The Shamen were preceded by Alone Again Or, the Love-inspired name under which they recorded their first singles. After their name change, further singles picked up airplay from John Peel. Released in June 1987, The Shamen's first album Drop illustrated their love of 60s psychedelia, with influences such as Love, Pink Floyd and the 13th Floor Elevators.
By mid-1987, frontman Colin Angus was discovering the sounds of early house music pioneers such as S-Express and M/A/R/R/S and increasing his knowledge of the latest studio gadgetry. By September 1987, the Shamen were applying these techniques to their own music, mixing rock guitars, techno and hip-hop rhythms and sampled radio voices to create the prototype rock-dance sound which was to prove so influential to other indie dance groups like Pop Will Eat Itself, Jesus Jones and EMF. However, the newfound sound proved too radical for co-founder and vocalist Derek McKenzie, who the left the band in late 1987 to study at university. The Shamen were suddenly one crucial player short. Help was at hand in the charismatic form of Will Sinnott (23 December, 1960 - 23 May, 1991), who joined the group in October 1987, on bass and keyboards, freeing up Colin Angus to handle vocal and guitar chores.
Knature of a Girl was the first record by the Shamen to feature Sinnott, but it wasn't until June's Jesus Loves Amerika single that the techno influence began to show. By this stage, Angus and Sinnott had become hooked on the acid house movement taking place in London, and its music and clubs were to exert a massive influence on the pair. Keith McKenzie and Peter Stephenson were less impressed by these new developments, and left the group the following summer, after the January 1989 release of the In Gorbachev We Trust album, which saw the group further enhancing their sound.
Angus and Sinnott relocated to London, allowing them to start afresh, and plunge headfirst into the emerging rave scene. 1989 was to be a busy year. They set out on their legendary Synergy tour, a nightclub experience combined with live music from The Shamen and others and DJing from the likes of Mixmaster Morris. The tour was to last nearly two years. They also released the Phorward mini album, a genre-defining release in the history of the acid house movement.
Their third album, En-Tact, was released in 1990, and it spawned the hit singles Move Any Mountain, Hyperreal and Make It Mine. Also notable was the appearance of rapper and DJ Mr.C (real name Richard West). The transformation into a successful rave act was complete.
In May 1991, The Shamen headed to Tenerife to film a video for Move Any Mountain. On May 23, Sinnott drowned in an accident off coast of La Gomera. However, with the Sinnott family's encouragement, the group decided to continue.
With Mr C now a full member of The Shamen, and Jhelisa Anderson providing guest vocals, the Boss Drum album followed in 1992. The LP featured a noted spoken-word collaboration, Re:Evolution with Terence McKenna, and The Shamen's biggest and most controversial hit: Ebeneezer Goode. Ebeneezer Goode was accused of promoting drug use owing to the refrain "Ezer Goode, Ezer Goode" - homophonic with "E's are good" ("E" being slang for the dance drug ecstasy) - and to double entendre drug references throughout the song. This echoed similar references in previous songs such as Synergy's "M D M A-zing... we are together in ecstasy". Despite - or maybe because of - the subsequent storm of publicity, the song stayed at the top of the UK charts for 4 weeks.
Although the single was a commercial hit, it was considered a 'novelty record' and severely impacted on the 'underground' credibility of the band. Subsequent singles such as Boss Drum and Phorever People were chart hits, but some long term fans believed they paled in comparison to earlier singles.
However, The Shamen's new mainstream popularity enabled them to release an unusually large number of remix singles, EPs, and LPs during the Boss Drum era, including the Face EP, the S.O.S. EP, and the On Air and Different Drum albums. On Air featured a series of popular tracks from En-Tact and Boss Drum as performed live on BBC radio; Different Drum was a remix album containing alternate versions of every track from Boss Drum. The tracks Boss Drum, LSI (Love Sex Intelligence), Phorever People, Ebeneezer Goode, and Re:Evolution were all released as singles in their own right.
Axis Mutatis in 1995, with new vocalist Victoria Wilson James replacing Jhelisa Anderson, did not make as much of an impact. Early special editions of this album featured a bonus disk, Arbor Bona Arbor Mala, a bizarre ambient album. The Shamen continued recording into the late 1990s, releasing two additional LPs with an increasingly experimental bent. Their penultimate studio album, the instrumental Hempton Manor, followed an acrimonious split with their label One Little Indian. It is alleged to have been recorded in seven days to conclude the recording contract with One Little Indian, and the first letter of each track spell out F**k Birket, referring to label founder Derek Birket, who wanted the group to move back into more commercial territory. UV, in 1998, was their last album. UV was released independently and marked a return to form with both modern techno production and classic Shamen song structures. Mr C. has since continued as an inspiring house DJ and become a successful night-club owner.
