Radiodread

Easy Star All-Stars - Let Down feat Toots & The Maytals - Radiodread (Easy Star 2006)


Easy Star All-Stars - Exit Music (for a Dub) - Radiodread (Easy Star 2006)


When I walked into my office yesterday there was a cd place in front of my computer, obviously in an attempt to grab my attention. My office is covered with stacks of cds that I will never get around to even previewing due to sheer volume and my limited hours, so the album artwork is a huge selling point for me. I sit down, running a bit late and eager to get through my ‘to do’ list before my office hours are up, quickly glance at the cover which looks like any forgettable modern reggae/dancehall cd (it’s sad how little decent reggae is made today) with ‘Radiodread’ in bold white letters, shrug it off and toss it into one of the many stacks of cds I may or may not get to at any time in the future. I proceed along checking my email and getting organized before beginning the hour or two long process of going through the day’s mail, and then it hits me… Radiodread? As in Radiohead? I quickly relocate the disc and give it a closer look: “A track-for-track reggae re-imagining of Radiohead’s OK Computer that has received Radiohead’s blessing.” Gasp… double gasp! Reggae and Radiohead? Could two of my beloved musical interests be somehow molded into one album of aural splendor? Never… must be kitsch. But wait! Toots & The Maytals??? The Meditations??? Morgan Heritage??? Horace Andy??? These aren’t no-name reggae clones trying anything for exposure; these are big, legendary names of the genre. Seconds later the disc is deplasticed, popped open and flipped into the cd player and the electric guitar splatter of Airbag is being played over the upstrummed familiarness of a reggae backing track.

This could be easily a recipe for disaster… and in actuality, if this is not a complete disaster (track #3 is pretty damned disastrous), it should be genuinely heralded for creativity and bravado. Crossing-over something a band like Radiohead who makes their living on experimentation into a genre that thrives on tradition is not something that can be easily accomplished, but the Easy Star All-Stars, aka Michael G. and Tiklah, do so with confidence and grace. The NYC production duo with the help of their mostly legendary friends (since when was Citizen Cope a reggae artist?) are able to give both sides of the equation respect without overstepping either side, which is a success in itself. Now, there are a few missteps along the way, like the almost unlistenable ‘Subterranean Homesick Alien’ featuring Junior Jazz, but for the most part, this is a solid, well put together album. I’m not sure if the credit should be given to the production talents and imaginations of the Easy Stars and their friends or to Radiohead for creating such amazing music that it can transcend genres with such ease (not to mention the infinite respect they deserve for brining truly challenging music to the mass, mainstream audience who typically like their music spoon-fed in mouthfuls of redundant rip-offs). I’m going to give a quick track-by-track to give you an idea of what to expect… which of course is hours of guilty-pleasure and fun.

1. Airbag feat. Horace Andy – Teaming the skittering drums and electric guitar of the original with the typical roots reggae backdrop and dub echoes, Airbag is a fitting introduction. Tag on the inclusion of one of Jamaica’s most beloved vocalists, Horace Andy, and you will be hooked from the outset (which is a good thing, since it dips a bit before the strong second half).

2. Paranoid Android feat. Kristy Rock – Not surprisingly the vocal talents of Kristy Rock, a female singer which I have no background info on, would come closest to Yorke’s actual feminine croon, though without his individualisms. It begins to falter a bit when she attempts the urgent vocals halfway through the song, but quickly regains momentum with the horn interchange. From there it settles into an enjoyable haze of Kristy’s echoing voice and rootsy percussion before the horns once again steel the spotlight (a motif that will run throughout the disc).

3. Subterranean Homesick Alien feat. Junior Jazz – I have no idea who Junior Jazz is, but he certainly doesn’t sound like a Reggae vocalist, more adult contemporary than anything. Stripped of the vocals, this track would be a very cool mixture of dubbed percussion and dancing melodica; but alas the vocals are front-and-center, making it the worst cut, and essentially a mandatory skip.

4. Exit Music (For a Film) feat. Sugar Minott – The dancehall pioneer Sugar Minott gives a soulful performance of OK Computers most emotional track with much success. Easy Star concocts a quality dub of the music, which stands very well on it’s own (see track #13), but Minott’s performance is definitely worth a listen.

5. Let Down feat. Toots & The Maytals – Holy balls, if this doesn’t sell you, then take your boring ass out of my sight, because I want nothing to do with you. Rocksteady’s finest transform the somewhat melancholy Let Down into a bouncy, 2nd wave ska track that sounds like it belongs on their greatest hits album. Add in the fine trombone and sax solos of the bridge and Toots unmistakable Jamaican-gospel voice, and you have a modern classic… ridiculous.

6. Karma Police feat. Citizen Cope – This is a bit of a mystery to me… Citizen Cope? What does he have to do with reggae? The mainstream darling/flop (who probably flopped because he was a mainstream darling; he could have been amazing backed by a creative system like Okay Player or someone similar). To his credit, Greenwood does a decent job of the track (more of a straight cover than re-imagining), but, to me at least, it feels out of place.

7. Fitter Happier feat. Menny Mare – I’m happy they included this track, which features a strong Jamaican voice with the melody faintly played in the background hidden behind simmering electronics and almost a drum march. This could have been easily left off, and it should be a credit to Easy Star’s commitment to truly recreating the album.

8. Electioneering feat. Morgan Heritage – The contemporary reggae collective produce what is probably the second best track on the disc, though it is a heated race. The various voices from Heritage give the song a rebirth into what is essentially an anthem. The musical backdrop is a bit overproduced, but what in contemporary reggae is not?

9. Climbing Up the Walls feat. Tamar-kali – I’m torn on this track; it’s definitely an interesting take on the song, but it seems to lack the experimentation in the first half to really make it stand out. The androgynous vocals of Tamar-kali do a good job of mimicking Yorke’s, but are a bit boring. The song takes off during the second half when the horns weave and skronk as if Ornette Coleman got a hold of them, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to carry the entire track.

10. No Surprises feat. The Meditations – Now this is what an album like this is made for; a re-imagining that turns the song in a completely different direction. The earthy roots reggae trio are able to embrace the original emotion, and with their thick accents and creative sampling, make the track sound like it was a late 70s political statement. A very cool and simple track.

11. Lucky feat. Frankie Paul – The Jamaican Stevie Wonder, Frankie Paul, does a wonderful job with this track, adding a heavy dose of rasta soul to Lucky, succeeding in the same way The Meditations did. The song takes an anthemic turn, again utilizing creative sampling and typical roots reggae rhythm, flipping the song into new, more soulful territory.

12. The Tourist feat. Israel Vibration – The long-lived reggae trio, Israel Vibration, take a meditative stand on The Tourist, letting the song evolve in their own laid-back style. The electric guitar echoes in the background, as a strong rhythm section underpins the calmed vocals. A proper conclusion.

13. & 14. Exit Music (for a Dub) & An Airbag Saved My Dub – These two bonus dub tracks are spectacular in their own right, and at some points eclipse a majority of the main section’s songs. This is further proof of Easy Star’s production skills and my theory that everything sounds better in a dub.