The Face of Music - A R Rahman News & Updates - III

[ajaybaskar]

10 Soundtracks that changed the world - NOW Magazine

Film soundtracks have had a huge influence on mainstream listening tastes. Here are 10 albums that forever altered the musical landscape.

The Harder They Come (1972)
With this album, Desmond Dekker, Toots & the Maytals and, of course, Jimmy Cliff endeared themselves and the genre of ska and roots reggae to a new audience worldwide – particularly in the UK, where Dekker would later become a Mod sensation and Toots Hibbert would be covered by the Clash and other punks. Nothing’s better than the originals, though, which sound as good today as they did on their release date.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
It’s impossible to separate the influence of the Beatles’ first film from that of the soundtrack itself. Richard Lester’s mockumentary spotlighting the perils of the Fab Four’s mega-fame was a precursor of the music video and paved the way for the Monkees’ TV series. But the LP, the Beatles’ first with all-original material, had its own impact, especially George Harrison’s work on his Rickenbacker 12-string, which moved many bands, including the Byrds, to go for a harder, more rock ’n’ roll sound.

Shaft (1971)
To introduce the black private dick who’s a sex machine to all the chicks, Isaac Hayes lays down a sonic wall of funk perfectly matched to Richard Roundtree’s bad-mother swagger. But the Oscar-winning Theme From Shaft was just the first track in a sinewy soul score that still makes Gordon Parks’s 1971 actioner stand out from the blaxploitation pack.

Saturday Night Fever (1977)
The iconic dance film that made John Travolta a star launched the disco craze across the world. Unfortunately, the plot was based on a completely fabricated article by a writer who later confessed to having no knowledge or understanding of the culture, and the extremely successful soundtrack has since been criticized for contributing to the whitewashing of the black and gay roots of disco in favour of the Bee Gees’ mainstream pop version.

Wild Style (1982)
Hip-hop was pretty much unknown outside of a few American inner cities when Wild Style was released, making its soundtrack the first time most of the world heard the genre. A number of similar films soon followed, but this was the first to expose the culture, and featured early innovators like Grandmaster Caz, Fab 5 Freddy, Grand Wizard Theodore and the Cold Crush Brothers.

Purple Rain (1984)
In the film, Prince takes his muse, Apollonia, on a motorcycle ride out to a quiet spot by the lake where skinny dipping was an inevitability. Within minutes, Apollonia’s jaw-dropping physique is on full display. But this, one of the film’s more satisfying scenes, has nothing on Prince’s flawless soundtrack. Purple Rain was for him what Thriller was for MJ – a career-defining hit.

Singles (1992)
The grunge soundtrack for this rom-com eclipsed the actual film, becoming a bestseller months before it even hit theatres. Nirvana, one of the only Seattle bands not included on the soundtrack, had already blown up the year before, but this compilation, including Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, brought the music into the mainstream, leading to a shortage of cheap flannel shirts and an abundance of generic alt-rock radio stations.

Pulp Fiction (1994)
You could argue that Quentin Tarantino had already made his soundtrack mark with Reservoir Dogs, but this was the one that really made it into the popular consciousness. The mixture of surf, early rock’ n’ roll and soul brought guitar hero Dick Dale back from obscurity and introduced a new generation to classic R&B sounds, reminding the world that Al Green’s version of Let’s Stay Together is the only one that really matters. (Sorry, Tina Turner.)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
By the time this soundtrack hit shelves, the Coen brothers were known for memorable soundtracks. (Kenny Rogers’s Just Dropped In is rarely played without a Big Lebowski reference.) But this T-Bone Burnett-curated mix of vintage bluegrass, both originals and well-done covers, grabbed more attention than the movie.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Thora Birch may have danced to Jaan Pehechan Ho over the Ghost World credits, but Slumdog Millionaire put Bollywood on the Billboard charts. The Slumdog mix juggles propulsive pop (M.I.A.’s Paper Planes), A.R. Rahman’s Bollywood-flavoured underscore and the theme from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to guide viewers through the movie’s time-scrambled structure – all the while building to Oscar-winning number Jai Ho. That beats a flatful of Scottish junkies from that other Danny Boyle pic, Trainspotting.

[A.ANAND]

making of ghanan ghana - lagaan

[ajaybaskar]

Thalaivar's studio pics..

http://www.soundwizard.net/projects/index.php?app_id=1

http://reading-shouts.blogspot.com/2...-arrahman.html

http://bdsays.wordpress.com/2007/02/...s-studio-pics/

[Yathu]

From Shekar Kapoor's blog entry "In Venice with A R Rahman, David Adjaye and SadhGuru" about a screening of his short film "Passage":

Rahman's compositions for the film include a new Waltz that he wrote and recorded in about 3 days. It is a stunning composition, and people were convinced that it was composed by an earlier Classical Master. But no, it is from our very own 'Mozart of Madras' as the Time Magazine called him - incidentally a name I coined in an interview to the same magazine. Then the evening was capped by Rahman holding the audiences completely spell bound when he played on the Piano.

http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/arc...enice_with.htm

[A.ANAND]

The Journey of AR Rahman - Blogger Writeup

http://www.naachgaana.com/2009/09/14...of-a-r-rahman/

[A.ANAND]

Kalmadi joins austerity bandwagon

Durgesh Nandan Jha | New Delhi

But delayed Govt projects to cost Rs 1,000 cr extra

The austerity bug has bitten the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CWGOC) too. The committee has decided to do away with music maestro AR Rahman's concert on October 3 in Delhi to mark 'one year to go event' before Commonwealth Games 2010. The cultural extravaganza at Trafalgar Square, London, has also been cancelled.

