My Top Ten Albums...

[ranojoy]

The maxim that 'everything changes' is applicable to taste in Music as well.When you are young, your music tastes are turned towards upfront, energetic, expressive, ( may be explosive) kind of music.When you grow old, maturity sets in and you look for more 'soul stirring' experience , try to experiment, improvise and the journey goes on... However, it may be possible that in this long jouney you might dig out some blast from the trash of the past as well ( may be out of nostalgia).

That is spot on. When I was in school, I was hugely into ABBA, BoneyM, Madona, Cyndi Lauper, Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, etc. Then someone introduced me to Floyd / Straits / Tull / S&G / Zep / Purple / Dead / Dylan and their ilk and my life changed. Been listening to these guys for the past 20 years and still haven't had enough. Funnily enough, I haven't heard anything since then which can make my life change yet again !!! Am I incapable of appreciating the new age music or are the current lot plain incompetent ??????

P.S. - I will admit, though, that I still listen to ABBA etc off and on (probably out of nostalgia as VJC says : oh those days of scrounging out the cost of a 40/- cassette out of my meagre pocket money !!).

 

[Sanjay Khanna]

Thanks Stevieboy for sharing. Now I've learnt The Ventures too did the Shaft Theme. Have heard a bit of The Ventures, but not much. I have a lot of tapes from The Shawdows in the instrumental genre. You should check them out, all instrumental like The Ventures and awesome music too. I will venture more into The ventures myself. Our musical tastes are pretty similar too. Of special mention are Rainbow (not many have heard of them or hear them) and ditto for Jeff Beck, but I like Eric Clapton too (have all his albums). My other favorite guitarists are Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins (his Guitar Man album is a must have), Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani (unfortunately have all his albums, but as MP3 rips so need to start collecting his CDs I guess), Carlos Santana (he is poles apart), B.B. King among others. I'm sure more are there but only these are coming to mind right now. Jefferson Airplane is another great act. Not much into Janis Joplin though. Alice Cooper, well not much into him either. Honestly, I've never heard or run into The Animals. Just now started reading up on them on Wikipedia. Let's see if I can source some of their work.

The Shadows are a fantastic instruemental group.I love "More hits from the Shadows" and "Shadow Music",both of which I have on LP.Also have a number of old Ventures LPs.As far as the Animals are concerned,"House of the Rising Sun" is the most famous song of this Eric Burdon led band.I used to play this as part of a rock band I was in nearly 40 years ago !!! God,it makes me sound ancient.Love the song and still remember the words.Mose,great idea starting this thread. But you better watch out. If I run into you anywhere in Hyderabad/ Secunderabad, I am going to relieve you of your vast and wonderful collection of music !!! Cheers,
Sanjay

 

[moserw]

The Shadows are a fantastic instruemental group.I love "More hits from the Shadows" and "Shadow Music",both of which I have on LP.Also have a number of old Ventures LPs.As far as the Animals are concerned,"House of the Rising Sun" is the most famous song of this Eric Burdon led band.I used to play this as part of a rock band I was in nearly 40 years ago !!! God,it makes me sound ancient.Love the song and still remember the words.Mose,great idea starting this thread. But you better watch out. If I run into you anywhere in Hyderabad/ Secunderabad, I am going to relieve you of your vast and wonderful collection of music !!! Cheers,
Sanjay

You are welcome Sanjay. Music is all about sharing. Now I really have to check out The Animals since they are getting so many votes. Read up on Eric Burdon and The Animals. Funnily enough never came across this group till now. I'm quite sure the local Music World will not be stocking any of their work. Guess Amazon is the way to go.

 

[smedhavi]

Hi,

I did not post a reply to this thread as it was impossible for me to select just 10 albums. Now that this thread has existed long enough and already has some longer lists, let me post a slightly longer list myself

I have tried to complement what has already been listed, concentrating more on genres that did not get enough attention till now.

