Yellow Dubmarine

As the name suggests, Yellow Dubmarine blends two distinct sounds that have influenced pop and rock and roll music from the early 1970’s and onward. Practically inescapable in much of today’s music are the rhythms and characteristic “skank” of reggae, which, along with its precursor rocksteady, has influenced everyone from Eric Clapton to Willie Nelson. But Yellow Dubmarine applies this aesthetic to the songs of the Beatles, a band whose sound has essentially created a sub-genre within the broader context of rock and pop music. This sub-genre is characterized by bands who view the Beatles’ music as a framework for their own; this moves beyond influence, and is, in fact, recognition of the Beatles impact— imitation as the greatest form of flattery.

What is ingenious about Yellow Dubmarine’s interpretation of the Beatles’ song book is that the era of Beatles’ music performed has correlated to a distinct era in the development of Jamaica’s treasured music. This has happened perhaps unintentionally, but has happened none the less. Often the earlier Beatles songs evoke an earlier form of reggae, sounding more like ska or rocksteady than dub; while later songs have seemed to require the more developed and sonically rich nuances of both roots reggae and later dub styles. In this sense, Yellow Dubmarine has taken a novel concept and proceeded with extreme reverence for both the Beatles’ music and the reggae artists they have been influenced by. Their music is the more humble and clever for it.

--Zack Lowe