Easy Star All-Stars is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

collective founded in 1997 by Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

-based Easy Star Records. The band is known for its reinterpretations of classic albums in reggae style. Their first album, released in 2003, was '' Dub Side of the Moon,'' an interpretation of

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

's 1973 album '' Dark Side of the Moon.'' This was followed by '' Radiodread'' (2006), an interpretation of

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

's 1997 album ''

OK Computer ''OK Computer'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 21 May 1997. With their producer, Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded most of ''OK Computer'' in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and the historic m ...

;'' '' Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band'' (2009), an interpretation of the

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' 1967 album ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

''; and ''Easy Star's Thrillah'' (2012), an interpretation of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's 1982 album '' Thriller''.

History

Originally formed as a studio band for Easy Star Records' earliest recordings, Easy Star All-Stars existed mostly as a studio entity until the release of their first album in 2003. Although they have produced several original releases, they are best known for covering popular albums in a

and dub style and have released six cover albums to date.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)
Adding their all-star touch
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013

2003-2006: Easy Star All-Stars' early releases

In February 2003, Easy Star All-Stars released a cover album of Pink Floyd's ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' entitled '' Dub Side of the Moon'', a complete reggae reinterpretation of the

album. ''Dub Side of the Moon'' has remained on the Billboard Reggae Charts since its release in 2003. It features instructions on how to

synchronize Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. For example, the conductor of an orchestra keeps the orchestra synchronized or ''in time''. Systems that operate with all parts in synchrony are said to be synchrono ...

the record with ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'', referencing the audiovisual pairing sometimes referred to as '' Dark Side of the Rainbow''. ''Dub Side of the Moon'' was followed by the 2006 release of '' Radiodread'', a reimagining of Radiohead's album ''

''. At a 2006

concert,

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...

praised

Toots & The Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...

version of "Let Down" on ''Radiodread''. Radiohead guitarist

Jonny Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Radiohead, and has composed numerous film scores. He has been named one of the greatest guitarists by numer ...

has also praised the cover version, calling it "truly astounding."

2008-2009

In March 2008, Easy Star All-Stars released '' Until that Day'', an EP consisting of original material except for "Dubbing Up the Walls", a cover of the Radiohead song " Climbing Up the Walls." On 5 April 2011, they released their first original album entitled First Light. On January 13, 2009 the Easy Star All-Stars posted a statement on their website that they had completed their next album, a reworking of ''

'' by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

titled '' Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band'', which was released on April 14, 2009. However it was exclusively released on

imeem The online service imeem was a social media website where users interacted with each other by streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos. It operated from 2003 until 2009 when it was shut down after being acquired by MySpace. The co ...

a day prior. Reviews have been favourable. Sydney street press

Music Feeds ''Music Feeds'' is a free bi-weekly digital music and lifestyle magazine ( street press) established in 2008 and based in Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Austr ...

rated the album 10/10. '' Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band'' cracked the Billboard Top 200 twice, making it the first reggae album to do so in over two years. Victor Axelrod aka Ticklah compiled a dub version of a song by the Iowa reggae band

Public Property Public property is property that is dedicated to public use. The term may be used either to describe the use to which the property is put, or to describe the character of its ownership (owned collectively by the population of a state). State own ...

on an upcoming album ''Work to Do'' set for release in July 2009. Michael Goldwasser compiled a dub version of the song "Turn & Run" by

Umphrey's McGee Umphrey's McGee, sometimes stylized as UM, is an American rock band originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and ...

2010-2014

In October 2010, the Easy Star All-Stars released '' Dubber Side of the Moon'', featuring bass-heavy remixes of ''Dub Side of the Moon'' by Dubmatix, 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, Groove Corporation, Dubphonic, Alchemist, Dreadzone, Kalbata, Adrian Sherwood & Jazzwad, Victor Rice, Border Crossing, Mad Professor, Michael G. & Easy Star All-Stars, and J. Viewz. On August 28, 2012, the Easy Star All-Stars released ''Thrillah'', a reimagining of

's album '' Thriller''. On August 12, 2016, the Easy Star All-Stars rereleased their 2006 album '' Radiodread.'' The Easy Star All-Stars' rerelease contains a bonus track featuring Morgan Heritage covering Radiohead's song "High and Dry" from their 1995 album '' The Bends''. On September 16, 2014, the Easy Star All-Stars released a special anniversary re-issue of '' Dub Side of the Moon,'' their 2003 album reinterpreting Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

Recent years

In recent years, Easy Star All-Stars' producer Michael Goldwasser has worked on a handful of reggae remixes with chart-topping artists, including the tracks "Have It All" by

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Wo ...

, "I Like That" by

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

, "Heat" by

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

, "Orange Trees" by

MARINA A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

, and "90s Kids" by Jax. On April 21, 2023, the Easy Star All-Stars released ''Ziggy Stardub'', a reggae recasting of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was ...

. The album garnered positive reviews, and earned an article with

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Current line-up

Listed in the order and as they appear in the liner notes accompanying '' Dub Side of the Moon'': * Michael Goldwasser * Victor Axelrod aka Ticklah * Patrick Dougher *

Victor Rice Victor Rice (born April 17, 1967) is an American bassist, composer and producer from Long Island, NY. Rice moved to New York City in 1985 to attend Manhattan School of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music, BM and MM degrees in orchestra ...

The core of the touring line-up has remained largely intact since 2003. The rotating roster includes: * Buford O'Sullivan (trombone) * Cliff Simpson (drums) * Horace James (keyboards, vocals) * Ive-09 (drums) * Jenny Hill (saxophone, flute) * Joanne Williams (vocals) * Kirsty Rock (vocals) * Ras Droppa (bass, vocals) * JonnyGoFigure (DJ vocals) * Andrew McIntyre (guitar, vocals)

Discography

*'' Dub Side of the Moon'' (2003) *'' Radiodread'' (2006) *'' Until that Day'' EP (2008) *'' Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band'' (2009) *'' Dubber Side of the Moon'' (2010) *'' First Light'' (2011) *''Easy Star's Thrillah'' (2012) *''Ziggy Stardub'' (2023)

References

External links

Easy Star RecordsMyspace BlogEasy Star All-Stars, Camden Koko (28/04/2009) Live Review at DailyMusicGuide.com
{{Authority control Easy Star All-Stars, Cover band musical groups Jamaican reggae musical groups Easy Star Records artists Musical groups established in 1997 American dub musical groups Jamaican dub musical groups