Thanks Dasun!
On 2/2/08, Dasun Abeysekera <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Padmini, > > I'm not sure if Chord promised an audio clip, but what I promised was a > write-up on Uyirum Neeye which I did post a few days back. Let me see if I > can get these uploaded to the group database storage. I will just send it to > you in the meantime. > > Arijith, > > Remember that my comparisons were bounded by the time frames I chose. The > question you're posing is > on a open window, but let me address what you are pointing out here. > > Anbe: > Good song, but I didn't think it stood out the first time I heard it. It's > got amazing orchestration for sure. > > Desh Mere: > Soulful, musically, but not daring, I must say. The context of the song, > lyrically, is rebellious of course, which may be what you are pointing out. > > Dacaoit Duel: > I'm ashamed to say, this is one of the albums I'm yet to buy, so I cannot > comment. This too did not qualify because it is for a chinese production, > and not Indian. > > Like an Eagle: > It's got energy for sure, but the singing does not suit the level of > energy needed. Raza Jeffrey and Priya Kalidas had veery pop voices and they > could not really pull off the vocal strength needed for a stage production. > However, it introduced stage drama/musicals to the Indian audience in UK, so > in that sense I can appreciate the effort. Bombay Dreams had pretty average > lyrics to; I always though Don Black could've done better than this. > Sometimes I wonder if he struggled with ARR's mystical approach to composing > on top of the unusually Eastern phrasing styles of ARR. He hints at this in > the recent video which was posted. > > Please Sir: > I tend to skip this song, so I can't say this struck me as innovative. Is > it a new genre, that may have some truth in terms of style, but it is not > striking enough in my view. > > Girlfriend: > Very pop song with lots of appropriate energy given the context, and I > love it; but it is certainly not a Thee Thee or Dil Se Re. > > Dil Se (background score): > Background scores, I left out in the discussion, but Dil Se has some of > the most divine music ARR has created. A different world altogether. The Dil > Se album in its entirety would have easily qualified in this category if it > had not fallen outside the time windows I had defined. > > Innisai: > Again, one of those albums, I'm yet to pick-up. > > Konjum Mainakale: > Beautiful song, I loved Rajeev Menon's picturization as I did all of the > song picturizations of KK, especially the title song. This does not fall in > the original category; the standard I had set for this may be very high that > it is unfair to most songs that would easily qualify as original compared > with other composers' output; but we are talking about ARR's standards! :) > > Vellai Pookkal: > Peace is the word to describe this song; so I can't call it rebellious > from a musical perspective. It's hard to capture a Gandhi in music. :) > > RDB: > Now I must admit, I didn't think about this album at all when I wrote that > article on originality. How I missed this is beyond me, but I did try to be > spontaneous in the spirit of my topic! :) Yes, RDB is all about > rebelliousness and ARR captures that in so many different angles with this > album. Khalbali and Roobaroo would definitely fall in this category, and > Paatshaala to a certain degree as well. Though very contemporary, this album > gives new meaning to what popular music can be by lifting it a notch above > the usual mediocrity. ARR has a very sharp sense for what would become part > of history and he just delivers big time when it comes to movies like this. > Thanks for pointing out that big, big oversight; I did a dis-service to ARR > here. > > O Humdum: > Again, too pop for my category, but like Girlfriend from boys, it has > energy that suits its context. > > Chotta Chotta: > This movie has a few wonderful songs, but I don't have it in my library, > so can't comment on this. That reminds me that I got a lot of shopping to do > including Jodha Akbar, which I absolutely need to buy! > > It's good to see some of you thinking of why you like these songs and what > sort of emotions they evoke within you. My responses are subjective and > should not be taken as final by any means. Let us discuss and debate > because I am learning and expanding as much as you may be. > > Take care, > Dasun > > > > ------------------------------ > To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 21:03:58 -0800 > Subject: Re: [arr] Re: ARR's Standard Deviation - Part I - Originality > > > Dasun/ Chord, > > I think one of you posed an audio piece that was created by you. Can you > repost it again? I am not able to find it in my inbox? I hope I am not > smoking anything:-) > > > On 2/1/08, *Arijit Debnath* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hi Dasun, > > What is ur feel abt "Anbe idhu" from Rhythm... I think this is also a > rebelious song itself.... after Thee Thee I count this one. > Also "Desh mere" is rebelious lyrically and musically too (From TLOBS) > What do u think abt "Dacaoit Duel" from WOHAE? > Like an Eagle from Bombay Dreams > Pls Sir (Boys) is also a new genre itself (may not be a rebel but > musically very new to ear) > Girlfreind (Boys) is defe a rebel song to me!! > Dil se ending score ...true rebelious > innisai (GF)... > Kunjum mainakale (KK) isn't a rebel as a romantic song (I never heard > such romantic rebel before)? > Vellai Pukal... its a rebel song to me with no weapons no noise... rebel > can be done piecefully Rahman roved that > The whole RDB album is rebelious (including awesome BMG) > O humdum (Sathiya) this is another new genre introduced by none other than > Rahman... this is also 1st of its kind > Chotta chotta (Tajmahal)... what a melody and blend of flute... again > never heard this kind of song (if anyone heard anything like this pls let us > know...we will enjoy that too) > > > Till now I remeber these after Thiruda Thiruda (that is the best by Rahman > in my opinion). Anyway new sound or rebel songs will be growing in my list. > > Arijit > > > On 31/01/2008, *Dasun Abeysekera* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Shah Navas, > > Sorry for the delayed reply. From a purely intuitive level, Thamizha > Thamizha didn't strike me as innovatively original, to qualify my use of the > term original now. Thee Thee just jumps at you when you listen to it as > incredibly new...I mean I haven't heard a single song like that since > then..where the base guitar is used to amazing effect...that was that pure > daring, rebellious freshness that I was looking for...Dil Se Re perhaps > comes closest to that kind of