The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[Sureshs65]

app_eng,

The orchestra looks to be Raja's orchestra. The drummer looks like Purushottaman (Puru) and the guitarist is Sadanandam (Sada sir). Not sure about the flautist. Is it Napolean? Knowledgeable folks can say.

[Divine22]

#51 மடை திறந்து தாவும் நதியலை நான்
மனம் திறந்து கூவும் சிறு குயில் நான்
(நிழல்கள், 1980 , கவிஞர் வாலி எழுதியது )

Kavingar Vali is known for his lavish praises on others. This often gets reflected in his movie songs as well. His eulogizing of MGR is legendary in TN. Here he got an opportunity to shower praises on Raja and IR's friend BR went one step ahead - showed the man himself on screen! Perhaps the only occasion where IR's screen appearance had the pinnaNi voice of another individual - ofcourse the thuLLal Balu! One of the songs where IR poured all his youthful energy and SPB excelled in bringing the exact emotions - at times showing exclamation and even sarcasm (rasikarkaL rAjjhiyam had his inimitable iLakkAra sirippu).

The song situation (some aspiring youngster, struggling, gets a chance to compose a song for film producer) should have been a motivation for Raja to come up with such wonderful interludes, knowing that he is writing his personal biography! Every time I hear the strings in the second interlude, it's mei silirppu and the chorus humming after that is AkAyaththil paRappu! I pity BR & Chandrasekar - it was almost forewritten that they can't do justice on screen to such a grand composition! I'd have been shocked had they matched it on screen even 50%. I consider these interludes as certainly beyond picturization!

These are to be felt closing one's eyes!

The AIR time this song had was relatively less compared to the other two biggies from the same movie. However, whenever it was on radio, I felt like jumping and running around - what a feeling (that's what Chandrasekar does on screen BTW)! The guitar that goes along the 'pa-pa-pa-pAppA' of first interlude used to make all the veins getting pumped up!

This came around the time when Trichy AIR intro'd the 1-2 PM "new songs transmission" on Sundays (in addition to their morning film song time of about 40 minutes - i.e. after the AkAshvANi Hindi & English news - each for 10 min starting at 8 AM). I used to get tense if there was anything else coming up between 1 & 2 on Sundays - especially the powercuts in the village (still the valve radio at home). Ofcourse, AIR used to often irritate me by excluding my favourites but that didn't curb the enthu / feverish anticipation for that 1PM program! Obviously IOKS did a lot better with nizhalgaL songs

By now, it was very common to discuss each second & sound of IR songs - every bass guitar note, each cymbal crash was a big point of discussion! This cassette was a regular at the local tea stall too - but I could never have enough of the songs - not even now as these often go on repeat mode!

nizhalgaL - undoubtedly among the top few from IR!

Hi

WOW, one of my hot favourite songs !!! getting all excited just to write about it! i have never stop listening to it and still in love like the first time with it even aft hearing it for umpteenth times!!!

Absolutely in love with those 2 great sigaranggal! What a stylishly,cool, laid back singing from SPB!!! tamilla anayasamaana style of singing nnu sollalaam !

I think this is probably the only song that has IR miming, in his buddy SPB's voice!

இந்த பாடலில் எனக்கு பிடித்த வரிகள் :
1. புது ராகம் படைப்பதாலே நானும் இறைவனே !
2. இசைக்கென இசைகின்ற ரசிகர்கள் ராஜ்ஜ்ஜியம் எனக்கேதான் !

Such powerful lyrics ! Fitting perfectly for both the greats!

IRaivan thaan !!

SPB sir, innamum intha rasigar koottam ungge paattei isanthu kettukonde iruppom ! Isai vazhum varai !

Harmoniathla arambikkera, taaleelaaa...apperom mei silirkka veikkum guitar interludes,hummings!!!
Oru nimisham kude toivillamaal paadal muzhukka athi vegam! And finishing off with SPB's namattu sirippu, No one can ever do tht, oru chinna namattu sirippu thaan, but athukku evlo periya arthathei avar serthukkar! What a treat !

But antha paatte screen la pakkerapo azhugai azhugaiyaa varum! Enna kodume saar ! Yen ittene per teveiye illame beach oramaa jung junggunu kutichikittu irukangge! Pavam, chandrshekarkku on screen la atiga batshamaa pengaloda nadicha paadal katchi ithuvathaan irukkanum!

