Easy Star Records released Dub Side Of The Moon a decade ago, and the impact the cover album had on the worldwide reggae community was huge. Dub Side of The Moon received a groundswell of international press, including praise from Rolling Stone, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, and tons of other media outlets, and on top of that managed to sit on the Billboard Reggae Charts for more than 7 years.
Today, the leading independent reggae label out of New York is releasing the Dub Side of the Moon Special Anniversary Edition of this classic album. It includes new artwork, an in-depth liner note booklet and two bonus tracks, including “Breathe 2014″ featuring additional vocals by Eric Rachmany of Rebelution, Metric Man, and Ruff Scott of the Easy Star All-Stars and “Brain Dubbage”, an instrumental dub version of Brain Damage.
The new take on “Breathe” is interesting but the track feels disjointed. It features three great vocal talents in Eric Rachmany, Metric Man, and Ruff Scott , but together their unique styles just don’t seem to mesh for me. The new “Brain Dubbage” instrumental however is just down my alley with it’s one drop rhythm, melodica, and authentic roots reggae dub version production. Overall I’m sure most reggae enthusiast already own the first release so downloading the two new tracks is a definite win/win in my opinion. Another great up side to the new release will be the supporting tour that includes two of my favorite bands. G.P.G.D.S (also on the Easy Star label) and Tatanka, a great young band out of Colorado. Arise Roots, another great band from Los Angeles, will also be supporting a few of the last shows in LA and Orange County. I look forward to checking the tour out myself and doing a follow up article with some photos from the show.
Dub Side Of The Moon Anniversary Fall Tour
09/12/14 @ Crystal Ball Club Casino – Crystal Bay, NV *
09/13/14 @ The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA *
09/14/14 @ Unity Fest – Guerneville, CA
09/15/14 @ W.O.W. Hall – Eugene, OR *
09/17/14 @ Jazzbones – Tacoma, WA ^
09/18/14 @ Venue – Vancouver, WA ^
09/19/14 @ Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR ^
09/20/14 @ Slim’s – San Francisco, CA ^
09/21/14 @ Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA ^
09/22/14 @ Soho – Santa Barbara, CA ^
09/24/14 @ House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV ^
09/25/14 @ The Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ ^ (also with Buckwheat Zydeco)
09/26/14 @ Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA ^
09/27/14 @ House of Blues – Los Angeles, CA ^ (also with Arise Roots)
09/28/14 @ The Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, CA ^
* with Tatanka
^ with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad & Tatanka
Dub Side Of The Moon Special Anniversary Edition Album Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Internationally acclaimed cover album
- Special Anniversary Edition with new artwork
- Includes two bonus tracks with great vocals
Cons:
- Disjointed track in ‘Breathe’ reimagining
- New tracks not seamlessly integrated with original
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