Customer Reviews

K

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've owned this record for some years now and I never get tired of listening to it. KS's music is britpop/rock combined with Indian music. Very special; mysterious and exciting. Make you feel you are on a journey to India. Think they've been listening a bit to George Harrison in his experimental days...

As always I like the songs with a melancholic background best. "Into the deep" and "Start all over" got these elements. Calm and very beautiful. But these are just the jewels in the Crown.

Kula Shaker; I really miss you!!

Kula Shaker's debut album was the most beautiful and successful fusion experiment of the '90s. Psychedelic rock of the late '60s meets Indian string arrangements and the result is enchanting, not odd. I was drawn into this album after listening to the UK hits Govinda and Tattva. Some tracks here are out and out rock songs with loud guitars..like Grateful When You're Dead (a tribute to Jerry Garcia), 303, Knight On The Town, Smart Dogs (I thought the last line sounded funny...it goes 'somebody shoot the dog') and Hey Dude (nice karaoke number). Some are slow and haunting with prominent sitar and tabla sounds..like Sleeping Jiva, Jerry Was There (another obvious tribute), Hollow Man and Magic Theatre. The others like Temple Of Everlasting Light and Into The Deep (both are out of this world) are midway between the two styles. The only song I haven't mentioned yet is Start All Over which is nice and slow. So really, I feel there is not one song that's wasted or out of place on this album. Also, it is easy to notice that their sound has a remarkable similarity to that of The Doors. In fact their first single, Sound of Drums off the second album in my opinion sounds like something by Ray Manzarek. Anyway, if you are majorly into bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors and The Beatles don't even hesitate before getting this. It's well worth the price.

Although this album was released in 1996, it still sounds as fresh now as it did when it first came out.

This album is mind blowing and addictive, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The only negative thing I can say about it, is that it reminds me that Kula Shaker were together for far too brief a period. On the strength of this album alone they should still be doing the rounds, releasing albums and headlining at summer festivals.

This album is true gold dust and will never stray far from your CD player.

Although their sound is all but original,clearly influenced by the Beatles circa Harrison induced mysticism and psychedelia,plus some Who-like rock gusto,the final result is nothing short from outstanding.
In 1996 Kula Shaker stunned Great Britain with their kaleidoscopic pop which unveiled to the 90's a world full of colours and sounds long gone.Their retro-psychedelia and oriental imagery rendered them peerless but was this separation from the Britpop movement good or bad for them? If it hadn't been for their early demise the results could have placed them in the same footing as the legends they derived from(Beatles,Who).
From the infectious Hey Dude to the earth shattering beautiful Hollow Man there isn't a misplaced track,all flowing together to mould an undeniable work of genius and a milestone for the90's.

If you've never heard Kula Shaker, take a listen to the rousing summertime opener on this CD, "Hey Dude," and you'll get a good sense of what this band is: a feel-good bunch of talented musicians who seem to have an impressive sense of their place in the world and the type of music they want to create. This vibrant, happy-sounding album is littered with groovy bass lines, deep lyrics, a sense of the mystical, good guitar solos and creative songwriting. The vocals might come off as somewhat The Beatles 1 and Oasis (What's The Story) Morning Glory? and the Verve Urban Hymns, but Kula Shaker boast more spunk, funk and soul than those bands combined, even if they're not nearly as well known. There are even elements of Pink Floyd to Kula Shaker's original way of melding songs and incorporating unique instrumentation.

An Eastern sound pervades such great tunes as "Govinda" and "Temple of Everlasting Light," both trippy songs with trippy lyrics that begin mellow and rock out later. This deft mix of Indian-flavord tunes with straight-up rock and roll is uncanny; I've yet to hear another band replicate this sound with such talent and enthusiasm. "K" also has interesting interludes like "Magic Theatre," a beautifully piano-tinged, darker song that makes way for the soaring "Into the Deep." Similarly, "Sleeping Jiva," with its mesmerizing sarod played by Wajahat Kahn, is the perfect intro to the CD's only radio hit, "Tattva." "Grateful When You're Dead/Jerry Was There" starts off as a soulful, rambunctious rocker, then turns into a laid-back brand of stoner rock. The last three songs on the album are also great.

