Monday, November 28, 2011

Ravi: Dharkan (1972)



Here's one from Ravi. Never the most ingenious of music directors, and more often than not I find his scores a bit dull; this soundtrack is however an exception. 'Dharkan' boasts a delightfully wistful lounge track ('Pee Meri Ankhon Se'), a rockin' cabaret number ('Jab Tu Ne Kuchh Na Kiya') much in the vein of Shankar Jaikishan or even early RD Burman, chirpy and catchy accordion pop ('Main To

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Bappi Lahiri: Kamla (1984)

And another. This one's a very different sounding score from what is usually expected from Bappi Lahiri though; there's nothing bombastic or cheesy or even loud to be found on 'Kamla'. Perhaps it was decided that for a film dealing with modern-day domestic slavery, a more subdued tone would be appropriate. To his credit, Bappi pulls it off just fine - it's a soundtrack well worth a few

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Bappi Lahiri: Pasand Apni Apni (1983)

I didn't plan on this one. I had presumptively pegged 'Pasand Apni Apni' as a dime-a-dozen, bland, mid-80s Bappi Lahiri soundtrack not really worth bothering with. And it was Sharon Prabhakar I was looking for YouTube clips of (having rather liked her on 'Qurbani In English) when I came across 'Ding Dong Ding Dong'. It took me by surprise that I couldn't stop playing it; that wasn't supposed to

Friday, October 28, 2011

Rahul Dev Burman: Deewaar (1975)



It shouldn't have come as a surprise to me, but it did. Collecting and listening to Bollywood soundtracks for more than a decade, blogging about them for four years; it wasn't until after I'd completed MFT3F's initial run that I first heard (heard of) what has to be one of RD Burman's greatest songs. Fellow enthusiast and frequent commenter Harshi posted a link to 'I Am Falling In Love' on

Monday, October 24, 2011

Bappi Lahiri: Surakksha (1979)



From what I've heard from those in the know, 'Surakksha' is the soundtrack on which Bappi Lahiri went from merely dabbling in disco to being the first Indian music director to fully embrace it. If that's true, 'Tum Jo Bhi Ho' could well be the first real Bollywood disco anthem. It has all the markings: Heavy beats, Giorgio Moroder-esque electro stylings, disco strings, soaring melody, funky

Friday, September 23, 2011

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Naatak (1974)

A Laxmikant Pyarelal score from 1974 (in addition to 1973, their best year I think) sporting a wonderfully cool cover; I couldn't resist picking this one up. 'Naatak' may not be quite on par with some of their best efforts from the period, but a few songs on the album strike my fancy. 'Zindagi Ek Naatak Hai' (I'm partial to the sad version) is packed with passion and drama, with an enticing intro

Friday, September 16, 2011

Kalyanji Anandji/Biddu: What A Wonder… Feroz Khan's Qurbani In English (1980)



I've never been able to find out whose idea it was to make an English language version of the 'Qurbani' soundtrack, nor the reason for it. Biddu's involvement might have played a part; one can imagine Polydor wanting to capitalize on his reputation and fame in English speaking countries (primarily the UK) by releasing an 'international' version. But if that was the case, it's slightly odd that

Friday, July 15, 2011

Biddu: Star (1982)



The first time I saw Biddu's name on a Bollywood soundtrack, I was somewhat surprised. I had been totally unaware of his career other than that as a very successful UK pop producer; to me he was primarily the man behind Tina Charles, whose 'I Love To Love' was one of the first songs able to entice my younger self onto a school disco dance floor. I don't think I even knew he was Indian. And

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Ravindra Jain: Safed Haathi (1977)



More kid's stuff, this time the score to an Indian children's movie. A rare thing, apparently. 'Safed Haathi' is another LP I picked up (cheaply) out of curiosity more than anything; Ravindra Jain is a music director whose name I've come across quite often, but never previously been tempted to pursue. It's also one of those albums where they've thrown together the songs (and bits of songs),

Lata Mangeshkar: Songs For Children

A while back, I was asked by a reader if I could recommend some Bollywood songs aimed at kids. At the time I couldn't, but being a parent myself, the request did pique my curiosity. I've always had a soft spot for artists who show the youngest segment of their audience their due respect, so when this album turned up I found it hard to resist.And as it turns out, 'Songs For Children' is a great

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Rahul Dev Burman: Mr. Romeo (1973)



Full LP version of a score previously posted as an EP, so some of you might be familiar with some of the songs. Breezy, fun and pretty darn wonderful all the way through; if you're on the lookout for a ready made soundtrack for summer, 'Mr. Romeo' could well be it. I'm particularly fond of 'Isi Shaher Men, Isi Gali Men Magar Yeh Nahin' at the moment.

Track listing:
1. Kishore Kumar, Asha

Friday, June 10, 2011

Rahul Dev Burman: Mukti (1976)

I have on occasion toyed with the idea of putting together a compilation of RD Burman instrumentals. It would, inevitably, be a fantastic collection, and 'Dance Music' from 'Mukti' [review] would be one of its finest tracks.I've played it non-stop since obtaining the soundtrack a few months ago. If Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini and Lalo Schifrin had ever worked together, the result might have

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Kalyanji Anandji: Kasauti (1974)

A Kalyanji Anandji score, mid-70s; chances are it'll be a worthwhile listen. That was my reasoning when deciding to buy 'Kasauti', and I wasn't entirely wrong. Perhaps not one of their top, most memorable soundtracks, but it has a few good songs.There's the playful, rock'n'roll tinged 'Baby Ho Gayi Hain Jawan', with plenty of fun instrumental details if not the strongest of melodies. The same can

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Rahul Dev Burman: The Train (1970) / Charanjit Singh: Instrumental Film Tunes (1973)

   Two oddities this time around: I mentioned earlier why the Gramophone Company of India didn't take kindly to Polydor releasing the soundtrack to 'The Train', and how they responded by putting out an EP of cover versions. Well, here it is. I imagine the release would have seemed redundant and even desperate at the time; the tracks do sound somewhat lacklustre, as if nobody involved really had

Friday, May 6, 2011

Still life on the 3rd floor

OK, so I know I've said that the Third Floor project is completed. And essentially it is. As proven over the last couple of weeks though, there'll still be a bit of activity; additional albums, new comments - it's kind of nice to keep this place alive, kicking, connected. Does that warrant a Facebook page? Yeah, why not… as good a place as any to keep people updated. Might even post the odd

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Bhuvan-Hari: Chhuppa Chhuppi (1981)



This one had been on my radar since I first started getting into Bollywood soundtracks; for some reason it took forever to find. Three tracks (especially) makes it worthwhile: The infectious 'Aa Khelen Chhuppa-Chhuppi' (approx. 6:30 into the clip), 80s Bolly disco that for once has a proper, dance worthy, down and dirty groove; 'Aa Bahon Men Aa', more of the same only with more of a lounge

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sonik Omi: Agent 009 (1980)

I have to confess that what initially drew me to 'Agent 009' was the title and the cover's mod-tinged spy imagery; I'm a sucker for that type of stuff. I was slightly curious as well though, to find out what Sonik Omi sounded like in the 80s, seeing as most of my other albums by them were made nearly 10 years prior. Surprisingly then, perhaps, there hadn't been much of a change. For better or

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Laxmikant Pyarelal: Roti (1974)



A few more soundtracks have come my way since last I posted. 'Roti' [review] had been on my want list for quite a while; I'd forgotten why, but it didn't take many listens to remind me it was all due to the instrumentals. Three of them, and they're excellent. The first is freaked-out blaxploitation music enhanced by wild percussion, the second is a lovely strummed Morricone interlude, harmonica