This was in late 1964 when not a lot of British bands were covering Dylan's songs, much less doing it well. The fact that they were a Liverpool band made it even more startling because apart from the Searchers, the city wasn't known as a fertile field for folk-rock impulses to take root. The band was duly signed up to Oldham's fledgling Immediate Records label and they cut "She Belongs to Me," their one and only single, in the spring of 1965.
Despite getting an appearance miming to the single on the British rock & roll television showcase Ready! Steady! Go!, it sank without a trace along with the group's prospects for breaking out of Liverpool. (Curiously enough, the song itself would take on a life of its own at Immediate, as a focus of versions by the Nice and Joey Vine). The group broke up soon after, with Jay Rathbone jumping to the Almost Blues, while Molland, Findley, and Cassidy joined the Fruit Eating Bears, a Liverpool band that got its biggest exposure backing the Merseys, the harmony group formed by Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley -- who had been one half of the Merseybeats -- who enjoyed a huge hit with "Sorrow." Molland later jumped to the Iveys, replacing original lead guitarist Ron Griffiths, and enjoyed three years of international rock stardom in the early '70s after the latter group was re-christened Badfinger.~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Liberty
The Masterminds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's our frame of mind?
Master of mainstream disaster
And now that you know, no doubt you've been captured
Caught buy pay attention and we'll let your thougts roam free
The underground liberty
[Oracle]
Though it's hard to manage like scales that are off balance
Ay yo niggas are nuts riding my phallus
They're trying to compare my rap ballads
While they're spittin' hot shit 'cause they toss salad
My people travel upstream like salmon
Got water flows powerful like a firehose
Connect it to your stereo and feel the Water World hysteria take you over
Don't matter if you're drunk or sober
Got you entranced like Indian dancing cobra's
Our melodies are solar so you can see the light
Our only claim is we're the brightest
Don't want to be the nicest lyricist
'Cause thruthfully words are primitive
You get amped when we jump start your party and make you chant
I'll enhance your motion with electric shocks ferocious
It's trance music hypnosis
We're moving crows like water in front of Moses
You're wet before you notice
This workout like Tae-Bo aerobics
With punch lines and drum kicks and all sets get flipped
High and low decibels hit and whole crews get split in half
And no doubht you know the math
[Chorus] (2x)
[Kimani]
You know the way the shit goes money for nothing and the chicks for free
But I swear sometimes when I be watching MTV
I'm catching visions of violence, sit in silence
For 120 minutes before I raised the black flag like Henry Rollins
Calling up to loveline "hello? Wel.."
I got a story to tell to do with they ky-gel
I speared Brittany in the back of a Caddy with 9 inches of meat
Talking on my cell phone to Puff Daddy at the Grammy's
Told him "Put me on the guestlist!"
Got backstage and hung Brandy with a rusty ass necklace
They went back for the street boys, I gut off the street noise
By breaking their necks on the floor like a be -boy
Then destroyed the whole program
Had a vision where the wizard was N'sync and I was Conan
I sliced 5 necks at the stem
Laced the mic with see-4 set to blow when Usher Raymond begin
Then stuck my Tim's in the white flabby ass of Marilyn Manson
Gave him a gat and had him bucking at Hanson
Now I'm phantom like the menace, whole crews get diminished
When I'm screaming out loud like No Limit
Present the best rap performance to me, R&B vocal
Hard rock, classical, and country
They're all mine, I'm sort of like the greatest all time
You're sweating me more then Jennifer Lo's behind
While I'm here player hating on most
Grandiose MC's I be turning your bread to burnt toast
With John Blaze shit the type to amze with
I rap tight like Africans packed up in a slave ship
[Chorus] (2x)
The Masterminds' song "Liberty" describes how the mainstream media influences our thinking, leading to narrow-mindedness, and how the underground community promotes independent thinking and freedom of thought. The chorus calls out for an exploration of our frame of mind and questions who the real master of disaster is. It encourages its listeners to break free from the societal norms that confine our thoughts and to embrace the underground community to experience true liberty.
The first verse by Oracle depicts the challenges of life that we face and how we cope with them. He mentions the power of music and how it can transport us to a realm of freedom where we can express ourselves freely. He then speaks about how his music has the power to move people and how the beats and rhythms of his music can take over the body to create a trance-like state. He also acknowledges that their music isn't meant to be the best, but it's intended to be thought-provoking and encourages independent thinking.
The second verse by Kimani describes the imagery that the mainstream media showcases, mainly violence and sexual objectification. He takes jabs at popular figures in the music industry and how they promote negativity, leading to the decay of our society. He then goes on to describe his artistic vision to change the status quo, taking inspiration from different genres of music and acknowledging his excellence as an artist. The song ends with the chorus, reinforcing the message of promoting independent thinking and striving for true liberty.
Line by Line Meaning
What's our frame of mind?
We want to know what mentality we are in.
Master of mainstream disaster
We are experts at creating chaos in the popular culture.
