Rahul Dev Burman: Anamika (1973)

I reckon I can fit one or two more in before the end of the year... plus I wanted to post a record with a wintery cover, 'tis being the season and all. Although I'm thinking snow might not be very present in many parts of the world where this is being read... matter of fact it's not much present in Oslo at the moment either. But I digress.Ages ago I wrote that 'Chura Liya' from 'Yaadon Ki Baaraat

Shankar Jaikishan: Gumnaam (1965)

Here then, a rather famous one. Featuring of course 'Jan Pahechan Ho', as danced to by Enid over the title credits in 'Ghost World'. It's a wonderful track, one of Shankar Jaikishan's greatest rock'n'roll moments... of which there were quite a few. Nothing wrong with the rest of 'Gumnaam' [trailer] [review] either, although listening to it now for the first time in ages I'm realizing how

Naushad: Andaz (1949/1971)

Bloody December! Nah, Christmas and all that is OK, only it and all it entails in too many respects just takes a lot out of you... hence the long lapses between posts. Got a couple of goodies coming up for the holidays though, but first another oldie.Although, I'm not going to say that much about 'Andaz', (less commentary might have to be the order of the day in busy times), other than it's not

Hemant Kumar: Nagin (1954/1974)

More vintage excellence and another favourite amongst aficionados, scored (mainly) by Hemant Kumar, famous both as a singer and as a composer. As with 'Detective' (below), 'Nagin' is packed with wonderful, exotic sounding songs, most of them performed by Lata Mangeshkar. 'Sun Ri Sakhi', 'Mera Dil Yeh Pukare Aaja', 'Oonchi Oonchi Duniya Ki Diwaren'... great stuff!The biggest highlight though is

Mukul Roy: Detective (1958/1991)

Whatever happened to Mukul Roy? In fact, who the hell was Mukul Roy? Apparently he was famed playback singer Geeta Dutt's brother; it seems he scored only three or four films, all in the mid to late fifties... and that's the sum of what I've been able to find out. Which annoys me a bit, as 'Detective' is one of my favourite Bollywood soundtracks of late, a delectable collection of old school

Rahul Dev Burman: Sholay (1975)

Right... the one that apparently injured some sad sorry sod and consequently (stupidly) had me a bit paranoid a few months ago, the one liable to get me unwanted visits from Indian gangsters. The one Bollywood record everyone's heard of and a lot of people seem to want. So let's get it over with. (Besides, the cover scan's been on the Flickr gallery for ages now, without me having posted the

Kalyanji Anandji: Sachaa Jhutha (1970)

'Sachaa Jhutha' is another Kalyanji Anandji score that's sought after... Asha Bhosle's 'Karle Pyar Karle' being the main selling point I think. It's a decent enough Hindi rock 'n' roll number, but I've heard better. 'Kehdo Kehdo' also has a bit of a beat to it, the second 'Meri Bahenian' is quite bouncy... and that's about it. So an OK but never great album.Side one (tracks 1-3) has dodgy sound

Kalyanji Anandji: Geet (1970)

From the liner notes: "The most memorable musical experience in recent movie history is Ramanand Sagar’s eastman colour 'Geet'. Award winning music maestros Kalyanji Anandji have delved deep down the rich storehouse of Indian musical tradition – both classical and modern, both oriental and occidental – and evolved a musical score of incomparable richness."Be that as it may... this isn't really my

Jaidev: Gharaonda (1978)

Here's a short soundtrack from Jaidev, the neglected man of filmi apparently. Fair enough; 'Gharaonda' is actually the only score I have by him, but it sounds alright to me. There's a nice, mellow feel to the record; best track is arguably the duet 'Do Diwane Shaher Men', but really it's one to be enjoyed as a whole I think.Track listing:1. Bhupinder: Ek Akela Is Shaher Men2. Runa Laila &

Rahul Dev Burman: The Burning Train (1979)

Highly rated, much wanted... and already posted elsewhere, so some will have it already. For the rest of you then...A few things to point out regarding 'The Burning Train': Anyone thinking this is a R.D. Burman mad funk freak out will be disappointed. Because it's not; in fact a lot of the album is traditional... albeit with a modern twist. The one standout track however ('Title Music'), is as

Sonik Omi: Beti (1970)

This one doesn't excite me much either. As has been demonstrated earlier, Sonik Omi were capable of some ace stuff; 'Beti' however I think is a run-of-the-mill job. (And the pressing's rubbish.)There are bits in it that are OK; 'Mere Mehboob' is quite a nice song, and the happy version of 'Aaja Nindiya Suhani' has a, well, happy feel to it (the other version sounds more melancholy than sad)...

