The Unheard Years : Raja in the mid 90s

[jmahesh]

Song No: 3
Song: Vidiyum Neram
Film: Sethupathi IPS
Singers: Sunanda and Chorus
Link : http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR3312'&lang=en

I dont have any idea of the singer Sunanda mentioned in thiraipaadal. In some places her pronunciation is reminiscent of Chitra.

This is a standard inspirational song. Raja would do more such songs and revolutionary songs going forward. In this song I would like to make another observation. If you observe the Raja of 80s, along with the restlessness, Raja also had a penchant for breaking a genre and making it his own. What I mean is that there would be a flight of violins in the WCM mode and suddenly a folk flute would enter, breaking the genre. The overall effect would be quite organic and this was the sort of signature we had come to expect. In the 90s, maybe after the symphony, my feeling is that Raja put his own signature on the piece while still being within the genre. He probably did not want to make the change obvious. Follow the first interlude in this song. The whole of the first interlude is in classic WCM style. He takes the main melody and builds the harmony around it in the interlude. There are no 'interruptions' or 'sudden eruptions'. Overall the mood is exactly as that of the song and the grammar of WCM is being maintained I think. Even then, you can hear the unmistakable mark of Raja on the interlude. This is how he would build the BGM in later days. (The recent ASK and SreeRamaRajyam are examples).

The song is a chorus delight as well. This song wouldn't have the same effect without the vocal harmony that runs throughout the song. It is very difficult to find such songs where the vocal harmony is done so well. The second interlude is more a 'Raja' interlude. Here while maintaining the WCM orchestration, he brings the flute in to give us the Indian music feel briefly. You can see the sort of effort that has gone into this song.

Overall for me a terrific song whose existence I did not know of until recently. The 'Sathu Nada Sathu' from this movie was quite famous.

I am reading this thread only now , most of my friends had stopped listening to IRs songs by this time , I was still recording IRs songs on cassette in Adayar in a shop opposite Adayar bus stand .I have lost some of these tapes now ,reading your thread is like going thru those cassettes once again.
Sunanda has sung some nice songs for IR
Anandam pongida from siraiparavai
Kadhal mayakkam from pudhumaipenn
poomudithu pottu vaitha from en purushanthann
Shenbagame from enga ooru pattukaaran
Amma Amma aaruyire in uzhaipali
I think there was sunanda version of chinna kanmanikulle in paatu padava in the cassette

[PARAMASHIVAN]

. I think you mistook it to be the SPB thread. Will be good if you check the thread title before you bang your head.

Suresh sir

I have read the title, and I know it is not SPB+IR thread, it is just that some of the posts by various members said "Mano has done a decent job" . This was the trigger for my post. :) Nothing else. Continue your good work :thumbsup:

[San_K]

I bought the original CD, thappu thappu, Cassette of Paattu paadava when it was released. I liked 1) Vazhi vidu 2) Nil Nil 3) Poonkatrile 4) Chinna kanmanikkule in that order and still the same. It was promoted like IR's come back at that time and they even announced some contest among cassetes buyers (I vaguely remember) but film was utter flop. I think it is KR (not IR son) production

update: Vazhi vidu song added :)

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Chinna kanmanikkule in that order and still the same. probably the best song of the Album, IIRC this film had Rehman, Lavnya and SPB right ?

[jmahesh]

"முன்னம் செய்த தவம்" - வந்த காலங்களிலேயே கேசட்டில் பதிவு செய்து பல முறை கேட்டப் பாடல். குரல்களைப் பொறுத்தவரை இருபுறத்திலும் இரு பெரிய ஆளுமைகள். ஜானகியின் நாதம் ஒரு பெருமழையை போல. நாதஸ்வரம் போல. பாலுவின் குரலையை அது தன்னுள் முழுங்கி விடுகிறது. பாடலின் அமைப்பைப் பொறுத்தவரை ராஜா ஜானகியை சுதந்திரமாக பாடச் சொல்லி, பாலுவை அடங்கிப் போகச் சொன்னதாகவே ஒரு பிரமையை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது. எனது சகோதரி ஒருவரின் திருமண வீடியோ பதிவிற்கு பாடல்களை வீட்டில் எல்லோரும் கலந்து தேர்வு செய்தபோது இந்தப் பாடலை எல்லோரும் ஒரு மனதாக தேர்வு செய்தோம்.
Venkkiram , I had this song in my collection recorded in a cassette and I had also suggested this song for my friend's wedding video along with maharajanodu rani vandu serum & enna varam vendum

[jmahesh]

Song No: 23
Song: Therke Veesum
Film: Kolangal
Singers: Lekha(?), Arunmozhi
Lyrics: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR1713'&lang=en



We start 1995 with a song which was requested by two people, Aakarsh and skr. It took quite some time for me to discover 'Kolangal' album. The one song which used to be played often on TV used to be 'oru kootil kogilam rendu'. The picturization of that song was almost midnight masala style with Jayaram and Kushbu rolling over each other in the beach. In youtube you will find the song under 'Tamil Song Hot' category. (That song was requested by Rajesh. Since I felt this song was more rare, I have put this up. We will put up 'oru kootil' later.)

'therke veesum' has a vintage feel to it. Raja uses these vintage style melodies in three cases, as far as I can see. One, when he wants to do some parody. Think 'madana moha roopa sundari'. Second is when he has to evoke a bygone era like in Nayagan's 'nee sirithal deepavali' or 'janavu le' in Aditya 365. The third is when he uses it like any other melody. I have not seen the picturisation of this song but somehow feel this falls in the third category. (The recent 'aaro padunnu dhoori' will also fall in this category.)

I am not surprised that Aakarsh and skr who heard this recently were so impressed by this number. The strum of the guitar initially and then the keyboard casually evoke an earlier era. The pallavi leaves you in no doubt about it. The melody is super soft and Lekha(?) adds even more tenderness to it. Arunmozhi is his usual self. The first interlude has a lovely WCM section and just when you think it will go the WCM way completely, Raja brings in the flute to get the mood of the melody back. The second interlude has some nice guitar and keyboard work with the flute entering again to get us flowing into the melody. The charanams have some superb guitar strumming as backing. Looks like an acoustic guitar and the bass guitar. They provide most of the rhythmic backing. The whole song is built superbly.

It is indeed a great pity that the songs of 'Kolangal' did not become more popular. Most of the songs are top class. As I had said earlier, such was the Rahman effect that many of us, though we were staying in TN those days, did not bother to buy the tapes of such movies and listen to it. Undoubtedly, the loss is ours.

Very lovely melody , hearing it for the first time , sirukootil was in my collection ( luckily haven't watched the video)
Thank you for your hardwork especially for the time you have to spend in doing all this

[jmahesh]

Suresh Therke veesum is very good song. I had 'Kolangal' cassete (not the original :)) and used to listen all songs. I see same pattern in some kolangal songs and ilaiyaraagam songs both came around same period.

Therke veesum reminds me of thendralathu unnidathil . i have no idea of raagas, is there any similarity?

[jaiganes]

How come I never listened to this song before :banghead:

what a stunning composition! This composition too is very complex. Not at all straight. Look at those interludes! And there is a small transition between end of pallavi and 1st interlude... a techno-grunge kind of twist there, before WCM takes over! and who on earth takes over charanam in that scale given the way the song was progressing! (Suresh - the charanam begins almost like the charanam of Maate Mantramu/kaadhal oviyum - i guess thats the de ja vu you felt).

I was listening to Kaatre Konjum till now but now this song is likely to push that out of my system! Only Raaja can format our systems clean and replace with raaja's music!
Best picturised song of the movie.. has the heroini Lavanya (former Ms.Matras) jogging in roads of ooty and some beach (endha oor pa adhu?). Nice camera work by B.R.V who is also the diratakkar of the movie.. (BTW if annan destroyed wet eye epics, thangachi did in 'come for singing').

[jaiganes]

Nil Nil Nil has been my favourite but now, its a dwarf compared to Poonkaatrile! Nil Nil Nil does what we know Ilaiyaraaja is capable of doing. Poonkatrile does what we cant imagine :-) This song is World Music!