* English
o The Wall - Pink Floyd
o Thriller - Michael Jackson
o Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
o Ella Fitzgerald (Songs lsuch as: A-Tisket, A-Tasket, Cry Me a River, Over the Rainbow, Oh Lady Be Good,...)
o What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
o Jazz at the Pawn Shop -Various Artists
o Hell Freezes Over - Eagles
o The Look of Love - Diana Krall
o Besame Mucho - Julie London
o Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen
* Ghazals
o Aye Muhobbat Tere, Dil Hi Toh Hai - Begum Akhtar
o Zindagi Mein Toh Sabhi, Ranjish Hi Sahi - Mehdi Hasan
o Mehdi Hasan - CLASSICAL GHAZALS - Volume2 - Sony
o Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo - Farida Khannum
o Lagta Nahi Hai Jee, Jaa Kahiyo Unse - Habib Wali Mohammad
o Hum Dekhene Ge, Ulfat Ki Nayi Manzil Ko Chala -Iqbal Bano
o Aankh Se Door Na Ho - Noor Jahan
o Mujhako Hai Tum Se Pyar Kuyn - Jagmohan
o Yaron Mujhe Muaf Rakho - C.H.Atma
o Various Ghazals sung by Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, etc.
* Qawwalli
o Mera Ishq Vi Tu - Pathany Khan
o Allaha Hu, Kirpa Karo Maharaj, Chhap Tilak - Nusarat Fatheh Ali Khan
o Jabse Tune Mujhe Diwana Bana Rakhha Hai, Mahi Yaar De Gadoli/Ghoom Charkhara, Tere Ishq Nachaya: Abida Parween (Album Recommendation: "Songs of the Mystics")
o Na To Karavan - Yeh Ishq Ishq Hi - Various Artists, from the movie "Basrat Ki Raat" (Original composition Fateh Ali Khan Senior)
o Chadta Suraj, Jhoom Barabar - Aziz Nazaan
o Mere Mahboob Na Ja, Ishq Mein Kya Bataayen Ki Dono - Jani Babu Qawwal
* Hindi Movies
o Kismet - 1943
o Rattan - 1944
o Anmol Ghadi - 1946
o Shahjahan - 1946
o Anokha Pyar - 1948
o Mahal - 1949
o Baware Nain -1950
o Awaara
o Pakeeza
o Mughal-E-Azam
o Baiju Bawara
o Basant Bahar
o Chitralekha
o Guide
o Amar Prem
o Hara Rama Hare Krishna
o Teesari Manzil
o Umrao Jaan
o Utsav
o Lekin
o Rudali
o Leela
* Hindustanti Classical and Light Classical
o "Ustaad"( 4 CD set) - Ustad Rashid Khan
o "Maestro's Choice" - Pandit Jasraj
o Girija Devi and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Jugal Bandi
o "Legacy" Ustad Ali Akbar Khan with Asha Bhonsle
o Zila Khan - Ishq Ki Naviyo Navi Bahar
o Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (a recent release by Sony has good recording).
o "Great Maestros - Classical Vocal" - Nisar Husain Khan

Regards,
Sharad Medhavi
My Setup:
- Sources: Panasonic BD30 Blu-ray, NAD C542, C521 CD players, Project Debut III TT+NAD PP2, Denon DRW-585 Cassette Deck
- Amps: Denon AVR 2809, NAD C372, Cambridge Audio 640
- Speakers: Monitor Audio RS6, Definitive Technology Supercube II subwoofer, Acoustic Energy Aesprit 309
- Projector: Plus U5-111 (Next on the line for upgrade)

 

[moserw]

