Musical Notes

There is something perenially endearing about Jolene by Dolly Parton. May be it is the subject matter of the song - a woman fighting for her man, the sheer desperation in the lyrics or the beauty of the tune; whatever it is, the song is addictive. I find myself coming back to it and getting hooked every now and then. My latest 'Jolene' phase has been brought on by hearing the Norah Jones and The Little Willies' cover of it. Wonderful stuff. I want to be like Norah Jones - making incredibly cool music with incredibly cool people.

The best way to listen to The Beach Boys (especially songs from Pet Sounds), I've realised, is to reduce the bass on the equalizer and push up the treble. There is just so much happening in a Beach Boys song - so many instruments all contributing differently to make up a magical whole. An overpowering bass just spoils the effect completely. They are probably the only band I love where I actually reduce the impact of the bass.

The Beach Boys also have the knack of leaving you wanting more from a song. In some of their songs, the last 10 - 15 seconds or so are the most lovely and you wish that part would go on forever. Case in point - Caronline No. The flute bit in the end is just beautiful; and as it fades away, at least I always wish it had lasted for longer. 'Good Vibrations' and 'I Know There's an Answer' also boast similar endings.

Alanis Morisette has made some bloody good music. I should really dig up more of her.

Higher on Maiden is a pretty crappy cover band. Ok may be crappy is harsh, but Led Zepplica is much better as far as covers go. I am not a Maiden fan but I know that the Higher on Maiden vocalist is nothing compared to Bruce Dickenson and goes off tune a fair bit. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on the other hand are fantastic, live. I mean they were simply awesome! I do wish they had played 'Uff Teri Ada' though. And that I had been properly drunk :).

Bachchan and Schubert

It's been a while since I posted on music. I've been listening in a practically continuous loop to two very different pieces over the last few days.

The first is 'Neela Aasman So Gaya' from Silsila. Silsila is one of the few older Hindi movies I have actually seen - being made to watch it by my mother at some point. I remember not understanding very much of it but quite liking it overall. I was also aware that this movie contained some pretty famous songs - 'Yeh Kahaan aa Gaye Hum', 'Dekha Ek Khwab', 'Rang Barse' and so on. Recently in the Mess of all places, the song 'Neela Aasman' (the Amitabh Bachchan version) was playing on TV and I was struck by the tune and picturization of the song.

Finding the song on Youtube, I was surprised to discover that Bachchan had himself sung this beautiful song. His singing doesn't quite agree with me in places. While his voice is a weak-knees inducing baritone with so much potential, his diction and rather flat rendering really jar sometimes with the slow and unearthly arrangement the song has. I think it is in the last minute of the song that you really see the potential his voice has. He mellows down the harshness of his tone and blends much better with the music and for a few seconds, not just the music, but the beauty of his voice also transports you.

For the musical arrangement and the picturization, I am in love with this song. It is so ridiculously romantic. The two of them aren't really doing anything - they're just walking hand in hand and as night sets in, he sings to her. There are no major displays of affection and yet the chemistry between them is electric. I could just go on watching this, it is just so lovely. And the music suits the mood beautifully - smooth and mellow with no sudden high notes.

The other piece of music is 'The Trout' quintet composed by Schubert; more specifically the 4th theme and variations. I particularly love this video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlxVTpEyMEw. I picked up this piece from 'An Equal Music' (in my quest to hear all the musical compositions described in the book. Didn't like the 'Art of Fugue' though) and just love how happy and playful the music is. The whimsical way in which notes leap around between instruments is lovely. My favorite bits are when the piano comes in for the first time (What an instrument! I must learn it) and when at 3:00 minutes in the above video, the quintet goes completely berserk playing the high speed variations. While I cannot comment critically on this music, I continue to be amazed by how beautifully instruments blend in western classical music. I should really try listening to more of it!

Rehna Tu

When times get hectic, one rarely gets to think about, well may be not happier, but less hectic and more languid and idyllic times. In fact, one shouldn't be indulging in such sighing and dreaming anyway. Yet, like I mentioned before, all it takes is one song to trigger your memories.

Radio One in Bangalore, for all its flaws, used to play Rehna Tu from Delhi 6 very regularly. I recently listened to it and suddenly found myself missing traffic jams on Mysore Road (when the song would invariably play and ease my tension), Grissy, discussing the intricacies of Rahman's music and music in general with Vivek, Aishu, Bhavi, Shore, Asma, Gupta, Amber and hell, several other lovely people who let music and its moods dictate their lives more often than not. I missed the rush of sitting next to someone you barely knew in class and having a long winded discussion with him/ her about life, love, relationships and random philosophies feeling wonderfully refreshed later on. I missed the randomness and closeness that life at law school made one accustomed to. I missed sleepy 5th year evenings in Bangalore, Chetta Maggi and that Nora Roberts book which I freely admit I have read several times and really like. I even missed Radio One's 'Maximum Music, maximum choice' and Indigo's terrible yet catchy music. After some contemplation on where life had taken me, I pulled myself out of my reverie and pushed off to the library to study.