If music could ever expand your mind in some way, Kula Shaker found the way to do it with "K."

Kula Shaker are in another world as far as inspiration goes. That world is the paisley-shirted playground of 1967. Stealing from all over, Kula take only the best bits of psychedelic pop and pre-freak-out guitars of Cream or Hendrix, then make something all their own from it. Musically they are really good: they go from delicacy to harder bluesy riffs and mix harmonies with funky rhythmic undertows, producing a gloriously full sound. They have a surefooted sense of pop melody and do it all with a sense of positivity. Their Eastern borrowings have more to do with taking drugs and having fun, more than any deep spiritual awakening. Overall, a hugely enjoyable listen.

I love this band, ever since I read about them in the music press and bought their K cd....Even though they do borrow heavily from the past thats ok with me...the past they chose to borrow from is really cool (the 60's) There isnt one song on this CD I dont like, NOT ONE!. Its groovy and spooky and mysterious rock, I love it....since not many bands that are in the main media focus are doing this sort of thing,(because drug music is not family friendly and they are british) but thats america for you...too uptight :) drugs and sex are bad but violence, greed and extreme materialism is just fine...hmmmmmm anyways....Kula Shaker kicks tail! Great to dance to and also meaningful, insightful lyrics that deliver a powerful spiritual message of truth, love, mystery and beauty....groovy baby....can you say austin powers? hehe I have a BIG question to thoes in the music and radio business in the USA, why havent any of the recent cool brit and euro bands of the 90's received much time on radio or MTV?? why the boycott and blackout? why does all the crappy stuff get all the promotion?!

Here's my short take on this album. I loved it when I first heard it and if cds could wear out, I would have worn this out in the mid-90s when I bought it. In order to get friends to buy it, I described it as Yardbird meets the Monkees meets the Beatles meets Oasis. Love the Indian influence and the overall sound and production on the cd. Always love the mellotron! If you're a fan of anything I mentioned in this review, chances are that you will really like this cd! Great songwriting, catchy melodies and great musicianship!!

When I listen to this CD, I think of George Harrison and the beatles standing next to the band, leading them along....further than the Beatles went...deeper but the same.

Buy it. Buy it with Ocean Color Scheme's "Moseley Shoals" and enjoy.

What more can I say? Oh, Quite a bit! I remember hearing 'Tattva' on the radio for the first time in November 1996. Then, as it is now, there was a lot of formula alt. rock bands in heavy rotation. You know the deal. Yell, scream and play heavy Black Sabbath type riffs. Boring, boring, boring. 'Tattva' was like a revolution to my ears; a symphony of swirling guitars and trippy harmonies that climaxed to a single tap on a triangle and a strum from a sitar. Awesome. I ran out to buy this album, and for the past 7 years I am suprised the laser in the CD player hasn't burned a hole through the disc, it is in such heavy rotation. The album is perfect for good times, bad times, quiet times...you know the deal. It starts out in a very pop sensible format, after that, you can settle in to the REAL Kula Shaker. I can say every song on this album is amazing, with great harmonies and excellent song structures. On 'Godiva', you cannot help but to sing along to it at the top of your lungs. 'Grateful when you're dead' is super cool nod to the Yardbirds, whereas as 'Hollow Man' is slow and paced; a song that feels like a car driving towards the sunset to close the day. 'Sleeping Jiva' is haunting and dark, whereas the next song 'Into the deep' pulls you up amid a wash of sunshine, soaring guitars and spastic tamborines.

Of all the silly, absurd and self righteous bands of the 1990's, Kula Shaker is a testament of what makes good ol' fashioned Rock n' Roll.