* Ghazals
o Aye Muhobbat Tere, Dil Hi Toh Hai - Begum Akhtar
o Zindagi Mein Toh Sabhi, Ranjish Hi Sahi - Mehdi Hasan
o Mehdi Hasan - CLASSICAL GHAZALS - Volume2 - Sony
o Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo - Farida Khannum
o Lagta Nahi Hai Jee, Jaa Kahiyo Unse - Habib Wali Mohammad
o Hum Dekhene Ge, Ulfat Ki Nayi Manzil Ko Chala -Iqbal Bano
o Aankh Se Door Na Ho - Noor Jahan
o Mujhako Hai Tum Se Pyar Kuyn - Jagmohan
o Yaron Mujhe Muaf Rakho - C.H.Atma
o Various Ghazals sung by Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, etc.
* Hindi Movies
o Kismet - 1943
o Rattan - 1944
o Anmol Ghadi - 1946
o Shahjahan - 1946
o Anokha Pyar - 1948
o Mahal - 1949
o Baware Nain -1950
o Awaara
o Pakeeza
o Mughal-E-Azam
o Baiju Bawara
o Basant Bahar
o Chitralekha
o Guide
o Amar Prem
o Hara Rama Hare Krishna
o Teesari Manzil
o Umrao Jaan
o Utsav
o Lekin
o Rudali
o Leela

Hi Sharad. Thanks for sharing. I will reply in more detail after a while (in the middle of a movie with the wife right now), but could not help mention you've listed most of my mother's favorite albums in the ghazals and Hindi movies sections. I've grown up listening to most of the oldies listed here. In fact I would take my mom to Music World once every 2-3 weeks and she would load up on tapes and CDs of old Hindi film music and ghazals and I find most of those albums are listed here. I personally rate Teesari Manzil's musical score as exceptional with so many different genres found in it. Gotta go now, the wife's here with the popcorn...

 

[moserw]

Thanks Sharad for sharing such a diverse listing. My exposure to ghazals, classical, qawwali and classic Hindi film music is pretty limited so I will restrict myself to English (though I would consider myself a novice here too), but at least I can claim some listening here.

You are so right. Just cannot select the "Best 10 Albums" and I don't think I would be able to do so myself.

The first 3 albums you've listed are so my favorites of all time. Pink Floyd's The Wall was literally thrust on me by my best friend when we were both kids. At that time George Michael/Wham were my favorites and Wake Me Up was the best thing going around for me apart from Madonna. You can guess the influence The Wall had on me. Never looked back after that time and collected most albums (if not all) of Pink Floyed. More importantly it got me started on rock music for which I shall always be thankful to my friend. Thriller was a present from my dad since it was so hot in those days and man I would play Beat It and Billie Jean for hours on end and try to ape MJ's dance moves too. Wow, childhood was so much fun. Brothers in Arms is just so great. Have been a crazy Mark Knopfler fan since I heard Money for Nothing. I would however recommend "On Every Street" by Dire Straits as their best album. It takes time to grow on you, but after repeated listenings the guitar plucking/strumming on "On Every Street" takes on new meaning, just as the lyrics/vocals. Each song is a gem that takes repeated listening to discover it IMHO. If you've not heard this album, then it's an absolute must.

Ella Fitzgerald is wow and I have limited words to talk about her. However, do check out Etta James, her At Last! album is a great place to start. Also, Aretha Franklin and the amazing Chaka Khan (her vocals are so amazing). Honestly from the recent crop Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey too are great with vocals, but just not in the same genre being more mainstream pop.

Louis Armstrong is great. In fact I've the same album that you've listed. Have you heard Nat King Cole? Amazing singer and his most famous "Unforgettable" is truly that. Do check out the duet his daughter Natalie Cole sang on the same track.

Have not heard Jazz At The Pawn Shop, but will try to source it. Not too much into instrumental/jazz though.

I have all the albums of The Eagles including the Hell Freezes Over DVD. One of my favorite bands of all time.

Diana Krall - The Look of Love. Well I've never heard her. Will start with this album. Not too sure how she compares with another favorite Canadian of mine Sarah McLachlan, but do check out Sarah McLachlan.

Similarly, have not heard Julie London's Besame Mucho. Pardon me, but what genre is this?

Bruce Springsteen is the Boss. Have most of his work. One of my childhood fantasies was to sing "Born in India" and become famous like him. I tried to learn the guitar for a while, but never reached the proficiency levels of any of my guitar heroes so that put my childhood fantasy to rest. I still groove to his Dancing In The Dark. Do check out John Mellencamp. In the same vein/stream as the Boss.

Wow, my hands are aching with all this typing. Will end for now, but I'm sure there will be more since our musical journey is a never ending quest.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Hi,

I did not post a reply to this thread as it was impossible for me to select just 10 albums. Now that this thread has existed long enough and already has some longer lists, let me post a slightly longer list myself

I have tried to complement what has already been listed, concentrating more on genres that did not get enough attention till now.

* English
o The Wall - Pink Floyd
o Thriller - Michael Jackson
o Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
o Ella Fitzgerald (Songs lsuch as: A-Tisket, A-Tasket, Cry Me a River, Over the Rainbow, Oh Lady Be Good,...)
o What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
o Jazz at the Pawn Shop -Various Artists
o Hell Freezes Over - Eagles
o The Look of Love - Diana Krall
o Besame Mucho - Julie London
o Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen
* Ghazals
o Aye Muhobbat Tere, Dil Hi Toh Hai - Begum Akhtar
o Zindagi Mein Toh Sabhi, Ranjish Hi Sahi - Mehdi Hasan
o Mehdi Hasan - CLASSICAL GHAZALS - Volume2 - Sony
o Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo - Farida Khannum
o Lagta Nahi Hai Jee, Jaa Kahiyo Unse - Habib Wali Mohammad
o Hum Dekhene Ge, Ulfat Ki Nayi Manzil Ko Chala -Iqbal Bano
o Aankh Se Door Na Ho - Noor Jahan
o Mujhako Hai Tum Se Pyar Kuyn - Jagmohan
o Yaron Mujhe Muaf Rakho - C.H.Atma
o Various Ghazals sung by Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, etc.
* Qawwalli
o Mera Ishq Vi Tu - Pathany Khan
o Allaha Hu, Kirpa Karo Maharaj, Chhap Tilak - Nusarat Fatheh Ali Khan
o Jabse Tune Mujhe Diwana Bana Rakhha Hai, Mahi Yaar De Gadoli/Ghoom Charkhara, Tere Ishq Nachaya: Abida Parween (Album Recommendation: "Songs of the Mystics")
o Na To Karavan - Yeh Ishq Ishq Hi - Various Artists, from the movie "Basrat Ki Raat" (Original composition Fateh Ali Khan Senior)
o Chadta Suraj, Jhoom Barabar - Aziz Nazaan
o Mere Mahboob Na Ja, Ishq Mein Kya Bataayen Ki Dono - Jani Babu Qawwal
* Hindi Movies
o Kismet - 1943
o Rattan - 1944
o Anmol Ghadi - 1946
o Shahjahan - 1946
o Anokha Pyar - 1948
o Mahal - 1949
o Baware Nain -1950
o Awaara
o Pakeeza
o Mughal-E-Azam
o Baiju Bawara
o Basant Bahar
o Chitralekha
o Guide
o Amar Prem
o Hara Rama Hare Krishna
o Teesari Manzil
o Umrao Jaan
o Utsav
o Lekin
o Rudali
o Leela
* Hindustanti Classical and Light Classical
o "Ustaad"( 4 CD set) - Ustad Rashid Khan
o "Maestro's Choice" - Pandit Jasraj
o Girija Devi and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Jugal Bandi
o "Legacy" Ustad Ali Akbar Khan with Asha Bhonsle
o Zila Khan - Ishq Ki Naviyo Navi Bahar
o Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (a recent release by Sony has good recording).
o "Great Maestros - Classical Vocal" - Nisar Husain Khan

Regards,
Sharad Medhavi
My Setup:
- Sources: Panasonic BD30 Blu-ray, NAD C542, C521 CD players, Project Debut III TT+NAD PP2, Denon DRW-585 Cassette Deck
- Amps: Denon AVR 2809, NAD C372, Cambridge Audio 640
- Speakers: Monitor Audio RS6, Definitive Technology Supercube II subwoofer, Acoustic Energy Aesprit 309
- Projector: Plus U5-111 (Next on the line for upgrade)

 

[smedhavi]

Moserw,

Thanks for the detailed comments and suggestions. You have pulled me further down into the memory lane :signthankspin:

Ella Fitzgerald is wow and I have limited words to talk about her. However, do check out Etta James, her At Last! album is a great place to start. Also, Aretha Franklin and the amazing Chaka Khan (her vocals are so amazing). Honestly from the recent crop Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey too are great with vocals, but just not in the same genre being more mainstream pop.

