Since their first Pink Floyd tribute “The Dub Side of the Moon” was launched in 2003, The Easy Star All-Stars have regularly put out other albums honoring Radiohead ( 2006’s “Radiodread”) and The Beatles (2009’s “Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band”) in addition to discs with their own original material.
This time around, they have come together to take on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” one of the biggest-selling pop albums of all time in the United States. It is not an easy task, considering how ingrained many of the songs are in fans’ memories—it is little wonder that so few artists have recorded covers of tunes like “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” over the years.
On tunes that lend themselves well to reggae, the transition was seamless. “Wanna Be Starting Something” is played very close to the original save for the guitars and percussion. “The Girl Is Mine” (originally recorded as a duet with Paul McCartney) already had a bit of a Caribbean feel, so that one also came out great. “Thriller” is performed in a much slower tempo, which gives it even a darker edge, especially when the final narration comes in. “Billie Jean” sounds completely different, as the arrangement focuses mostly on guest vocalist Luciano (a regular on Easy Star’s tribute albums), percussion and sound effects.
One of the best is “Human Nature,” which respects Jackson’s original feel while swiping some of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” in the process. Also notable is “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” which goes into a completely different musical direction while still sounding recognizable. Kudos goes to the engineers for allowing the twenty-piece band to be audible while still sounding too packed, and to the vocalists for holding on to their own styles. (Ernest Barteldes)
Easy Star All-Stars
“Easy Star’s Thrillah”
(Easy Star Records)
Related Stories
Spins: Joe Goodkin's "Record of Loss" By Robert Rodi Chicago singer-songwriter Joe Goodkin doesn’t lack ambition—this is the guy, after all, who wrote a concert version of “The Odyssey” and toured it around the country—but his latest release sets a very high bar. The follow-up to his 2015 album, “Record of Life,” “Record of Loss” looks slight at first glance—it’s a six-cut EP—but it’s so deeply personal…
Owners of Record: Delmark’s New Management Looks Beyond the Legacy Established in 1953, Delmark is the country’s oldest label exclusively devoted to jazz and the blues, and as such most of us would probably agree it’s worth saving. Julie A. Miller (president and CEO) and Elbio Barilari (vice-president and artistic director) are the ones who are actually making that happen.
Well Said: A Review of Flamingo Rodeo’s “Said Unsaid” Lush and likable, well-behaved but memorable, you'll be glad to have this flamingo around.
A Little Closer to Perfect: A Review of Divino Niño’s “Foam” Is it too early to call this album a classic?
Lyrical Miracles: A Review of Jonas Friddle’s “The Last Place to Go” The album is a dazzlingly rich lode of tonal and especially textual delights; I’d call it a master class in songwriting, except I’ve listened to it a few times through and still can’t tell how he’s pulled off some of the effects he has here. Inspiration and invention can’t be taught.
Mood Enhancer: A Review of Rick Vines’ “So Happy!” Vines maintains his own point of view throughout the album—at its end, you know exactly who he is—but there’s a passage in the song “Imaginary Man” where he might be addressing the burden of iconic influences this deep into the folk-rock canon’s chronology.
