Shamitabh | Maestro | Amitabh | Dhanush | Balki | P. C. Sreeram

[irir123]

I don't think say Piddly or Sha Sha Mi Mi are any less orchestral than songs like Naan Kadhalin Pudu Padagan which he did at his commercial peak. So it's a misnomer that orchestra defines IR, which surprisingly even IR has encouraged through his discourses/rants in public over the last few years. What people who yearn for that 80s like feeling are missing in the new albums is the more heightened energy levels and sharp dynamic shifts in the 80s songs. I remember once I heard Kurangu Kaiyil Maalai and Thodatha Taalam back to back and was surprised at how much more vigorous the latter track was. But that is a function of how music is produced these days. Even very pedestrian Hindi soundtracks from that time were recorded in a more organic way than today. IR has moved on and adapted to the music culture of the day, but the fans cling to the past. Also, if you heard Karthik sing some IR classics in the NEPV launch, that should tell you that most of today's playback singers simply cannot execute his material with the conviction and energy that SPB or Yesudas brought to the table. The singers played a greater role in breathing life into IR's songs than perhaps he, the fans or critics have acknowledged over the years. Even a composer as great as IR needs a great set of pipes to truly make a song.

few things to backup your very legitimate and relevant points:

1. IR's music was just explosive - it changed right after Nayagan - in fact oldtime TFM hubbers used to divide IR's music as pre and post Nayagan years when even the sound of the tabala became less organic.

2. NEPV is the most 'complete' album in recent times - in terms of complete interludes (even there i didnt like the second interlude of "yennodu vaa vaa"), novel tunes and all IR related elements it was complete -Megha comes closest to NEPV - the interludes at some points in 'mughilo megamo' are filled with cues that instead of carrying the main melody kindof stalls the song - very unlike IR - i think its coz its an intrusive cue IR is forcing into the song, without even his own liking!

3. Shamitabh sounds like Balki having either forced IR into making compromises or hurriedly getting the tunes and the recordings done - in his hero-worship of IR, am not sure if he is very skilled in getting what he wants from IR - be it 'ishq phillum' or 'sha sha mi mi' the base rhythm is so monotonous its shocking by IR standards whose trademark is polyphony and constant surprises - the programmed loops of the 90s were still better (even if they paled with his pre-Nayagan output) - and the orchestration was top-notch - why dont we get to hear the percussion styles as in "ilavattam" from my dear marthandan - that was acoustic organic drum, so was 'oru naal' from devadhai ? compare these with "ishq phillum" - it does sound hollow and plastic