Easy Stars All Stars - Easy Star's Thrillah

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 14 / 8 / 2012

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Review

I’ve had the pleasure of writing about the Easy Star All Stars before when they released their last offering ‘Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band’ back in 2009 ,and I am thrilled to be able to form some more kind sentences about them again. For those who don’t know and haven’t guessed by the titles, these guys basically take classic albums and “dub” them up in their own reggae/dub style. They have previously put their own unique twist on Radiohead and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ as well as the Beatles, and the results have been nothing short of magical. I believe the reason they have been so enjoyable is down to the fact they do this with a real love for the original albums, and of course as well it is in no small part down to them simply being a cracking bunch of musicians. In a sense a lot of the tunes are essentially a reggae version of the original, but when you hear them you realise it is something much more than that. They always put their stamp on the tunes, and, when you’re talking about some of the most loved and well loved songs of all time, this really is an achievement. This time around they’ve really chosen a big one. Previously I’d consider the albums they’ve worked on to be all time classics, but I think the fact that their subject is Michael Jackson makes it something extra special as he was much more than just a musician, and ‘Thriller’ is more than simply another classic album. He was a global superstar and, of course while there will be no doubt the mind of anyone with an ounce of taste, that the previous ‘subjects’ (if you will) were within the greatest albums ever made, Jackson was more to the world than that. Poignantly being released the day before what would have been the late singer’s 53rd birthday, it is clear that the All Stars have a special place for him in their hearts, and I take this as their tribute to the legacy left behind by the genius but often troubled singer and entertainer. And what a tribute! These aren’t just songs that music fans know. These are tunes EVERYONE in the world EVER knows. Christ, I bet my parents even know some of these tunes - my mother asked who that band was on the TV when Pink Floyd played Live Aid in 2005. Dig what I’m saying. It is a brave person that takes on the might of such iconic and world renowned songs. They’ve done it before or course, but, well, it is MJ, and I’m sure you can guess by now that I’m not about to launch an attack on a musical atrocity. It is all fantastic and is just as magical as these songs were whenever you first heard them or whenever you still hear them everywhere thirty odd years later. I don’t think I need to tell you that ‘Billie Jean’ has a soulful touch with Luciano lending vocal prowess, or that ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ has been given a re-birth or that ‘Thrillah’ is every bit and more than you can imagine and would have expected, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to gently mention it. I will say no more on the matter as I think the title of the album and the band name pretty much both speak for themselves, and if you’ve never heard either , then I would wager a small amount on the fact that some of these tunes will be shortly working their way into clubs and radio stations everywhere. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did.

Track Listing:-

1 Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2 Baby Be Mine
3 The Girl Is Mine
4 Thriller
5 Beat It
6 Billie Jean
7 Human Nature
8 P.Y.T.
9 The Lady In My Life
10 Dub It
11 Close To Midnight

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/EasyStarAllSt
https://twitter.com/easystarallstar
https://www.youtube.com/user/EasyStarA
https://plus.google.com/10306583034550

Label Links:-

http://easystar.com/
https://www.facebook.com/EasyStarRecor
https://twitter.com/EasyStarRec