Khaiyyaam: Nakhuda (1980)

A quicky: 'Nakhuda' is a collection of pleasant, traditional sounding songs... pretty, but bland. Everything on here's a bit humdrum, forgettable... not for me at all, but there you go. I probably just don't like Khaiyyaam much. The sleeve's alright though.Track listing:1. Mahendra Kapoor & chorus: Sahara Hai Nakhuda2. Lata Mangeshkar & Nitin Mukesh: Haem Tumse Mohabbat Hai3. Mahendra Kapoor,

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Karz (1980)

One that's been requested on a few occasions... good call, as 'Karz' is an excellent Laxmikant Pyarelal offering. Possibly their most dancefloor friendly; disco all around. The anthemic 'Om Shanti Om' starts things off with heavy beats, synth stabs, soaring horns and bits borrowed from Boney M (!); catchy as hell. 'Dard-E-Dil' has a great laid back groove and loads of fun instrumental details, '

Rahul Dev Burman: Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973)

Another fine R.D. Burman score... seems as if he couldn't do anything wrong in 1973. 'Aa Gale Lag Jaa' [review] has a pleasant, quite mellow vibe to it... it's got bounce and all, but not as manic and intensely paced as a lot of his music from the period was.'Tera Mujhse', featuring the then 11-year old Sushma Shreshta (aka Poornima), reminds me of the title track from 'Yaadon Ki Baaraat'. Asha

Music From The Third Floor: Vol. 2

Volume 2. As with the previous one, a summing up of the last 30 or so posts, a CD's worth of stuff I love - representing nothing but my personal taste. Any of you making CD-R comps of the albums you're downloading? In fact, that's not a bad idea... compile alternate samplers, upload them somewhere and post the links to the comments. In the meantime though, enjoy this. (Click the pic for a

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Amar, Akbar, Anthony (1977)

Here's one that's really famous, film and soundtrack both. I once saw a copy of 'Amar, Akbar, Anthony' [review] on eBay go for about US$150... I paid less that 10 in a 2nd hand shop in Rotterdam, and to be honest, I probably could have passed up on it.Because this is another one of those huge hits that seemingly everyone loves but me; I'm just not able to get into it. (Of course, there's always

Salil Chowdhury: Annadata (1971) / Sonik Omi: Ek Khilari Bawan Pattey (1972)

   Let's do some EPs again. Two excellent ones, from music directors I don't usually expect it - which, as so often before, just goes to show you can never be sure what to except from Bollywood records. 'Annadata' is the poppy one, with a great, feel-good 60s vibe. Starts off with a pretty Lata Mangeshkar song, followed by Kishore Kumar's ace 'Guzar Jaye Din'; rock 'n' roll light, chirpy and fun.

Kalyanji Anandji: Bombay 405 Miles (1980)

All out disco from da funk brothers, one that usually commands high prices on eBay. Which mostly has to do with the hugely popular (it was once anyway) 'Na Na Na - Yeh Kya Karne Lage Ho'. Sexy spoken vocals, panting, giggling; a great Blaxploitation-like groove with horns, wah-wah guitars and moogs... this is the Hindi 'Je T'Aime' (or, Hemlata is the Hindi Donna Summer). Silly, funny and steaming

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978)

Bought this ages ago, played it once, didn't think much of it, stored it... I might not have been paying enough attention. Because listening to it now, I'm thinking 'Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki' is quite alright. Most of side one is Lata Mangeshkar, singing the title tune and several variants thereof - pretty, if maybe on the saccharine side in the long run. Side two has more variation; I like the

Sachin Dev Burman: Ishq Par Zor Nahin (1969)

More of the same... 'Ishq Par Zor Nahin' is another S.D. Burman score where credit is due his son (and to be honest, those are my favourite of his). 'Pyar Bhari Ik Baat Chalo' is a typical Pancham track, sounding like 10 different songs in one, and that's just the intro. Asha Bhosle sighs her way in about midway... top stuff! (But why are my favourite tracks from these films never on YouTube?!?)

Sachin Dev Burman: Sharmilee (1971)

It's been ages since I've posted Sachin Dev Burman, so two of his next, both excellent. They're in fact as much Rahul Dev Burman as they are S.D. though; apparently Burman sr. wasn't very fond of the 'modern' sounds increasingly being implemented into Bollywood music, so instead he called on his son to help out when songs in such a vein were required. Which they must have been on 'Sharmilee' [

Annu Malik: Mard (1985)

One for those of you who like Bollywood music as produced in the mid 80s. I don't much, although 'Mard' [review] [2] is far from the worst I've heard. Best track is 'Sun Rubia Tumse Pyar Ho Gaya', cool for it being all over the place, and admittedly 'Will You Marry Me' puts a grin on my face when I hear it – other than that, it's a soundtrack not really for me. Still have to post it though :-)

Kalyanji Anandji: Black Mail (1973)

So, back. At last. I'll gradually be re-uploading previous albums – in batches probably – if any of you have specific titles you want sooner rather than later, then drop me a line. (You'll notice unavailable titles have download links with strike-throughs, available ones don't).As you all know I was going to post 'Sholay' at this point - but for several reasons (last month's mess being one, the

This just in

Some of you may have noticed the following comment to my previous post, submitted by a certain 'whoever injured':IPRS warning------ IPRS,EMI and Polydor from all around the world is now on the way of tracking this page and all the pages linked from this site.you have made loss of crores of money for us by publishing music from our copyrighted materials free to the world.Without mentioning our

Sholay is coming...

... it's just going to take a few weeks. See, the real world (day job, moving house, running a record label, family) has had its grip on me lately, and will continue to for a little while longer, leaving little time for posting Bolly soundtracks. So consider this a summer break (it's been raining for a fortnight here incidently... bah!), and Music From The Third Floor will be back with a

Rahul Dev Burman: Joshila (1973)

I like 'Joshila'. Again, this is one where I was told not to expect much, it's a minor work etc... but for crying out loud, listen to 'Sona Roopa Layo Re' and tell me this isn't prime cut R.D. Burman. Crazy moogs, Asha, a groovy beat... it's ace. So is 'Kaanp Rahi Main', starting off with a scream (usually a good sign), nice and jazzy, shuffling along, sometimes cool, sometimes manic... nothing

Shankar Jaikishan: Duniya (1968)

More Shankar Jaikishan; 'Duniya' is another pleasant score with a good feel throughout. 'Duniya Isi Ka Naam Hai' is a nice opening track, 'Jawan Tum Ho' is upbeat and fun, 'Yeh Dharti Hindustan Ki' has a cool old-world oriental vibe and is probably the album's highlight... ultimately though, there's nothing really memorable on this particular effort. But do check it out for yourselves.Track

Shankar Jaikishan: Arzoo (1966)

A nice effort from Shankar Jaikishan, 'Arzoo' has several tracks to commend it. 'Bedardi Balma Tujh Ko' is a beautiful Lata Mangeshkar number, very atmospheric, 'Jab Ishq Kahin Ho Jata Hai' has some cool rock 'n' roll/Hindi mash-ups in the second half (and is good in the first as well), and 'Ai Phoolon Ki Rani' and 'Aji Ruth Kar Ab Kahan Jaiyega' (Lata's version preferably) are both lovely,

Bappi Lahiri: Jaan-e-Bahaar (1978)

Another short one, another good one. This is Bappi Lahiri from before he went all disco, ie. before I lose interest in him... not that I don't like disco, I do a lot, just not his take on it. Anyway, good grooves a-plenty on 'Jaan-e-Bahaar', highlighted by the jazzy, cool (if not necessarily very original, but that's Bappi in a nutshell) 'O Go Piya', plus 'Main Hoon Rahi Mastana', fun and chirpy

Kalyanji Anandji: Don (1978)

A quintessential Bollywood action flic, 'Don' [review] [2] comes with a pretty fine soundtrack to boot, if for no other reason than that it has the ace 'Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana' on it, sung by Asha Bhosle and immortalized on screen by the inimitable Helen. 'Jis Ka Mujhe Tha Intezar' is good as well, a nice slab of Hindi pop with a Pete Townshend-ish guitar intro. The remaining tracks I can

Nisar Bazmi: Naag Muni / A. Hamid: Dosti (1972)

An anomaly... being Pakistani (ie. Lollywood) this two-fer doesn't really belong here, but I quite like it and it was given me by a friend along with a bunch of Hindi albums, so I'm posting it anyway.Neither 'Naag Muni' nor 'Dosti' ring bells with me, and I have no idea about the respective music directors... Noor Jehan however, who's on almost every track, is quite famous. In addition to acting,

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Kranti (1980)

Same music directors, same year, similar (?) title... I was kind of hoping this one would be cool though, what with a bloodied axe wielding bloke and phallic cannon on the cover... but nah, I don't really fancy 'Kranti' much. 'Chana Jor Garam' is almost OK (I have a soft spot for accordions), and there's a wicked drums and screaming trumpets intro on 'Ab Ke Baras' that I'd love to hear sampled (

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Krodhi (1980)

Next up, a couple of Laxmikant Pyarelal scores that, to be honest, aren't that interesting. (What, again?) Well, 'Krodhi' is moderately OK I suppose; I'm at least appreciating the album slightly more now than I initially did. Still lots of things I don't like about it, but one I do: The mini epic 'Woh Masiha Aaya Hai' has a fair bit of good stuff contained within its 10 minutes - an atmospheric

Kalyanji Anandji: Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

(Been a while since the last post, sorry about that. They're going to be slightly less frequent than they have been over the next couple of months though - I've just bought a new flat and am in the process of selling my old one; that and the whole business of moving is a time consuming affair. Still, I'll try to get an album up every 7 to 10 days or so - but don't go too hard on me should there

Rahul Dev Burman: Mehbooba (1976)

More Burman, but of a different sort. This one's all traditional, devoid of electric guitars, moogs, beats and cabaret numbers. It's still quite trippy though, so in a way I sort of like it - I can get into the atmospheric 'Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon', some of the cool instrumental breaks in 'Gori Tori Paijaniyan', the mood of 'Parpat Ke Peechhe' - but I can't decide if the melodies on this album

Rahul Dev Burman: Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971)

The one everyone wanted a while back, 'Haré Rama Haré Krishna' [review], from a film about the dangers of introducing drugs and general hippieness into Indian culture. Yeah. The soundtrack's main claim to fame is obviously the ubiquitous 'Dum Maro Dum', deservedly so as it's an amazing song. (Check out the less known version that is track 1 btw, harder and funkier than the commonly heard one that

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Loafer (1972)

'Loafer' then, by request. It's one of those albums people kept telling me was highly sought after... I don't know, I didn't have any trouble finding a copy. Oh well, no matter. More importantly, is it any good? I think so. Several nice songs (the percussion heavy 'Main Tere Ishq Men', 'Koi Shahri Babu' with a great string arrangment, the very cool 'Motiyon Ki Lari Hoon Main') and one awesome one

Kalyanji Anandji: Karmayogi (1978)

'Karmayogi' is one that came highly recommended back when I bought it (might have been just the seller though come to think of it...) and, well, while it is quite good in places, it's a minor work. The undeniable highlight for me is 'Aaiye Huzoor', with the other Asha Bhosle solo number rather nice as well... the rest of the album is a bit forgettable.A word of warning: Tracks 2 and 3 have

Back online :-)

Well! Didn't see that coming, getting back from a short holiday and for once things have actually been fixed and not just screwed up while I'm away... makes for a nice change :-)Yup, seems the whole things was an Easy-Share glitch or something, I think they're all back online now (let me know though if you notice any that aren't). And hopefully they'll stay that way! Got some catching up to do at

Setback

It seems that a whole bunch (if not all) of my files have been deleted from Easy-Share. This may be due to EMI or someone having taken offence, in which case the blog is fucked... I have neither the legal know-how nor the willpower to enter into any dispute with corporate powers.However, seeing as the deletions have come out of the blue, with no representatives of possible copyright owners having

Rahul Dev Burman: Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977)

In which R.D. Burman goes mental. 'Hum Kisise Kum Naheen' [review] is where he throws in everything and the kitchen sink... chase-funk, sweet pop, weird keyboards, shouting, stabbing horns, rock 'n' roll guitars, a cheeky rip-off from Abba's 'Mamma Mia'... and that's just the 10-minute medley that starts the album off. Elsewhere there's 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' with its Hammond (I think) organ and

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Amar Deep (1979)

An OK score from Laxmikant Pyarelal. The songs on 'Amar Deep' don't rock my boat all that much, with the possible exception of 'Dunia Hai Bewafai' which is quite good... it has a nice funky pop flavour to it. Elsewhere, there are cool details (good for sampling perhaps), like the 'Psycho' strings and acoustic guitar on the intro of 'Koi Na Tere' plus a bit of heavy percussion, the (somewhat

Kalyanji Anandji: Bairaag (1976)

'Bairaag'; a mid-seventies effort from Kalyanji Anandji... half of which won't be of much interest to non-Hindi speakers as it's all dialogue. The other half though, should be; it's all very good music. Three highlights on it for me: 'O Shankar Mere Kab Honge Darshan Tere (Part II)', traditional but with a kind of manic urgency that I love; 'Peete Peete Kabhi Kabhi Yun Jaam' which is nice and

Salil Chowdhury: Mere Bhaiya / Usha Khanna: Honeymoon (1972)

This one came out of left field: Neither Salil Chowdhury nor Usha Khanna have ever struck me as the most exciting of Bollywood composers (although rumour has it that the latter made some good ones); then I stumbled over this two-fer real cheap, figured I'd have a listen... and guess what? It's excellent! It's an unassuming sleeve (unassuming? downright awful more like it), but inside lie a couple

Rahul Dev Burman: Aap Ki Kasam (1973)

Here's one I think is ace: It's hard to define though, just why I like 'Aap Ki Kasam' a lot, and not 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' (below) so much... maybe it's just a subjective thing, how you respond differently to different music. Or perhaps it's the quality of the songs?Because on this, they're top notch: 'Suno Kaho, Suna Kaha' has a great melody, chirpy as spring, sounds like it could have been on '

Rahul Dev Burman: Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972)

"Mind melting jazzy psych-ish soundtrack by Burman"... is how 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' was once described on eBay. I'm not sure I get it though... I've played this a number of times, and apart from 'Kitne Sapne Kitne Arman' which I think is pretty cool, it's a soundtrack that fails to ignite me. I mean, it's not bad (hey, it's Burman after all), it just never really seems to get beyond OK. A few nice

Khaiyyaam: Kabhi Kabhie (1975)

Getting back to regular posts though, here's 'Kabhi Kabhie' - a massively popular soundtrack from a most successful film. Hauntingly beautiful songs, exquisite arrangements, soulful lyrics, one of music director Khaiyyaam's finest achievements, a Bollywood masterpiece! Or so everyone seems to be saying. Me on the other hand (seldom willing to concede to popular opinion), I find this album very

Music From The Third Floor: Vol. 1

Taking stock, some 30 albums down the road... quite a bit of good stuff has been posted I think, some bloody marvelous in fact, and of course some not so good. So partly for my own sake, and partly because someone asked me to, I've compiled a best of/sampler kind of thing; 75 minutes worth of my favourites so far, totally subjective, making no pretence at being representative of anything other

C. Ramchandra: Azad (1955/1978)

Another one, the last 50s soundtrack for the moment, here's 'Azad', scored by one Nahar Chitalkar (C.) Ramchandra. Several good tracks to be found; I'm really fond of the ones sung by 2 x Mangeshkar sisters, especially the joyous 'Aplam Chaplam'. And for those who think Western influences was something they first introduced to Hindi film music in the 60s (I used to), listen to the pretty 'Jari

Naushad: Deedar (1951/1975)

