Today's offering is Lootera, a
1965 soundtrack from Laxmikant-Pyarelal and lyrics by Anand Bakshi (except for
Raat Se Kaho Ruke Zara' which is by Asad Bhopali). This is a request from
Gabrujat.
I have to admit I cannot remember
listening to any of these songs as a child and the only reason I have this record
is because it was on a list of freebies to choose from my record purchases. But
having said this, I really do not mind the songs and they do keep in the
tradition of the songs during the arly and mid 60s. I guess one has to hear
them a few times to truly appreciate the songs. I let you be the judge of it. I
give this soundtrack 3.5 stars.
Note: Notice that there are no
male songs in this soundtrack? Interesting.
Welcome to the first simultaneous posting of soundtrack and movie review by yours truly and my friend Bollywood Deewana for this year. And to kick off, it is Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (Winter Comes A-Waltzing) which stars the undisputed "Action King" of Hindi cinema Dharmendra, along with the beautiful Asha Parekh, Balraj Sahni, Nazima, Bindu, Aruna Irani, and Rajindernath. The music is by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and the lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Both film and music were box office hits in same year that saw other great movies such as Aradhana, Do Raaste, Khanyadaan, Jahan Pyar Mile and Aadmi aur Insaan to name a few. It made the seventh top grossing film at the Indian Box Office in 1969 (see list below).
Top Ten Indian Box Office Hits of 1969
1. Aradhana: Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore
2. Do Raaste: Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz
3. Ek Phool Do Mali: Sanjay, Sadhana and Balraj Sahni
4. Prince: Shammi Kapoor and Vyjayanthimala
5. Inteqaam: Sanjay and Sadhana
6. Jeene Ki Raah: Jeetendra and Tanuja
7. Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke: Dharmendra and Asha Parekh
8. Bandhan: Feroz Khan and Mumtaz
9. Jigri Dost: Jeetendra and Mumtaz
10. Sajan: Manoj Kumar and Asha Parekh
The film boast some memorable songs, still well know to this day. The title track is a zippy number and in my opinion one of Rafi-Lata best fun duets and Saathiya Nahin Jaana as one of their better love duet. I must say I really do like Main Ek Haseena (hey, who doesn’t like Asha in the cabaret type songs?) especially for its movie clip. Ah, gone are the days when a bit of meat was revered and considered sexy. I wonder how many Bollywood actresses would be caught dead doing that same clip these days? I can just imagine the bad press :O
Anyway, I enjoy all the songs in this OST, my favourites being Saathiya Nahin Jaana, Majhi Chal, Bura Mat Suno, Yeh Shama To Jali and the title track. I give this 4.5 only because I am comparing it to other music from that year.
Suraj (Sun, Sunshine) is a 1966 movie directed by T Prakash Rao and stars Rajendra Kumar, Vyjanthimala, Mumtaz and Ajit.
The movie boasts outstanding music by Shanker-Jaikishen (who won their 5th Filmfare award for best music director) and lyricists Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra. Singer Mohammad Rafi won his 4th Filmfare best male playback singer for “Baharon Phool Barsao”, which in my opinion is one of Rafi’s best songs ever. My favourite in this OST is “Itna Hai Tumse Pyar” and of course, “Baharon Phool Barsao”. I give this album 5 stars.
One of the momentous rock groups of the 1960’s, Jeffreson Airplane was formed in San Francisco California in 1965 and a pioneer of psychedelic rock movement. The band performed at all three of the most famous American rock festivals of the 1960s—Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969) and Altamont (1969). The group's debut LP Jefferson Airplane Takes Off was released in September 1966. I give this album 4 stars with my favourite being “It's No Secret”.
BTW, if you are feeling a sense of déjà vu with this posting....you are right. I stuffed up my numbering and short of redoing all the numbers in edit mode, I decided to re-post this album with the correct numbering. Yes the sequence is still in order; 'EVENS' for Hindi albums and 'ODDS' for everything else. So here is Pyar Mohabbat all over again....enjoy.
