A Marathon Music Maza for Lovers of all Hues, Colours and Taste - Irrespective of age
Saregama India Ltd, the ever-busy music-making producers that never fail to do something different have done it again. This time the co..has fathomed their archives (HMV) to create this musical soiree, which will give pleasures to all kinds of music lovers. Legendary living music maestro Khayyam recently released a voluminous album of twelve CD set ; a compilation of selected songs from the many varied styles and genres of Bollywood s music. Thus it is fittingly titled - "Flavors of Bollywood".
This album is like a 12-course meal, full of delicious dishes with varied tastes and flavors, covering songs of 12 different genres of Bollywood Music between 1950s to 1990s;a span of 40 years (“Mendi Laga Ke Rakh Na” is the only track of ‘95 Yashraj Film).Each CD is allotted to a particular genre, but total number of songs in all 12 CDs are a feast of about 175 original track songs for the music connoisseurs and aficionados. Saregama’s senior selector Najma Merchant has performed a job like “Gagar Mein Sagar”, compacting almost all types of Bollywood ‘Musical Rasas (flavours)’ of various genres. Starting from the crafted richness of Indian classical music, to the incomparable grace of the Ghazal, to the utter submission of the Bhajan, the swerve and the volley of the Qawwali, to the rich tradition of Folk music. If all those variations were not enough, then the genre list stretches on to the shoulder shaking, beat breaking "Bhangda", to the harmonious Wedding Songs, the powerful magnetism of Patriotic songs to some clean, honest, serious Fun, the reminiscent of melodious - Childhood to the flashing lights of the Cabaret numbers and beats of Disco that will enthuse the mod generation to reach for leg shaking. The singers covered are all legends from Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhosle. Mannadey, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar,Shamshad Begum, Hemant Kumar to present generation, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam etc. Most of the top music maestro creators of that forty year period have been covered.
However, one wishes that to make this reach to perfection, certain songs could have been included in appropriate category. For instance, song “Lal Lal Gaal’ could have gone in “Disco” flavor (From FUN) and the omitted song of film “Asha” (AV Raman) "Eena Meena Deeka” by Kishore should have been covered as this song had started the trend of Rock N Roll in Bollywood. Similar omissions are many in all flavors. Instead a few not so known songs are included. So is in collection of other flavours. The top Rafi song “O Duniya Ke Rakhwale” is not appropriate as ‘Bhajan’ but in the top classical. May because the “Pathos-Dard’ “Tragic” (Sad) “Romantic OR, “Family” flavors are not included. One wonders why the songs earlier to 1950 are not included, though HMV may have those in the archives like K L Saigal, Classical (‘Jagmag Jagmag Diya Jalao’) or “Babul Mora Naihar Chuto” in Wedding flavor. Perhapps compiler Najma wants to save gems for future editions.
But all in all, this huge treasure trove compilation of 12 different bollywood flavored songs, is an unique feet in itself for which saregama deserves kudos. The music collectors will go miles to buy this 12 CD compendium, reasonably priced at Rs. 1499/- in an attractive hard cover box.
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