Officials, however, said these measures won't save the country more than just Rs 6 crore. On the other hand, according to a conservative estimate, the cost overrun due to delay in completion of physical infrastructure for the mega event is already touching Rs 1,000 crore.

"It is an austerity measure in keeping with the Government's initiatives to save money. The AR Rahman concert that was supposed to be held on the occasion of one-year-to-go-event has been cancelled. The cultural extravaganza to be presented by the artists and non-resident Indians living in the United Kingdom on the occasion of the launch of Queen's Baton Relay from Buckingham Palace has also been cancelled. We are also going to travel by economy class," said Suresh Kalmadi, President, Indian Olympic Association.

According to a senior official, the Trafalgar event and the Rahman concert were supposed to cost around Rs 3 crore each, plus other miscellaneous expenses. "But the shortsightedness of the organising committee and its failure to ensure timely completion of Games-related projects will certainly cost a hundred times more money," said the official. He said that extra labour force, cost of technical experts and last-minute attempts to set things right will jack up expenses, besides affecting the quality of work.

Already there have been reports of cost overruns due to increase in the prices of construction materials like steel and cement. The delay in giving clearance to projects by heritage and environment agencies has led to cost overrun in several cases. Also, the DDA had recently announced a Rs 700-crore bailout package for cash-drained EmaarMGF, which is developing the Commonwealth Games Village (CGV) project.

Following the hard-hitting letter from President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennel, the Organising Committee has, sources said, issued directions to private developers and Central agencies to speed up the work at any cost.

Huge bills are likely to be cleared with ease in the name of this speeding up work. Also, to make sure that the Green Games theme of 2010 mega event holds true, the Government is purchasing potted plants in large numbers, but no advance plantation of trees has been done. "That is the responsibility of the Delhi Government. You can ask them," said Kalmadi, when asked about the plantation. There was no explanation for the lackadaisical attitude of different civic bodies involved in Games-related projects either.

Construction work is delayed at the main venue, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where the final design of the stadium is yet to be ready. The weightlifting arena is only 50 per cent complete. There are 19 venues under preparation and work on most of them is behind schedule, in some cases by more than 50 per cent. The Rs 70-crore project to refurbish Karni Singh shooting range is only 45 per cent complete. India's National Rifle Shooting Association has expressed its concern over this, saying the athletes would not able to prepare for the championship if the stadium is not ready on time. Besides, seven-eight projects being implemented at the Indira Gandhi Stadium and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee swimming complex are also delayed.

Work at the swimming pool complex at Talkatora Stadium is also going slow and the contractors developing it have reportedly requested the CPWD and Ministry of Urban Development to reconsider cost escalation norms recently. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) that has been entrusted with strengthening and beautification of roads connecting the Games venues and betterment of city's civic infrastructure has already been crying hoarse over lack of funds. The civic agency has not started work on the development of Paharganj and Karol Bagh zone that are supposed to provide budget stays for foreign tourists during the Games as the Ministry of Tourism is yet to sanction the money required.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/203167/K...bandwagon.html

[ajaybaskar]

YODHA 2 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED!!

SANGEETH SIVAN, OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED in MMTV (Malayalam News Channel, Run by MALAYALA MANORAMA), the CREW of YODHA2.

DIRECTOR: SANJIV SIVAN
ORIGINAL MUSIC: AR RAHMAN
ORIGINAL SCORE: RICHARD HOROWITZ
EDITOR: SREEKAR PRASAD

Source:ARRYG

[Yathu]

YODHA 2 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED!!

SANGEETH SIVAN, OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED in MMTV (Malayalam News Channel, Run by MALAYALA MANORAMA), the CREW of YODHA2.

DIRECTOR: SANJIV SIVAN
ORIGINAL MUSIC: AR RAHMAN
ORIGINAL SCORE: RICHARD HOROWITZ
EDITOR: SREEKAR PRASAD

Source:ARRYG

ARR is only doing the songs then? BGM is going to be handled by Richard Horowitz, a Hollywood composer/ producer/ arranger:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_horowitz

[dinesh2002]

YODHA 2 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED!!

SANGEETH SIVAN, OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED in MMTV (Malayalam News Channel, Run by MALAYALA MANORAMA), the CREW of YODHA2.

DIRECTOR: SANJIV SIVAN
ORIGINAL MUSIC: AR RAHMAN
ORIGINAL SCORE: RICHARD HOROWITZ
EDITOR: SREEKAR PRASAD

Source:ARRYG

ARR is only doing the songs then? BGM is going to be handled by Richard Horowitz, a Hollywood composer/ producer/ arranger:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_horowitz

its really silly to have another person handle the BGM when u have A.R.Rahman with you

[ajaybaskar]

CHAMPION'S TROPHY ANTHEM BY ACADEMY AWARD WINNER A.R RAHMAN





Of course, it is an old one but with India starting their campaign today, let us pray for the best with ARR's anthem.