This is the "instant reflexive appreciation syndrome" we music lovers have.. It is the sudden head rush of discovering something that we werent looking for.. Let it settle down and then it will become clear that Nil nil nil is a unique instrumentation of synth + sitthaar + plus 2 great singers and 1 good singer.. it has so many things going for it saar.

Poonkaatrile is a bireeji melody that Raaja has been giving since the "paruvame" days.. the light synth dominated orch is new for 90s Raaja though.

[Sureshs65]

Aakarsh,

Yes, I had the same feeling as to how I missed this song all these years. But since that happens with lot of Raja songs I continued as usual :D

jmahesh,

Welcome and thanks for the comments. Good to see you are a tape collector. I am also one and unfortunately did not collected a lot during that period

VG,

Yes, as Jai also mentioned here, the brother spoiled one epic and sister spoiled another. Both the albums are superb. Unfortunate that both the movies had to be utter flop. As San_K says this movie was probably seen as a 'return of Raja' kind of thing but nothing like that unfortunately happened.

[Sureshs65]

(BTW if annan destroyed wet eye epics, thangachi did in 'come for singing').

:lol: Raja is the original Karnan. He just gives whatever he has in front of him when people ask. Doesn't worry whether they are worth it or not.

[Sureshs65]

app,

Maybe the breeziness in the song reminds you of Rahman's work but the construction is typical non-Rahman. During that era Rahman's songs did not have such complex structures I think.

Jai,

I still find it difficult to zoom in on any one song of 'Paatu Paadava' as THE best. 'Nil Nil Nil' is superb and 'Vazhi Vidu Vazhi Vidu' is superb, especially the Raja part.

Param,

Not sure who the actors were. Someone like Jai can help.

[V_S]

Thanks a lot Suresh ji for bringing forward and highlightling Poongkaatrile and Paattu Paadavaa. :clap: Very memorable album, every composition is divine. That was the first time I felt very sad about Raja. While everyone were busy listening to Mukkabla, pEttai rap, kuchi kuchi rakkamma, Maestro was silently producing this magic and disappearing. No one even cared to listened to this and I was stunned by the sudden change in environment. We will feel the mystic vibration in us when we listen to PoongkaatrilE. So very mild, so very pleasant, no hush-hush and what a blinder of a tune!. The flute which takes off when Chitra ends the pallavi is something which is beyond words. I was literally screaming inside as 'nandri ketta makkA'. :lol: Good that you are unearthing these classics! :D

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Suresh Sir

Here you go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vE-RgVWG11c

[rajkumarc]

Paattu Padava is a very nice album. I remember watching this movie in the theater, the songs were a hit at that time and did get decent TV time. Poongatrile is a beautiful composition from IR even though Nil Nil Nil and Vazhi Vidu had a much bigger reach. I would rate this on par with Putham Pudhu Kalai specifically for the early morning / woman one with nature feel. It invokes an inner peace for the listener.

[Plum]

It's not Chitra. Who is it? 20 varushamA nAnum yArAvadhu solvAngannu PArthukittirukkEn (Poongatrile)

[Plum]

Well, I wouldnt lament the demise of Pattu Paadavaa. It deserved its fate. Despite IR and his largesse.
Lavanyavukku RahmanE OldungarachE, SPB urugi urugi kAdhalikkaRadhu, kedaikkalaiyEnnu kaNnir vidaRadhellAm 3 much!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

It's not Chitra. Who is it? 20 varushamA nAnum yArAvadhu solvAngannu PArthukittirukkEn (Poongatrile)

Sounds like Subha, who sang that English song in that Karthik/ Ranjitha movie (4got the name) :roll:

[Plum]

It's most certainly not Maalgadi Subha, Faram :shock:

andha kural engE indha kural engE?

[V_S]

Song No : 25
Song: Ponkatrile
Film: Paatu Paadava
Singers: Lekha, Subha, Sindhu
Lyrics: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR2583'&lang=en

Plum,
Suresh ji has already mentioned the singers name. Most of the sites say the same; Lekha, Subha and Sindhu. I don't know why I am still saying it is Chitra. : embarrassed:. May be the cassette cover had her name which carried on for years? Not sure.

Params,
That film was NaadOdi Thendral.

[Sureshs65]

V_S,

Not your fault. The thiraipaadal link that I gave gives the name of singer as Chitra but other sites mention them as Lekha, Subha and Sindhu. I guess you were mistaken seeing the thiraipaadal link.

rajkumar,

Nicely put about the overall effect of the song

Plum,

You don't say?!!!! SPB in love with that young gerl? Shabba, ippave kanna kattudhe !!!! Good that I didn't see the movie :)

[Plum]

Is Lekha the same girl from KolangaL. Then I am not sure it is her. Who is this Sindhu? I havent got a definitive answer on this one yet. It most certainly is not PTC Bus Subha.

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 26
Song: Solai Malare
Film: Paatu Vadhiyaar
Singer: K J Jesudas
Lyrics:
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR2589'&lang=en

Today's song is a request of Venkateswaran Ganesan (VG). I would request him to put forth his views on the song and why he liked it.

'Paatu Vadhiyar' is a K J Jesudas delight throughout. He is the singer in every song sans one. This album is also a typical Raja 90s album and a tabla delight. Ofcourse, as we were discussing anything which was a 90s tabla delight was generally set aside by the city folks who had by now got used to the funky rhythmic loops. This album also has the lovely Swarnalatha and so for a typical 90s Raja fan this album is an absolute delight. Whereas for others, it would take some getting used to. This album also had the song, which would in due course of time form the template of most S A Rajkumar songs, 'nee dhaane naa padum'. (Atleast the pallavi part) 'nee dhane', by the way, inspite of the 'tabla only' album was a great hit everywhere. The song has two versions and my favorite is when Swarnalatha sings it. Super song.

The song selected for today is very much equivalent to 'thenral katre' from 'Adharmam' which we had discussed earlier. I say it is equivalent because this also talks about the interaction between the singer and nature. It starts with the same high as 'thenral katre' and when the tabla joins in at the end of pallavi line (first time) the song picks up speed. The flute, the violins and the other instruments keep the pace going in the first interlude. The charanam immediately takes us to a village in Tamil Nadu. You don't need words to know that the song is about a village. That is the beauty of Raja's tune. Especially the way the rhythm changes after the first two lines and then how it wonderfully merges back to the pallavi. Again observe how Raja takes out the tabla when the pallavi is repeated after the first charanam. The second interlude is lovely. An interaction between what sounds like a mandolin and the chorus. Later flute and violins and finally santoor? Everything gives you the impression of being in a village with a cool breeze blowing. And immediately you see that the second interlude is talking just about cool breeze!!! I want you to listen to this song with your ears open to hear how he is able to get that pastrol feel. How can he makes us feel the breeze? (Without any special effects going whoosh) How can take us so casually into the bylanes of some remote village? As one veteran in this forum had mentioned once, Raja is a 'transporter'. (Forgot who used that word)

Did other songs catch the fancy of the public. In Chennai I would think 'Nee Dhane' was the one which was played the most. What about in other places? Do tell. As I said, given that it was an album which represented all that the youth of those thought of Raja: old singers, village songs, tabla based etc, I will not be surprised if many of the songs were not well known in Chennai. I am not sure about the fate of the movie either. I don't think it was a hit.

Thanks to VG for asking for this song. I am enjoying it thoroughly.

[Sureshs65]

Plum,

No clue actually. I heard the song first. Realised it was not Chitra. Searched in raga.com and got the names. Lekha must be the 'kaathirunden thaniye' girl I though (and the 'Kolangal' one) It is definitely not Malgadi Subha. No idea on Sindhu

[skr]

Suresh ,
Kodi punyam to you for bringing Poonkatrile ..Its a classic of the highestest order ..
The scale changes are so mysteriously constructed , all sorts of crazy things are happening in the interludes ..
[I think its in Charukesi and the Dha of it is made as the Sa in Charanam and it results in Shankarabaranam]
Songs like this deserve to be branded under the tag All time classic and here we are classifying it under rare songs ..sorry state of affairs..

How could people ignore songs like this ??? Just cannot imagine.
Anyway i just feel privileged to have figured out a song of a lifetime ..Aakarsh i totally endorse your statement man , this is a composition of epicness..
Thank you Sureshji for introducing this gem and also spoiling my sleep in the process :)

[udebaqifoz]

Nice camera work by B.R.V who is also the diratakkar of the movie.. (BTW if annan destroyed wet eye epics, thangachi did in 'come for singing').

