Time to Vote !!!

Hilary or Obama? No, your political views about American presidental candidates can stay at home. I'm talking about YOU voting for the best of Parties, Sarees and Melodies of 2007-2008.

It's been a year already and I want to start a tradition of making a top 10 list of the best of Parties Sarees and Melodies.

For the 1st Parties, Sarees and Melodies Awards (2007-2008) the most important poll is Best album (Lp), you can find it on the right side of the blog. If you like more then one album, you can vote for many at a time. (But you can vote only once)

1. Category one is for the poll (Best Album). Vote for 1 to 10 albums.

For the second categories only vote for Top 5

2. And the secondary categories are:

Best Album Cover (Lp)

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2.
3.
4.
5.

Choices are the same as best album. See the Covers on flickr, here.

Best Playback Singer, Male

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

See available choices on the right side of blog (Tags, singer: playback singer's name)

Best Playback Singer, Female
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

See available choices on the right side of blog (Tags, singer: playback singer's name)

Best Song
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Any song from an album (Lp or Ep) on Parties, Sarees and Melodies.

Best Duet
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Any song from an album (Lp or Ep) on Parties, Sarees and Melodies.

Best Lyricist
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

For this year, choices are: Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh, Anand Bakshi, Vithal Bhai Patel, Shakeel Badayuni, Shahryar, Barat Vyas, Prakash Mehra, Anjaan, Jalal Malihabadi, Ramesh Shastri, Qamar Jalalabadi, Neeraj, Vijay Anand, Naushad, Kulwant Jani, Naqsh Lyallpuri, Shiv Kumar Saroj, Sahir, Bashir Sheikh, J. Nakshab, Kidar Sharma, Noor Dewasi, S. H. Bihari and Raja Mehdi Ali Khan.

Best Composer
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

This year, choices are: Bappi Lahiri, C. Ramchandra, Kalyanji Anandji, Khaiyyam, Khemchand Prakash, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, N. Dutta, O. P. Nayyar, Naushad, R. D. Burman, Roshan, S. D. Burman, Salil Chowdhury, Satish Bathia and Shankar Jaikishan.

Best Video of a Song
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Choices must come from a song on an album for Parties, Sarees and Melodies

Best Indian Music Blog
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2.
3.
4.
5.

Can be any website or blog!

3. Third Category is for single answers (1 answer)

They are:

Bad Movie, Good Music
1.

Good Movie, Good Music
1.

The Album you where expecting not to like, but once you listened to it you actually loved it!
1.

Best 4o's album
1.

Choices: Mahal, Barsaat, Andaz

Best 50's album
1.

Choices: Bawre Nain, Ujala, Sadhna, Babul, Phagun, Awaara, Navrang, Amar, Madhosh, Chori Chori, Baiju Bawra, Shree 420, Madhumati.


Best 60's album
1.

Choices: Aashiq, Kismat, Raja Saab, Ram aur Shyam, Boond Jo Band Gayi Moti, April Fool, Jis Desh Men Ganga Bethi Hai, Amrapali, Leader, Kohinoor, Teesri Manzil, Guide, Mughal-E-Azam.

Best 70's album
1.

Choices: Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Chhupa Rustam, The Train, Humjoli, Bobby, Bobby Instumental.

Best 80's album
1.

Choices: Qurbani in English, Pyaas, Namak Halaal, Umrao-Jaan

The best decade (40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's)
1.

Worst Album
1.

Worst Song
1.

Track that makes you dance!
1.

Hindi word, words or phrase you learned listening to a song on Parties, Sarees and Melodies.
1.

****Special***

Favorite Indian Album (Included or not included on Parties Sarees and Melodies) add a picture + 20 words or more on why you love that album so much.
1.

Please email me a picture of you and the album or just the album if you are shy. (If you are shy an other option is to try sleeveface, see how to sleeveface, here) The pictures will be on the blog, so If you don't want to be seen just try the two options that a suggested earlier. Thanks

You are finished! Thank you very much!

To vote just copy and paste the categories 2 and 3. Then fill out the spaces. Then submit your answers before August 15th 2008.

I will also be announcing the results of the votes and the top 10 most downloaded albums as well I will be giving out awards for the top 5 best Indian music blogs.

Important

*All choices must be from Awaara to Yaadon Ki Baaraat. (All other answers will not be counted, except for the special question)

*The voting starts now and ends on the 15th of August 2008 at 12pm

* Don't forget to vote for best album (poll on the right of blog).

* Email (Redhead344@hotmail.com) or leave you answers on the blog to vote for the other categories. (2 and 3) and email me your Picture !


Any comments and suggestions are welcome!

Rahul Dev Burman: Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973)

Yaadon Ki Baaraat is one of my favorite soundtracks, almost all the songs are great on there own as well as in a whole. Burman creates music for the youth of India, fresh, western and wacky, just the right stuff to get the conservative parents angry. It's not serious music but it's good music.


The plot of the movie centers around three brothers who's parents were killed mainly because their father was a painter who could paint and identify the face of a thief who robed a bank. (As tough being a blond bearded and haired Indian man isn't enough for the police to identify him.)

Anyway, the first song is before all the killing. The perfect little family sings the title song ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat''. If you watch the clip, how could a beautiful girl like that end up with a man like that, (Besides the fact that he has that artist-musician- guy with cool glasses thing going on) it must have been an arranged marriage. Also interesting is that in the clip the youngest boy is played by a little Aamir Khan. And an other plus is that the children singing playback are Padmini Kolhapure and her sister.

