when you listened roja album the first time....

[coucou]

the first album and best album of arr. unfortunely, i couldn't have listened to this album on the year when movie release. i lisened it few years ago. i thing it is normal this "mix of western music" in roja because the new music directors have utilised it in their movies. but now , i thing in 1992, this album would be the REVOLUTION ( the new era of tfm) because it 's very very different of type of ilayaraja's music. maybe, it was in first time we hear western music in tfm.
IF somebody listened to this album when it was released, he can say how he find this album?????????????????

[arsenicblue]

the music was revelation. the biggest differnce one cud feel apart from the western influence was the music was a lot clearer and sharper.
to hear a song in tamil that sounded world class in a crappy 15w sanyo 'tape recorder' was really an unforgettable experience.

all the instruments that were used seemed to be doing their best to atract your attention. the flute was there, the veena was there and then there was this guy yelling yelelo ...
the beats were not like conventional drums they were more kinda synthesised and continous. they all seemed to get deep into ur ears.

there were a lotta new singers unheard in tamil like hariharan, minmini[dunno wat happened to her] and even dr.spb seemed to sound a lot better.

on the whole listening to rahman's music for the first time was an exprerience which i won't probably get again.

[dinesh2002]

ahahah yea man..i was only 4 y/o when Roja released,here is 1 guys reaction to Roja's release!!


It was an early Monday morning. The air was cold and there was the usual Monday morning tension.

The radio was switched on as usual, bringing upon songs that merged with the morning breeze, mostly heard but not listened. Suddenly came this piece of music that was totally new and different. Was this a Tamil song? And then the male singer started singing... "Pudhu Vellai mazhai ingu pozhigindrathu" Everyone was rooted momentarily. This was new. It was something we have never heard before. The music, the instruments, the appropriate clash of cymbals, the singer reaching heights and then suddenly lowering his range again.

This time we listened.

Even while continuing with the chores, we curiously awaited the end of the song for some announcement on details of the song.

The song ended and unfamiliar names were mentioned:
Unni Menon, Sujatha and AR Rahman!

The magic had begun! That was my first experience with AR Rahman, some ten years ago....



Mesmerised by this one single song, we felt compelled to buy the cassette (no CDs then). Everything about the album looked unusual. The cast: Arvind Swami, Madhubala. The singers: Unni Menon, Sujatha, Minmini and Hariharan! Was this a usual Tamil movie, we wondered. Hurriedly, we came back and listened to the songs.
"Chinna Chinna aasai, siragadikkum aasai".... what lovely, soft lyrics, cute singing and the music! Then there was S.P.Bala in all his glory with "Kaathal Rojaave enge nee enge". At last, a familiar voice! Amazing song. "Puthu Vellai mazhai" again. Felt like we were transported to the Alps. "Rukkumani, Rukkumani, akkam pakkam yenna saththam". Final song: "Thamizha Thamizha". Who was this Hariharan? Amazing voice. Such an emotionally power-packed song.

Strange songs, strange arrangement, strange chorus. Everything about this album was new.

Back to side A again.

We kept on listening to the songs and spread the news. "Hey friends, have you listened to Roja?" A new dimension
to Tamil film music. Scoured the newspapers and magazines for any news or articles on the album. AR Rahman !
Only in his early 20s! Wow! We can relate to him. Another genius in the making.

Evening came. Gathered with friends and circulated the music. Exciting times were here. Wait ! There is an interview with Minmini on radio. Turn the volume up. Wow! She is cool. Ask her to sing. She obliges. Wide grins on everyone's face. Another day, and more listening. Not satisfied with the cassette alone, we look out for the songs on radio.
Squeals of delight every time Roja or AR Rahman is mentioned. Everyone's favourite seems to be "Chinna Chinna aasai." We relish the music.

Then a very important question is asked: What next ? More ! We are hungry for more ! Thus began the journey...

Postscript:

Roja is dubbed into several languages and now AR Rahman's music has spread to the Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi communities. AR Rahman goes on to win the Best Music Director award in the Tamil Nadu State film award, followed by the Best Music Director Filmfare Award (Tamil films). Roja gets the National award for Best Film on National Integration. AR Rahman also gets the Best Music Director's National award for 1992. Vairamuthu bags the Best Lyricist's National award for 1992. Minmini wins the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for the Best Playback Singer for 1992. Magnasound and Lahiri Recording Companies separately release instrumental versions of the songs in the Roja soundtrack.

