Re: 100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever

On May 22, 9:48 am, Chetan Vinchhi <vinc...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On May 21, 10:40 pm, Saket <sake...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



Do you consider VB playlists to be the ultimate yardsticks of
greatness?

Certainly, the talk of most valid is being mathematical, but it's a
valid sample in any case for the popularity & at least an acceptable
sample for quality output. Is there any other 'sample' that comes to
mind ?

Well, you started out by saying you don't find AB's music melodic. And
then you flash a VB list at me saying look no AB here hence he is not
great. That is okay if you are building a case against AB's popularity
- I would readily concede that point. But popularity and greatness are
not always tightly correlated. While the great Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan song
"jyoti kalash chhalake" is extremely popular, can you explain the
abject obscurity of the other great Lata solo from the same film?


Let's define 'great' here shall we ? I can't do it succinctly, though.
Besides & before great lyrics & singing & even before the arranger
sets up the orchestra there has to be something in the basic tune
itself.

I think some MD's really knew what it takes to make a tune that people
will remember as great in this context. Shankar (SJ) mentiones this in
passing, while telling the host on Phool Khile Hain .... why he
preferred tune first, lyrics later, in general.

I can't say, may be the meter, the raag, whatever, there is something
that can make a tune click, & it doesn't matter then if it's in an
obscure movie, un-popular actors (you know the examples I am sure) it
will be a hit it will be remembered.

AB's music has not more than very few songs which I would like to
listen again, I can't have any better arguments than that.

Now the first one is a gem certainly, so is Dil Jalata Hai, but I need
a hat-trick in a single movie, he hasn't done that IMO.

Which 3 songs do you find great in Saraswatichandra (just a film that
caught my eye in your list which I think has decent but not great
music)?


cha.Ndan saa badan, hamane apanaa sab kuchh khoyaa, chho.D de saari
duniyaa

Indeevar/Mukesh/Lata has done brilliant work here offcourse, but even
the basic tune is too good.

Oh, one more thing, just checked Taraana (1951) on ISB, strange that
till 2002, only Siine me.n ... was transliterated

Did you also check how many songs of each of your 100 soundtracks was
transliterated by that time?

Those who were more dependent on sweet memory, wouldn't recall
anything beyond Siine me.n from this soundtrack as late as 1951. Not
the best source I know, since nothing is best :)

At least in my case there is no memory since I did not live in those
times. It was more of a case of going back and discovering those gems.
Quite often it would be isolated tracks that would mesmerize me. For
instance, I stumbled upon the slow version of "ik pal ruk jaanaa"
thanks to Raju Bharatan (?!) and fell in love with it. It was only
decades later that I came across the other songs of Rahi.


A great soundtrack has to be on the memory, no need to see archives
for that surely ! On the other hand as you said it's certainly
possible to have a song here & there which escaped public memory which
is very good & that's why we take all the pain to keep trying to find
even more of them.


I don't think we are going to convince each other, but it's fun
nevertheless.

I still hope I can convince you :)

C

If you can do that, I'll have some extra pieces of good music to
enjoy. I prefer that even if that means changing the 100 list :)

But as far as AB's music is concerned, I am not for it. Even Voh tere
pyaar ka Gam (My Love) is a better composition than what he had to
give us (this is playing right now as I write this comment, nothing
else) . Certainly he worked in a different era when HFM was in a
nascent stage but the list of 100 is of the very best available. It's
not to please all & definitely not to mention every credit worthy
music director since 1930.

cheers
Saket
p.s. I admire your spirit to continue this thread, kudos sir !
.

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