The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[Plum]

...But rumouredly, made it big with Priyadarshan

[Avadi to America]

All the 35+ fellas posting in this thread are so against sinna thambi. appram yaarubaa indha padaththai hit aakkinadhu?

Nerd, i am not in 35+ but i still hate the songs from chinathambi at the core....i do not know why... could be Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Vasu.

[Bala (Karthik)]

And I always go to madhura marikkozhunthu vaasam after this song. They both sound a little similar (the charanams esp). Same raaga? Super song. Super album

Mayamalavagowla raagam (is there a shift in raagam towards the end of the 2nd lude 3:40 - 3:55?).
However, like app, to me the arrangement sounds very similar to Meenamma Meenamma (sarasaangi raagamaam)

[Bala (Karthik)]

I used to/still hate Sinna Thambi passionately. Puke. (Except Annan's all time favorite track)
I used to think the songs were also not great. Fell in love with Aracha Sandhanam subsequently. Not that I dont like the other songs but there is a kind of a stigma...

[app_engine]

nanRi Nerd, Plum & Murali sir for the details related to the original of GV. I don't think I watched PPRK, so it should be fun to watch GV

Either love or hate, it was difficult to ignore CT & its songs during early 90's

The famous Rajini-Gounder-Vijayashanthi comedy scene had a reference to it too

[app_engine]

#341 கேளடி என் பாவையே
(கோபுர வாசலிலே, 1991)

'kELadi en pAvaiyE' of gOpura vAsalilE

It's funny that I've listened to this song a few times while visiting TN but during the same time period never had a chance to pay attention to other better numbers of this movie Ofcourse, I never knew what movie this was from and neither cared to ask - as this was not that much impressive to me those days.

It's a nice song with the thuLLal singing by SPB as usual - but something was / is lacking. To me, it simply does not have the "IR feel" to it and sounds like a 60's song. I'm even reminded of the GR classic yAradi nee mohini in the second line of the pallavi ('mOgam koNda pOthum thAgam vandha pOdhum' = 'AsaiyuLLa rANi anjidAmalE nee'). So, this song is like 'uLundhanganji' to me Since that comparison comes to mind each time I listen to this, let me write a para about that dish, which most of my associates (i.e. outside of my mother-side-relatives) weren't aware of.

Perhaps most TN-ers know the two uses of uLundham paruppu ('urad dAL' as called by northies, sold with or without skin):

a) As an important ingradient of idly-dOsai batter
b) mixed with kadugu for the 'thALikkal' process of dishes like sAmbAr

Northies have their more important third use :
c) As an ingradient in dAL makhAni (and other mixed dAL curries)

What only few TN-ers know (perhaps the south-TN speciality) is the fourth use of this paruppu - a quickie dish called 'uLundhanganji'. My mom or mother-side relatives prepared that dish when they didn't want to spend a lot of time in kitchen. Since this is a "take alone" dish - essentially a kanji, with uLundu main - requiring nothing extra to go with, the job gets done pretty fast and whether the consumers liked it or not they didn't have a choice

I always felt it was a "punishment dish" (like jail kaLi) to which a lecture also was often added when we protested (that uLundu strengthens the hip of girls / required for them to have strength later on during delivery etc).

This is a uLundhukkanji song by IR standards!

[app_engine]

#342 வருது வருது இளங்காத்து
(பிரம்மா, 1991, ஜானகியுடன்)

'varudhu varudhu iLangAththu' of brahmmA

A Janaki sweetie song where SPB adds to the taste! rAsA worked on exclusive rhythm arrangement to embellish the number and it's so delightful to listen each time. Interestingly, this number is similar to 'kAdhal kavidhaikaL padiththidum nEram' in my case (never listened to it at the time of release or during that decade but heard / appreciated only in the recent years due to it being accidentally in the CD of a relative). That it lived for a decade and beyond to reach me proves beyond doubt that some people in TN enjoyed this song at the time of arrival and later

An internet search about this movie tells me that Satyaraj acted with Kushbu and Subash was the director. Absolutely no idea about anything else on this movie. I think it will be a similar case with me for most IR movies of the 90's, unless they had Kamal or Rajini. So, fellow hubbers need to fill-in more details about such numbers - as to whether the songs were really hits, how did the movie fare etc. Regardless of those facts & figures, this is a thoroughly enjoyable number and I've listened to this umpteen number of times during long drives. A delight to listen in car / van as the recording quality seems to be excellent as well!

[kiru]

#341 கேளடி என் பாவையே
(கோபுர வாசலிலே, 1991)

.... I'm even reminded of the GR classic yAradi nee mohini in the second line of the pallavi ('mOgam koNda pOthum thAgam vandha pOdhum' = 'AsaiyuLLa rANi anjidAmalE nee'). So, this song is like 'uLundhanganji' to me Since that comparison comes to mind each time I listen to this, let me write a para about that dish, which most of my associates (i.e. outside of my mother-side-relatives) weren't aware of.

Damn..I did not notice this before.. seems very plausible ..now that you mention it.

...
Perhaps most TN-ers know the two uses of uLundham paruppu ('urad dAL' as called by northies, sold with or without skin):
...

Actually, ulundu kaLi in the sweet version is very tasty. Toasted/powdered ulundu is used to make this with jaggery.
You dont want to take ulundu easily ..lots of vitamin E .. you know it is good for you

This is a uLundhukkanji song by IR standards!

Yeah..I never liked this song. But the album recording quality is good (as you have observed).

[V_S]

KELadi en PaavayE - One of the best song in the album. Very trendy song and will still appeal to today's generation and trend. The accordion and piano gives that spanish and jazz touch. Just like the accordion expands and contracts, the tune is also expands and contracts like that, if you observe closely. I would die to listen to the prelude alone with that mind-blowing whistle. The way Maestro punctuates every line with that piano run again is a beauty. The tune is very light and singing by SPB is top class with his trade-mark laughs and yodeling. Listen when SPB sings 'aLLi' for the last time he sings aLLi sErkavEndum. Extra accent will be given. Master Blaster! Only one! The last two lines of charanam is a stealer. Very minimalistic arrangements. If this song is released today, every one will lap it up for its minimalistic arrangements, casual and trendy approach. I could feel some similarity between this song and Vaangum Panathukkum (Dhoni). Very fresh tune and trendy in nature which sure will make our hearts lighter after a difficult day. I can listen to this beauty any time, any number of times. Idha pOi Ulundankanji'nu solliteengaLE. This song sounds like a 60's song? Wow! Sometimes I use to wonder how tastes differ.

I challenge if any composer can compose a similar song today. If he does, he would be in limelight, I say!

[V_S]

The problem with Ilaiyaraaja (not us) is since he composed 1000's of songs like a machine, many seem to take his songs for granted (I mean even IR fans). Many does not know its actual value as the songs are available in abundant, more than we ask for. Even if we skip/ignore half of his songs, still we can manage to find excellent songs according to our taste. So we can tend to skip one by one till we get the best one according our best taste. Ithu nalla irukkE. No, I am wrong. Ithavida Ithu nalla irukkE. There is no end to it. Can we have this liberty with other composers? Please think about it for a moment. I would imagine if he scored only in 100's, what would happen?