She says all her 22 films ran for 100 days in an interview with Hindu :rotfl: here: http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article2396942.ece

[Shank]

Suresh65, thanks for Poongatrile and the ensuing discussion. It's great to see many of our friends appreciate a terrific, but hidden, song.

I have another song request. I'm hoping you can review "Thatthi Thatthi" from the film Periya Kudumbam. The song itself feels like a traditional Raja tune but when one listens closely, there is a grandness to it. The prelude and chorus work is really good. The first interlude is beyond words...I have a hard time following the intricacies of it...simply superb.

[rajkumarc]

Shank - +1 on Thathi Thathi. It's a synth delight from IR. Love that song.

Suresh - My request would be Mangai Nee Maangani from Innisai Mazhai, not sure about the year, but 90s for sure. I love it mainly for the laidback rendition by IR contrasting with that of SNSurendar's. Thanks. BTW, I'm loving Solai Malare and totally get transported as you described, beautiful song.

[V_S]

Great pick again Sureshji from Paattu Vaathiyaar. This film songs were complete KJY riot. NeethaanE NaaLthOrum Paada KaaraNam (both versions) is my favorite.

[V_S]

Therke Veesum is a stunner every way you look at it ..
I would categorize 95-97 as the complicated years if Raaja where he was experimenting and doing lots of fascinating things which somehow escaped the attention of the normal music listener..Songs such as this one , Nil Nil Badhil Sol (Where there is a Graha Bedham in the prelude in almost every line) , Shiv Shainya , the entire Guru Album ..
But what i like is that he keeps the overall tune simple but plays around in the other elements ..(Some scathe Sharath that he deliberately tries to compose tough songs)

Coming to this song ..i have been humming this tune since last night and been bazooked and taken aback by the rhythm pattern and there is also G.Bedham happening..
Arun Mozhi has done a decent job , but for konjal songs like this would have preferred SPB who wud have elevated the song even further ..

The song begins with a bright rhythm followed by the guitar strumming and then a nice jazzy sax element..
The stanza of the Pallavi is very long , not sure if ive heard such a long passage ..

Magic #1 - Rhythm
The magic of the rhythm begins in the Pallavi itself..The song is in Adhi Thalam , count every syllable as 1 beat and you will decipher some mystery..It goes like this

Sa Sa Ni3 Da2 | Pa Ma2 Pa Da2 | Ma2 Pa Ga3 Ma1|Ri2 Ga3 Sa Ni3 | Sa Ga3 Pa Ni3 | Sa ~ ~ ~ | ~ ~ ~ ~ | ~ ~ ~ ~ || [~ indicates note sustainance]
When you count each swara as one syllable , you get 32 totally ..divided into 4 in each bar which is the Chatushra Nadai ..
These are the swaras from Therke Veesum to Solla Solla ..One 32 for male and one 32 for female resulting in 64 totally ..

Now from Enna Vendum onwards , there is a shift in Nadai and it changes to Waltz in Tisram Pattern ..As it goes as Ta Ka Ta Ka , dividing it as 6 instead of 3
|Ni3 Sa Ri2 Ni3 Sa Da2 | Ni3 Sa Ri2 Ni3 Sa Da2 | Ni3 Sa Ni2 Da2 Pa ~ | ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ||
You get 24 here and when Chitra sings humming a similar passage , i expected another 24 which will be 24+24=48 and thought he will do 16 with Chatushra Nadai and come back to square one but expect the unexpected with Raaja and there i was crackling my head and thinking something was missing and going haywire ..
When Chitra sings , you get a total of only 22 and not 24 ..you will know it when you count it manually by tapping your hands..
The swaras when Chitra sing are as follows ;
|Ni3 Sa Ri2 Ni3 Sa Da2 | Ni3 Sa Ri2 Ni3 Sa Da2 | Ni Da Pa ~ | ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ||
When both of them sing Yeeen , you would see that Arunmozhi has an extended part with 2 syllables extra as compared to Chitra ..So we get only 22 notes when Chechi sings as compared to the 24 when Napolean Sir renders ..so now we have 24+22=46 ..how it becomes 48 is when Arunmozhi sings Inum which is 2 syllables ..after that he sings 4 bars of 4 notes each to make it 16 , thus resulting in 64 (24+22+2+16) ..This is a pure masterstroke ..Do try it out , you will be mesmerised , i guess shd do a small audio humming the swaras for easy understanding ..

Magic #2 - Graha Bedham
The Charanam is jaw droppingly brilliant where there is a pattern evolving..It starts off in the original scale (C Major - Shankarabaranam) in the first 2 lines and then shifts scale making the Ga as the Sa resulting in a minor scale (Natabhairavi) and then its back to the original scale , then again swinging back forth to the new scale and here new notes also get introduced making it look like Bahudari/Karnataka Khamas ..
I feel the song overall is based on the raga Suddha Sarang as it uses both the Ma's quite judiciously and also draws a little parallel to Adhi Bhagwan from the album Baba Pugazh Maalai..

Apart from the magic of the rythm and scale change , we get an overdose of brilliance in the interludes ..Its just too much to take but no complaints whatsoever ..
Indha madhri ellam epdi ideas flow aagardhunu therila ..Kuduthu vechurkanum for listening to songs like this ..Been listening to the same song for the past 2 hours :)

A periya Kumbudu :bow: to Raaja Sir for conceiving such a landmark song..
:clap: :clap: infinite times

skr, kalakkitteenga, phenomenal analysis. :clap: :clap: :clap: With your write-up I could now get the rhythm part correctly. Brilliant find! Graha Bedham, I could atleast hear the scale shifts, but again great analysis with clear details. Maestro, indha maadhiri ethanayO. :notworthy: Please continue to write often for us know the intricacies.

[udebaqifoz]

Song No: 26
Song: Solai Malare
Film: Paatu Vadhiyaar
Singer: K J Jesudas
Lyrics:
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR2589'&lang=en

Today's song is a request of Venkateswaran Ganesan (VG). I would request him to put forth his views on the song and why he liked it.



Thanks for elaborating on the song :) Before putting my views forth, I'd like speak a little about my journey with Raaja. I grew up in the 90s in Madras. That made me oblivious to anything but the superhits of Raaja. I still love Rahman's music. And I do not know how it feels to be nostalgic about the vintage Raaja now. I know how it feels to be nostalgic about the 90s Rahman though :) It was around 2000, when I was a little old to have a taste of my own, that father coincidentally bought Bharathi's cassette and I was hooked. By 2006, Raaja pretty much owned me. But it is in the last year and a half that I have started to sink my teeth into his discography. A chance listen to Eera Vizhi Kaviyangal started this (I shall remain close to that album for just this reason) and because of my time and place, I can say without shame that I am a gem digger.

This song was one such gem that I dug a few days back. A few of them might feel scandalized for they could be very acquainted with the song. But with most of the songs in this thread, I am discovering them each day. This song has a very pastoral feel and yet the arrangements in the first charanam have a heavy WCM brush. What lovely charanams! KJY sings as though the character wants to make friends with nature and the charanam keeps rising to a crescendo as if how much ever the character sings to nature, he is not able to convince it to turn back and smile and consequently, the beauty keeps growing in the tune. Lovely song. Wonder how many such songs I miss.

[Sureshs65]

V_S, skr,

Thanks for the comments and good to know you are enjoying the songs. And yes, skr, lovely analysis. Happy that you lost sleep :D

Shank,

Thanks for the 'Periya Kudumbam' reco. Will put it up soon. I don't think I have heard it till now. Will do so.

Rajkumar,

Ah yes, the Solai Malare song does transport you :) We must thank VG for the reco. 'mangai nee mangani' is a personal favorite of mine. I will definitely put it up in the year it appears.

[PARAMASHIVAN]

It's most certainly not Maalgadi Subha, Faram :shock:

andha kural engE indha kural engE?

Oh :oops:

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Params,
That film was NaadOdi Thendral.

:ty:

....

[ravinat]

Suresh65, thanks for Poongatrile and the ensuing discussion. It's great to see many of our friends appreciate a terrific, but hidden, song.