The Other Side
The Shamen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
about a doctor and a nurse and a cop and hearse
but if its like a rehearsed where the meek get the earth
and the last shall be first i'll be the front of the damn line
its time i find just how i resign go for yours cuz i don't even want mine
elated at being sedated a chillum of sativa and glass of wine
i just try to get mine
on the way down high passed me by and i found that
high is high
try to get higher but high is high
hand in the fire and you don't know why
look him in the eye just look him in the eye and i found that
high is high
good and plenty ripped and munching on some Ramen
on the couch next to me appeared the spirit of a shaman
saying, "the key's to be a monk, not just be a monkey,
pissing away your bliss you're going to be a Bliss Junky"
so i fill her up a chillum and she takes a little hit and says,
"haven't you had enough of this shit,
you're going to huff and puff and blow your mind down"
and i said shut up and keep passing that pipe around
high is high is high is high... and high just passed me by
almost had a bad trip fell down
swimming in the silence drowning in the sound
of the voices in the other side of that curtain i'm certain
it's a bad place i've found
grab it by the horns ride it all around
umbilical cord tied me to the ground
but i took to much and cut it got so high
that i can't come down
The Shamen's song The Other Side is a deep reflection of the singer's state of mind. The first paragraph talks about how the day seems to be getting worse, and how the singer would write a song about a doctor, nurse, cop, and an hearse if things don't get better. However, the singer also talks about how the meek will inherit the earth and how even he could be in front of the line. The singer is resigned to whatever outcome, and he's going after what he wants. He wants to feel elated and guides himself with a chillum of sativa and a glass of wine to try and forget the troubles he's facing.
The chorus starts with the line "smoke so much that I don't know why," indicating the singer's addiction to marijuana. He's high, and the feeling seems to pass him by rather than enhancing his experience. The singer sees high as high and can't seem to differentiate it anymore. His actions demonstrate that he doesn't care about being grounded, which is why he puts his hand in the fire, and we find that high is high.
The second paragraph is a conversation between the singer and the spirit of a shaman who appears beside him on the couch. The shaman advises him to be a monk and not a monkey, which means not to piss away his bliss by being an addict. The shaman shows him the negative side effects of being high all the time and how it can destroy a person's mind. The singer reacts negatively to the shaman's advice and tells her to pass the chillum. The singer then says that high is high, indicating that he doesn't care about the shaman's advice.
Line by Line Meaning
if this day got any worse i'd be dropping a verse
If things don't improve, I'll start complaining about my day through musical expression.
about a doctor and a nurse and a cop and hearse
Lyrically fantasizing about suffering severe enough to warrant medical attention or death.
but if its like a rehearsed where the meek get the earth
Imagining a world that seems predetermined so that the humble inherit wealth and success.
and the last shall be first i'll be the front of the damn line
If it turns out that the meek are rewarded, I want to be among them and lead them.
its time i find just how i resign go for yours cuz i don't even want mine
Feeling like it's time to figure out what I really want in life and make moves to attain it, because I no longer care about what others have.
elated at being sedated a chillum of sativa and glass of wine
Happily enjoying the sensation of being high thanks to smoking a chillum and drinking wine.
i just try to get mine
I focus on trying to find and maintain my own happiness.
smoke so much that i don't know why
Having consumed so much that it's difficult to understand my motives for getting high.
on the way down high passed me by and i found that
As I descend from my high, I realize that the feeling of being high has escaped me.
high is high
Asserting that the sensation of being high is the same, regardless of the substance or method by which it's experienced.
try to get higher but high is high
Attempting to increase the amount or intensity of the high will not produce any additional benefit.
hand in the fire and you don't know why
Suggesting reckless behavior or a lack of control over one's actions while under the influence of drugs.
look him in the eye just look him in the eye and i found that
Observing someone closely reveals certain truths or insights.
good and plenty ripped and munching on some Ramen
Currently high and snacking on Ramen noodles.
on the couch next to me appeared the spirit of a shaman
Experiencing a hallucination or vision of a spiritual figure.
saying, "the key's to be a monk, not just be a monkey,
The spirit advises to seek a more ascetic, spiritual existence rather than remaining focused on material possessions and base desires.
pissing away your bliss you're going to be a Bliss Junky"
Wasting one's potential for spiritual growth by indulging in fleeting pleasures will lead to an addiction to those pleasures and unfulfillment.
so i fill her up a chillum and she takes a little hit and says,
Sharing my pipe of marijuana with the shaman and she responds.
"haven't you had enough of this shit,
The shaman suggests that I may be engaging in excess and urges me to stop.
you're going to huff and puff and blow your mind down"
Continuing to consume drugs in excess will have negative impacts on mental health.
and i said shut up and keep passing that pipe around
Brushing off the shaman's warning and returning to smoking marijuana.
almost had a bad trip fell down
Almost had a negative or frightening experience while hallucinating or getting high.
swimming in the silence drowning in the sound
Feeling overwhelmed by an internal emptiness while being inundated by outside stimuli.
of the voices in the other side of that curtain i'm certain
Hearing indistinct and possibly sinister voices on the other side of a physical or metaphorical barrier.
it's a bad place i've found
The voices or a sense of fear suggest that I've arrived in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.
grab it by the horns ride it all around
Facing fears and challenges head-on and with enthusiasm, rather than shying away.
umbilical cord tied me to the ground
A metaphorical umbilical cord has been cut, allowing me to escape mundane, limiting existence.
but i took to much and cut it got so high
Consuming an excess of drugs resulted in becoming dangerously high.
that i can't come down
Ingesting too much has led to a state in which the person cannot regain sobriety.
Writer(s): Colin Gilbert Angus, Derek John Mckenzie, Peter William Stephenson, Keith Alan Mckenzie
Contributed by Adrian O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rocket Scientist
One of the best songs from their very best - and hard to find - album.
I Love Cyber Goth
Indie Shamen...