Among the young vocalists I like Norah Jones and John Mayer.

Louis Armstrong is great. In fact I've the same album that you've listed. Have you heard Nat King Cole? Amazing singer and his most famous "Unforgettable" is truly that. Do check out the duet his daughter Natalie Cole sang on the same track.

Oh yes, I do like both of them. I really love Natalie's voice.

Similarly, have not heard Julie London's Besame Mucho. Pardon me, but what genre is this?

Julie London was an American singer and actress. Best known for her smoky, sensual voice.
She mostly sang in the Jazz style. "Besame Mucho" is a nice Spanish song; sung by 100+ artists. I like Julie's version the best (it just happens to be the English translation). Diana Krall's version is good too but too urbane and sophisticated. The Beatles messed it up completely. They used this song for their first audition and got thrown out, but they still sang it again later as they loved the song. Just search for "Besame Mucho" on youtube, and you would get a lot of interesting renditions of it.

Regards,
Sharad

 

[moserw]

Moserw,

Thanks for the detailed comments and suggestions. You have pulled me further down into the memory lane :signthankspin:

This has been a similar journey for me too. Enjoying every bit of it too.

Among the young vocalists I like Norah Jones and John Mayer.

Love Norah Jones and have all 3 of her albums, need to start with John Mayer though.

Julie London was an American singer and actress. Best known for her smoky, sensual voice.
She mostly sang in the Jazz style. "Besame Mucho" is a nice Spanish song; sung by 100+ artists. I like Julie's version the best (it just happens to be the English translation). Diana Krall's version is good too but too urbane and sophisticated. The Beatles messed it up completely. They used this song for their first audition and got thrown out, but they still sang it again later as they loved the song. Just search for "Besame Mucho" on youtube, and you would get a lot of interesting renditions of it.

Regards,
Sharad

Thanks for the suggestion about YouTube (there seem to be lots of YouTubers on this forum). I will definitely check out "Besame Mucho" on it. That should give me a fair idea.

 

[Hiten]

This is turning out to be a great thread for music lovers. Please do keep posting your favourites It would also help if you give info about why you like them.
(BTW I am having problems posting a reply and loging in the forum. after numerous attempts I got a chance now. I hope this reply gets posted. I was wondering how can I contact administrator without loging in ? )
STEVIEBOY I hope you got my email if not kindly email me
thanks everyone

 

[venkatcr]

Funnily enough, I haven't heard anything since then which can make my life change yet again !!! Am I incapable of appreciating the new age music or are the current lot plain incompetent ??????

You should do what I have done. I have befriended a 19 year old niece of mine, and bribed her by buying some music (and a lot of other things) for her. She sits down and makes me listen to new age music that she thinks are good. Otherwise I would have never heard of these songs/singers and appreciated them. The energy my niece brings when she sings along and literally dances to some of these songs is worth watching. Listening to music with her sitting next to you is a different experience.

Some of her introductions include:

Rihanna (This is tough)
Enrique Glacias
Yves LeRock
Back Eyed Peas
High School Musicals (1 to 3) (Just compare this to something like Sound of Music, or My Fair Lady)

Rock On
Bollywood Lounge
Shan
Cutting Chai
Euphoria

In turn she get a copy of the CDs, and I introduce her to Mukesh, Rafi, Neil Diamond, Chris De Burg, America, etc.

A fair deal, right?

Cheers

 

[moserw]

That is spot on. When I was in school, I was hugely into ABBA, BoneyM, Madona, Cyndi Lauper, Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, etc. Then someone introduced me to Floyd / Straits / Tull / S&G / Zep / Purple / Dead / Dylan and their ilk and my life changed. Been listening to these guys for the past 20 years and still haven't had enough. Funnily enough, I haven't heard anything since then which can make my life change yet again !!! Am I incapable of appreciating the new age music or are the current lot plain incompetent ??????

