The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[genesis]

Congratulations App!! Great Job!!

I never realized any particular like/dislike for "Aye zindagi" song. But after reading through all these posts, now I realize how much I like "Aye zindagi" song... compared to "Poongaatru". I do not know why IR/BM did not choose KJY or Kishore to sing that song in Hindi.. it would have been better

[app_engine]

nanRi, genesis!

makkaLE,

Talking about #175, I need to shuffle a bit - to give place to a real biggie and great personal favourite

Also, it'll probably be a long post - poRuththaruLka

[Bala (Karthik)]

Ragas
Even when you take the mood/feel, Poongaatru was a perfect fit for the overall mood of the film. I do get that your preference is for the mood created by Yeh Zindagi, fair enough

poongARRu made such a strong impression in me in that age that it was so irritating to see it getting replaced with something else, however good it could have been. (It was almost like a personal rejection). South or north, I strongly feel there was no need to replace it. (My northie collegemates were in astonishment when poongARRu appeared in 1982).

Which is why the bias ...kani iruppak kAy kavarndha BM'kku oru kuttu. 24 carat irundhum kalyANi covering thAn vENum apdeennu adam pidichcha kuzhappavAthi yArunnu theriyalai.

Possibly I would have liked the 'irumbAka ninaiththEnE / karumbAka iniththAyE' song had it appeared as just another number in a TF, with no sadmA tag

Exactly (listening to the song right now, what.a.song!)

[jaiganes]

Ragas
Even when you take the mood/feel, Poongaatru was a perfect fit for the overall mood of the film. I do get that your preference is for the mood created by Yeh Zindagi, fair enough


Exactly (listening to the song right now, what.a.song!)

Yeh zindagi is more abstract compared to poongaatru. one need not see the entire movie, but kavignar would have summed up the destiny that ties the protagonists together in few simple lines. that is because the direct, minimalistic nature of the language in itself. now for a music composer, this means that the words are a prison in which musical imagination has to be caged. This is good for context, but look at the picturisation - it goes beyond telling the "theme" - conveys loads of wordless empty spaces that people share and experience.. Yeh zindagi precisely provides that - while poongaatru is like a supremely coordinated Olympic relay race (4X200m), "yeh zindagi "is a marathon across different landscapes and therein lies the inherent beauty of that composition.. the single place the magnificient animals meet is the inevitable "train" motif punctuated by bank of violins providing a galloping effect - a clarion call from the creative thinking brain to the impending doom about to befall on this beautiful bond taking place - poetic, poignant and tragic in a Shakespearean sense. kudos to Balu sir and Raaja saab in creating a wonder. will fight to death(metaphorically speaking ) anyone over this song..

[venkkiram]

பூங்காற்று புதிதானது புதுவாழ்வு சதிராடுது
இரண்டு உயிரை இணைத்து விளையாடும்
உயிரை இணைத்து விளையாடும்

வருகின்ற காற்றும் சிறுபிள்ளையாகும்
மரகதக்கிள்ளை மொழிபேசும்
பூவானில் பொன்மேகமும் உன்போலே
நாளெல்லாம் விளையாடும்

நதியெங்கு செல்லும் கடல்தன்னைத் தேடி
பொன்வண்டோடும் மலர் தேடி
என் வாழ்வில் நீ வந்தது விதியானால்
நீ எந்தன் உயிரன்றோ

Oh life, embrace me accept me
Oh life I have also accepted embraced
every sorrow , unhappiness of yours, life
Haven’t I?
Oh life, embrace me accept me

Giving excuse , secretly from this world
Under the cover of my eyelids I filled my home
Oh life I got your support also

A small shadow came into my eyes
But I satisfied myself with 2 tear drops only
Oh life I found the shore

வரிகளின் பொருளை கவனிக்கும்போது இரு வடிவங்களும் அழகுறவே அமைந்திருக்கின்றன. (திரும்ப திரும்ப ஒரே வரிகளை நிறைய முறை பயன்படுத்தாமல் கவிஞர்களிடம் இருந்து இன்னும் நிறைய பெற்றிருக்கலாம், அப்படி செய்திருந்தால் செறிவாக அமைந்திருக்கும் என்பது என் தனிப்பட்ட அபிப்ராயம்) புதிதானது என்பதை விட புதிரானது என்ற பதம் இன்னும் அழுத்தத்தை கொடுத்திருக்கும் எனக் கருதுகிறேன். இசை என வரும்போது, ஹிந்தி பாடலின் உருவாக்கம் சிறந்தது. ராஜாவின் சிறந்த உருவாக்கங்களில் பத்தோடு ஒன்று பதினொன்று. ஆனால் தமிழ்ப் பாடலின் உருவாக்கம் ஆகச்சிறந்தது என்பதில் இரு வேறு கருத்துக்கள் இல்லை.