I have another song request. I'm hoping you can review "Thatthi Thatthi" from the film Periya Kudumbam. The song itself feels like a traditional Raja tune but when one listens closely, there is a grandness to it. The prelude and chorus work is really good. The first interlude is beyond words...I have a hard time following the intricacies of it...simply superb.
Shank, this is another track that I missed. Thanks for bringing this to everybody's attention.
Though entirely not similar, this has a lot going on the same lines as Halli Lavaniyalli from Namoora Mandara Hoove (Kannada), which was used in Tamil as Alli Sundaravalli sang by Arunmozhi. At least the first interlude you are talking about, has similarity. A treat nevertheless. This was too good for me to stay quiet till Suresh brings it up :-)

[Plum]

I cant believe some of you are discovering poongatrile now. Other staters and youngers can be excused but olders from TN from that time have zero excuse.

These happened during my hostel days - 94-97 - and while other rooms reverbrerated with Indian, Aasai(which was the biggest hit going by my hostel count durin this period) etc - Me and a couple of others defiantly held fort with Moga Mul, Nandhavana theru etc. Well, that should tell you what the asking run rate for us was :).
Paattu Paadavaa was an ace, a VVS 281 for us during that time. Not even the staunchest of naysayers of Raja could resist this one.
IR fans who are discovering it now have a lot to answer for on Judgement Day :evil:

[Nerd]

Whoa! I had typed the same exact thing yesterday but did not click on post and eventually forgot.

I cant believe some of you are discovering poongatrile now. Other staters and youngers can be excused but olders from TN from that time have zero excuse.

I am not an older but yes poongatrile was definitely popular at that time. But forgotten, true.

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 27
Song: Nilladha Vennila
Film: Aan Azhagan
Singers: Raja,Swarnalatha
Lyrics: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR0030'&lang=en

I have quite a few recos in 1995. In between I am slipping in one of my favorites :) 'Aan Azhagan' was a copy of a super hit Telugu Super Hit comedy. (Was it 'Chitram Balare Vichitram') In the Telugu original Naresh plays the hero who ends up dressing like a woman. Prasanth does that in Tamil. Brahmanandam as the person who gets excited seeing the idol of any god was outstanding. Somehow in Tamil, Vadivelu wasn't as effective.

After having gone into the 'tabla Raja' territory in last song, we are back to the 'Ponkatrile' and 'therke veesum thenral kaatru' territory. Raja seems to trying quite a few songs in this mold, wherein the rhythm is basically provided by the strings. Here in the pallavi, you get the guitar and some bell like instrument providing the rhythm. The rhythm is not like the regular rhythm. It seems to have a mind of its own and goes all over the place. And then hear the interlude. What an excellent interlude it is. The flute which gives way to the shenai, which gives way to violins and which give way to the flute to complete the interlude. All the while the bass guitar providing the required depth.

The charanams have the drums accompanying them and they continue into the pallavi as well. The charanam is typical Raja, with the melodic quotient linearly increasing as the charanam progresses. Also hear the countermelodies of the strings which are very unobstrusive. Also observe how the second interlude is prepared for before even the pallavi ends. The second interlude is an outstanding demonstration of WCM skill.

Overall this is one more song which will fall in the 'peace' category. This invokes images of night, a sort of full moon night. The words do contribute to the feeling but the small bell like sounds, the way the whole song moves all point to a breezy, clear, full moon night. Again one more song which 'transports' you a different place. Amazing. This is a song which is 'modern' beyond all doubt and amazingly merges the WCM with the Indian film music. All I can is that it is unfortunate that this song did not become very popular.

It was Rajasaranam who first introduced me to this song. My thanks to him.

[V_S]

Paattu Paadavaa was an ace, a VVS 281 for us during that time. Not even the staunchest of naysayers of Raja could resist this one.
Exactly! Well said Plum. :thumbsup: Could not resist. Vazhividu Vazhividu was the first one I listened to (I think on TV) and I was totally overwhelmed by the composition, as both IR and SPB were singing together. IR's voice (with jaladOsham tone) sounded so different and SPB at his fluent best providing wonderful contrast. I was totally floored when they sing, 'en idhaya kOvilil kadhavillai kadhavillai'. Slowly Nil Nil Nil, PoongaatrilE, chinna kaNmaNikkuLLE, Iniya Gaanam all captured me silently. I would say this one is a 'silent' soundtrack from Maestro. By silent I meant, we would not even know we are listening to it, yet so effective in conveying the emotions which invokes silence in us.

Good you picked VVS aptly. The way he milks the runs will be so easy to watch and we will never know when he reaches a milestone.

[Sureshs65]

VG,

Nice post on your discovery of Raja. I am sure you will keep discovering more and more as you go forward.

ravi,

:) I will surely put up that song soon.

Plum,

As far as Raja is concerned, I have a lot to answer on judgement day. During those days I had heard Nil Nil and Vazhi Vidu more on TV. Not sure if I heard 'Pon Katrile'. As Nerd says it is possible that some folks could have forgotten it.

[Sureshs65]

V_S,

Wonderfully put.

BTW, I have a request for another song from 'Aan Azhagan' from Rajesh. I will put that soon.

[Plum]

Yeah, though you are excused for your 80s ignorance(due to your other stater status in those days), your ignorance of 90s Raja is not excusable, being as you are actually the champion for 90s Raja :)

[Plum]

Suresh - that other one "kaNNE idhu" illai ena nambugiREn. nAn singer paththi vAi thiRakkAma kattu paduthikkaNum :oops:

[V_S]

Thanks Suresh ji. Nillaadha Vennila, wonderful pick again. I could not listen now, but it is Swarnlatha and not Uma Ramanan. Only Swarnalatha's voice is ringing in me when I hum this song. Yes as you rightly observed, we are at peace whenever we listened to this one. As you say, do we not hear more 'peace' songs from mid-90s? Does it say something about Maestro's thought process? I somehow guess this as, Maestro musically answering to people that he was not in any kind of worldly race, as he already lost himself to music.

Coming to 'silent' era of Maestro :wink:, the one which comes closest recently is Nandhalala. There are many individual songs, but as a soundtrack, this one.

[Sureshs65]

V_S,

Thanks for the correction. I had been corrected once earlier on this song in twitter but somehow forgot to make the correction. It is indeed Swarnalatha.

And yes, the number of such 'peace' songs in 90s is sort of surprise. I want to actually listen to the songs of a few more years before coming to any conclusion.

[app_engine]

nillAtha veN nilA - simbly goosebump stuff!

:thumbsup:

nanRi, Sureshji for this extraordinary treat! (First time listen! Rocket song - means I'm launched into space!)

[Sureshs65]

Since I am planning to hear one NEPV song at a time and then write the review, I may be delayed in posting new songs here. Please bear with me for this week. Also lot of new work on the work front. But this will go on. A temporary lull to take care of a lovely album.

[app_engine]

NEPV-kkAga 90's can definitely wait :-)

Enjoy Sureshji and please post reviews soon!

[San_K]

NEPV-kkAga 90's can definitely wait :-)


Nicely put, so raja and his fans can say 'Wait' to past :lol:

[Gregorysab]

I cant believe some of you are discovering poongatrile now. Other staters and youngers can be excused but olders from TN from that time have zero excuse.



ah! saved! :-)

[PARAMASHIVAN]

// aakarsh,

Are you the same Akarsh who uesd to take part in the fitness thread, back in 2005/2006??
//

[Gregorysab]

// aakarsh,

Are you the same Akarsh who uesd to take part in the fitness thread, back in 2005/2006??
//

No. I didnt know about this thread back then!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Oh Ok, There was another person called Akarsh, I thought you were him , sorry :)

[Devaraagam]

Thanks to NEP, I was thinking of your posts when I was in my vacation and just saw that very few additions due to NEP RELEASE :)

[Sureshs65]

DR,

Planning to start normal service in a day or two

[ravinat]

I was hearing 'Poonkatrile Kalai' from Paatu Padava in my car today and realized something that I did not mention in my previous post of this song. As part of my research for my recent work on my blog, I have attempted to train my ear to listen to what's going on in the background when the charanam is being sung. I noticed that in this song, instead of using his usual string section, Raja uses synthesizers throughout. Normally, the Raja format will use strings on most bars in the charanam with a few either leading or trailing bars not having the strings in the background. This song has synthesizers playing in the background throughout the charanams/pallavis. I guess that this song perhaps was originally written for regular strings and replaced with synthesizers. With rack units, it is hard to figure out if one or more is being used. The flute bits in this song also appear to come from a synthesizer.