Rehna Tu is a lovely song which moves between the sad, romantic and other worldly. Its mellow pace contrasts beautifully with the anguish in Rahman's voice. And the Kamas (I think) bit at the end adds yet another layer of contrast and complexity, ending the song on this haunting and wistful note - you can't but sigh after listening to the song. Like all Rahman's songs, it is incredibly layered and complex and yet simple in its soulful message (as opposed to those monstrosities he created for Slumdog and Raavan). At any rate, the song seems to have become inextricably linked with my last few months in Bangalore, its mildness somehow suiting the mild pace and weather of the city.

I am not sure how to conclude this post now. The 'me' in law school would have sighed over the song for hours together while the 'me' in IIM rapidly shuts out these external influences and concentrates on the task at hand. In several ways, it is a very good development. And in some other ways, it is a little sad. I hope at the end of my two years here, while emerging as a smarter and stronger person (with quant skills!), I will be able to retain that appreciation and love for these things that have so moved me in the past. And well, I've already spent too my time over this entry - the library beckons!

Rehna tu, hai jaisa tu....

Well strangely enough the only song that has managed to move me to tears is Din Dhal Jaye from Guide. I happened to hear it during that wonderful weekend at Asma's place, where at approximately 6.30 in the morning it played in the Retro Hits program on some obscure channel called E24. The song stayed in my head and though a long day involving a hep breakfast, running around looking for a mechanic for Grissy (my car) and other such things put it temporarily out of my mind; I found that when I lay down to sleep I could think of nothing else.

There is something about the way Rafi has sung that song, which transcends all language barriers, if any. I couldn't remember the lyrics; I don't even know what dhal means..and yet, like Raasathi (the only other song that has moved me this much, just short of making me cry) there is something intensely sad and unearthly about the song that filled me with a strange kind of longing. I finally switched on my laptop and buffered the song on Youtube. The moment the opening line was sung, I started crying and continued to do so till the song ended. I still can't describe what it does to me; just thinking about the song and humming it brings a lump to my throat. The understated emotion in Rafi's voice and the incredible melody of the song is just so beautiful. It can hardly be expressed in words in fact. There's this constant need to listen to the song and get lost in its music and Rafi's voice - the way he manages to convey so much without goind over the top (like Sonu Nigam or something)..resulting in an actual, almost physical pain when I'm not listening to it. Its been a while since I've been obsessed with a song, but I am quite taken in with this one. Beautiful, magical stuff.

I paid my price with solitude
But at least I'm out of debt

Every once in a while you look for a line that captures your mood and Bam! It (usually a Dylan lyric) just hits you.

I started this blog in my third year and am now in my fifth. The fag end of my fifth year actually. I'm quite struck by the way the general mood and nature of my posts have fluctuated during this time. In fact, I am so struck that I have made a graph indicative of the same (its rather small, you will have to click on it to get a better idea..I'm a techno spaz):




I'm glad it turned out this way though. I have had my ratty phases yes; but something has always kept me going in a natural upward progression. So right now, the mood is tops! It may sound funny but I actually feel I've become wiser (yes Anwesha, I hear you laughing), and though till third trimester of 4th year I still sounded like a whiny idiot, I think I've acquired a great level of maturity and level-headedness since then. Having said this, I've run out of things to post about I think. Music's always there, but I'm thinking of relocating music related posts to a separate blog altogether as there is so much to say. Hmmm, then there's tennis but I haven't been watching much. Hoping Murray and Henin win though (go Henin!) Sigh, I'm so bored, I'm even boring myself with this post. Maybe another day!