And now that you know, no doubt you've been captured
Now that you are aware of us, you are under our influence.
Caught buy pay attention and we'll let your thougts roam free
If you pay attention to us, we will liberate your mind.
The underground liberty
We provide freedom of thought to those who follow the underground culture.
A high chance you'll get damaged in this life challenge
Life has a high probability of causing damage.
Though it's hard to manage like scales that are off balance
It can be difficult to balance life's challenges.
Ay yo niggas are nuts riding my phallus
People are foolishly praising me.
They're trying to compare my rap ballads
They are attempting to judge my music.
While they're spittin' hot shit 'cause they toss salad
While they are boasting about their skills.
My people travel upstream like salmon
Our fans go against the mainstream like fish swimming upstream.
Got water flows powerful like a firehose
Our music has a strong impact.
Connect it to your stereo and feel the Water World hysteria take you over
If you listen to our music, it will take control of your emotions.
Don't matter if you're drunk or sober
This music affects you whether you are inebriated or not.
Got you entranced like Indian dancing cobra's
Our music has hypnotic effects on listeners.
Our melodies are solar so you can see the light
Our music has uplifting qualities.
Our only claim is we're the brightest
We only aim to be the best.
Don't want to be the nicest lyricist
Our focus is not on being the most polite or agreeable artists.
'Cause thruthfully words are primitive
Words cannot accurately express everything we wish to convey.
You get amped when we jump start your party and make you chant
Our music energizes and excites listeners.
I'll enhance your motion with electric shocks ferocious
Our music makes you move in a powerful and intense way.
It's trance music hypnosis
Our music has a hypnotic effect on listeners.
We're moving crows like water in front of Moses
We are leading people like Moses led his followers through the Red Sea.
You're wet before you notice
Our music has a strong effect on listeners before they are aware of it.
This workout like Tae-Bo aerobics
Our music is an intense workout for the mind and soul.
With punch lines and drum kicks and all sets get flipped
Our music has powerful lyrics and beats.
High and low decibels hit and whole crews get split in half
Our music has a range of sounds and can have a big impact on groups of people.
And no doubht you know the math
You can't deny the impact our music has on the culture.
You know the way the shit goes money for nothing and the chicks for free
You understand how materialistic our society has become.
But I swear sometimes when I be watching MTV
Watching MTV can make me feel conflicted.
I'm catching visions of violence, sit in silence
I see a lot of violent imagery and it makes me uncomfortable.
For 120 minutes before I raised the black flag like Henry Rollins
I watched MTV for a long time before I became fed up and decided to rebel.
Calling up to loveline 'hello? Wel..'
I called the Loveline radio show to express my concerns.
I got a story to tell to do with they ky-gel
I have something to say about personal lubricant.
I speared Brittany in the back of a Caddy with 9 inches of meat
I made up a graphic story about harming Brittany Spears.
Talking on my cell phone to Puff Daddy at the Grammy's
I was talking to Puff Daddy about my controversial behavior at the Grammy Awards.
Told him 'Put me on the guestlist!'
I wanted to be invited to exclusive events.
Got backstage and hung Brandy with a rusty ass necklace
I imagined committing violence against Brandy.
They went back for the street boys, I gut off the street noise
I ignored the sounds of the street and focused on my own desires.
By breaking their necks on the floor like a be-boy
I imagined hurting people who were breakdancing.
Then destroyed the whole program
I ruined the entire event with my behavior.
Had a vision where the wizard was N'sync and I was Conan
I had a delusional fantasy where I was powerful and famous like Conan the Barbarian.
I sliced 5 necks at the stem
I imagined brutally killing multiple people.
Laced the mic with see-4 set to blow when Usher Raymond begin
I plotted to sabotage Usher Raymond's performance.
Then stuck my Tim's in the white flabby ass of Marilyn Manson
I had a disturbing sexual fantasy about Marilyn Manson.
Gave him a gat and had him bucking at Hanson
I envisioned causing harm to the members of the band Hanson, with the help of Marilyn Manson.
Now I'm phantom like the menace, whole crews get diminished
I am like a menacing ghost, and I destroy entire groups of people.
When I'm screaming out loud like No Limit
My behavior is intense and extreme, like the No Limit record label.
Present the best rap performance to me, R&B vocal
I demand the best performances from rappers and R&B singers.
Hard rock, classical, and country
I believe myself to be the best at all genres of music.
They're all mine, I'm sort of like the greatest all time
I believe I am the greatest musician of all time.
You're sweating me more then Jennifer Lo's behind
You are paying a lot of attention to me.
While I'm here player hating on most
Despite my success, I am envious of other artists.
Grandiose MC's I be turning your bread to burnt toast
I will destroy other MCs who I perceive as being too proud.
With John Blaze shit the type to amze with
I have impressive and exceptional skills.
I rap tight like Africans packed up in a slave ship
My rap skills are tight and intense like the confinement of African slaves on a ship.
[Chorus] (2x)
Our mantra about the freedom of the underground culture.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY HARRIS, BOB MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind