Monday, February 25, 2008

Kalyanji Anandji: Yaarron Ka Yaar (1978)

Another not really very good offering from the Shah brothers. As such, the soundtrack to 'Yaarron Ka Yaar' benefits from its brevity... 'O Mere Lal Mujh Pe' (pretty) and 'O Dekho Mehfil Men' (bouncy) are semi-decent tracks, the rest is forgettable.Track listing:1. Kishore Kumar: Main Yaarron Ka Hoon Yaar2. Mohd. Rafi & Asha Bhosle: Pahli Pahli Baar Mujh Ko3. Asha Bhosle: O Mere Lal Mujh Pe4. Asha

Kalyanji Anandji: Nasbandi (1977)

I once saw this hyped on eBay as a Kalyanji Anandji funk score. Instead of showing the album's front cover (which under the circumstances probably would have been off-putting), the seller opted for the back, featuring a picture of Amitabh Bachchan fronting a bunch of nasty looking bikers. Bids went sky high.Problem is, that even though 'Nasbandi' comes from the pair's arguably funkiest (and best)

Monday, February 18, 2008

Shankar Jaikishan: Awara (1951/1975)

Much as I enjoy Bollywood soundtracks, I don't often find myself wanting to see the films they're taken from. 'Awara' [review] [2] is an exception... looking at some of the YouTube clips, plus this one I found via Parties, Sarees and Melodies (where the album was posted some time ago), I'm really taken in by the art direction and b/w cinematography. So must buy, probably.Anyway, the score:

Monday, February 11, 2008

Rahul Dev Burman: Shaan (1980)

And more. Same composer, same year (same almost-impossible-to-scan-decently cover), similar sound. Much of what I said below goes for 'Shaan' [review] as well... a treasure chest of weird, wild and wonderful sounds (and mixtures thereof); a gold mine for DJs looking for samples. Choice cuts: 'Doston Se Pyar Kiya', a John Barry-esque disco stomper featuring Usha Uthup* in what would have been

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Rahul Dev Burman: Rocky (1980)

Disco-era Burman. As therefore can be expected, there are a million and one things going on in 'Rocky'... RD packs more sounds (and punch) into a single track than others manage during the course of an entire career. 'Aa Dekhen Jara' kicks it off with funky beats, wild percussion, sitars and a shameless steal from Jeff Wayne's 'War Of The Worlds'... a great galloping melody with all sorts of

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Naushad: Mere Mehboob (1963)

Circumstance (and a chronology that only makes sense to me) seems to be dictating quite a few less than great posts at the moment... but as always I take solace in knowing that many enjoy these more than I; the rest of you will have to bare with me. (Burman's up next).Quickly then: Even more Naushad (and I find myself wondering how come I have so many of his), 'Mere Mehboob' is a bit dull I think

Monday, February 4, 2008

Naushad: Dillagi (1949/1978)

Another very old Naushad effort. 'Dillagi' is hardly in my top anything - I don't think the melodies are strong enough - but the general mood is quite nice. As are some of the instrumental details. Best track is the opening 'Too Mera Chand' with its shuffling rhythm, cool piano bits and flute... sounding almost like a (vocal) precursor to the recurring theme on Kalyaniji Anandji's 'Dharmatma'.