I just realised that the basic bass line of A.R. Rahman's 'Telephone Manipur' from Indian (Hindustani) is the same as Ace of Base's 'All that She Wants'. Of course, Rahman's just using western influences. When Anu Malik does the same thing, he's copying :D

Proper blogging will resume soon, for my presumed fans' benefit

I don't think I need to go into how music can set the mood for so many different things. Something which struck me in Bombay this time was how some kinds of music were just suited for a particular city..or an area of a city. The life and pace of the city blends with the perfect kind of music to create a sort of background music, which seems to just 'fit in'. For example, South Bombay and jazz go almost perfectly together. Jazz is about spunk, sophistication, sipping champagne and enjoying a cigarette and elegance. Yet it is also about passion, confusion, improvisation and celebration of the liberating power of music. South Bombay is also about a lot of these things. The old buildings of Fort and the Art Deco of Marine Drive are perfect to stare at while listening to some Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald. The trippy and cult atmosphere in Causeway and the madness of VT and Churchgate finds expression in Dizzy Gillespie's almost impossible compositions. Yet as you move North, towards Bandra, the crowd becomes increasingly younger and yuppie and the music changes to classic rock..pretty much the music which reflects Bangalore the best. Here beer, corporates, techies, college kids and school kids 'come together'. Whether it is angry intensity of The Who and Led Zeppelin, the psychedelia of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, or The Doors, Deep Purple and various other bands, they somehow reflect the mindset of the young crowd in areas like Bandra or Brigade Road, Koramangala and MG Road..a mix of optimism and skepticism tinged with the surreal.

Older areas in Bangalore like Jayanagar, Banshankari and Malleshwaram somehow just call for Carnatic music in any form. The shaded roads, markets, temples and older population of these areas seems to blend only with MS, DKP or any of the other greats. These areas are after all the most 'South Indian' as it were in Bangalore.

The most Bob Dylan place I have ever been to is in fact Pondicherrry. This time, I went for a walk on the beach, listening to Dylan and the setting was perfect. There are some songs which should be listened to by the sea. The sea seems to add a rhythm of its own to the song, making the whole experience very harmonious and agreeable. Dylan's soft guitar and poetic lyrics merge perfectly with the mildness of Pondicherry and its eclectic populace.

I not sure if the above post makes sense, but I think its a fairly funky way of looking at a city and its people. Music has always enhanced and completed things for me. And now it has go on to greatly enhance my travel experiences..two of my favourite things together. Sigh, the limitless powers of music!

It was exactly 40 years ago today that Abbey Road was released. 40 years since 'Something' first played on air. Now that's "something"!

Bless The Beatles.

My Top Five

I was going to make this into a question on the 'How Well Do You Know Divya Suresh?' quiz on Facebook (just so you know, it doesn't still exist, and probably never will), but I thought it would be far more interesting as a blog post:

My Top Five Rock Music Albums

All these albums I'm sure figure on the Rolling Stones list. They aren't very original or different, but I always like to talk about them. So here they are in descending order (most most favourite to least most favourite):

1. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
I don't know how many of you find this a surprising first choice, but yes, this is my favourite music album of all time. Incredibly surreal, evoking images of long forgotten gods, mythical landscapes, mighty battles, treasure etc with sudden bursts of nostalgia; this album is simply magnificent. I really can't find enough superlatives to describe it. It starts off with the upbeat and brilliant "Black Dog" followed by "Rock n' Roll" a nostalgic song in both style and lyrics. The fun however ends there. From then on, the album progresses in 'Lord of the Rings' fashion telling stories, weaving allegories and painting a picture of greed and destruction through music. The standout track in the album according to me at least is 'The Battle of Evermore'. Robert Plant's vocals are amazing and the mandolin accompaniment creates a mythical feel to the song. Enough has been said about the next track i.e. 'Stairway to Heaven'. 'Misty Mountian Hop' is another upbeat LOTR influenced song with a fairly sinister feel to it, which is carried forward by 'Four Sticks' and John Bonham's extraordinary drumming. The tone of the album again softens with the acoustic track 'Going to California', but ends in the hard edged and somewhat merciless 'When the Levee Breaks', my second favourite track. All in all, a fantastic album..not just for the music and the immortal songs it has produced, but also for being one the most visually evocative albums I have listened to.

2. Tommy - The Who
Again, an album about which a lot has been said. I discovered this album in these January hols and I was completely blown away. Tommy is a concept album that tells the story of 'Tommy Walker', a deaf, dumb and blind boy who is psychologically adopts that condition on witnessing his mother's lover being murdered. The album is a again paints a vivid and disturbing story and the music is loud, desperate, surreal and angry..conveying the moods of Tommy and his parents and their frustration. While the album is too long into every individual track, my favourite song is undoubtedly 'Welcome'..the song in which Tommy calls people to a 'holiday camp' which he has set up. The song is incredibly fascinating due to its frequent changes in tone, chords and pace. And Keith Moon's evil whisper "Welcome" at the end of the song actually manages to freak you out a bit, the first time you hear it. Another fantastic song is 'Amazing Journey', a psychedelic song about how Tommy starts sensing everything through music. Townsend's gentle vocals and the soft guitar work with crashing drums nicely capture the contrasting nature of a psychedelic trip. The disappointing song in the album is the 10 minute long 'Underture', which is supposed to represent a drug induced experience that Tommy goes through. I guess Pink Floyd is better accomplished at long drawn out psychedelic jams. John Entwhistle's contributions such as 'Cousin Kevin' and 'Uncle Ernie' are wonderful as ever, with an orchestral ensemble and dark humour. This is one album you must listen to as a whole. Truly a great musical achievement.