The only exception, which I am not sure are the bass lines. They are quite prominent and I am not sure if that is also being played out of a synthesizer. Any bass experts here who can confirm if the bass is from a guitar or synthesizer? I will ask Eddie, if he is not part of this forum. If the bass lines are from a synthesizer, the key question will be, what's not from a synthesizer in this song?

[udebaqifoz]

2 wonderful articles by Balu Mahendra on his association with Raaja (I guess there is more to come). Indicates Raaja surrenders to the director's vision provided the Director knows his trade. Often times, Raaja ends up knowing the medium of cinema better than the director himself.

Part1: http://filmmakerbalumahendra.blogspot.in/2012/09/1_12.html
Part2: http://filmmakerbalumahendra.blogspot.in/2012/09/2.html

[Sureshs65]

I am planning to start this by the weekend. So keep watching this space :)

[KV]

DR,

I have been hearing 'Periya Marudhu' songs in a loop for the last few days. Fully agree with you that it is a gem of an album. Will probably feature one more song from this movie at a later date.

Extremely late pickup! Accidently bumped into 'periya marudhu' (http://www.thiraipaadal.com/album.php?ALBID=ALBIRR00488&lang=en)in thiraipaadal and ended up listening to it. :shock: What an album! :clap:
How I wish Raaja had extended the jayachandran song 'ellaarukkum nalla pilla' to make it a full song... utterly beautiful this one is!
Sureshji, you must reconsider hosting more songs from this film!

[Sureshs65]

Sorry for the delay is restarting this. My home broadband link has been down since last week and I can't do this from office. Hoping BSNL guys will fix this soon so that this weekend I can start this again.

[Devaraagam]

Sorry for the delay is restarting this. My home broadband link has been down since last week and I can't do this from office. Hoping BSNL guys will fix this soon so that this weekend I can start this again.
Actually I was abt to ask you today on this thread :)

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 28
Song: Kottum Melangal
Film: Makkal Aatchi
Singers: Chitra
Lyricist: Muthulingam
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR1870'&lang=en

First NEPV, then work and then non functioning broadband kept me away from continuing this. But this series is close to my heart so I cannot give a big break. Given the tight situation on the professional front, I will probably be doing two writeups per week. I guess that will give people enough time to digest the songs and the writeup.

This song was a request from a friend called Sridhar, on twitter, @maya_twit. A very ardent Raja fan, he asked me to consider this song. As usual, this was the first time hearing for me. People can tell if this song was popular. This is one of those 'almost' Malayalam songs I would say. A soft and slow melody but with some very attractive rhythm. Chitra has sung many such songs for Raja and she does a class job. Songs like 'Shivamallipoove', 'Sitagathi Penoruthi', 'virahamay vipalamayi' come to mind.

The song starts with what sounds like a tribal beat and with women chorus before Chitra joins in with the Madhyamavathi based tune. And what a pallavi he constructs. Seeming simple but so charming, especially when she goes, 'poon kuruvi' and the female chorus joins her. The whole tune is like someone caressing you with a feather. The first interlude is typical Raja. The flute and violins playing counter to each other with the bass joining in.

The charanam is another master stroke. Raja keeps the rhythm instruments aside and lets only the bass and violins provide the rhythm. Very surprising given the high emphasis on the rhythm aspect in the pallavi. Only he can think this way. The way the melody moves with the female chorus joining in mildly is again typical Raja as is the way he joins back to the pallavi. The second interlude goes a step above the first one, with the bass playing a prominent part and the strings playing the countermelody.

An excellent song which showcases Raja's grip on the Indian raga as well as his grip on WCM. Ofcourse we can say this for many of his songs :)

[musiukunit]

Great Suresh

This thread is a joy to live back the memories of Raja songs of 90s as I started growing with them.

Great job! keep going!!

The only uruthal factor is that your thread title. Raja Unheard years ??
No way!!
For me that should be 2005-2010..and that too mainstream audience as by this time the core fans had started tail tracking his every release and song.

90s..I donno about Chennai or any city but in my part i could hear all raja's songs always.
Infact in the initial days that was the repulsive factor for me in Raja's music. It was played again and again.
I hated ennai thalata varuvala for instance to the core those days since it was repeated for 2 years atleast.

I have heard most of the songs you had mentioned and I dont remember me tracking Tamil Film Music as I was in my school.

There are always unheard songs in his period..Be it 80s, 90s, 00s as this man's volume of work is insane for anybody to completely track.
But for general public 70s, 80s,90s, Early 00s he has been heard repeatedly.

My fear was the trend from 05-10 and NEPV has just shattered that to bits.

Just wanted to record this and nothing against yours..

[Sureshs65]

Bala,

Fair criticism of the title I agree. Infact the title was kept deliberately for two reasons. One, because there is this myth that with the advent of Rahman, Raja became a non entity and people stopped listening to him. As can be seen from your comments and from P_R's comments earlier, that is not the case. So through this I wanted to get such responses. Second, it will get more eyeballs and more people may come in and have a look. So to put in in Senthil's words, "ellam oru vilambaramdhaan".

You have also hit the right point, which I have been making here. Chennai seems to have been very different from other parts of T Nadu. Chennai people mostly agree with my title but those from other parts of T Nadu have the same opinion as you.

Do keep visiting and letting us know your views on the songs and if you have heard it when it was released.

[Gregorysab]

I hated ennai thalata varuvala for instance to the core those days since it was repeated for 2 years atleast.



For some reason I still dont enjoy this song. and its not just because of bhavatharini but even hariharan's version. I somehow feel that its a very average composition compared to so many delights that Raaja gave during that period. The synth sounds, i feel, sit very uncomfortably in the aura that is called "Ilaiyaraaja". He used some good synth sounds in some other songs but in this one, they just lack something. dont know what!

[Gregorysab]

Song No: 28
Song: Kottum Melangal
Film: Makkal Aatchi
Singers: Chitra
Lyricist: Muthulingam
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR1870'&lang=en



Yet another good find. I am listening to it for the 1st time now. Nice song. peculiar percussion arrangement. Makkal Aatchi always meant "Eppodhenna" song for me. Never really tried other songs till now. I agree with your view on charanam. Its very surprising. Usually his songs have change of percussive sound in charanams (western to indian or viceversa etc). But here, he just suspends that altogether and allows the melody to take the limelight.

Wonderful pick. And dont forget eppodhenna song. I know its famous, but still worth a revisit - to exchange opinions :-)

[Sureshs65]

aakarsh,

'Kadhalukku Mariyadhai' splits Raja fans down the middle :) One set which hates that music and says Raja's music went downhill from there. Another set which loves it because that showed Raja still had the 'hit' potential !!! So we are bound to get both views but we will hold it till we come to that year :D

Once I am through the other rare songs of this year, let us revisit 'eppodhenna' song.

[San_K]

I am a fan of ETV song :). Forget the synth, forget the singers and tell now, did not the song had very nice tune?. I just waited n number of times to listen the 'bonus' portion 'Naalaikku naan kaana varuvaala, paalaikku neer oottri poovala, vazhiyoram vizhi... " song for tune arrangements and lyrics to some extents.

[Gregorysab]

I am a fan of ETV song :). Forget the synth, forget the singers and tell now, did not the song had very nice tune?. I just waited n number of times to listen the 'bonus' portion 'Naalaikku naan kaana varuvaala, paalaikku neer oottri poovala, vazhiyoram vizhi... " song for tune arrangements and lyrics to some extents.

hmmmm... nahi yaar! Personally, i didnt feel that its a great or even half-good tune. I find it very bland. Raaja has done much much better stuff before and after that song.

[KV]

+22/7
Never been a fan of this song! I'd even pick 'oh baby baby' over this one (especially for that lovely 'vizhiyil vizhi moodi' prelude section).