You should do what I have done. I have befriended a 19 year old niece of mine, and bribed her by buying some music (and a lot of other things) for her. She sits down and makes me listen to new age music that she thinks are good. Otherwise I would have never heard of these songs/singers and appreciated them. The energy my niece brings when she sings along and literally dances to some of these songs is worth watching. Listening to music with her sitting next to you is a different experience.

Some of her introductions include:

Rihanna (This is tough)
Enrique Glacias
Yves LeRock
Back Eyed Peas
High School Musicals (1 to 3) (Just compare this to something like Sound of Music, or My Fair Lady)

Rock On
Bollywood Lounge
Shan
Cutting Chai
Euphoria

In turn she get a copy of the CDs, and I introduce her to Mukesh, Rafi, Neil Diamond, Chris De Burg, America, etc.

A fair deal, right?

Cheers

Hmmm. My thoughts on the above. From what I've seen in my own life and the life of my friends as we go along in our musical journey we deviate towards more "serious" music with time and move away from the fluffy/dance/top of the charts kind of music. I had read a reviewer once who said that Bob Dylan's 45 albums (or so) were the top 45 albums of all time and anything else came after that. At that time I had thought how can this be, but now I can appreciate what the reviewer said (since he made the point/distinction) of moving away from pop/mainstream music to more "serious" music. I don't have anything against the music of today or the artists themselves, but one thing I find is that like everything else music too has become more commercial. Music itself no longer sells, the hot and happening/sexy videos, a little bit of controversy, the right press coverage, etc. all help towards sales. The reviewer I mention also had another point to make which was would Bob Dylan with his looks make it big in today's music world where appearance/marketing/hype are everything even if the artist and music being churned out is mediocre? His opinion was that Bob Dylan would not make it big in today's world. Watch MTV or any of the other music channels and espcially what's topping the charts and you will know what I mean. Good music might not sell today, but have the right contacts, the right music company backing you, make the right videos, get the right press coverage and it will sell since the bottomline is all about profit.

So the point I am making is... @ranojoy - If good music is no longer being made (profitable/commercial music is being made instead) how will you hear anything that will change your life. I had a similar experience with exposure to rock music which made me move away from bubble gum music like Wake Me Up to more serious music made by true musicians who lived to make music and express themselves musically. I personally don't see any musicians today who live to make music or express themselves musically (might be a couple here and there). All (or else the most of them) are all about selling records and making millions so they can have their own yacht. Rihanna made one good album/song particularly Umbrella which I too like, but after that. She is still in the news even now, but for what reasons? I believe the music industry will be in more and more trouble till the commercial element is removed. Otherwise one hit wonders will abound and like "ranojoy" said nothing will move us except the classics.

 

[moserw]

You should do what I have done. I have befriended a 19 year old niece of mine, and bribed her by buying some music (and a lot of other things) for her. She sits down and makes me listen to new age music that she thinks are good. Otherwise I would have never heard of these songs/singers and appreciated them. The energy my niece brings when she sings along and literally dances to some of these songs is worth watching. Listening to music with her sitting next to you is a different experience.

Some of her introductions include:

Rihanna (This is tough)
Enrique Glacias
Yves LeRock
Back Eyed Peas
High School Musicals (1 to 3) (Just compare this to something like Sound of Music, or My Fair Lady)

Rock On
Bollywood Lounge
Shan
Cutting Chai
Euphoria

In turn she get a copy of the CDs, and I introduce her to Mukesh, Rafi, Neil Diamond, Chris De Burg, America, etc.

A fair deal, right?

Cheers

Venkatji,

Been waiting for your list, but its taking a long time in coming. Anyways let me at least say I like Enrique Iglesias and Black Eyed Peas. Rihanna I've already posted about. My mom is a great fan of Mukesh, Rafi and Kishore as well as Lata Mangeshkar so I do end up listening to them a lot too. I love Neil Diamond, Chris De Burgh and America from the very small list you've mentioned.