3. Rubber Soul - The Beatles
Well I'm not going to say very much about this album because at some point in life, I have complimented and raved about each and every song. Its an album which fits together perfectly and can actually be summed up in one work 'longing'. Unrequieted love (Norwegian Wood, You Won't See Me, Michelle, Girl) , jealous love (Run for Your Life, Do What you Want), the desperation of the misunderstood (Nowhere Man), love for the present (In My Life), hoping for love (Wait, If I Needed Someone)..every form of emotion associated with love and longing has been covered in this album. The lovely folksy sound and McCartney's poignant bass (it somehow is) lend each song a sense of coheisiveness which is absent from many albums which seem to be just a collection of songs (outside of concept albums). Definitely recommended for easy listening and something to sigh along with.

4. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay
Another surprising entry, but definitely one of my all time favourite albums and definitely the album I have listened to the most number of times. Coldplay's music is angry and at the same time emotional..the theme varying in almost every alternate song. The gem of the album is undoubtedly 'Clocks'. I still remember the first time I heard the distinctive piano riff on the radio..it seemed to open up new doors of music to me! However, one of the loveliest and most underrated songs in the album is 'Warning Sign'. A poetic and beautiful song about unrequieted love, it has a lovely bittersweet to it through out. 'Amsterdam' is another wonderful song with its soft start and catacylsmic ending, which gives a perfect end to this album. While several albums of this song has made their way into mainstream popularity, this album is worth listening to for having some of the best B-sides any album has ever produced. Some might say that this is the album in which Coldplay perfected their 'formula'. For me however, this is the greatest album of modern rock..which became a trend-setter for several other bands - a feat which Coldplay has not been able to repeat!

5. Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd
Yes is "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" but "Piper" is Floyd's most intersting and electic offering, largely due to the genius of Syd Barret. The album is a psychedelic masterpiece..again a very visually stimulating experience. The songs lyrics are childlike in simplicity and yet weird and otherwordly musically. I haven't heard another album which merges complexity and simplicity so well, except perhaps 'Sgt Peppers'. But 'Sgt Peppers' never borders on outrageous, which 'Piper' often does. Apart from 'Interstellar Overdrive' (I somehow just hate that song), every song on the album is fantastic. My favourite of course is 'Astronomy Domine' followed by 'The Gnome' and 'Kite'. Definitely the best album (along with 'Revolver') to listen to when you're drunk!

Those who almost made it:
1. All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2
2. Revolver - The Beatles
3. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
4. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
5. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan

So here they are. Do tell me what you think!

O lalala Oo le O

I am a very very nostalgic person. Funnily, I don't get emotional at momentous events. I did not cry when school ended..I doubt I'll cry when law school ends either. But sometimes good periods of life re-visit me like a stomach ache, making me long for 'the good old days'. Something which brings up very powerful waves of nostalgia in me is music, for the simple reason that it has seen me through life. 'Novocaine for the Soul' - The Eels, reminds me of my 12th pre-boards and reading 'Going Solo' by Roald Dahl. 'Don't Leave Home' by Dido always reminds me of Math tuition. 'Bedshaped' - Keane recalls the tense days before the class 12 board exams. Random songs, random memories - but all important nonetheless.

I recently saw Jimi Hendrix performing at Woodstock on Fox History and this performance, more effectively than anything else has fully made me realise that this is my last year in law school. In fact, most rock songs by artists who I have listened to extensively at one point of time have this effect on me these days. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd etc have all become constant companions. However, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, CSNY and many of the other Woodstock artists remind me, in an emotional, stomach ache-esque way of 2nd and 3rd year in law school. Of all those beer soaked and smoke filled hazy evenings at Mojos and Pecos. Of getting soaked in the rain to watch Thermal and a Quarter perform live. Of crying on Surya terrace about love and love lost. Those were the true carefree years, when I was (un)happy and drunk, obsessed with Hippies and Counter-Cultures, thoroughly unmotivated and having a wonderful time. I know this is in direct contrast to my previous post, but yes..there was such a time, and I loved it.