Im not a big fan , of remixes, most of the time, payapullainge remix-ndra perla original song-eh kadichi kotareraange!
Best songs are NOT remix materials! Strictly NO NO for me ! But in their case yogi B & natchathira, the album really boosted their career, thanks to SUNTV, these guys became really popular ! Innamum IR & SPB pala perukku intha roobathula kai koduthu konde thaan irukange.

Great write ups app-eng ! Thoroughly enjoying your personal experience and I can imagine your glory days... )
Must have been one heck of a era !

[app_engine]

Thanks Sureshji for the confirmation on the orchestra!

Thank you Divine22 for the kind words! Yes, it was nothing short of IR-addiction during my +2 / college days!

While madai thiRanthu is the Kapil version, there's another GRV number in this movie that comes next - stylish to the core (the Thamizh commentator on Madras AIR - Ramamoorthy, IAS used to describe that even the defence of Gundappa was stylish). Ofcourse, this song had everything - run up of Hadlee, wrist work of Azhar, foot work of Sachin - a glorious kEdhAram...

[groucho070]

A friend of mine had recorded this song over and over again on one side of a 90 cassette. I borrowed it from him and never returned it.

Unggala mathiri aala-than remba naala tedikkitirukken. Lost many cassettes/cds/vcds, last few years I've been very wise.

[app_engine]

#52 இது ஒரு பொன் மாலைப்பொழுது
(நிழல்கள், 1980 , வைரமுத்துவின் முதல் பாடல்)

Brilliance, innovation and style - all in one!

I'll happily give this song the "most innovative IFM song" award! Ofcourse, I'm not musically qualified to comment on this but at the minimum, out of my 35+ years of active listening to TFM, I've never been as much overwhelmed, dumbfounded, totally overcome by awe etc by any other number as pon mAlaippozhudhu. What a great combo - SPB / IR / BR / VM to create this masterpiece, equivalent to any great classical piece ever created in the field of music!

I'll keep heaping such praises to no end to this and don't want to test the patience of hubbers, ok, full stop here

I'll let others throw in their opinions on this brillant piece...will share my personal experiences with this number in the morning...

[groucho070]

There is another charanam (according to VM lyrics book) that was not recorded for the song. But yeah, VM's first (any dispoot?) and the best. Simplicity at best.

[PARAMASHIVAN]

[url=http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer.asp?sngs='SNGIRR2407'&lang=en].

Excellent Song, it was even loved by Non Music lovers and even the " Isaiyaal vasamaha ithaiyangal" ! My mum used to tell me how my Grand father, who never listens to music or watch movies in his entire life, became a SPB fan (atic) on hearing this song! He must have been around 75 years when this song came out!

I remember some concerts / Song competitions in London were even named after this song as "Ithu Oru pon malai pozhuthu". SPB sir, your voice is beyond description, simply divine!

[PARAMASHIVAN]

[app_engine]

There was this small river (kAttARu) that connected my dad's village & the village where he worked (i.e. where we lived and was the place of my first 16 years of life). Though it is not a border TN area but a nadoo-center of TN, this river had an interesting Sanskrit name "santhAna varththini". The first time I recognized it could be so powerful was when in 9th (1977) when a huge flood happened and this one was a contributor to the wiping out of a couple of villages Otherwise, it was only doing 'azhagu' to the village with its sand & some water appearing for a couple of months each year.

Well, it had a check-dam, using which some water was diverted to a koLam ('ayyan koLam' and the dam was called 'ayyan koLaththu aNai' or simply 'ayyaNai'). Until my 9th grade, I've never been there - though boys often talk about it (a couple of miles away from home, no water anyways, fearing dad etc). During this famous flood year, ventured to it with some classmates and was thoroughly fascinated by the sound of water, the 'ayirai', 'keNdai', 'keLuththi', 'kuRavai' kind of fish and the whole surroundings! The river had nice bamboo trees on the bank and the whole place was like a new-found-paradise to me.

We had a few more years of decent rainy seasons (ADMK folks claimed it was due to 'nallavar Atchi') and my visits to ayyaNai became a lot more frequent, often alone. This is probably the time when I understood that one can also enjoy solitude Naturally, all this appreciation for nature and its beauty followed. Enjoying those for hours became another addiction.

It was in this background that VM arrived in TFM, who over the years has proved to be the best in this domain. During my +1 / +2 years, many hours of riverside was accompanied by 'pon mAlaippozhudhu' playing in the mind

[V_S]

App,
After reading your post, I feel calmness, just like the serene blue skies with gentle breeze brushing me. Very apt and wonderful description for one of the most adorable song in film music. Excellent App