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?
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
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
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"
"Without Reason"
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