More of the same. The songs on Naushad's 'Deedar' aren't quite as memorable as on some of his more famous scores... but still, a pleasant enough soundtrack, recorded in the early 50s. 'Bachpan Ke Din' and 'Le Ja Meri Duaen' are my favourites from this I think.Track listing:1. Lata Mangeshkar & Shamshad Begum: Bachpan Ke Din2. Mohd. Rafi: Hue Ham Jinke Liye Barbad3. Shamshad Begum: Chaman Men Rah

Chitragupta: Bhabhi (1957/1978)

A change of era, and a change of pace... I've seldom consciously searched for Bollywood soundtracks from before the introduction of (modern) Western elements - mainly because it's the resulting mix of that which appeals to me most - but sometimes sellers were willing to throw some in for a buck or two a piece, and I was usually game. Of which I'm glad, because there really is some good stuff to

Rahul Dev Burman: Adhikar (1971) / Rani Mera Nam (1972)

   By popular demand (well, one request); a couple of R.D. Burman EPs. 'Adhikar' has a quite good beat-tinged number in 'Fashion Ki Diwani', with the remaining tracks more traditional - nice but nothing spectacular. 'Rani Mera Nam' - the film something of a rarity I think, looking like the sort of sleazy exploitation flick I'd probably love to see - is more pleasing. 'Andhera' is the highlight; a

Shankar Jaikishan: Tumse Achha Kaun Hai (1969/1978)

Moving backwards in time again, here's a great Shankar Jaikishan score. 'Tumse Achha Kaun Hai' [review] (1969; soundtrack first released in 1978 though) is an album of two halves - side 1 all sweetness and light, gorgeous melodies, check out 'Janam Janam Ka Saath Hai' and the delightful 'Rangat Teri Surat Si' - and full on Masala Beat when flipping the record over... if you like 'Jan Pahechan Ho'

Pictures!

I've decided it would be nice to make a gallery of sorts, collecting all the (lovely) album covers I'm posting in one place... so I've set up a Flickr page in order to display them. What you'll find there at any given time, are the albums currently on the blog... in the order they're being posted, but also as sets where they'll be listed chronologically by composer. And as an added bonus, in the

Ilaiyaraaja: Sadma (1983)

The last of this 80s batch is by Ilaiyaraaja, whom I know very little about. I'd like to find out though, because if the two stand-out tracks on 'Sadma' are anything to go by, his stuff is something worth checking out. 'Yeh Hawa Yey Fiza' has a beautiful acoustic guitar and flute intro, followed by wordless vocals one could easily imagine Edda dell’Orso doing had this been an Italian soundtrack,

Bappi Lahiri: Kasam Paida Karnewale Ki (1984)

Bappi Lahiri: Very popular among DJ-types a while back, possibly he still is... me, I'm not a big fan. Most of what I've heard is dull, tacky to the extreme, his songs often bland rip-offs from other people's hits. It's with good reason he's referred to as 'The King of Copy'. Some of his soundtracks used to fetch ridiculous sums on eBay; 'Gun Master G-9 Surakksha', 'Jyoti' and 'Disco Dancer' to

Rahul Dev Burman: Saagar (1984)

A trio of soundtracks from the mid-80s coming up, beginning with the most recent R.D. Burman album I own. Apparently 'Saagar' is considered something of a classic... I wouldn't go that far. It contains a few half decent tracks along with at least one that makes me cringe a bit... but what does makes it worthwhile is the wonderful, seductively sexy (check the video for visual proof) 'Jaane Do Naa'

Sachin Dev Burman: Abhimaan (1973)

'Abhimaan', a moderately charming Burman Sr. score. The songs are quite pretty and pleasant I guess, 'Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka' probably the best one, but it's not an album I'm able to get very excited about. Hope some of you like it though.Track listing:1. Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar: Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina2. Kishore Kumar: Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka3. Lata Mangeshkar: Ab To Hai Tum Se4.

