock 8 Pop)
=1: Connect Festival Hopefully you'll have already found our small but perfectly formed tree oflical gurde to the Connect Festival. Three days of musical magnificence With Bidrk. Beastie Boys and LCD Soundsystem among the many aural pleasures. See feature. page 6. lnveraray Castle. Inveraraic Fri 3 iAug—Sun 2 Sep. (Rock 8 Pop) :1: David Bowie Tribute nght A show worth flagging up for two reasons: firstly. that it is in aid of the Princess Alexandra chemotherapy centre at Ninewells Hospital, and secondly, it includes sets from Teenage Fanclub. Foxface. Justin Currie. The Vivians and more jamming their own takes on the Thin White Duke‘s back catalogue. King Tut's, Glasgow, Sat 25 Aug. (Rock 8 Pop)
:1: John Renbourne, John Goldie, Stevie Lawrence and Ian Forbes Legendary Pentangle guitarist Renbourne tops this excellent bill which rounds off The Vale's singer- songwriter weekend. The Vale, Glasgow, Sun 26 Aug.
(Rock <3 Pop)
2:: Lucky Luke The winsome indie folk charmers launch their new single of traditional tunes 'Hori Horo' on an unsuspecting public. Bel/e, Glasgow, Sun 26 Aug. (Rock <2 Pop)
=2: Retrofest I know. we probably shouldn‘t be endorsing such lTy/ Saturday evening entertainment but two days of 803 pop tarts is hard to resist if you get enough Lambrini down you. Plus. there's even a dressing up box so you can get dolled up like Adam Ant circa ‘Prince Charming' like you've always wanted to. Cu/zean Castle, Maybo/e, Sat 7-Sun 2 Sep. (Rock 8. Pop)