I especially miss those evenings at Mojos, which have greatly reduced in frequency and the unique set of individuals who accompanied me to the same. I in fact hadn't realised how much I truly miss those evenings, till I watched Jimi Hendrix in concert that day and surprisingly felt a lump in my throat. Of course, the times have changed now. I am extremely wary of slipping into that mid law school apathy again and have pulled myself out of the seeming 'bottom'. The nature of evening outings has changed..as has the company, all equally enjoyable and entertaining. Jazz music is now the preferred choice. I have been meaning to blog about how 'New York, New York' is slowly becoming one of my all time favourite songs; and how it reminds me of one of the best nights of my life at Opus, with three of my favourite people. Yes, I am happy now as well. Happier in fact, because my life has taken direction and because I finally feel complete as a person (3rd year did produce the most number of 'I hate myself' entries).

Yet, it is nice to let nostalgia engulf you every now and then. A cheers and bottoms up to Pecos, watery beer, classic rock and the eclectic company and freewheeling lifestyle; before we all started taking each other too seriously.

Confesions of a Secret Lover of Disco

The person referred to in the title is me.

I will soon stop paying tributes to other people and restart the usual tributes to myself (:D). However, I simply cannot ignore the immense musical loss of Michael Jackson.

You probably might have gone back and read that line again and thought 'WTF'?! I know that the prominent styles of music that have figured in this blog have been rock, jazz, blues, folk and soul. But like I was telling Rishabh the other day, if there was one more genre of music which I would pick to fit in with the aforementioned group, it would be disco.

I have always had a great fondness and weakness for disco, especially from the 70s. Songs like Funkytown, D-I-S-C-O, YMCA and actually anything which the characteristic disco groove and bass have always been among my favourite songs to dance to or even listen to. Which is why, Abba and Boney M figure very highly on my list of all time favourite artists. And which is also why, I have to pay tribute to 'The King of Pop'.

My Mom loves disco and MJ and hence, I have practically grown up listening to him. 'Thriller' was the first English album that I completely listened to. Songs like 'Bilie Jean', 'Wanna be Starting Something' and 'Beat It' were among my most initial introductions into the big bad world of English music. Needless to say, starting off with him, Abba and Boney M has given me a life long love for disco.

MJ may have had many controversies in life but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was bloody good at what he did. With music that appealed to everyone, simple melodies, catchy rhythms and occasional 'political' and 'social' songs like 'Heal the World' and 'Black or White', he managed to cross a lot of borders. In fact, a wonderful article in Foreign Policy talks about MJ being one of the original 'global' pop stars by achieving penetration into countries in Europe and Asia as well..leading to a mini-globalisation on his own. In that respect, the impact he has had is mind-blowing and his influences on music will continue. (Justin Timberlake has already adopted his vocal style here and there. I confess a weakness for those songs like 'Rock Your Body').

His death came as a huge shock to me..it was like losing a constant companion since childhood, whether you love it or hate it. I was hoping he would release a new album and even tried to win tickets for his last tour in London. Its sad that he died in such disgrace..and its nice that his controversies have been forgotten in his death (though the public phenomenon that his death has become is kind of upsetting). So here's to the great entertainer, sinner and genius that was Michael Jackson.

Watching those videos of Thiruda Thiruda today confirmed that my vague childhood memories of a lot of people dancing in front of a palace like structure and a fairly plump woman in a white scandalous (as considered by my family then) top and skirt, were actually about something tangible. I could remember both Veera Pandi Kottayela and Kannum Kannum as songs that I have definitely heard (apart from the electric Chandralekha, which I have heard otherwise also). I am also hooked onto Rasathi. Its tam a cappela! I'm pretty sure I haven't heard this song before; or may be I have and it subconciously influenced my a cappella craze. A really lovely song, one of the best I've heard I think. Its seriously time I went back and watched some of these movies again. Rewatching Baazigar was excellent. I shouldn't let all this great music fade into mere memory.

Over The Rainbow

Sorry to blog about this again, and I am also very drunk right now and have never blogged when drunk before, but I simply LOVE 'Over the Rainbow'. Its so beautiful, it makes me want to cry everytime I hear it. It generates SO much longing in me, its insane...more than any other song ever written. Bless whoever wrote the song and arranged it for the 'Wizard of Oz'. Stunning in everyway...visually, musically, lyrically. Its a song that can transport you, in every sense. And yes, it is my most favourite songh of all time. Simply love it, can't even begin to express how much. The moment I start I will get all pedagogical and analytical. Its a song I just love.