Kalyanji Anandji: Johny Mera Naam (1970)

Super cool modish cover art, a great 'Title Music', two nice (if unspectacular) duets in 'O Mere Raja' and 'Pal Bhar Ke Liye', the atmospheric 'Babul Pyare', the loungy 'Husn Ke Lakhon Rang'... 'Johny Mera Naam' never used to be among my favourite Bollywood soundtracks, but after listening to it now I think it might be growing on me.Track listing:1. Title Music2. Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle: O

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Anita (1967)

A while back I promised to post a decent Laxmikant Pyarelal album; here's one that is such and more so. Technically this isn't my record as I bought it for and gave it to my girlfriend (guess what her name is), but she wasn't really into it so it ended up in my box - she doesn't mind though. Anyway, 'Anita'; a horror film I think, with a soundtrack to match. Lots of atmospheric things going on

Rahul Dev Burman: Ghar (1977)

A lovely R.D. Burman score... highlighted, for me anyway, by the sublime bossa-tinged 'Tere Bina Jiya' and the dreamy (trippy almost) 'Aaj Kal Paon', both sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Can't really knock the remaining tracks either, it's an excellent album throughout. At a time when Burman was putting out one madcap, funked-up extravaganza after another, 'Ghar' was a decidedly different, much more

Rahul Dev Burman: Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973)

My first copy of this was one of the Bollywood LPs I paid most for, 40-50 bucks some years back from an eBayer who graded it EX, both disc and cover. What I got was a record sounding like an amplified bowl of fresh Rice Crispies, in 12" split seams. Fuck! So back on the hunt then, fully expecting to have to shell out a minor fortune for one that actually sounded good... then whaddya know, up

I'm still still here...

Hahahaha... here I was thinking noone had been commenting the last couple of weeks (boooo!), turns out I'd switched the moderator thing on and hadn't been paying attention... aahhh, so many laying in wait, glad to see you're all still aboard :-) And sorry for my laxness in posting - been away, been playing at running a record label (shameless self plug) - regular services will resume very shortly

Naushad: Saathi (1969)

Naushad belongs to the old school of Indian music directors, widely recognized as one of the greatest, composing scores to a number of major Bollywood classics such as 'Mother India' (1957) and 'Mughal-e-Azam' (1960). I'm not sure if 'Saathi' is considered a classic; the soundtrack is certainly one though. Not in the usual as-perceived-by-hip-western-listeners sense, all beats and funk and rock '

Sonik Omi: Sawan Bhadon (1970)

A break from the usual suspects; here's one by Jaidev Sonik and Om Prakash Sharma (Omi), a composing duo I know very little about. The soundtrack to 'Sawan Bhadon' [2] was very much in demand a while back, primarily because of Burman-esque (and excellent) 'Ankhen Meri Maikhana'. The other tracks don't do that much for me... they're OK (I quite like 'Mera Nan Ghabrae), but pale a bit in comparison

I'm still here...

Just been stupidly busy lately... day jobs, bah! Anyway, expect a couple of new LPs up before or at the weekend (and then another 10 day break as I'll be away, zigzagging around Germany for a bit).Just so that none of you think I've given up already :-)

Rahul Dev Burman: Darling Darling (1976)

Yeah, I've been misled by cover artwork before, but one look at this and I knew 'Darling Darling' had to be fun. Which it is. The great feel-good title track, both versions of 'Woh Aurat Hai', 'Raat Gai, Baat Gai'... I've seen this described as a lesser Burman soundtrack... there's none of the typical/topical funk or disco elements on it, but I don't care, I think it's grand.Track listing:1.

Kalyanji Anandji: Upaasna (1971/1975)

'Meri Jawani' from 'Upaasna' was the very first Bollywood song I took notice of. It was being played at a club somewhere, and I subsequently did something I otherwise never do (far too self-conscious), namely ask the DJ what it was. Thus possibly planting the seeds for my interest in the genre. It's an outstanding track, from the 4-minute multi-layered intro (bossa nova, cool jazz, wild

Rahul Dev Burman: Shalimar (1978)

The one everybody wants, or did anyway. And while I personally think Burman has done better, 'Shalimar' is pretty good. A lot of you will have heard stuff from it before, on compilations or elsewhere, like the 'Title Music' and 'Baby Let's Dance Together'. Both great. So is 'One Two Cha Cha Cha' (sung by Usha Uthup aka Usha Iyer), funky and tacky at the same time with its steal from KC & The