This OST has everything going for it – all the great singers of the 60’s – Rafi, Asha, Lata, Usha, Manna Dey and Sharda. It’s as if music directors Shankar-Jaikishan could not decide who to get so, they decided to get them all. I am surprised Kishore Kumar and Mukesh weren’t thrown in for good measure!!!
No wonder it’s one of my favourite albums of the decade, coupled with the fact that it is also a Dev Anand starrer, and not forgetting the very beautiful Saira Banu.
As mentioned, the music is by Shankar-Jaikishan and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra. If I have to chose my favorites from this album, they would have to be Pyar Mohabbat Ke Siva, Mil Gai Mil Gai, Aap Naraz Khuda Khair Kare, Tere Siva and of course Tujh Ko Dekh Ke. My verdict: Five stars, no less!!!
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kostelanetz escaped in 1922 after the Russian Revolution. He arrived in the United States that year, and in the 1920s, conducted concerts for radio. In the 1930s, he began his own weekly show on CBS, André Kostelanetz Presents.
Kostelanetz was known for arranging and recording light classical music pieces for mass audiences, as well as orchestral versions of songs and Broadway show tunes. He made numerous recordings over the course of his career, which had sales of over 50 million and became staples of beautiful music radio stations. For many years, Kostelanetz also conducted the New York Philharmonic in pops concerts and recordings, in which they were billed as Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra.
André Kostelanetz may be best-known to modern audiences for a series of easy listening instrumental albums on Columbia Records from the 1940s until 1980. Kostelanetz actually started making this music before there was a genre called "easy listening". He continued until after some of his contemporaries, including Mantovani, had stopped recording. His music sold over 50 million copies!
Outside the United States, one of his best known works was an orchestral arrangement of the tune "With a Song in my Heart", which was the signature tune of a long-running BBC radio program, at first called Forces Favourites, then Family Favourites, and finally Two Way Family Favourites.
Kostelanetz's last concert was A Night in Old Vienna with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra at that city's War Memorial Opera House on December 31, 1979.
He died in Haiti on January 13, 1980, aged 78.
If you like Spanish and flamenco style music, you will love “Fire and Jealousy”. I give this album 4.5 stars and my favourites include Jalousie, Malaguena, Ritual Dance of Fire and Bolero.
Tere Ghar Ke Samne (In Front Of Your House) was a hit movie and hit soundtrack of 1963. It was directed and written by Vijay Anand and starred his brother, producer and 1960’s heart throb Dev Anand, the beautiful Nutan, Rajindernath and veteran Om Prakash.
The soundtrack is by legendary composer Sachin Dev Burman with lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri. The hit songs from this movie include Ek Ghar Banaunga, Tu Kahan Ye Bata and Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukara...which are my favourites and I would add Dil Ki Manzil to the equation too.
Lovers of jazz, the Duke and the Count - Here’s a chance to consider which musician reign supreme. My verdict? Too close to call...but I give the album 4 stars.
I tried and I tried, I looked everywhere….I could find no reference to this band….all I got from Google was City Slickers, the definition from Wikipedia and the Hollywood movie starring Billy Crystal. Then I found a reference to Spike Jones with his back up band, The City Slickers. Not sure if it’s the same, but check out this WIKIPEDIA link. So sorry folks, no-can-give-info; but most appreciate some, if you had. Ta.
Regardless, not one of the better instrumentals (reading the commentary on the back of the LP one would not have thought so) but there are some old time favourites here and also, the different genres of music. So basically, there is something here for everyone. If I had to describe this album, I’d call it elevator music. See if you agree. My rating: 2.5 to 3 stars.
Jhuk Gaya Aasman (The sky has relented) is a 1968 movie starring Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu. It was directed by Lekh Tandon with music by Shankar Jaikishan, and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra and S.H Bihari (see the back of the LP cover for the listing) . The film is a remake of the Hollywood film "Here comes Mr. Jordan (1941)". It performed "below average" at the box office but did rather well musically.
The most notable song from this movie would be "Kaun Hai Jo Sapnome" an outright copy of the song "Marguerita", an Elvis Presley song, from his movie "Fun In Acapulco" (see my posting HERE). It is one of my favs from this album, along with "Kahan Chal Diye" and "Unse Mila Nazar". I give this OST 3.5 stars.