Judy Judy Judy!

For as long as I can remember, I have idolised Judy Garland. Even before Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews (though I have practically grown up watching Mary Poppins). I remember in class 5 or so, I read 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and then waited eagerly, with my VCR ready to record 'The Wizard of Oz' when it came on TNT. I recall being extremely disappointed with the movie. It was my first dose of the bitter fact that movie adaptations of books do not always follow the original storyline. How could the script writers make Glinda and the good witch of the North the same? How could they send Dorothy back home straight from Emerald City, without her final journey to the South across Chinatown and the hill of the Hammerheads. And most sacrilagious of all, how could the whole thing have been a dream?! I was extremely upset and refused to watch the movie for a long time since then. But slowly, it grew on me. The iconic status that this movie has achieved now is farily understandable..I have never seen any movie so supremely designed to end up as iconic! Every line is quotable, every song is hummable, every character is memorable...Its a great package. And Judy Garland was soon my heroine.

She is pretty much the quitessential solo music performer. In my opinion, no one can quite perform like her. In 'Over the Rainbow', she unconciously holds your attention..her simple vulnerability, her innocence, her pleading eyes and the longing in her voice can appeal to people of all ages, be it young children or adults longing to get away from their stressful existence. This is officially my most favourite song of all time (surprisingly!). No song has so consistently moved me or inspired so many feelings like this song. I can listen to it even today and feel a lump in my throat. I totally think it deserves its status as the greatest movie song ever...to think it was almost deleted from the final cut of the movie! My admiration for Judy grew, watching her opposite Mickey Rooney in the 'Andy Hardy' movies. And then, I saw 'The Man that Got Away'. At the risk of repeating myself, I truly think this is one of the greatest performances I have ever seen of a song. And its unnerving how I know and can imagine, while listening to the song, ever hand gesture of hers, every expression..the way she covers her stage, throws her hand out, pushes her fringe back (I know I'm starting to sound slightly creepy now)etc etc! Simply amazing.

Judy Garland is the reason I have always wanted to be a singer in a night club (and consequently wished I was born white). Two songs, 'The Man that Got Away' and 'An Affair to Remember' (this one has Deborah Kerr singing) have always epitomised the elegant, smoky nightclubs of the 50s for me...and era and scene that I've always longed to be a part of. Of course, its all fantasy, nothing will ever come of such dreams. But every now and then, I like to imagine myself singing 'The Man that Got Away' with my backing band, an elegant dress on, wowing the crowd like Judy Garland continues to wow me. This post to dedicated to her, my childhood heroine, who's influence remains to this day.

"We both know what memories can bring,

They bring Diamonds and Rust"

From Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust. The truth so simply put in those evocative lines. I'm listening to this Joan Baez album I downloaded sometime back right now, she's quite amazing. Great lyrics and a lovely lovely voice. I think I've rediscovered female singers in a big way. From Duffy, to Dolly Parton, the Aretha Fraklin and Janis Joplin phase and now Joan Baez. If you're looking for simple yet beautiful lyrics with brilliant vocals then the last three mentioned in this list should certainly be listened to. I'm going to get hold of some Joni Mitchell next.

Another song from the Joan Baez repetoire called 'Love Song to a Stranger Part II'

