Picks 536 - 770

[gingerbeehk]

Nice...Nice...song, Romba naala ketkka vendum endru ninaitha paadal. Ninaippathu mattume engal urimai....mudithu vappathu ungal kadamai...NeelD. Engal manamarinthu paadal podum neengal vazhga.

Jack

[bobgalee]

Thanks for the rare spb song with vaaniji from niyaayam ketkiren.

That thoothuvalai song is from thaai manasu movie.

thankz.

[Neel D]

baroque, Jack & bobgalee, you are welcome.

RC & bobgalee, thanks for the details.

[Neel D]

Pick #568

Song: thiruvarul tharum theivam
Film: Thirumalai Deivam
Music: Kunnakkudi Vaidyanathan
Singer: T.R.Mahalingam
Lyrics:
Year: 1973

We will begin mArgazi with the bright and majestic voice of T.R.Mahalingam. He gave us so many evergreen classics in his high-pitched, theater-trained, powerful, big voice. TRM landed in tamil films as an actor/singer when MKT was riding high. And there was PUC who was a strong contender too. But each one brought in their uniqueness and secured themselves a solid spot in TFM. What a glorious era it must have been for the music lovers of the time!

Listening to TRM's "kAyAtha kAnagaththE" from "Sri Valli"(1945) will leave one speechless, from his voice that is so overpowering, and by his amazing artistry. And there is "senthamiz thEn moziyAL" from "Maalai Itta Mangai"(1958) loved by people of all ages and generations. "thinggaL mudi", the kuRavanji style song from the same film needs a special mention too. There are many more classics such as "kaNgaLin veNNilavE", a duet with P.Bhanumathi from the film "Manimekalai"(1959), "Asai koNdEn amuthamE" from the film "Aada Vantha Deivam"(1960), "nAn theivamA" form "Kavalai Illatha Manithan"(1960), "isaiththamiz nI seitha" from "Thiruvilaiyadal"(1965), "isaiyAi senthamizAi" from "Agathiyar"(1972) and "thenRalOdu udan piRanthAL"(accompanied by a lion's roar) and "thanjai periyakOyil" from the film "Raja Raja Cholan"(1973).

As times changed and music trend changed in the late 1940s, all three of them(MKT,PUC.TRM) found themselves out of work or working very less in TF. As T.R.Mahalingam outlived the other two (he was also much younger than MKT and PUC) he sang in TFM well into the 1970s. TRM also had a short period of successful return to TF in the late 1950s after nearly eight years of lull.

Sometimes, I wonder, what if TRM had taken up playback singing, when the movie offers stopped coming. Because he proved he could change his style to fit the lightness in the music of the 1950s. Listen to his beautiful low-pitched rendition of "nAn anRi yAr varuvAr", a duet with A.P.Komala for the film "Maalai Itta Mangai"(1958), or "Adaikatti vantha nilavO", a duet with PS for the film "Amudhavalli"(1959). Well, that is just my selfishness talking. Who would have had the nerve to make that kind of proposition to a legend like TRM? (What? Me? Sing playback? GET OUT!)

Just like everything else, TFM also has a heritage. Some of us wish that it would be preserved in its purity. Those who are not familiar with T.R.Mahalingam's body of work, please enjoy the songs in their original form, before some "hip" music director remixes and butchers them. Almost all songs mentioned in this post, and more, are available for listening at hummaa.com. More information on TRM is available at tfmpage in a thread dedicated to TRM, under Memories of Yesteryears. Others, please pardon my preaching to the choir.

Part of the statistics in this post was collected off the internet. Thanks to all who contributed.

http://raretfm.mayyam.com/stream/pow...arul_tharum.rm

[RR]

Good ragamalika and writeup, Neel!

[NOV]

Lovely song. Movie was special as it had all popular singers of that time singing in just one film - TMS, PS, LRE, KB Sundrambal (naalellaam undha thrunaalE & Ezhumalai rukka), S. Varaletchumi (neela nira mEgamellaam), etc.

Neels, you forgot to mention TRM's duet with SG - namachivaaya ena sollvOmE/naarayanaa ena sollvOmE...

[Neel D]

RR & NOV, thank you.

NOV, "namachivAya" is a good song too. I missed that one.

[Neel D]

Pick #569

Song: nAn yArO
Film: ?
Music: ?
Singers: S.P.Balasubramanyam, K.S.Chitra
Lyrics: ?
Year: ?

A nice duet with a touch of melancholy.
Many unknowns. Those who know the details please fill in the blanks.

http://raretfm.mayyam.com/stream/pow..._yaro_nerru.rm

[madhu]

eppavO kEtta gnAbagam !
but endha detail-um gnAbagam varaliyE
( love song-A ? pEi song-A ? )

[gingerbeehk]

Nalla paattaa irukke? Ketta nyabhagame illai....unmaiyileye rare song-thaan ithu. Yaaravathu enna padathin paadal ithunnu sonnaal...punniyamaa pogum.

Jack