Ralphy's C.D. Reviews

Review date 16-03-1999: Kula Shaker - C.D. Peasant, pigs & astronauts

"Peasants, pigs & astronauts" is the successor of Kula Shaker's highly praised debut album "K". The band with singer/guitarist Crispian Mills, bass player Alonzo Bevan, drummer Paul Winterhart and organist Jay Darlington again made an album with a highly psychedelic content. Indian oriented mysticism and spirituality are also major influences on the music of Kula Shaker and this album. The third big factor involving their sound is the 60's style you recognise in it. Just like Oasis they bring some part of The Beatles-sound back to the 90's, but unlike them Kula Shaker's major Beatles influence seems to come more from George Harrison as opposed to Paul McCartney and John Lennon in Oasis's case.

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The first few times I listened to this album I wasn't really focused on it as I was also doing other activities (due to a busy schedule), but still it made a great first impression. After more intense listening I subscribe this first great impression especially to the first three songs of the album: "Great Hosannah", the single "Mystical machine gun" and "S.O.S.". These 3 songs form such a rockin' intro that the impression lasts throughout the rest of the album, which actually doesn't reach this extreme high level. Are the other songs no good than, you may ask. No, Songs like "Shower of love" and "Sound of drums" are also more than average pieces of music and the others ain't that bad either to put it mildly. The two chant songs on this album cannot compare to "Govinda" and "Tattva" on "K", because of their lack of musical background, but otherwise this album is in every way more polished than its predecessor "K" and especially (again) on the before-mentioned 3 opening songs, Kula Shaker opens up every musical variation in their realm of possibilities and it has a tremendous effect (at least on me). Along with this CD you get a second CD with 2 live songs, the above mentioned "Sound of drums" and the previously (on albums) unreleased "Hurry on sundown" which is another Kula Shaker highlight. A little disappointing to me is that they didn't record their Deep Purple-cover single "Hush" on this album. I rate this album with a 7.5 .

Update 27-11-1999

I heard this some time ago, maybe it's just a rumour, but it seems that due to the lack of commercial success of this album, Crispian Mills has left the band, which will probably mean the end of Kula Shaker.

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