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 29
Song: Oru Sudar Iru Sudar
Film: Rajavin Paarvaiyile
Singers: Janaki, Mano & Chorus
Lyricist: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR3104'&lang=en

For a change today I talk about an album which I have innumerable number of times. I have a relative who is a great Raja fan. One day when I visied him he asked me if I have heard 'Rajavin Paarvaiyile'. I replied in the negative and he immediately gave me a tape. He then told me, "In one shop they were selling this at a discounted price of Rs.20/-. I was very pissed by that and so bought the tapes they had. This is an extra copy. Such wonderful music and these morons cannot appreciate it". After I listened to the songs I could understand that his anger was very justified.

It is difficult to select only one song from this. So we will possibly choose another song later. Infact I have had request on twitter for various songs from this movie from VG and Mayil_Senthil. I have chosen this song for no obvious reason, because each song in this movie is so unique that you cannot give a rational explanation for choosing one over the other. All said and done, this is a lovely song. Enjoy it.

The song starts with a lovely chorus of two layers and then the bass kicks in with the synth drums providing the beat. The chorus is very interesting with one set of voices countering the other. Added to it the tune twists and turns and the bass keeps on going. The first interlude is a riot with multiple changes. The bass, strings, shenai which give way to chorus, tabla and which then give way to the WCM strings.

The charanam construction is very interesting. The chorus is so structured as if it is replying to main voice. It also ensures that the interest level is kept very high since the chorus follows a different melody pattern wrt the main melody. Again bass is an important ingredient here, which is used to maintain the high energy level. And then the typical twisting descent to land perfectly on the pallavi.

The second interlude start is a real knockout. First the voice and the guitar join together to give the required 'kick'. Then another set of voices join in but singing a different counter melody. Finally the flute joins in to complete the riot. Amazing stuff in such a short time !! Just check how the voices and the bass guitar imitate each other. Pure madness.

This movie was a washout I think. For people interested in history, this was the only movie in which Vijay and Ajit have acted together. Yet, this movie is known to very few and even fewer know of the songs. I am sure almost all Raja fans know about this movie. In case you haven't heard the songs earlier, do yourself a favour and listen to them know. You can thank me later. (I even love the Vadivel song in this movie. That's an absolute stunner according to me.)

[San_K]

Suresh65, nice song. Sister song of Malai kovil vaasalil :)

[Sureshs65]

Sanjeev,

Sort of yes :) Raja has given a few such songs.

[app_engine]

I am sure almost all Raja fans know about this movie.

தவறான விடை :-)

நான் கேள்விப்பட்டதே இல்லை :oops: ...வீட்டுக்குப்போனதும் இந்தப்பாட்டைக்கேட்கணும்!

[jaiganes]

Song No: 29
Song: Oru Sudar Iru Sudar
Film: Rajavin Paarvaiyile
Singers: Janaki, Mano & Chorus
Lyricist: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR3104'&lang=en

For a change today I talk about an album which I have innumerable number of times. I have a relative who is a great Raja fan. One day when I visied him he asked me if I have heard 'Rajavin Paarvaiyile'. I replied in the negative and he immediately gave me a tape. He then told me, "In one shop they were selling this at a discounted price of Rs.20/-. I was very pissed by that and so bought the tapes they had. This is an extra copy. Such wonderful music and these morons cannot appreciate it". After I listened to the songs I could understand that his anger was very justified.

It is difficult to select only one song from this. So we will possibly choose another song later. Infact I have had request on twitter for various songs from this movie from VG and Mayil_Senthil. I have chosen this song for no obvious reason, because each song in this movie is so unique that you cannot give a rational explanation for choosing one over the other. All said and done, this is a lovely song. Enjoy it.

The song starts with a lovely chorus of two layers and then the bass kicks in with the synth drums providing the beat. The chorus is very interesting with one set of voices countering the other. Added to it the tune twists and turns and the bass keeps on going. The first interlude is a riot with multiple changes. The bass, strings, shenai which give way to chorus, tabla and which then give way to the WCM strings.

The charanam construction is very interesting. The chorus is so structured as if it is replying to main voice. It also ensures that the interest level is kept very high since the chorus follows a different melody pattern wrt the main melody. Again bass is an important ingredient here, which is used to maintain the high energy level. And then the typical twisting descent to land perfectly on the pallavi.

The second interlude start is a real knockout. First the voice and the guitar join together to give the required 'kick'. Then another set of voices join in but singing a different counter melody. Finally the flute joins in to complete the riot. Amazing stuff in such a short time !! Just check how the voices and the bass guitar imitate each other. Pure madness.

This movie was a washout I think. For people interested in history, this was the only movie in which Vijay and Ajit have acted together. Yet, this movie is known to very few and even fewer know of the songs. I am sure almost all Raja fans know about this movie. In case you haven't heard the songs earlier, do yourself a favour and listen to them know. You can thank me later. (I even love the Vadivel song in this movie. That's an absolute stunner according to me.)
Amman kovil ellaame from the same movie is one of arun mozhi's best songs .

[Sureshs65]

Jai,

Fully agree with you on 'amman koil'. Definitely Arunmozhi's best by a mile.

app,

Please do listen once you are back home

[udebaqifoz]

app saar,

Kottunga Kottunga and Ival Yaaro are vintages. Please do listen. Terrific album, terrible movie. Saaba kedu for Raaja and his fans :(

[musiukunit]

Bala,

Fair criticism of the title I agree. Infact the title was kept deliberately for two reasons. One, because there is this myth that with the advent of Rahman, Raja became a non entity and people stopped listening to him. As can be seen from your comments and from P_R's comments earlier, that is not the case. So through this I wanted to get such responses. Second, it will get more eyeballs and more people may come in and have a look. So to put in in Senthil's words, "ellam oru vilambaramdhaan".

You have also hit the right point, which I have been making here. Chennai seems to have been very different from other parts of T Nadu. Chennai people mostly agree with my title but those from other parts of T Nadu have the same opinion as you.

Do keep visiting and letting us know your views on the songs and if you have heard it when it was released.

Thanks Suresh
Actually that chennai and other parts of TN is a very important factor.
What i would refer as the urbanisation of music..

There would be time in Tamil Nadu where Raja's music and few literary works will be the only way to recollect what folk life was like.
In that area his work is of collosal importance, museum stuff.

I would say Kotta vituu/Raj kiran songs are landmark in folk music. If you carfeully observe Raja's folk music is more serious in his 90s and 00s compared to his 80s folk which is more romantic. That continues till now.

He is the greatest artist in any art form in TN to have brought the folk life to mainstream culture.
That is why people in other parts of TN relate to his music like anything.
His impact of music had touched unseen corners..And all this if i look back now i had been noticing unknowingly in my 90s as a kid.

When people here in this kind of forum say they havent heard unnai ethir parthen, poongatrile etc its jaw dropping stuff
Because even van drivers in my place used to hear these songs again and again.
Poor guys they cant come online and say it. I always feel south TN van drivers are the greatest Raja fans.
..
Between since you are taking about 1995 i guess and raasiya is also 95 right.
Can you pls also comment on thindukkalu song from Raasiya. (neyar virupam pls)

That is my all time favourite song as a kid.
This is a song i used to play again and again and people in my home went crazy about it.
This was brilliant and hilarious and now if I look back what composition.

The prelude where raja opens and the hilarious chorus behind
The female voice/guitars/shenai is impeccable
The tabla is as good a work as NEPV Drums
Genius stuff...

[app_engine]

Suresh65, nice song. Sister song of Malai kovil vaasalil :)

Some 'oru nALum unai maRavAtha' flavour too :-)

Awesome song!

Definite miss for so many years :oops:

[app_engine]

ok, now I know why this movie didn't even register in my mind even during the SPB-IR exercise...no SPB in the album.

nALaikku utkArndhu all other songs kEkkanum...

[Sureshs65]

Bala,

"Poor guys they cant come online and say it. I always feel south TN van drivers are the greatest Raja fans."

Absolutely, Van and bus drivers. I am sure app_eng will fully agree with you. Afterall lot of the SPB songs he wrote about were courtesy the bus drivers down south :D

I will take up the Rasaiah song soon here.

app,

Do listen to the other songs. Mostly Arunmozhi here but he does a decent job and the melodies are sweet and complex at the same time. Definitely one of my prized tape. I have heard it so many times that it is now in bad shape and drags.