in-your-face creativity. I guess there is an > element of high energy that you look for in things like that, and Thamizha > Thamizha, though it has energy, is more of a soulful composition than > energetic. I would love to have another one like Dil Se or Thee Thee where > you just have to stop everything you do and drop your jaws! :) > > You are certainly entitled to your opinion; I hope that clarifies my point > of view. Good stuff..let's keep expanding. :) > > Take care, > Dasun > > > ------------------------------ > To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:05:32 +0530 > Subject: Re: [arr] Re: ARR's Standard Deviation - Part I - Originality > > Dasun says >>Roja, along with the likes of Puthiya Mugham, Uzhavan, and > Bombay would qualify as some of the most soulful and brilliantly crafted > albums, but, not the most original. > > Dasun, > > I request you to elaborate on this. I don't have any music knowledge. But > I see 'Thee Thee' from 'Thiruda Thiruda' and 'Tamizha Tamizha' from > 'Roja' loosely have the same structure. Both the songs start with a slow > melody and moves into a contrasting plane with burst of sound and vocals and > resumes back the melody. > > It's like 2 different songs are interwoven into one. Still they convey a > unified theme. In that sense 'Tamizha Tamizha' is more original to me as > it's a patriotic song which expresses many moods - hope, anger, motivation, > depression and the lyrics similarly matches the music or vice versa. > > But if you take 'Thee Thee', the doesn't necessarily depict a theme or a > situation, rather doesn't even match the picturisation. I feel it was more > of an experiment by Rahman and Manirathnam included the song (like most of > the times). If you see both these songs in this context 'Tamizha > Tamizha' is more original. > > > > > On Jan 28, 2008 12:28 PM, shanavas.chemmamkuzhi < > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Dasun is talking about 92-96 era. Earth released on 98. > > --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gomzy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > > well I feel thats nonsense. You can see his original works in > earth then > > onto lagaan and then upto swades atleast. Not to mention water ! > > > > > On Jan 28, 2008 12:08 PM, : Avinash : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Hi Dasun.. That's really well thought, in depth writeup man. > You > > > really stole my words! :) I was thinking, how to explain 'chord' > > > about defining ARR standards and you perfectly reflected my > > > mind.. :) Keep it flowing.. > > > > > > Thanks.. > > > -Avinash > > > > > > > -- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com <arrahmanfans% > 40yahoogroups.com>, Dasun > > > > Abeysekera <dtdja@> > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Originality > > > > > > > > The most original songs of the 92-96 era, in my opinion, are > Thee > > > Thee from Thiruda Thiruda (93) and Mettupodu from Duet (94); and > > > their respective albums too can be called the most original from > > > ARR's highest creative standpoint. Roja would certainly have to > be > > > considered original if we compare ARR's originality to the > relative > > > originality of the musical backdrop of that era, but that is not > what > > > we are attempting here; I feel that compared with the > aforementioned > > > albums, Roja, along with the likes of Puthiya Mugham, Uzhavan, > and > > > Bombay would qualify as some of the most soulful and brilliantly > > > crafted albums, but, not the most original; again, please keep in > > > mind that my comparisons are confined to ARR's body of work and > not > > > extended to any comparison's with the work by any of his composer > > > peers. > > > > > > > > Thiruda Thiruda (93) was a breakthrough album for ARR as he was > > > able to match, if not exceed, the expectations surrounding his > second > > > post-Illayaraja Mani Ratnam production after Roja, which could > not > > > have been an easy task for a 25 year old who thought his first > movie > > > album would be his last! Thee Thee's stunning energy and > freshness is > > > only the icing on the cake after the beautiful vocal tapestry of > > > Raasathi, the operatic grandeur of Veerapandi Kottayile, and > barring > > > its close references to Michael Jackson-like dance beats, > > > Chandralekha as well. Duet (94), on the other hand, with an > > > unprecedented use of Kadiri Gopalnath and his saxophone to > showcase > > > Carnatic music, was quite a daringly original attempt for a > movie; to > > > say both maestros pulled it off with shocking success, would be > an > > > understatement. > > > > > > > > So, has there been a song/album of that calibre in recent > times? I > > > think it will be an accurate statement to say that there has not > been > > > a song like Thee Thee or Mettupodu in recent times, certainly > not a > > > conceptually original album of Duet's kind, and most surely not > an > > > album for an Indian movie. Now why could that be? First of all, > as > > > you lose your youthful freshness and become enmeshed in a > system, you > > > lose a significant share of that rebellious spirit. Albert > Einstein > > > said during his latter years when he went on his quest to > discover a > > > Unified Field Theory, how much he wished he had that same > rebellious > > > spirit which fuelled his strength of mind and imaginative powers > to > > > overthrow the revered Laws of Sir Isaac Newton and his universe > of > > > absolute time and space with the new Relativity Theory. > Similarly, in > > > United States presidential politics, Sen. Barack Obama is > touting his > > > freshness in Washington as one of his biggest strengths for > bringing > > > about real change to the country. So, yes, time spent in any > > > environment can significantly reduce your capacity for daring and > > > originality, which is what we are seeing with ARR in India. > However, > > > let us not forget that we owe much of the advancement of the > quality > > > of Indian music to him and let's not be surprised if his most > > > original work comes from his work abroad because that > environment is > > > still new to him and he has many colors to show to the rest of > the > > > world where he is not yet legend! > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > Shed those extra pounds with MSN and The Biggest Loser! > > > > http://biggestloser.msn.com/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM, we > give. Learn > more.<http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join> > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM, we > give. Learn > more.<http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join> > > >