[app_engine]

#175 பாடும் வானம்பாடி ஹா!
(நான் பாடும் பாடல், 1984 )

One of the most loved, most heard songs from a nice movie! Off the screen, it had a terrific combo - SPB-IR-VM-RS-MP! Same group that made iLaya nilA. This song too starts in a similar fashion - Bala singing the first line without much BGM -there just the spanish guitar and here brief mridhangam embellishment, no detailed prelude but straight jump into the terrific pallavi! If iLayanilA had terrific guitar interludes and that memorable postlude, here rAsA hits a tremendous double century in that second interlude! A marvel, wonder, miracle - call any name - and I get pullarips every time I hear! The first interlude too isn't far behind with a very interesting format and the flute making one lose control.

On top of these, the song has a special benefit (that iLaya nilA didn't have) - a new rhythm arrangement, simple but extremely catchy! The discussion session that IR / RS & VM had for this song should have been pretty interesting - how I wish to sneak into that room and hide in a corner / record the conversation Where to have words / where not to, how the melody changes shape / at which point the syllable will be stretched etc - it should have been one of the best composing / lyric making discussions, IMO.

Like I mentioned before, when this movie arrived, my cousin had this song as 'paLLi ezhuchchippAdal'. He still had only the mono player I think, though many other relatives had migrated to that National Panasonic stereo model in which it was a lot more pleasant to listen to this number as well as other great songs of this movie. 'pAdavA' adidhadi version (even now I hear it a few times each week and it pumps in adrenaline like anything with those adidhadi of drums), dEvan kOvil deepam onRu (SJ in top form) - extraordinary songs in a single album in a year in which rAsA possibly did around 50 movies, average of a movie each week!

My cousin also loved the movie and when I visited him in Chennai around this time, kept talking about it non-stop. The most impressive scene for him was where Ambika tells Mohan to come home and propose in a formal way. He kept telling "how nice, how decent" etc, praising R Sundarrajan like anything (though the end scene, IMO, was a sodhappal with ambi chEchi worsening it by her "acting"). Shyamala Gowri - one of those unforgettable names for a movie character! Very few character names stay in mind like that unless it's part of the movie title as in the case of vaidhEhi K. (Bhagayalakshmi -Viji + Cheenu, another example).

The best way to listen to this song, like many others, is in a tea stall that has a nice sound system and decent sized box speakers! I can't count how many times I listened to this song in that way! Such was the popularity of these songs that every tea shop, every recording center worth anything had the NPP songs played continuously. This is one of those songs which even in the maximum volume of a high powered music system won't hurt my ears! I don't know what is the secret Extremely popular album in the hostel as well - I haven't come across a single person (so far) who disliked this song! A song that meets or exceeds all expectations and reaches absolute standards!

The movie had a stunning flashback (for a change, they decided to take the mike away from Mohan and gave it to Ambika), not-boring-story and terrific comedy! At the time of arrival, the most talked about thing was GM's 'eppadA kadA vettuveenga' rant And his ridicule of the Pandiyan-Ilavarasi luvvu created a lot of laughter as well - 'maRupadi eppadA fees pOduveenga' (BTW, 'machchAna vachchukkadi' had terrific orchestration although looked silly on screen). I think this was the movie that established GM on a top position as comedian. Even Sivakumar had a hilarious scene in which he tries to fetch water from the well.

Well, the movie cashed on all these benefits and had a superb run around the state. I remember watching this a couple of times in Trichy and suburbs. Unfortunately, the maximum ridiculed scene of the movie (by me and hostelmates) was this song Though the comments of us was making my neighbor - the ambi chEchi fan - mad, we couldn't help it. She simply shouldn't have been asked to dance! Not for just this song, never for any song on screen. She simply didn't have the skill! Period.

[app_engine]

Now that the silver jubilee post had a special song, I can finish up the year (those few remaining numbers) without bothering much about order

[V_S]

That was a wonderful write-up App! You covered everything about the movie. Your finish is too good. Heavy rush always for this film. We were crazy Ambi fans that time (mainly in Devan Kovil deepam ondru song). As you said, the movie surprisingly had a very good story and top of it, our Maestro's brilliant score and Annan's outstanding comedy. When everyone wanted Sivakumar-Ambika to unite at the end, the director opted other way. When everyone had lot of regards for that Ambi's character, director spoiled everything in the end by making her a 'villi' and hero got punished for no reason.

This was Maestro's 250th film. All posters carried his big picture with title "Ilaiyaraaja's 250th film". Every composition is nach and demands unlimited listening!

[app_engine]

nanRi, V_Sji

Looking at this youtube after a longtime (Sivakumar is funnier than chEchi as of now )

[jaiganes]

Sooper job app..
Diligence, dedication and passion - Raaja would be proud to have a fan like you.
you have taken us on a musical journey that is laid out on top of your personal life journey
and it is simply splendid!! Chronologically the tale of the two legends began in 1976 and we have travelled 8 years so far
and more than a decade and a half to cover (till 2000s ). Exciting and enthusiastic read this...
Take a bow!!