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Gorillaz	G-Sides	Demon Days
Gorillaz - Phase One - Celebrity Take Down	Gorillaz - Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades	Demon Days Live

Well, enter this disc, and ka-pow you have your gift from the dub gods of Jah. Bad dub, especially nowadays when the perpetrators are so far removed from the original sound, is easy to do. But this, THIS is great dub, done by professionals who clearly know what makes a great dub record. Listen to "De-Punked" (dub mix of Punk from the original) and TELL me these guys don't know what they're doing! It's cosmic. This disc is everything G-Sides SHOULDA been. From head-bobbing to downright head-thrashing, this disc WILL move you, guarandamnteed. I'm listening to it as I type, and the brass sections are just incredible.

It's funny how people compared the Gorillaz album to the Clash's ahead-of-its-time melting pot triple-album Sandinista, and now we have dub versions of the Gorillaz tracks, just like there were sides of Sandinista that were nothing but dub versions of the album's own songs. It's great! Honestly, if you have any prediliction towards dub reggae AT ALL, you need to hear this. It's like a time-machine and a future-transducer all in one 12-track package. Makes me happy. Long live the dub!!!!


new Classic Dub Reggae   August 20, 2004
J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I bought this cd on a whim when it came out, having heard ( and seen the video for ) Clint Eastwood.I have since bought the original Gorillaz cd, and I must say I prefer this over the original, being a big fan of dub reggae and chill-out type grooves. This is AWESOME. If you have the original Gorillaz cd and appreciate the diversity of the songs, you will more than likely not get into this one, as the songs admittedly all sound somewhat the same, they all have a very laid back reggae groove to them. But I can highly recommend this for fans of dub reggae.


Gorillaz' warfare on music   August 22, 2002
Matt O. (Boone, NC)
17 out of 20 found this review helpful

As you'd expect with a cd that doesn't even list the name of the big band first, "Space Monkeys vs. Gorillaz: Laika Come Home" is like eating just the complementary rolls at a steakhouse. Sure, they're delicious, and there's nothing wrong with it, but the experience could be so much better with some of the restaurant's trademark meals. Such is the case in the Gorillaz eatery.

Some of the tracks fall flat, such as the lack of the spooky background voices in "New Genious". The real problems are mostly due to monotony and similarity within the tracks, most noticeably the first two, both of which go the reggae angle, almost identically. The only reggae track which doesn't overstay its welcome is the mix of the top single, "Clint Eastwood". Rasta's an everpresent theme throughout the album, but luckily, other tracks make up for the sins of the others.

"Banana Baby", a remix of "Tomorrow Comes Today", is the first great track of the album, beginning with a haunting and everlasting techno beat which can never seem to get enough steam, thankfully. "P45" offers the most energetic and perky Gorillaz track since the "19/2000" remix from the Ice Breakers commercial. "Dub 09" somehow manages to be even creepier than "starshine" the track from the self-titled cd from which it was mixed.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, the metaphorical steak dinner is the first cd, the self-titled, best selling tribute to 2-D, Noodle, Russel, and Murdoc. "Laika Comes Home" is a good cd, and while it isn't nearly as good as "Gorillaz", and probably not quite as good as "G-Sides", Gorillaz still prove their abilities. Listen to these two back to back, and when Gorillaz begins to add more menu items, you'll be sure to return for seconds.


A Dub Masterpiece for Your Desert Island Collection   August 13, 2005
GraceNoteX (Houston, TX United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is a dub masterpiece, and much more. Not since the Mad Professor took on Massive Attack on No Protection has there been such a successful dubbing of a full CD.

But this CD goes beyond being an atmospheric dub chill-out. The opening track is a full-on reggae reworking of 19/2000 that is so successful that anyone not familiar with the original would swear it was written as a reggae piece. As well done as tracks like this and the reworking of Slow Country are, they are not what makes this CD so brilliant (and they may well be the biggest reason hardcore Gorillaz fans aren't that thrilled with this CD - they sound too much like yet another remix version of the original tracks).

The real genius of this CD is in tracks like Tomorrow Comes Today (Banana Baby) and Man Research (Monkey Racket). These are atmospheric and moody dub/trip hop pieces constructed from the essence of the original tracks. Normally, even an excellent dub piece like these would stretch one or two musical ideas into an extended soundscape. But these are full of musical ideas, twists and turns; and because of that, they work both as background chill-out music and as music to listen to for entertainment.

Space Monkeys production job on this is tight and awesome. Effects units have been tweaked to the point where the repeats aren't just musical, they are as dead on rhythmically as a drum machine. This attention to sonic detail breaths fresh life into dub cliches. This CD deserves a Grammy for both production and engineering. The playful humor and wit of the CD's title is reflected musically throughout the album.

Sadly this CD is unlikely to find its most appreciative audience. Gorillaz fans wanting more of the Brit-pop hip hop of the source album are going to be sorely disappointed. And dub fans are likely to dismiss it out of prejudice that the Gorillaz connection makes it a little too "major label" to take seriously. But this CD along with Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor's "No Protection" and Bill Laswell's "Radioaxiom" would make an awesome desert island collection (in more ways than one).



What do People Expect From a Dub Album???   August 16, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I have read a handful of reviews now that have been not so fond of this CD. Well, I have to respond by asking, "what is it exactly that you are expecting from a Dub CD?" I mean, this think has all the bases covered in an effort reminiscent of the Mad Professor/Massive Attack 'No Protection' CD from a couple years back. I really liked this album, but I am very picky about going with 5 stars unless I am completely blown away... But nonetheless, if you are not expecting some dance remixes (check out the G-Sides album for that) or to completely recognize all the songs then check this out. It's dubalicious!