[crvenky]

Suresh65, I have read in one of the forums that Oru sudar tune was given first for Malaikovil vasalil situation and rejected by the director. It was then used for Rajavin Parvayile.

[Sureshs65]

crv,

Thanks for the info.

[Devaraagam]

Song No: 28
Song: Kottum Melangal
Film: Makkal Aatchi
Singers: Chitra
Lyricist: Muthulingam
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR1870'&lang=en

First NEPV, then work and then non functioning broadband kept me away from continuing this. But this series is close to my heart so I cannot give a big break. Given the tight situation on the professional front, I will probably be doing two writeups per week. I guess that will give people enough time to digest the songs and the writeup.

This song was a request from a friend called Sridhar, on twitter, @maya_twit. A very ardent Raja fan, he asked me to consider this song. As usual, this was the first time hearing for me. People can tell if this song was popular. This is one of those 'almost' Malayalam songs I would say. A soft and slow melody but with some very attractive rhythm. Chitra has sung many such songs for Raja and she does a class job. Songs like 'Shivamallipoove', 'Sitagathi Penoruthi', 'virahamay vipalamayi' come to mind.

The song starts with what sounds like a tribal beat and with women chorus before Chitra joins in with the Madhyamavathi based tune. And what a pallavi he constructs. Seeming simple but so charming, especially when she goes, 'poon kuruvi' and the female chorus joins her. The whole tune is like someone caressing you with a feather. The first interlude is typical Raja. The flute and violins playing counter to each other with the bass joining in.

The charanam is another master stroke. Raja keeps the rhythm instruments aside and lets only the bass and violins provide the rhythm. Very surprising given the high emphasis on the rhythm aspect in the pallavi. Only he can think this way. The way the melody moves with the female chorus joining in mildly is again typical Raja as is the way he joins back to the pallavi. The second interlude goes a step above the first one, with the bass playing a prominent part and the strings playing the countermelody.

An excellent song which showcases Raja's grip on the Indian raga as well as his grip on WCM. Ofcourse we can say this for many of his songs :)

Suresh,

you surprised me by posting this song because even I did not give attention to this song as I am saying I am 90's generation. I heard kathavukku, ippothenna, naadu irukura then melloor maaman becasue it was played lot of times in sun tv during those days. I dont know how did I miss this song :)

Today I had listened this song many time and got inside into me because it was too fresh for me.

I liked the rythm pattern used in this as need some more repeat to feel the song.

[Devaraagam]

Song No: 29
Song: Oru Sudar Iru Sudar
Film: Rajavin Paarvaiyile
Singers: Janaki, Mano & Chorus
Lyricist: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR3104'&lang=en

For a change today I talk about an album which I have innumerable number of times. I have a relative who is a great Raja fan. One day when I visied him he asked me if I have heard 'Rajavin Paarvaiyile'. I replied in the negative and he immediately gave me a tape. He then told me, "In one shop they were selling this at a discounted price of Rs.20/-. I was very pissed by that and so bought the tapes they had. This is an extra copy. Such wonderful music and these morons cannot appreciate it". After I listened to the songs I could understand that his anger was very justified.

It is difficult to select only one song from this. So we will possibly choose another song later. Infact I have had request on twitter for various songs from this movie from VG and Mayil_Senthil. I have chosen this song for no obvious reason, because each song in this movie is so unique that you cannot give a rational explanation for choosing one over the other. All said and done, this is a lovely song. Enjoy it.

The song starts with a lovely chorus of two layers and then the bass kicks in with the synth drums providing the beat. The chorus is very interesting with one set of voices countering the other. Added to it the tune twists and turns and the bass keeps on going. The first interlude is a riot with multiple changes. The bass, strings, shenai which give way to chorus, tabla and which then give way to the WCM strings.

The charanam construction is very interesting. The chorus is so structured as if it is replying to main voice. It also ensures that the interest level is kept very high since the chorus follows a different melody pattern wrt the main melody. Again bass is an important ingredient here, which is used to maintain the high energy level. And then the typical twisting descent to land perfectly on the pallavi.

The second interlude start is a real knockout. First the voice and the guitar join together to give the required 'kick'. Then another set of voices join in but singing a different counter melody. Finally the flute joins in to complete the riot. Amazing stuff in such a short time !! Just check how the voices and the bass guitar imitate each other. Pure madness.

This movie was a washout I think. For people interested in history, this was the only movie in which Vijay and Ajit have acted together. Yet, this movie is known to very few and even fewer know of the songs. I am sure almost all Raja fans know about this movie. In case you haven't heard the songs earlier, do yourself a favour and listen to them know. You can thank me later. (I even love the Vadivel song in this movie. That's an absolute stunner according to me.)

This Song is more or less same pattern of veera song.

even though this movie got many good songs, only this song aired many times and I am sure most the people does not aware of the songs available in this movie.
TH5S S6NG

[thumburu]

Song No: 18
Song: Aasai Idhayam
Film: Kanmani
Singers: Janaki, Malaysia Vasudevan
Lyrics: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR1480'&lang=en

(Thanks to Rajesh for providing lyricist info.) I hope no one says that this was also a hit :D I found out from twitter that the ' netru vandha katru' song was composed by Karthik Raja and he later used it in the Hindi film, 'Grahan'. So I am not taking that song as Raja's.

This song has a tribal beat and at the same time is a very peaceful song. The beat is also out of sync with the tune but as in all Raja songs nothing is out of sync !!! The singing by Malaysia and Janaki is upto their usual level. What I find surprising in these years is that Malaysia was seen less in Raja's songs. Especially when there were folks songs which he must have sung but instead went to Arunmozhi. His voice in this song is still good. The first interlude has a lovely piano backing for the folk flute. The charanam as usual is very melodious. The second interlude is outstanding, especially the first part of it. What a concept, especially the piano strains.

Don't know much about the movie. Hoping our regulars like Rajesh, DR and co will provide the details. Was it released? Did it run etc?

At the time of the movie release, "Udal thazhuva thazhuva " was my top pick from "KaNmaNi despite inadequate singing and the rest being "Asai idhayam" and "Netru vanha kaatru",in that order."Oh Deva deviye" was ruled out due to its dangerous resemblance to "Devadhai iLam devi". But recently when I heard it again, it is infact a different beast altogether with beauutiful choral layers and an interesting theme- swarna spilling venom, SPB on pathos and minmini as the soothing , comforting lover.

Asai idhayam" not the regular romantic melody. Has a kind of eerie, unsteady and uneasy feel written over it. No idea of the song situation . The nammering beats signify some kind of doom. May be one of the lovers is dead

[jmahesh]

dear Suresh
Could you pls discuss Kathumkadal from kattumarakaaran , such a nice melody which unfortunately got lost in a trash movie .
Also alai meedhu from kaadhal kavidhai , bhavatharini voice aiyum meeri adhu oru nallu paatu endru ninaikiren.
Regards
Mahesh

[Sureshs65]

Mahesh,

Thanks for the reco. Will play them soon. The Kadhal Kavidhai song we will discuss in the year it was released.

[rajkumarc]

Suresh - Thanks for Oru Sudar Iru Sudar, beautiful song, haven't heard it much before and even though it bears some resemblance to Malai Kovil Vaasalil it's still has a unique flavor to it, can't say what, need to listen more. BTW, I love Ival Yaaro from the same movie and I think this was the most popular song in terms of TV time.

[jmahesh]

Thanks Suresh , another song konji pesu from kadhal kavidhai is also very good song.

[udebaqifoz]

This is my most favorite song of Raajavin Paarvaiyil:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOe0drAxV8o

A true masterpiece on which Violin Vicky has written a detailed piece here:

http://raagadevan.blogspot.com/2008/06/hero-glyphics.html

Have to plug it in here to make sure everyone listens to the song and reads this. Nature of the genius described so wonderfully here.

