Gems of raja under various genres of music

[crajkumar_be]

Getting back to instruments - hard rock is definitely identified the electric guitar whose sound is driven to distortion, using feedback. The guitarist plays it in front of the speaker (driven by the guitar amplifier) and the microphone picks up the sound from the speaker (its own sound) as well.

Classic rock (Eaglies, Santana /w samba influences) drums and bass guitars to maintain rhythm. Some amount of strings was also used. This was the most popular (POP) form of music for a long time (before the dance club/rap scene). I consider IR's music to be born out of this genre of music for most practical purposes. Listen to Simon and Garfunkel you will notice the similarities.

Psychedilia, to me seems, like a or one of the special cases. Because it is based on the feel it creates (dreamy/drug induced state). If I remember, the hero in thoongAthE thambi thoongAthE , is a drug addict. I think IR instinctively must have come up with this effect (he surely has had a good listening of classic rock genre).

Kiru,
Just my 2 cents:
Classic Rock, as a genre broadly refers to rock music of the "classic" years (60s-80s) and it encompasses country/blues/folk rock (CCR, Allman Brothers Band, Cream etc), jazz/rock (Steely Dan), psychedelic/progressive rock (Pink Floyd, King Crimson etc), hard rock (Led Zeppelin, The Who etc)...
IMO its more a time-based grouping of various sub-genres of rock.

[directhit]

Good topic. I am a die hard fan of Mellisai Mannar M.S. Viswanathan. After him there is a very wide gap and in the list to follow him, Ilaiyaraaja tops it. There is one song which did not get notice of the public but is a masterpiece. I don't know in which category this songs fits in. It is the song "Ila manadhil pala kanavu" from the film SELVI. The orchestration of this song is simply superb. I dont know if this song is available on the net.
Raghavendran.

the song is available here - http://www.musicindiaonline.com/musi...vie_name.5375/

[rajasaranam]

Afro-tribal - African music is usually credited with very complex and varied beat patterns. In South India, tribals living in the hills enjoy beat oriented music. (Pl. note these tribals are also afro/australoid in their appearance. It will be a digression to bring up the theory of africa/india/australia being one at one point of time) . In IR's songs if the lyrics/situation refer to hills, we get beat oriented music from him (malai kOvil vAsalil, viLakku vaippOm, meen kodi theRIL (best in this genre, I think) ).

I've always thought Meen kodi theril to do something with oriental/Mandarin genre of music, not afro-tribal...

[vel]

rajasaranam

quite possible - meenkodi theril is in raga mohanam - which is used extensively by the orientals/mandarin - chinese/japanese

[app_engine]

Nice post, Kiru!

Another song which is "away from others" IMO, is 'thOLin mElE, bAram illE' from ninaivellam nithyA. Can someone classify this as to which genre (and also answer my prior one, motta mAdi)?

[rajasaranam]

Vel,

I cant identify the Raaga But listening to the accompanying beats the rhythm pattern, interludes and the instrumentation I can only imagine and associate it with a geographic location north of Nepal one other similar song is 'Adichidu Kottam' from Indiran Chandiran, Though it directly implies through the characters portrayed onscreen for this song.

[rajasaranam]

a_e,

Tholin mele is an afro-tribal song.
sometime ago Guitar prasanna avar website'la ithu oru 'Rajaafrikan' genre songnnu mention panni irunthaar

[crajkumar_be]

Though we can attempt to "classify" Raaja's songs into genres, usually he just doesn't just conform to a particular genre in a song.. he does more than that. The end result is, the genre is a new genre - the Raaja-genre... We had a discussion going on this topic sometime back in the TF section...

[kiru]

rajkumar..thanks for elaborating on the rock genres..I was trying to give a broad/generalized idea to any lay person..and moreover we'll take your word for it ..since your avatar is the DSOTM cover
You are right..IR never sticks or composes a song in one particular genre..it is always a mix ..an eclectic mix of all elements..the song which app_engine asked for mottai_madi..going by my own generalization..the arrangements and some singing make it look like jazz. But I doubt any jazz person will accept it as jazz..

rs..if you can imagine nepal..just think of sikkim/mizoram/nagaland.. I am not sure it is afro-tribal ..it is surely tribal in feel..the constant drum loop..the pipes..the bass flute..the humming..the reverb/fades etc. This is a song that is sure to appeal even to the youth of today..IR manages to tune a melody with all the nuances with almost a looped rhythm (which pauses for the melody now and then)..

[kiru]

pls specify (hey ram, thalapathy,

Possibly he meant "Ram Ram", "Sundari kannaal" interlude....

Exactly..the kizhakkum merkkum song is vayasupulla ..available on raaga.com...thanks vEl..
My almost 7yr old first son while I was listening to music was suddenly pretending to be a soldier marching ..i thought he was just being funny ..it was actually one of IR songs ..with a march..