They brought me a beautiful basket of fruit

And two finger bowls of glass

The couch is gold with a floral design

And the wine is Germany's best

And the wine is Germany's best

My thoughts drift ino the frozen night

Frankfurt is covered with snow

And numbly they ride on an icy wind

To places they're longing to go

To places they're longing to go

I remember the tall dark Irish rose

Who held me in my limousine

And slept with me under a burgundy quilt

With sheets of silk in between

Well, anyway, that's how it seemed

I thought I wanted to marry him

His face was sculpted by God

His words were gentle and ever so true

And soft as the Irish fog

And lost in the Irish fog

I remember the boy from the monastery

Who wanted to be a monk

But he brought flowers and wine to my room

And we both got happily drunk

And we both got perfectly drunk

He laughed like the chimes of a silver bell

His eyes were alexandrite blue

He danced the t'ai chi with the grace of a deer

And I wanted to marry him too

Yes I wanted to marry him too

There was that son of a dog from the Tennessee hills

Kept telling me I was still young

He spoke in pure southern and smoothed out the lines

Round my eyes saying I was the one

Forever that I'd be the one

He drank and he cussed and he wrote his own songs

He was very much on the go

We followed each other for over a year I

couldn't have married him though

So we just lived in sin on the road

There was that black eyed beauty from Boston town

Two days were never too long

He stood by the mirror and picked out a rose

But I already wrote him a song

Yes, I already wrote him a song

So here I sit with my basket of fruit

And two finger bowls of glass

I finished my bottle of Germany's best

And concluded my thoughts on the past

That love is a pain in the ass

Nothing but a Tune

There are those songs and then there are those songs. The types that strike you suddenly while playing randomly on your playlist. The types you come across in a movie which impact you more than the movie itself. The types that get buried in the B-sides of albums, lost to the more superficial world of glittering singles and music videos. And the types which are simply too old to be paid any attention to! Here are a bunch of those striking songs that I have come across in the recent past. Have a listen and tell me what you think! (For some reason, I'm unable to embed the videos, so I am posting the links).

I Dig Love - George Harrission
Bob Dylan was undoubtedly the creator of the most enigmatic music. But someone who in my opinion can actually come close to his stature is George Harrison. While the innovations of The Beatles were of a playful and outrageous variety, Harrison worked on these techniques and moulded them extremely effectively to a level of music that can only be called intriguing. Behind the lovable and straight-forward facade of 'My Sweet Lord', his album 'All Things Must Pass' contains a bunch of highly interesting songs. 'I Dig Love' is my pick of the lot. The lyrics on first glance evoke another happy-go-lucky Beatles number:

I dig love
I dig love
I dig love
Hm, I dig love in the morning
I dig love in the evening
I dig love and I want you to know I dig love

The tune to the song however is strange, it sounds ironic and skeptical (don't ask me how, it just does). It seems to move up and down representing varying levels of enthusiasm in a relationship. And these same lyrics are sung in a deadpan, indifferent manner. At the end of the song, you don't know whether its supposed to be about a man who's in love with the idea of love but never found it...or a man who's felt it so many times that he doesn't care anymore. Harrison then adds another random lyrical twist in the next verse, singing 'I love dig' with the same above lyrics instead. Again you're confused as to what he's trying to say and wonder whether he's just playing with those who are jobless enough to interpret his lyrics (kind of 'I Am the Walrus'-esque). Whatever be the case, its one song that has stayed in my head after just one listen..certainly one of the most interesting songs I've heard.

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=GGvxdh5dZIo


Little April Showers - Some Amazing Choir..from the movie Bambi
A rather radical departure in genre you might think, but that's the power of music. It can move you in any form if you appreciate it enough. This song is in my opinion one of the greatest achievements in choral singing. It is picturized in the movie 'Bambi' on Bambi the young deer's first experience with a thunderstorm. Its introduction into the movie, the synchronization with the various images represented, the amazing vocal effects which convey the sense of a high speed gale, the layering of the harmonies...I have not heard a more perfect song in a very long time! Even more impressive is the speed at which the song is sung. The singers (God bless them, whoever they are) have still managed to get their timing and coordination perfectly. They would have had a lot of retakes I'm sure, but still..this song is definitely one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard...a song that can actually be described as 'pretty'. (for those interested, the musical score of Bambi is quite a marvel by itself)

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=eJZnIHwzvzM&feature=related

Loveless Love - Billy Holiday
This would fall in that category of songs too old to be remembered, except perhaps Billie Holiday fans and some American old timers. But 'Loveless Love' is a song that is both suited for and way ahead of its times. In its lyrics, 'Lady Day' paints a picture of a cruel, heartless world which has become used to 'souless soul' and wishes she had 'wings like a aeroplane' so that she could fly away from it. Its a song that must have undoubtedly rung true during those war stricken times of the 30s the 40s and its lyrics have relevance even today. Because, while in those times there was still some hope, some positive feeling that after this war, there would be no others, these current times seem pretty hopeless (Don't they? Or is that just what I think). The music is poignant and melancholy and Holiday sings with feeling and a yearning totally 'hits the spot'.

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fUASlvCYo

Love Reign O'er Me - The Who
When you think of over-the-top emotional songs, your mind probably goes to Meatloaf or Whitney Houston type people. But The Who surprisingly has made a rather effective contribution to this genre, the pricipal differnece being, its not about love..and its a masterpiece of rock opera. The song is the last to appear in the album 'Quadrophenia' and talks about the hero 'cleansing his soul' as it were, in the rain on a rock in the sea. Everything in this song seems designed to convey the raw emotion and desperation of a man who is disillusioned and finds his world shaken, the things he held dear snatched cruelly from him. Roger Daltry delivers a bravado vocal performance letting his voice frequently crack while singing and Keith Moon as always goes crazy, pounding the drums to signify on one end, the crashing of waves on the sea-shore, the crash of thunder and the hero's own frustration. Pete Townsend's orchestral arrangements are once again fantastic; he uses horns and violins to give the whole song a feel similar to an operatic climax. Never have I heard a song more designed to make an impact, and that it certainly does!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBs8taB0vWU

