Released
1997
Label
Invisible
Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund
Visit
Last Edit/Update
31 March, 1998
Bagman
WRAP
Track Listing
1. Rock 'n' Roll
2. Warp
3. Bosh (Gaijin Mix)
4. Mama
5. Headinabag
6. 1 Time 4 Your Mind (3X)
7. The Last Laugh
The latest volume of Invisible's
Drug Test compilations included a rather excellent demo track by Bagman.
Now Bagman (a.k.a. Lee "The Bastard" of Sheep
On Drugs) has released an album, and unfortunately it does not quite live up to
the promise of the demo. The break-neck, euphoric pace of the percussions and other loops,
used on the seven extended tracks that comprise the album, will undoubtedly score a hit
with the raving dance audience. However, for any sober listener the 50 minutes of
repetitive, high-adrenaline beat box assaults on Wrap, may provoke a mild shrug of
the shoulders, but not much more.
The percussions that play such a
dominant role on this album are not unlike those used by Sheep On Drugs,
but here they are the absolute focal point, and the songs almost totally lack the
whimsical effects and themes that characterize the music of Sheep On Drugs.
Also sorely missed is the presence of a real vocalist. The majority of the tracks on Wrap
do feature either extended samples of female vocals (as on "Bosh" and
"Headinabag"), or the manipulated slogans of Thigamahjiggee ("Rock
'n' Roll," "Warp" and "1 Time 4 Your Mind (3X)"), but neither of
these conventions are adequate substitutes for the clever, tongue-in-cheek vocals that Duncan
provides Sheep On Drugs with.
Naturally, this is not supposed to
be a Sheep On Drugs album, and should not be judged upon the standards
thereof. However, the sound of Bagman is so very obviously half of Sheep
On Drugs that the comparison deserves to be made. For those enamored of Duncan's
contributions to Sheep On Drugs, Bagman's music will
most likely seem incomplete and unfulfilling, while those who find Duncan's wit
and vocals a bit overbearing, but otherwise like the dance aspects of Sheep On
Drugs, will probably find Bagman's tripped-out percussion
excursions more than delightful.
