Wednesday, July 11, 2018

RASA – Complete albums 1979-1982

I'll probably become as big a laughing stock to a lot of people as Rasa is to anyone who regularly or occasionally trawl through the sorriest flea market racks. Rasa's albums are found everywhere; there must be thousands and thousands of them gathering dust and unspecified dirt in the most inaccessible corners of every charity shop all across the nation. Their first album ”Oasis” is actually said to have sold in 100,000 copies. How many of those that were actually played by the buyers is open to discussion... Today Rasa albums are probably a harder sell than second hand nappies.

The albums were originally distributed by Hare Krishna devotees to passers-by in the street for 'free', meaning you were expected to pay a price of your own choice for it... Rasa was located at the Hare Krishna movement's Korsnäs farm in the small village of Grödinge. I know, I know – all your warning signs go flashing bright red now, as with most people. But what do the albums actually sound like?

Oasis (Lotus Eye, 1979)
Sanskrit vocals
International relevance: **

Listen without prejudice and you'll find this to be a moody late night album with a slight basement feel and psychedelic tinges. Cosmic organ, loose drumming and some flashes of solo guitar. True the vocals are nasal and sometimes off key, and true that the typical tinkling Krishna bells are there but they're not harder to get used to than the 13th Floor Elevators' jug, and certainly easier to overlook than any drunken-handed sitar playing or boneheaded fuzz guitarist making psych collectors jump out their pants and put a deep gash in their wallets in uninhibited excitement over pure crap.

Opening track ”Touchstone” sounds a bit like ”Riders on the Storm” era Doors, while both ”The Names” and ”Feast for the Mind” move towards a soft-edged Träd, Gräs & Stenar territory. Now, isn't that exactly what people are looking for? If you cast your prejudicies aside and listen to what this actually sounds like, there's something to here to discover.

Coming Into Full Bloom (Lotus Eye, 1979)
Sanskrit vocals
International relevance: **

The second Rasa album is disappointing with none of the peculiar creepy atmosphere of their first. The songs are jubilant and a couple of them have a funk vibe. Best track is ”Childhood Pastimes” which vaguely hints at Kebnekajse's later 70's albums.

Setting the Scene (Lotus Eye, 1980)
Sanskrit vocals
International relevance: **
 
The droning, transparent title track has more of that Doors-like organ from the first album, and the piano based ”Touchstone II” is rather evocative, but the album in general sounds more Alice Coltrane inspired thanks to an increasing influence from spiritual jazz. Better than ”Coming Into Full Bloom”, but never reaching the heights of the best parts of their debut.

Alive! (Lotus Eye, 1981)
Sanskrit vocals
International relevance: *

Released as Rasa And The Family Krishna, this was recorded live at the commune farm. Most of the tracks are closer to the typical Hare Krishna styled music than most of their other albums, but the energetic ”The Offering” shares some traits with afro funk (Archimedes Badkar might be a reference) and is the best track here.

Creation (Lotus Eye, 1981)
Sanskrit vocals 
International relevance: *
 
Their weakest effort up to that point, at times seemingly under-rehearsed with only a few progressive moves in ”The Names II” and ”Jaya Radha Madhava”. Also the least common Rasa album to my experience.

Transparent Media (Lotus Eye, 1981)
Sanskrit vocals
International relevance: **

The lengthy, multipart ”Isopanisad Mini Symphony” is perhaps the weirdest track on any Rasa album, playing like a peculiar mix of early Pearls Before Swine (don't make me explain that, it's just a feeling), Third Ear Band and a wee bit of Ya Ho Wa 13, with undercurrents of Arbete & Fritid, but it's the only interesting track in this collection. Unless uninspired quasi funk and stiff jazz rock is your thing, that is.

Universal Forum (Lotus Eye, 1982)
Sanskrit vocals, English vocals 
International relevance: **
 
It looks like a symph rock album but consists mostly of bad attempts at standard rock and saggy blues, the track ”Supersoul” is the sales point here. Not a slab of soul but a slow moving semi-psychedelic track with some heavy guitar work that saves ”Universal Forum” from becoming all self-evident trash can fodder.

Dancing on the Head of the Serpent (Lotus Eye, 1982)
Sanskrit vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

”Dancing on the Head of the Serpent” has a serious personality disorder. Opening track ”Without Reason” has a driving progressive beat, and with plenty of guitar soloing and effervescent synths, it comes off almost like a lost Hawkwind demo. ”Get Yourself Back” is krautish complete with a cosmic flute meandering in the background. ”Nrshimdaheva” sounds like someone dropped a nyabinghi reggae track into the meat blender – odd for sure. The reggae influence is more prominent on the dreadful (pun not intended) ”Down and Out”, and there's also a bit of cult leader disco and mock punk (!!!) here. A bizarre album? Yes. A good album? Not really.

Swinging (Lotus Eye, 1982)
Sanskrit vocals, English vocals 
International relevance: **
 
Rasa's final album is an entirely unprovoked garage attempt at heavy metal, as evident on ”Changing Times” and ”What It Would Be Like”. ”Without Anxiety” in turn is a run of the mill reggae track (however better than ”Down and Out” on the previous album). ”The Speculating Samba” sounds like D.R. Hooker's outsider album classic ”The Truth” played at 45 rpm (which isn't meant as praise). A few further very faint psychedelic traces can't save this album from being the least of the Rasa albums.

I'm somehow intrigued by Rasa's fearless style changes and their sometimes peculiar take on their music, even if they from time to time did fail spectacularly in dealing with it in a credible way. Some of what they did was in fact rather good, and it wouldn't surprise me if progg heads and maybe even collectors one day will acknowledge them accordingly. None of their albums have been reissued on CD – perhaps a compilation would be in its place? Then again, maybe not. None of their albums are hard to find at all. You can grab them for next to nothing from Internet sellers, and if you reside in Sweden, you can possible get a complete Rasa collection in mint condition for free if you ask the seller politely... and put together your own comp of the Rasa highlights.

Rasa disbanded in 1984, and main man and singer Robert Campagnola – then known as Visnupada, later as Harikesa Swami – has an extensive website detailing his past activities. There he reveals that Rasa's bass player married Annie Lennox – most likely Radha Raman who Lennox was married to for one year in 1984-1985. Campagnola/Visnupada moved to Russia but has now given up singing. As he explains on his website: ”I ruined my vocal chords in the dry Russian winter and could no longer speak or sing for any length of time.”

from Setting the Scene
from Dancing on the Head of the Serpent
"Without Reason"

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