这个题目——当然，今天的主角是Kula Shaker，90年代中期崛起的英国非主流摇滚团队。
这个古怪的队名（又是古怪的队名）来自9世纪一位印度君主，比较难得的是，Kula Shaker的音乐确实受了很多东方思想的影响，这一点同时表现在歌词、音乐和配器之中。乐队从地下走向地上时在1995年出版了一张EP，唯一真正意义上的专辑就是1999年发行的概念专辑《Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts》——据解释，Peasants代表“纯真”，Pigs代表“罪”，而Astronauts代表“逃避”。专辑干净的声音，迷幻的吉他，如印度梵音般的和声，充满现场感的录音，总之在当时英伦Brit Pop当道而美国流行Hip-Hop、Rap的背景下，属于绝对的异类。再看歌词，更是令人难以想象这是一群出道不到5年的小家伙们的手笔，关于这一点，乐队的作者、吉他、主唱和精神领袖Crispian居功至伟，当然他的那些从小玩大的队友们也很到位的演绎了Kula Shaker与众不同的气质。专辑中讲述未知世界的《Mystical Machine Gun》显然是向迷幻巨匠Pink Floyd致敬的作品，《Song of Drums》则是表现乐队对类似The Doors的美国摇滚寻根的结果，还有以《Timeworm》代表的Raga-Rock（一种源自Beatles等前辈的摇滚，与印度音乐和佛教有着很深的关系），甚至还有直接改自印度民谣的《Radhe Radhe》和《Namami Nanda-Nandana》。
当然，《Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts》这种追求复古和大师级创作的风格不会讨英国歌迷的喜欢，我倒是当年在Channel V一听到就喜欢的不得了——这里还有一段故事，我喜欢了之后，就发邮件给我在美的一哥儿们，请他帮我买一张寄给我，没想到过了4个月没等到CD，等到了邮局转来的一份海关的通知，说此CD不符合有关进口规定，已予没收，考虑到在我国，能有这个通知我已经很感动了，也就没去细想这盘CD已经被什么盗版商拿去作卡口碟卖了。。。
不过，对于大多数人来说，第一次听Kula Shaker——甚至听了很多遍以后——可能不会太喜欢，那可别怪我没有言在先啊！
Mystical Machine Gun
Kula Shaker
Alien identities
Don’t hide your pretty face from me
You awoke to the riddle of your life
But no one was there for you
Open up to where you first began
As a nicotine junkie singing
For a kodacam
Are you glad to see how far you’ve come?
You’re a wizard in a blizzard
A mystical machine gun
Watch the skies
For the mystical machine gunfire
Alien identities
Don’t hide that special place from me
You walked through a fire with a ten headed lion
And turned on your destiny
Open up, forget your life
Breathe in, breathe out
Retain a sense of suicide
Are you glad to see
How far you’ve come?
You’re a wizard in a blizzard
A mystical machine gun
Watch the skies
For the mystical machine gunfire
Well, You’ve got to be stronger now
Than them, Now you’ve got to be strong
You’ll be singing the song
Of life ’til then,
You’ll just have to be strong
OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
Sound Of Drums
Kula Shaker
Ahhh ah ah ahhh (x4)
I hear the sound of drums and a melody
I hear the sound of drums
Well, singing the names above in the city, yeah
Revolution for fun.
I feel the time has come like a remedy
I feel the time has come
We’re shaking the spear of love in the city, yeah
I hear the sound of drums, yeah yeah.
But can you feel the love for me, yeah yeah
I feel the time has come
I hear the sound of drums.
I hear the sound of drums on a melody,
calling me to return.
Well, light up and catch the sun ‘cos it’s gonna be
Revolution for fun, yeah yeah
Can you feel the love for me, yeah yeah.
I feel the time has come
I hear the sound of drums
Well, I feel the time has come for the melody
I see the golden one
Well, i’m not the only one with the remedy
I’m not the only one.
I feel the time has come
I hear the sound of drums.
Timeworm
Kula Shaker
Oh brother please
We are born to this world again
How can we see
When we;re travelling in time
Love is the key
And the key is the name my friend
When will we see that we’re
Travelling in time
Know that your soul
Is on fire
Like a million suns
Burn like a star
And be travelling in time