I agree with Rano that the first 5 years of ARR's entry into Movie Music
brought about an astounding outpouring of quality music that early listeners
like Rano and myself, among many, were so overwhelmed and mesmerized. I can
still recall the goosebumps I felt all over me when I first heard those
scintillating and crystal clear synth sounds of Pudu Vellai Mazhai in my living
room; its glissandos inducing many cool thrills up my spine. This was before
his minor-digression into Prabhudeva influenced rhythmic songs over the
colorful melodies of those first years, which attracted the first wave of harsh
criticisms of ARR's falling below his own standards; and in ARR's defence, let
me say that he did admit to being somewhat guilty of diverting his attention to
more commercial efforts during the 95-97 period. Coming back to the early
years, true, we have not heard those same sounds from ARR in recent times, but
that is certainly not to say that he has given up, or even consciously softened
his emphasis over these standards, which, to me, are still a league above the
prevailing norm. That is not to mention the now very widely accepted fact that
the prevailing norm has largely been shaped by ARR's pioneering work of those
early years!
Before we delve into a serious discussion about comparing and criticizing
standards of different eras, we have to ask what we mean by 'standards': Are we
comparing originality, aesthetic judgment (or taste), use of technology, choice
of movies and lyrics, choice of singers and instruments, etc? Most of these
standards, ARR himself acknowledged early on in his career, were very close to
his heart and the advancement of which were among his main reasons for entering
the movie industry. So, while I’m sure he is open enough to allow criticisms of
his works, he would love to know on what facts we base our judgments. Also, for
the sake of balance, I will compare the works of the 5-year period from 1992-96
with the 5-year period from 2003-07. I am just trying to keep aflame, perhaps
by lighting a side fire or two, what I feel is a very worthy topic for
discussion. All my thoughts here will be open for debate for I too am still
learning and would love to hear the thoughts from what, to us ‘old-timers’, has
now become quite a massive group!
So let us investigate ARR’s Standard Deviation over the 15 years of his reign!
I will post my discussion in categorical parts so that I don’t estrange you
with an unpleasantly long email! If you are interested in the discussion, look
for the subject line 'ARR's Standard Deviation - Part X - <SUBJECT>' in your
inboxes for there are 100s of emails now flowing per day and I understand that
you may not have the time to go through each and every email.
Best regards,
Dasun
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:12:02 +0000
Subject: [arr] Re: Can someone define "living up to ARR's own standards"?
Let me try to explain. For the first 5 years, between 1992 and
1996,
almost none of the people here or ANYWHERE will be able to find 5 A R
songs that they didn't like. Out of 25-30 albums. That's a high
standard. Every phrase, every intro, every verse is astounding from
that period. In Guru, the first interlude from Barso Re is phenomenal
and no other composer is capable of that kind of music, and many fans
think that A R is capable of sustaining that sort of quality over the
length of the entire album, which may or may not happen because the
songs are extremely situational nowadays.
It is RIDICULOUS for anyone here to say that one cannot criticize this
aspect of Rahman's music or that, because there are many many fans who
have been there since the first song of A R R ever aired and before,
and have a right to express their feelings.
I am curious to know how old some of you are, because there seems to
be a generational gap developing in this group :)
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, "Chord" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I hear this phrase over and over and over in reviews. What does that
> mean exactly? Is it purely subjective or are there elements of
> Rahman's best works that can be operationalized? If ARR is a
> progressive artist who doesn't stick to formulas, what exactly are his
> standards that people expect him to adhere to album after album?
>
> I think it's the same dilemma for all suuccessful artists. You take
> rock bands from the west, you hear so many comments about how their
> earlier works outshine later works. "Oh, this group's music back in
> the 70s was so much better than their work now". Their own success
> haunts them down the road, if they let it.
>
> Let's take JA. If you want to compare elements of JA to his most
> highly rated soundtracks of the past, there is good melody, amazing
> musicianship, crystal clear sound, beautiful ornamentation and
> attention to musical detail, haunting chords ahd harmonies, catchy
> rhythms, and innovativeness.
>
> So, what's the problem? I get the feeling that no matter how
> objectively good an ARR soundtrack will be, there will ALWAYS be folks
> who say the phrase above. And I guarantee you that these same folks
> would say he is repetitive if Rahman were indeed to go back to the Dil
> Se or Taal mode or whatever mode they wish for.
>
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