There are many other songs, but these are the ones which came to me first and have hence affected me the most. The experience of finding a gem of a song on your playlist is exciting and enriching , it constantly serves to reaffirm the fact that the world of music is indeed vast, most of its territories uncharted. It lets you know that, no matter how much you may have heard, there's always something out there that eludes you...a piece outside your preferred genre that is worth a listen, a song that defined songs of its genre for generations to come...another tune that captures your imagination in fascinating ways. Music is undoubtedly the loveliest creation of man (apart from the Eiffel Tower) and I would say, his single redeeming factor.

And after all, we're all just ordinary men

Us, and them
And after all, we're all just ordinary men
Me and you
God only knows its not what we would choose, to do

Rick Wright was after all an ordinary man like all the rest. He had to pass away. But he has immortalized himself, in the haunting keyboard melodies that were an essential part of Pink Floyd's music. To say that he made Pink Floyd what they are, icons of progressive and psychedelic rock, would be a gross understatement. Here's to the man who in my opinion possessed the most soulful voice of the band and wrote/ sang some of my favourite songs of their's (Great Gig in the Sky, Us and Them and Echoes). He will be sorely missed....

La Vie En Rose

I am right now listening to Edith Piaf. I can't understand a word she's singing, my knowledge of French is limited to a few catch-phrases and a basic understanding of phonetics. But I love her melodies, basic and singable yet beautifully and soulfully constructed. And of course the voice and the way in which they are sung! Whether the song is a celebration of love or Paris or a lament, the emotion is conveyed with grace with an underlying sense of poignancy indicating that everything is transient and passing anyway. The songs bring to mind, with an ever aching heart, the sunlit streets of Paris, walks down the boulevards and waltzing in front the Eiffel Tower to lilting tune of the accordion...Highly recommended for late night listening!

Imperial Rhapsody

Seriously awesome..Thank you Vrinda for this one!

Imperial Rhapsody

(sung to the tune of Bohemian Rhapoody, by Queen)

Lando: This is the good life
This is a fantasy
Working on Bespin
An escape from Reality.
Leia: Open your eyes
Stand up to their guys and see.
Luke: I'm just a farmboy, I need some sympathy
Cus who's my dad, I dunno
Little whine, little moan.
Han: Anywhere the Force goes, doesn't really matter, to me

Piett: Vader just killed a man.
Raised an arm up in the air
Now his life is no longer there.
Vader, we had just begun,
And now I've gone and lost the reb-el scum.
Vader, oooooooo.
Did mean too make you mad
If I'm not alive again this time tomorrow,
There'll be a new admiral, as if nothing ever happened.

Yoda: Too late, my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time.
Luke: Goodbye everybody, I've got to go
Gootta leave you all behind and learn the Force.
Piett: Vader, ooooooooooo,
I don't wanna die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.

Luke: I see a little silhouetto of a man
Palpatine, Palpatine, can it be the Emperor?
Thunderbolts and lightning, very very hurting me!
R2-D2, R2-D2,
R2-D2, R2-D2,
R2-D2, Where'd ya go? C-3PO O O O O O OH!

I'm just a farmboy, nobody loves me.
Rebels: He's just a farmboy, with a dead family.
Spare him this life of such mundacity!
Han: Spice'll come, spice'll go. Jabba let me go.
Jabba: Boo shuda! (NO, we will not let you go)
Han: Let me go!
Jabba: Bo shuda! (We will not let you go)
Han: Let me go!
Jabba: Bo shuda! (We will not let you go)
Han: LET ME GO!
Jabba: WILL NOT LET YOU GOO!
Han: LET ME GO! Jabba: WILL NOT LET YOU GO!

Han: LET ME GO!
Jabba: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

C-3PO: Oh R2-D2, R2-D2, R2-D2, Come along.
Leia: C-3PO has a rebel put aside for meeee, for meeee. for MEEEEEEEEEE!

(Stormtroopers start headbanging)

Luke: So you say you're the dear old dad of mine?
But you cut my hand off and left me to die!
Oh Vader, can't do this to me, Vader.
I know there's some good, I know there's still some good in you.

Obiwan: May the Force be with you.
Use the Force to see.
May the Force be with you,
May the Force be with you, alwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays.

Han: Anywhere the Force goes, doesn't really mat-ter, to meeeeeeeeeee.

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