 

[moserw]

Yaz or Yazoo - upstairs at eric's

***Issac Hayes theme from TV Series shaft is I believe greatest theme of all time if I had audiophile hifi setup I would love to hear that theme on it

Hi Hiten,

Got both albums Upstairs at Eric's by Yaz and Ultimate Collection by Isaac Hayes. The links in case anyone else wants to order are - Amazon.com: Upstairs at Eric's: Yaz: Music & Amazon.com: Ultimate Collection: Isaac Hayes: Music.

Thanks for sharing about them. I do remember having heard Yazoo a long time ago (probably copied in some Hindi movie) or else I might have had the tape and lost it with time. It's great to be hearing them after so many years. Reminds me/takes me back to another favorite group of mine Johnny Hates Jazz (2 of their tracks "Shattered Dreams" & "Turn Back The Clock" are so wow), pure 80s magic one can say.

Coming to Isaac Hayes frankly even now no recollection of having heard Shaft's Theme, but you're right it does rock. Amazing track, the use of instrumentals and all. Thanks so much for sharing about them. Much appreciated.

 

[marsilians]

Venkat

I understand your point of view as well as your niece's.

I listen to a wide variety of music and do think BEP is pretty good for today's generation bombarded by worse music. Rihanna, Ashanti, Solange, Alicia Keys are some decent voices in a mix of absolute abysmal offerings.

Have to pick/choose and drop most others.

A good sign of changing times is that even Pt. Jasraj has gotten his first film song out!

Pick & choose brother even though they are slim and very far apart.

 

[ranojoy]

my two bits -

earlier, the situation was very simple in the sense that the musician knew that he would not receive any publicity based on his clothes and dance steps (no mtv), romantic affairs (no internet), etc. nobody was interested in his latest bmw, his malibu residence, his numerous arm candies or his receding hairline. all he had to convince people like us to buy his music was the MUSIC itself. it received his full attention and the results showed.

nowadays, the poor chaps have to divide their attention among so many extraneous items that it hardly leaves any time to write music.

and this is true not only for the firangs but also for our homegrown music (with notable exceptions like ARR - because he is not interested in issues like hairstyle / girlfriends / etc etc).

i am a bengali - and i can tell you that the current output of bengali music cant hold a candle to that recorded in the 60s and 70s. the comparison is embarrassing, to say the least. so many talented bengali music directors held sway in mumbai during those days. are there any today (not counting pritam, who is only good at cloning) ? i am sure this would be the case for music directors from other states too.

so there we are - the scenario is the same in english music, hindi music and maybe in other languages as well. its the time we live in guys.

BAN MTV and BAN INTERNET (well not fully. 720p downloads may kindly be allowed).hyeah:

 

[venkatcr]

Moser, I was not taking this listing seriously till I ready your note. There are too many albums that I like to say which is my ten best. And like the weather, my tastes in music is also seasonal. I might like an album very much one month, and can't stand the sight of it the next month. Sometimes I saturate myself so much with some music that my senses scream for some mercy. I am crazy enough to listen to one song repeatedly some 25 times in a day if I like the song a lot.

Anyhow what I have done is that I hurriedly went through my albums and picked some 30 albums that brought a smile to my face. I have not included Tamil Films Songs, Carnatic, nor Hindustani. Believe me, I have not included genres such as Beatles, Tom Jones, Eagles and a host of other that I also love. This is a very random selection.

