The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[app_engine]

With that number 221, there's no backlog

[V_S]

Three songs in one day. Super duper App! Nice to read your 'AthirampaLLi' falls experience and good to know the location of the song as well. I can't forget watching this move in KG Complex (Raagam), Coimbatore after escaping from my college. As a first year, coming out of college is like coming out of jail because of severe ragging. Every hostel room played these songs 24/7. So popular they were. Yes, as you mentioned, we were so glued to hear Chitra's vocals more than SPB's. Vaan Megham and YEthetho were just unstoppable, followed by the theme. Terrific recording!

[genesis]

Terrific recording!

Then India's best and unknown "Sound Engineer" at work?

[V_S]

Absolutely genesis!. That time we didnt' know all the inner secrets who did the programming, recording and sound engineering. If what you say is true, absolutely a whole-hearted pranams for ARR. Definitely we could feel the vast difference in the quality of output compared to all other soundtracks IR had given earlier. Even with some local cassettes (we used to record in coney/meltrack cassettes), cassette players and walkmans the sound quality was truly amazing.

[app_engine]

nanRi, V_Sji!

Well, we're already 6 songs into 1986 and all huge hits & evergreen types as well!

Looks like this was a remarkable year for this combo, much bigger than my college days - though I have not specifically paid that much attention to rAsA music in that particular year, in comparison with years prior.

Let's continue exhausting the biggies (as they were more visible outside the borders of TN)...

[app_engine]

#222 வனிதாமணி வனமோகினி வந்தாடு
(விக்ரம், 1986 , ஜானகியுடன்)

There was one year mate in the hostel who knew everything about bond movies. That was his speciality and he could talk hours about each of them (& other englees movies) and was considered an authority. I enjoyed spending some time with him every now and then. (He used to play guitar as well). Interestingly, though he ridiculed TF from time to time, he never dismissed them as not worthy and was a big admirer of NT. (Used to mimick NT's / Sean Connery's "single eyebrow raising" thingy and challenge me to do the same...mhoom, I could never do that).

Well, an interesting combination of tastes. In any case, he was instrumental in creating interest for Bond movies in a number of hostel mates and we never missed any that got screened in Trichy during college days (often 2 / 3 viewings).

Naturally, there were huge expectations when Sujatha & Kamal joined hands to produce an Indian version of a Bond movie. Part of the story appeared in Kumudam (like KBR's mouna geethangaL) and further increased the pulse rate. By that time the course was over, the movie was still not out. Kamal kept working on it for months. So, over to Cbe from Trichy.

It was in Geethalaya theater - next to Gandhipuram bus stand - that me and a collegemate / co-worker watched the Vikram trailer for the first time and got totally bowled! What a tremendously different one from anything seen in TF before, we wondered! The mechanical vikrEm sound in that song plus some more synthesised sounds, elegant drum work and the prose-order-like saraNam structure - all were novel and increased a lot more curiosity for the movie. Ofcourse, rAsA delivered goods as usual - a combination of futuristic stuff as well as signature stuff, melody and mastery all combined!

After the initial thrill with "new sounds" waned, vanithAmaNi remained the winner and got enjoyed innumerable times on headphones. SPB-SJ at their thuLLal best! People should listen to this song before calling any other number as 'racy'!

[skr]

Lovely song , interesting reading about your Bond friend .
Gosh , you just remember so much . Amazing memory

Btw App , u r just so fast posting 3 songs in a day.
Need to read and listen to the songs of Mouna Ragam and Punnagai Mannan during the weekend. (2 of my most fav'rite albums)
Thanks App yet again for sharing your memorable trip down memory lane with us .

[radiochandra]

The most noteable thing about Vanithamani for me ---- was the transition from KH's "Kanne ottikkavaa ...........parimaara vaa ila maangani' to SPB's "Vanithaa mani" . It would seem as if there was no voice change over. The legends are probably made for each other.

[genesis]

This song and SPB are made for each other!!!

It is impossible to think anyone other than SPB for this song. After a quarter century this song still remains fresh.... the thrilling music to go with the story also has been incorporated really well into the song.

One of my all time favorite!!

[groucho070]

app, you have come to a film that even some prominent Kamal fans loath, and I lauv. I lauv, lauv and lauv, coz I am also a big Bond fan (you can ask your friend to challenge me on Connery eyebrow thingy). Waiting for the coverage of the other songs. (Intha songla kooda, there's Bondistic twang to the guitar, I believe is intentional). Always thought the computer meesic promotion started with this movie, guess am wrong. Great going, app, keep at it. Thanks.