The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[KV]

App, lovely set of posts!
Poo mAlai is among the best of IR+RK. I love the way he starts off the 2nd charanam. There's a bombastic 2nd interlude, and then SPB starts 'saami kooda aadaththaan'. There's just a simple guitar riff keeping him company for 2 lines here before the drums and other instruments join in. Superb effect this thing creates!
And it's quite a tough call to choose between poo mAlai and va va pakkam va. As much as I'm biased towards SJ, I've got used to VJ's vocals in this one so much, that its difficult to imagine this song with anyone else's vocals. Guitars, bass, drums ellam abdiye asAltA assault pannirkaaru indha album la.

[app_engine]

nanRi, KV!

Time to move on to the next biggie of that deepAvaLi, this one featuring Kamal & Kamal (one of the many ways to have 2 heroines in a movie )...

[app_engine]

#127 நானாக நானில்லை தாயே
(தூங்காதே தம்பி தூங்காதே, 1983 )

Very smart looking Kamal with Radha & Sulakshana as two heroines in a big hit movie, featuring five hit songs of SPB which got played everywhere in TN! Sweetest among those numbers IMO is this and IR retained his track singing song too in the disk (possibly due to his ammA pAsam). Right from the 'mm-hoo-hmm' start, it a SPB-IR smooth combo rAjyam in this song. It's primarily a flute-tabla delight while also featuring the shenoy (?) in the first interlude. There's also brief veeNai (or veeNai sounding guitar) portions that are delicious. Sweet tablA / bass background keeps the song evergreen.

This one is a nice scene on the movie (even picturization is good, with camera showing some sweet light rays that I remember till today) where Kamal had some opportunity to show some of his emotions. (BTW, I didn't think that ammA actress was comparable to any of the traditional TF ammAs like Pandari Bai, it was a so-so performance).

I remember seeing this movie weeks within release in Trichy town (and then again in one of the suburb theaters and then in the college audi). It was a different kind of masAlA - the foreign return KH was quite enjoyable and different while the local was boring (except some silmishams with Sulakshana). The horse scene was very novel to TF for the time of its arrival.

IR gave a "formula-for-sure-hit" soundtrack for the movie while also giving some extra stuff in at least one song. Which will be the one to host tomorrow...

[Plum]

That was Jamuna, app. Yesteryear heroine of jaisankar etc. Remember anbulla maanvizhiye?

TTT - where's grouch?

[V_S]

Lovely song App! I am addicted to this song always, just like Kamal in this film. Regarding the film, I too only liked the foreign return Kamal. We were so crazy about his style and grace. After sakalakalavallavan, I never missed any Kamal films (in theatre) till Hey Ram. I think I watched this film twice or thrice. Great memories! One of the first film songs, we listened clearly on a very good Panasonic tape recorder (from our same friend mentioned in my previous post) and cassette. We were so thrilled to hear the quality. But I would say extremely good quality we enjoyed that time/till date is another Kamal film Uyarntha ullam, especially that Enge En Jeevane (KJY, SJ). I somehow have not listened to that quality even now in any other song with all these technologies. Maestro's recording and Echo that time was too good.

This song highlight is the second charanam. SPB's rendition of these lines. The same tune comes in 1st charanam, but he sings normally, but when it comes to these lines, he is totally into it as the lyrics demands such a singing.

thaai veedu polillai angu thaalaatta aaLillai. Hear the improvisation when he sings the word 'angu' second time. KadavuLe!
koyil thozhum deivam nee yandri naan kaana verillai

And the finishing pallavi again very touchy, almost crying and singing! Still we are searching for his replacement which we will never find. period.

[Bala (Karthik)]

App, lovely set of posts!
Poo mAlai is among the best of IR+RK. I love the way he starts off the 2nd charanam. There's a bombastic 2nd interlude, and then SPB starts 'saami kooda aadaththaan'. There's just a simple guitar riff keeping him company for 2 lines here before the drums and other instruments join in. Superb effect this thing creates!
And it's quite a tough call to choose between poo mAlai and va va pakkam va. As much as I'm biased towards SJ, I've got used to VJ's vocals in this one so much, that its difficult to imagine this song with anyone else's vocals. Guitars, bass, drums ellam abdiye asAltA assault pannirkaaru indha album la.

It's "Vaa vaa pakkam vaa" for me (song of the album). We take this song for granted today (its not just disco or R&B). Where do you slot it? And how does he come up with such stuff? Innaikku kettaalum, if you really think about it, it's something you haven't heard before or since. And SPB!!

[app_engine]

Nice reminiscence, V_S!

Looks like you were in school those days...isn't it nice at times to ruminate

[app_engine]

Remember anbulla maanvizhiye?

I remember only TMS & PS..., no encounter with what happens on screen - can't say if it were a bad miss or blessing...

[app_engine]

#128 வானம் கீழே வந்தால் என்ன, பூமி மேலே போனால் என்ன
(தூங்காதே தம்பி தூங்காதே, 1983 )

Right from the start, IR makes his intention clear as to the purpose of the song. That is to take people to a bOdhai where they'll keep floating. In line with the situation where the drugged guy supposedly hallucinates. The music is of a different kind from the regular alcoholic types i.e. not the raw booze-out kind that he let SJ play in 'endhan kaNNil EzhulagangaL'. SPB pretty much sings sober thru out and no vAi kuzharals. (Since I don't have any drug experience other than having to deal with a couple of marijuana collegemates occasionally, cannot speak for the authenticity BTW). OTOH, the prelude and interludes themselves - while not resorting to much of distortions / izhuvais - create some mental confusion while maintaining a strong melody. It's simply a very different genre compared to all his songs prior, inexplicable.

While the overall orchestration is of very high order, comparable to the very best in IFM ever, my personal fav is the solo string that plays havoc in the second interlude. What a kuRumbu rAsA there!

SPB meets the challenge to sing without kuzharal but maintaining that float feeling and what a superb variance in modulation! A song of real high order, looks like IR got the services of SJ among the chorus singers (not sure whether she got credited in the disk...also can't recall clearly whether radio announced her name those days).

Both IR & SPB would have shed raththakkaNNeer after handing over this pokkisham to SPM / AVM ruiners Despite having Kamal, all they could come up with was some jiginA stuff with some extras shaking hands and legs. KH himself had dance movements like Mohan (were these "puliyoor" sAdhams?). Very disappointing! However, IIRC, the theater crowd enjoyed the scene a lot those days - graphic effects didn't look all that bad on big screen considering the technology limitations those days. The main irritation was "dance" movements, cheapy kuzhivinar Attams and no remarkable stuff even in close-ups of Kamal.

[Plum]

Guitar Prasanna has written stuff about vaanam keezhe, app. Link kaNdu pidichu pOdunga. Ninga oru google king