2002 New Years Concert - Seiji Ozawa
40 Evergreen Super Oldies
Ace Of Base - Singles Of The Nineties
Backstreet Boys - The Best Of
Beautiful Sunday - 21 Gems For the 21st Century
Beethoven, The 9 Symphonies - Berliner Philharmoniker/Herbet Von Karajan
Carpenters - Their Greatest Hits
Chris De Burgh - Spark To A Flame
Classic Revival - 65 albums of re mastered Hindi Film Songs
Concerto For Sitar & Orchestra - Ravi Shankar & Andre Previn
Euphoria - Gully
Euphoria - Redhoom
Kenny G - Breathless
Kitaro - Kojini
Michael Jackson - Greatest Hits
Moody Blues - Days Of The Future Passed
Ned Miller - From A Jack To A King
Paul McCartney - London Town
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Pussycat Dolls - PCD
Raga Mala - Ravi Shankar & Zubin Mehta
Rhythm House - Fusion Mosaic 1 & 2
Shammi Kapoor - The Golden Collection
Shankar Manadevan - Breathless
Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Strings - Dhaani
Supertramp - The Very Best Of
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley
The Royal Philharmonic Collection - Khachaturian

Cheers

 

[venkatcr]

so there we are - the scenario is the same in english music, hindi music and maybe in other languages as well. its the time we live in guys.

BAN MTV and BAN INTERNET (well not fully. 720p downloads may kindly be allowed).hyeah:

Ronojoy, though I agree with you that today's music is a little tough for us to understand, it may not be true to say that they cannot produce good music today. Leaving aside film music, artists such as Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Euphoria, have created some really good music. Even in film music there have been some really good numbers that, at least, I want to listen to again and again. What we must do is to listen to these numbers with a slightly open mind.

For example, listen to a song such as 'Pappu Can't Dance Saala' from Jaane Tu with a youngster, and you will get energy flowing into you. There are many such good songs.

In Tamil, I have recently fallen in love with what are called 'Tappangootu Songs'. These are actually based on fast folks songs, or rather songs that rickshaw wallahs sings after they get totally drunk. There is a little vulgarity to the songs, and the lyrics are downright silly. But if you can take that with a pinch of salt, I find a beauty to the rhythm and the way the songs are sung.

Cheers

 

[marsilians]

...Backstreet Boys - The Best Of
Pussycat Dolls - PCD...

I cannot resist a comment - venkat you surprise me - was not expecting these. I am yet to read your tastes 100%

 

[venkatcr]

I cannot resist a comment - venkat you surprise me - was not expecting these. I am yet to read your tastes 100%

Purely thanks to my niece brainwashing me. She is good singer, and she loves to sing along with the music. As I said before, listening to music with her takes a new meaning. Can you believe, my hottest favorite is a song titled "Where is The Party Tonight' from a Tamil movie called Silambattam? You should listen to the sing. Hopefully this is a passing phase for me, and will go back to my gentler numbers from yesteryear.

Cheers

 

[SuhasG]

My picks.this list is purely based on the program (music) and not by the recording quality. This is THE music that really touches my heart. When ever I play any of these albums , I instantly get immersed into the music, it simply captures me , captivates me and then Electronics, the room and all other just disappears and what remains is the music and me, and at the end we (me and the music) become one single entity.

1. Night Melodies: Kalawati, Maru Bhihag, Mishra Khamaj
   By Dr Prabha Atre (Lable: SaReGaMa)
2. Ahir Bhairav (Live at Kufa Gallery Hall , London)
   By Ustad Amjad Ali Khan w/ Sukhwinder Singh Naamdhari on Tabla
   Label: NaavRas, UK
3. Raag Darbari (Dhrupad)
   By Gundecha Brothers Lable: Audiorec, UK
4. Raag Hansadwani
   By Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia w/ Pt Madan Mishra on Tabla Label: HMV
5. Pt Jasraj Live at Sawai Gandharva Music Festival -1992
   With Pt Zakir Hussian on Tabla and Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar Label: Private recording
6. Raag Puriya Kalyan Live at Osho Teerth Pune
   By Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Zakir Hussian, Label: Impressions
7. Kind Of Blue
   Miles Davis , Lable:Columbia
8. The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions
   (Limited edition, 4 CD box set) Lebel: Verve
9. Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe
   Chect Baker , Label: Riverside
10. Jazz at Pawnshop
    By Arne Domnerus, Bengt Hallberg, Lars Ersrand, George Riedel, and Egil Johansen, XRCD, Label:FIM