home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The CDPD Public Domain Collection for CDTV 4
/
CDPD_IV.bin
/
amfm
/
amfm9
/
text
/
bossdrum.txt.pp
/
bossdrum.txt
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-06-20
|
5KB
|
95 lines
The Shamen - "Boss Drum"
Review by David Cassidy, of Cynostic PD
Now, there are lot of misconceptions about The Shamen. Some consider them
somewhat vulgar, others see them as matriarchs in a sea of diabolical shite
that is being turned out by the music industry nowadays. Some others even
say this about The Shamen!! So, who exactly are "The Shamen"?
The Shamen (pronounced Shah-men, as in Omar Shariff) are those people who
have parted themselves from the constraints of society and believe to have
seen or take part in the belief of the end of the world. They believe that
rhythm commands all men and women, bringing us together tribally to create
what could be described as one big family.
This theory is expounded in the tenth track of the CD, "Re:Evolution" on
which Terence McKenna, a leading authority on Shamanic practices, talks
over the spiralling music of Colin Angus and co-horts.
As McKenna says, if the truth can be told as to be understood, it will be
believed. This is the Shamanic belief.
Anyhow - what of the CD?
The twelve tracks here are totally dissimilar to anything that The Shamen
have produced before, excluding the immensely successful "Move Any
Mountain". Indeed, their previous long-player, "Progen '91", was a step
forward from their more obscure past, with tracks being more accessible
than before. Although less ambient and obtuse, they did retain their
coveted "cult" status, going unnoticed until "Move Any Mountain" became a
UK number one and went topping charts elsewhere.
The first track is the title, "Boss Drum", on which we are told to
"Activate the rhythm / The rhythm / That has always been within". Mr C, the
rapper brought in by Angus after the unfortunate and tragic death of his
previous partner, spellbinds us with a rhythmic recital of the Shamanic
belief that within each of us there is a rhythm, a sense of belonging to
which we will be drawn upon the Apocolypse. The harmonies and dance beats
which feature here are simply fantastic and combine to produce an excellent
opener to this long-awaited CD.
Then comes "L.S.I. : Love Sex Intelligience", a superb dance anthem if ever
there was one! The message is quite clear; if we expound our feelings and
combine them with conclusion and logic we can overcome anything. It is a
theme worth noting!
A couple of tracks on and we come across "Ebeneezer Goode", the Beatmasters
Mix, which is absolutely superb. Although the lyrics are less than obscure
("Es are good, Es are good...") there is another more serious message here.
Through the use of what McKenna calls "psychadelic plants" the masses can
bring themselves to conclusions which would otherwise be unavailable.
Conclusions such as that there is more to life than work and play. There is
a spiritual side which is more of a necessity than mere material gain.
Even with the lyric, expounding the virtues of Ecstacy, Angus warns us
against their dangers ("E's the kind of geezer that should never be
abused"). So, the fops who complain about such risque lyrics should shut
their big gobs and try to understand!!
After this comes the major down point of the album - "Comin' On". Here Mr C
attempts a ragga rap which, I am afraid to say, DOES NOT WORK! As "Select"
magazine says, there has never been a decent white ragga rap artist and Mr
C also fails in fulfilling this gap. It sounds so bloody STUPID! I'd rather
not waste my time going on about it, even if (again) there is a theme worth
discussing!!
Both "Phorever People" and "Fatman" are worthy dance tracks, the former
being a possible single release along with "Boss Drum", but it is
"Re:Evolution" which steals the show on the later part of the CD. McKennas'
drawling voice and The Shamens' insisting accompaniment are just out of
this world. A good piece of advice is to try NOT to understand what McKenna
is going on about the first time you listen to the track. Just submerge
yourself into the music, the ever-changing rhythms and harmonies.
The second time, however, start to concentrate on the voice. His voice is
distinctive - so much so that you find yourself entranced by what he is
saying. I for one found myself far removed from my surroundings when the
track finished and had to totally relax afterwards to recover. I am NOT
JOKING!
The last two tracks, dub versions of "Boss Drum" and "Phorever People" are
also excellent.
So, there we have it. An album of some force, I think you'll agree.
The tracks "L.S.I." and "Ebeneezer Goode" are essential dance material in
anybody's book but when accompanied by such gems as "Boss Drum", "Phorever
People" and "Re:Evolution" the purchase of this masterful piece of music
becomes not only essential, but crucial.
Having been a dance-music lover for some years now, I can honestly say that
in their field The Shamen are, for the moment, unsurpassable. Although
others may get your waistline moving The Shamen do so with an aim in mind
and here, at least, they have achieved their objective - that of producing
a piece of music which can make you move, both emotionally and physically.