2012

Best songs of 1955: Final Wrap Up 4

Best music directors of 1955 December 25, 2012

The SoY award for the best Music Director goes to? This is like completing the circle, which means you come to the same point from where you started. So I look back at the mother post on the overview of the best songs of 1955  and I am amazed at the overwhelming response it generated, […]

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Film songs based on classical ragas (5): The Majestic Malkauns

Raga Malkaus December 11, 2012

Guest article by Subodh Agrawal (SoY readers are familiar with Subodh’s elegant writing on songs based on classical ragas.  He surpasses himself with this outstanding article on one of the most popular and accessible ragas – Malkauns – which he describes as the greatest of pentatonic ragas.  Subodh carries his scholarship lightly with an easy […]

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Film songs based on classical ragas (6): The Majestic Malkauns

Malkauns December 11, 2012

Guest article by Subodh Agrawal (Followers of SoY are familiar with Subodh’s elegant writings on songs based on classical ragas.  He surpasses himself with this article on one of the most popular and accessible ragas – Malkaus – which he describes as the greatest pentatonic raga.  He bears his scholarship lightly with his fluent and […]

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Forgotten actor-singer of New Theatres: Asit Baran

Thumbnail image for Forgotten actor-singer of New Theatres: Asit Baran November 27, 2012

I often wondered who filled in when New Theatres stalwarts led by KL Saigal headed for Bombay in the early 1940s? I got my answer while searching for songs from the New Theatres era, when an unknown voice held me spellbound for its incredible charm. Then some videos turned up on the YouTube. So here […]

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Multiple Version Songs (1): An overview of different types

Same songs by different singers November 13, 2012

Guest article by Ashok Vaishnav (Mr Ashok Vasihnav needs no introduction to the regulars at Songs of Yore. His highly informed and researched comments are several times worth the original article. Therefore, his movement from the bottom boxes to the top line is a mere formality. I had written on Twin Songs more than two […]

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SD Burman: His wonderful landscape of non-film songs

SD Burman October 31, 2012

A tribute on his death anniversary October 31 When Harvey wrote Sun mere bandhu re on SD Burman’s film-songs quite some time back, my first reaction was that he had taken away my theme. Now I am thankful that he did it, because I would have been in a serious dilemma as to which ones […]

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A novice’s romance with Raga Durga

Memories of Raga Durga October 21, 2012

Remembering Durga, Sangeet Mahakumbh at Patna and Pandit Kumar Gandharva There are great romantic lovers like Dev Anand renowned for their ways with women.  And there are illiterate, bumbling ones no less endearing like Raj Kapoor with Padmini in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahti Hai – so has been my romance with Raga Durga for […]

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Best songs of 1955: Wrap Up 3

Iconic duet of 1955 October 9, 2012

The SoY award for the best duet goes to? Now this series is about to come to an end. My first first wrap up on the best male solos had a similar question mark as there was indeed a tough choice between all the top singers Mohamad Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar […]

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Best Songs of 1955: Wrap Up 2

Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum September 28, 2012

SoY award for the best female playback singer goes to Lata, Lata, Lata, Lata….Mangeshkar (It is a while since I wrote the survey article on the Best songs of 1955 and its first wrap up on the Best male playback singer of 1955. Then a number of interesting themes came up, and completing this string […]

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Songs of Kinare

Thumbnail image for Songs of Kinare September 17, 2012

When I wrote on the songs of nadi and naav sometime back, I thought one kind of journey was complete (with Harvey’s majhi). But I had missed a crucial element as I realised from Ashok Vaishnavji’s comments. The boat has to reach its shore, and the journey is not complete till you have reached kinare.

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