[Devaraagam]

kottunga kummi song became fav to me very late. Most of the people knows about this song

[Sureshs65]

VG,

Thanks for the youtube and Vicky's link. That's a nice idea actually. People can read Vicky's wonderful explanation and also enjoy the song. It also ensures we don't miss this song. And importantly I don't need to write in detail about the song :D

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 30
Song: Love Pannidathaan
Film: Chinna Vadiyar
Singers: SPB, Chitra
Lyricist: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR0532'&lang=en

The popular song from this movie was 'Kanmaniye Kanmaniye' but I thought it was spoiled by the constant stream of dialogs. I mean, a bit of dialog is OK but for every line it gets a bit tedious. The tune per se was good but that 'dialog' diminished the experience.

Today we will hear a song which seems to be in a very different genre. Is it somewhat connected to Spanish music or some other music? I am not too good at world music genres so someone who knows the details can enlighten us.

The song starts with an accordion / harmonium type of sound being played by the synthesizer. The tune is so very different from the normal songs we hear and there is a clear influence of some other world genre. The accordion type of sound accompanies the pallavi all along and so does the bass. The first interlude is a lovely play between the strings and the bass with a synthesized (?) flute entering in once a while. The charanams have some finger snapping for rhythm, which accentuate the standard rhythm being played.

The second interlude is again driven only by the rhythm, chorus and the accordion sound. The charanam is so very well constructed with a very long twist before joining the pallavi. Just check how long that descent happens in Chitra's voice in the second charanam to know the complex way he has constructed the charanam. Here the seemingly simple song changes shape to a complex one.

SPB is in his elements here. Given that this songs asks for a lot of 'voice acting' from him, he enjoys himself thoroughly. Chitra is also up to the task and it is a delight to hear both of them in full form. And that enhances the enjoyment of the song. I would file this song under the 'experiement' category of Raja.

[crvenky]

Nice song. It reminds me of some old Chandrababu song. Is SPB trying to imitate his style here?

[skr]

Beautiful song , first time hear for me and i thoroughly enjoyed it ..
Maestro has showcased Tisra Nadai in so many different ways throughout the composition ..

[Devaraagam]

Suresh, love pannidathan is truly an unheard number by many. Best delivery by trio of IR, SPB, KSC

[udebaqifoz]

Super find! Also, Raaja did try rap as early as 1986. Anithamani Vanamohini from Vikram started with what I'd call a rap. Certainly Raaja introduced rap before Rahman made it resonate everywhere in TN. That said, what a song this is! Especially that cue of "machaanguraan, aaonguraan".

[Sureshs65]

I deleted the Song No. 31 because there is confusion as to who the music director is. I came to know from Twitter that 'Thaikulame Thaikulame' is actually by Deva. I had gone by Thiraipaadal but a couple of other web sites point to Deva. My opinion of the song remains the same, that it is a very nice and different rap song but since it is probably not by Raja, I am taking it off this thread.

My apologies for the confusion. I will need to recheck on the actual credits given in thiraipaadal.

[svaisn]

a question.... Was unakkum enakkum anandham... Song picturized in sri raghavendra ????

[udebaqifoz]

a question.... Was unakkum enakkum anandham... Song picturized in sri raghavendra ????

No it was not. Interestingly, it was used by black eyed peas who remixed it for their elephunk theme.

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 31
Song: Arumbu Thalire
Film: Chandralekha
Singers: Arunmozhi, Geetha
Lyricist: Vaali
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR0440'&lang=en

Today I want to take up a song which shows that Raja was slowly adjusting to the changing times. This film music had decent amount of synthesizer and also had 'new' singers. It has Preeti Uttam Singh and Unni Krishnan. I am not sure which was the very first movie that Unni sang for Raja but I am sure this is one of those early films he sang for Raja. As we know, Unni got his major break through Rahman and 'ennavale' and then sang more songs for Rahman. The version we will listen to first will not feature Unnikrishnan. Another version will feature him. We will listen to that as well.

The song 'Allah Un Aanipadi' used to be played on TV in those days but all of us listening felt that the synth usage in that song was not upto the standards that Rahman had set. So while the song did get some decent airing, it did not become a super hit. 'Arumbu Thalire' was initially not heard much but later became a favorite amongst Raja fans. Still many fans feel that the synth usage and the choice of voices bring down the experience of this song. While I can understand their sentiments, I personally love this song a lot.

We get some synth effects right at the beginning of the song and then we have a very nice melody being played as the prelude. The pallavi is as melodious as it gets, with the synthesizer and violins providing the backing. This will easily go into the 'peaceful' Raja genre :) See how softly he tunes 'poradum uyire' and the way the violins play the counter melody. The whole pallavi is a lesson in how to set the counter melodies for a song.

The first interlude has some guitar work, followed by the flute but overall it doesn't flight like the Raja interludes. It is short and the synthesizer plays a key role in this. The charanam is typical Raja. He eschews the rhythm instruments and gives the rhythm through the bass guitar (synth?) and the violins. The charanam is his usual complex melody. The second interlude is interesting. Again this is driven more by the synthesizer. Towards the end, when the pallavi is played they are some piano runs. Overall an excellent melody. As I said earlier you can see that Raja is experimenting with the synth here. (V_S left a comment in my blog saying that the female singer was Geetha. Anyone has any idea about her?)

I had heard only this version for a long time. Then as I was listening to the songs for writing this series, I had two more shorter versions of the same song. Here is the first one:

http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR0441'&lang=en

Observe how different the orchestration is here. Some lovely keyboard work to follow the song. The highlight is the tune.

Now hear the third version. I was stunned when I heard this. For the percussion is completely different here and that changes the emotional content of the song significantly. If the first and second versions make us feel happy, this one leaves you with a lump in the throat. The same song, almost the same pace and yet differing emotions. How is it possible for this man? Maybe some day he will explain to us. I am in love with this version.

http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR0443'&lang=en

[kiru]

Suresh, even though you mention synth every breath :-) I remember this song as a very good orchestral arrangement work. It has some Enya'esque style synth usage (hear those artificial injected sibilant sounds -shhhh.. dont know the correct technical term), probably courtesy of Karthik Raja.

[app_engine]

arumbum thaLirE - pallaviyil pallaikkadichchukkittu indha singers-ai sahikkalAm.

saraNam varumbOthu...mudeela :-(

What a lovely song - kiLiyai vaLarththu...

[Sureshs65]

kiru,

Ah yes. The orchestra is definitely good but in movies like this, the synth was being 'heard' more prominently. Raja had ofcourse synth from the 80s itself but here it was in a different way and hence that sort of hits you when you listen to the song.

app,

When I mentioned that many Raja fans are not happy with the voices, I had you in mind :D Somehow until it is unbearable I can do with mediocre voice. Mano, Arunmozhi, Bhavatharini etc. I can understand why people are not happy and sometimes cannot stand their voices, but for me that has never stopped the enjoyment of the music :)

[app_engine]

Sureshji,
Like I mentioned once before - there are songs where at least one great singer compensates for the not-so-great-companion (EdhO mOgam EdhO dhAgam) and the greatness is retained.

And in others, the background orch is phenomenal that mind switches off the singer part (kARRaikkonjam niRkachchonnEn).

'arumbum thaLirE' does not belong to either of these groups, IMHO.

Great melody but sumAr orchestration overall, adhilum the most difficult section for me in the saraNams are where rAsA almost switches off instruments and let the singer alone, to completely bare their inadequacy...

BTW, I have never heard the tablA version before, which is much superior (compared to the man-woman duet)...

[Sureshs65]

app,

True. I too love that tabla version a lot. Lot of emotion in that.

[kiru]

..
Great melody but sumAr orchestration overall, adhilum the most difficult section for me in the saraNams are where rAsA almost switches off instruments and let the singer alone, to completely bare their inadequacy..

I think that was not the intention :-) The last line is pretty bare just with a few bass plucks mainly to contrast with the onrush of the string section in the pallavi.
These sort of songs - low and high end of the scales are better sung by highly trained singers. No wonder, UnniK makes a difference in the tabla version.
In general, I have a weakness for the orchestra that I am able to ignore mediocre singing and synths and enjoy. Another synth song, that all of us love that way is - thenRal vanthu theendum pOthu.
BTW, the same synth instruments and phrases are used in the JaganMohini songs, more fast-paced and recorded at a higher volume level than here for the instruments, making it sound "thin".

Try listening here - http://www.hummaa.com/music/album/chandralekha/37249

[app_engine]

I think that was not the intention :-)

:lol2:
kuRumbu!