Kalyanji Anandji/Biddu: Qurbani (1979)

It took me a while to get into 'Qurbani', it's just sooo cheesy. But in a good way I finally decided. Its claim to fame is usually the infuriatingly infectious dancefloor number 'Aap Jaisa Koi', written by Biddu. If you find it reminiscent of the old Tina Charles nugget 'Dance Little Lady', it's because he was the guy behind it. (He also made 'Kung Fu Fighting'.) There's more though: 'Laila O

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Koi Jeeta Koi Haara (1976)

'Koi Jeeta Koi Haara', the last not so very good one (for now). 'Au Baba Shaadi Too' and 'Ban Gayi Baat Baton Men' are the (minor) highlights on this. I promise the next Laxmikant Pyarelal album I post will be one of their classics. Coming up shortly though, before you all bail out on me, a couple of killer Burmans and Kalyanji Anandjis. (But do let me know if you in fact enjoy these, in my

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Khazana (1978)

Cheesy music in a cheesy cover. 'Khazana' is short (it's a 45 RPM mini-album; several soundtracks from that period were) and sweet. Well, kind of. 'Ham Tabiyat Ke Bade Rangin Hain' is the sort of stupidly catchy number that gets in your head (and on your wick) given enough listens. 'Khazane Ki Chabi Mere Paas Hai' has a great dramatic intro and could've been a contender, there are some cools

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Apnapan (1977)

A trio of Laxmikant Pyarelal scores for you, none of them very spectacular... but that's part of the project. First up, 'Apnapan', containing 'Somwar Ko Ham Mile' which I think is quite nice, and five tracks that really don't do anything for me. Still, they might be worthwhile to anyone into the more traditional song oriented aspect of Bollywood music.Track listing:1. Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore

Kalyanji Anandji: Upkar (1967)

Here's a rather good one. Kalyanji Anandji's 'Upkar' was one of the duo's first scores that incorporated Western elements, especially on the awesome 10-minute long 'Gulabi Raat Gulabi'. It starts off with a jazzy rock 'n' roll beat, turns into a haunting piece of exotica midway, ending up all epic sounding with sound effects and everything. Great stuff! 'Mere Desh Ki Dharati' is also excellent I

Sachin Dev Burman: Anuraag (1972)

Another one where the cover had me fooled; wasn't expecting much of this. Silly of course, because S.D. Burman (R.D.'s father) had a number of great scores to his credit, mostly traditional sounding, but a lot of them really lovely. 'Anuraag' is one of those. Check out the three Lata Mangeshkar tracks, 'Mera Raja Beta Boojhe Ek Paheli' in particular which is very pretty.Track listing:1. Mohd.

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Do Raaste (1970)

Not really what I had expected. With its cool mod-tinged cover art, I had imagined 'Do Raaste' would contain a bit of jazz or Hindi rock 'n' roll à la Burman or something... but it doesn't. Oh, there are some minor traces on the title track, and even a nice psychedelic intro on 'Yeh Reshmi Zulfen'... other than that though, everything here sounds very traditional. Which isn't necessarily a bad

Rahul Dev Burman: Abhilasha (1968)

A minor R.D. Burman score... but even minor R.D. Burman scores often had at least some good stuff on them. The charming 'Pyra Hua Hai Jabse' for example is more than enough for 'Abhilasha' to be a keeper. The slightly Latin-flavoured 'Wadiyan Mera Daman' is also quite nice, as are the instrumental breaks on 'Ek Janib Shamme Mahfil'.Track listing:1. Mohd. Rafi: Wadiyan Mera Daman2. Asha Bhosle:

Kalyanji Anandji: Dharmatma (1975)

Right, I mentioned the famed funky soundtracks of Kalyanji Anandji earlier; 'Dharmatma' is one of their best (and certainly in my Bollywood top 10 list). Unlike most Hindi film albums where the focus is on songs, this one has loads of great instrumentals. Several ace versions of the 'El Condor Pasa'-inspired theme tune, the more traditional sounding 'Pathani Dance Music', and best of the lot, the