,The Alternate Reality of

Dub Side of the Moon

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That Pink Floyd's 1973 Dark Side of the Moon is one of the iconic classics of rock is indisputable-- darkly atmospheric and almost neurotic in its themes of greed, war, self-absorption and class struggle. And then there was its aural quality, which often eclipsed the themes. "Ya gotta hear this through headphones!" was the review I heard most often from my stoner friends at the time. In that regard, the album made me realize that rock had become more a medium for engineers than musicians and set me on a punkish course to rediscover the roots of rock, which led, in a circuitous route, to reggae. The almost soothing beat of reggae belied its political underpinnings and seduced me immediately. I was the first kid on my block to wear a Bob Marley tee-shirt, much to the bewilderment of the East Texas citizenry.

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Filmed in September 2005, Easy Star All-Stars' Dub Side of the Moon Live is an unlilely but infinitely satisfying reinvention of the Pink Floyd original. Make no mistake about it-- this is no novelty performance. What the All-Stars have done is taken baby boomer insecurities and transmuted them into a stand alone performance that encompasses a world view of--well, war, greed, self-absorption and class struggle. Moreover, they have brought Dark Side of the Moon into the 21st century.

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Using the framing device of an animated "rasta-naut" awakening from stasis aboard the USS Syd Barrett (a fitting tribute to the founding force of Pink Floyd), Dub Side seamlessly transports the viewer into a world that is at once both familiar and unsettling in its rootsy origins. There are no intricate laseriums here--only strobes and a thematic full moon background projection.

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It's all we need.

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.The band quickly launches into an exhilarating rendition of "Breathe (In the Air)" that cascades into Tamar-Kali's jazz-infused interpretation of "Time." Augmented by the flute of Jenny Hill and the toasting of Menny More, it is here that Dub Side takes on a multi-ethnic life of its own. And while her vocals are reminiscent of Claire Torry's in "The Great Gig in the Sky," Tamar-Kali's add a new dimension with her sudden throatiness at various breaks. "Money" becomes a new anthem in the hands of the All-Stars, thanks in part to the socio-political dub but moreso to Junior Jazz's guitar licks.

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Technically, there is nothing visually arresting about Dub Side of the Moon--it's a fairly straightforward concert film. For that matter, I wouldn't call it a reggae classic. But at every moment of the performance, I was left with the perception that rock will never die--it only evolves and reinvents itself.

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As the pundits are fond of reminding us, we live in a different world now. To dismiss Dub Side of the Moon as a novelty would be shameful. To call it a remake of Dark Side of the Moon is to do it a disservice. While it never strays far from its source material, Dub Side is a work that brings the fears of the seventies into the realities of the 2K's. It is to Pink Floyd's credit that they envisioned the scenario in which we now live. It is to the Easy Star All-Stars' credit that both paid tribute to that vision and made it, in the process, absolutely relevant to today's strata.

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