http://www.dhwanii.com/rahmania/1992.html

[rajasaranam]

nice nostalgia

1992

I was in my first year in the college some where around June i joined college and the Audio of Roja was released in july maybe ? i heard 'chinna chinna aasai' first time at a tea shop. the sound, music everything was new, immedietly went to a music shop and bought the cassette. went home and shared the album with my elder and younger brother and said ' intha music romba nalla irukku'. Became crazy over the songs overnight that it used to play non-stop in my 'national-panasonic' 2in1. ove the time I bought the cassettes in Tamil, telugu and hindi just to have a feel of how the singers sing in other languages. the craze was on for around some months. till Devar magan came and 'inji ' took over 'Chinna chinna'. but roja was spreading around us
somewhere in december we went for a all tamilnadu tour. 'Roja' was playing everywhere we went, may it be tiruchi, tanjavore , madurai or kodaikaanal

we were hearing news that roja is a hit all over india . I felt very proud for a tamilian getting this famous in hindi belt. then came 'pudhiya mugam' after a long gap this was also with us during our tour.. the cassettes were playing all day. at nights the people preffered listening to ' Raja' which i did with much disgust as i was operating the Player and loved listening to 'Roja' in loops. One of my friends said 'dei Rojava niruthittu Rajava podraaa..'

the very next year we went on an all india tour and here we understood how far Roja has spread it fragrance may it be jaipur, agra delhi or shimla the songs of roja were palying everywhere . [but Pudhiya mugam was nowhere to be found] when we played PM people used to ask is it from The same MD. we would say proudly yes. but somehow PM never appealed to them. it was Roja that took them or us instantly. OneBus driver stole my tamil roja cassette though he had a hindi version of it and i scolded a friend of mine who gave my cassette to him for playing in a bus we travelled . it seems that the driver literally said ' paun padtha hoon saab yeh cassette mujhe de deejiyae'

rest is history.

[rajasaranam]

maybe, it was in first time we hear western music in tfm.

no we have heard western music right from the 50's in TFM and it was never announced .
the uniqueness of the Album Roja with its crystal clear recording and new Age music seems to make us think it is the first time we heard western music in tfm.

[rajasaranam]

Hey folks that ws one of the greatest albums in TFM please pour in your comments on it

[thumburu]

I heard Roja when I had gone on a picnic with my friends. I got instantly hooked to "pudhu vellai mazhai" and soon I could not have enough of it. Rukumani was also catchy. The other songs were just passable. I saw an unassuming name ARR on the casette cover and felt he had the potential to make a mark in TFM. But to be frank, I did not have an inkling that soon he was destined to become the uncrowned king of Indian Film music.

[kbee]

I heard Roja when I had gone on a picnic with my friends. I got instantly hooked to "pudhu vellai mazhai" and soon I could not have enough of it. Rukumani was also catchy. The other songs were just passable. I saw an unassuming name ARR on the casette cover and felt he had the potential to make a mark in TFM. But to be frank, I did not have an inkling that soon he was destined to become the uncrowned king of Indian Film music.

I posted in another forum also. "pudhu vellai mazhai" is a chineese song that ARR probably was "inspired". Since ARR keeps telling that chineese like "Mohana Ragam" I am wondering if pudhu vellai mazhai is in the same ragam.

When I heard Roja (doing my 1st year MCA and we were in hostel), I could clearly differentiate the audio quality (remember in our hostel we had a small tape and a "PAANAI" which acted as BOSE for us!) and the difference in instruments. Most of the ppl enjoyed the preludes of Chinna Chinna Aasai and thats what hooked most of us to Roja songs. I really enjoyed all ARR songs during my 3 year mca course, starting from Roja to Karuthamma. I bought every tape of ARR that time. Even Karuththamma we bought the tape the first day, because the music and lyrics would be good in Barathiraja movies. Ada "Pazhasa kalappaatheengappa" - Gnyabagam varuthe Gnyabagam varuthe Gnyabagam varuthe - sevur aeri kuthichchu cinema paatha Gnyabagam varuthe - hostel wardenkitta maatikittathu Gnyabagam varuthe!

[Dragun]

I was only 8 or 9 when it was released, and a friend of my mom brought the tape from India. I loved it and made a copy for myself and listened to it over and over. I didn't know know about music directors or anything at the time. A few years later we went to India and I liked some ARR albums a lot, like Gentleman and Thiruda Thiruda. It wasn't until later that I found out Roja was by ARR. Before Roja the only Tamil film songs I liked were from IR (and I had the Anjali and Ejamaan songs on one side of a tape and Roja songs on the other )

[Lankan-Flava]

All of your memories of first listening to "Roja" are cool to read. I was only 6 when i was first amazed by these songs.

Pudhu Vellai Mazhai is my favourite. The song elevates you onto a level you would have thought you could of reached while listening to a song. Kadhal Rojave is simply breathtaking, Rukamuni, so much power, and tamizha tamizha is a soft soothing melody introducing the world to the phenomenon of Hariharan. I don't think A.R.R has even come close to the standard he set in "Roja"...maybe Deepa Mehta's "Water" will, only time will reveal.

Roja is probably the finest pieces of music in tfm history and yet it is probably the least listened, mainly due to the fact that so many people never want to get sick of such wonderful, amazing, extravagent, soul-stirring magic.