The very popular ''Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne'' is actually inspired by the Title Track for the 1969 film, If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium. The Burman track has some of the best Asha vocals.

''Lekar Hum Diwana Dil'' has to be my favorite. It's pure fun. This song with funky music and great vocals made Neetu Singh a star.

The youngest brother, Ratan aka Mondo sings ''Aap Ke Kamre Men'' which is a medley of songs split between a few Hinglish phrases (Come on, sing baby!) My favorite part of the song is when they start singing ''hare ha ha'' with a musical interlude including the finale "Dum Maro Dum" from Zeenat Aman and R. D. Burman's earlier hit Hare Rama Hare Krishna(1971)

You also have the second version of ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'' when the brothers reunite. Ah! They can once again be a family.

The song ''O Meri Soni'' is the one I like the least, but it still has it's charm especially in the instrumental parts.

And remember, never trust a man with different shoe sizes, especially size 8 and 9. He is probably the one that killed your parents when you when young. Even if you're not a orphan just watch out! Oh, ya, and you never know who could be on the other side of sliding walls, so beware.

Music from the Third Floor also reviewed this album,Yaadon Ki Baaraat , take a look at what he thinks.

Telugu remake "Annadammula Anubandham", made in 1975. Here are some videos:

Churaliya-Telugu

Lekar Hum-Telugu

Yaadon Ki Baaraat-Telugu

Tracks:


Side 1
1. Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar: Lekar Hum Diwana Dil
2. Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar & R. D. Burman: Aap Ke Kamre Men


Side 2
3. Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar: O Meri Soni
4. Lata Mangeshkar, Padmini, Shivangi & Chorus: Yaadon Ki Baaraat
5. Asha Bhosle & Mohd. Rafi: Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne
6. Kishore Kumar & Mohd. Rafi: Yaadon Ki Baaraat



Lyrics: Majrooh


Stella_1's score: 4/5


Get the music now: R. D. Burman Yaadon Ki Baaraat

Madan Mohan: Madhosh (1951/1982)

Madan Mohan's Madhosh really surprised me. The cover seemed so dull, so I didn't listen to it entirely until a few weeks ago when I just let it play. Wow, it really is good. But most of all, it's different. The only other music of Mohan's that I have heard and loved is the soundtrack to Veer-Zaara (2004) which took old songs of his and updated them for modern viewers.

The most popular and what has to be my favorite song of Madhosh is the only male track ''Meri Yaad Men Tum Na Aansoo Bahana'' sung by the great Talat Mahmood.

I enjoy all the tracks except for the last two which I find plain and unnecessary (depending on the context the tracks are probably necessary for narrative structure of the movie, but since I haven't seen it, so when I say unnecessary it means too the record as a musical whole).

Anyway, the first track ''Hamen Ho Gaya Tumse'' is very nice. It is a song that is at the time modern but still has a very prominent 40's sound. The slithering and sinister clarinet mixed with Lata's vocals make it delightful to listen to.

Also enjoyable are the Dil Dhak Dhak-1 and 2. They are a mix of tribal back vocals and sweet principles voices. The contrast is greater for Dil Dhak Dhak-2 when Lata Mangeshkar is the main singer. The instuments also clash with a mix on indian and western instuments. At the end, during the solo instumental part of Dil Dhak Dhak-2, it reminds me of the title music from Detective by Mukul Roy (Geeta Dutt's brother). Link to Music from the third floor's review and music.



Two lovely songs are ''Meri Dil Ki Nagariya Men'' and ''Chhode Mujhe Na Ja''. They are both calm and melancholic, I especially like the echo effect in the second one.



''Pagadi Pahenke Turredar'' is ok, but you know me I love Shamshad so much, but sadly I was disappointed. Mohan did not use her to her full potential.




Just to point out, the record has some of the best playback singers like Shamshad, Mahmood and also Lata (at her prime in the 50's, I think anyway). But for the third track ''Dil Dhak Dhak-1''I have one question, who is this Miss Chand? I haven't heard of her before and I can't find any info. If anyone knows about this fine singer, let me know.



Tell me what you think!



Tracks:


Side 1

1. Lata Mangeshkar: Hamen Ho Gaya Tumse
2. Talat Mahmood: Meri Yaad Men Tum Na Aansoo Bahana
3. Miss Chand & Chorus: Dil Dhak Dhak-1
4. Lata Mangeshkar & Chorus: Dil Dhak Dhak-2



Side 2

5. Lata Mangeshkar: Meri Dil Ki Nagariya Men
6. Lata Mangeshkar: Chhod Mujhe Na Ja
7. Shamshad Begum & Chorus: Pagadi Pahenke Turredar
8. Lata Mangeshkar: Meri Ankhon Ki Neend Legay
9. Lata Mangeshkar: Jab Aanewale Aate Hain



Lyrics: Raja Mehdi Ali Khan



Stella_1's score: 4/5



Get the music now: Madan Mohan Madhosh

Weird Labels! Help!

Ok, I tried to find out more about these records, like where were they made? When they were made? But I can't find any information. I am almost 100% sure that these are copies.



1.Carolina

This could be a copy, but the label, Carolina, is from a Tamil film, so it could be a south indian label.

2. Penguin

The hole in the middle of the record is slightly smaller than usual. I also know that the record that has that label is available on Angel records, so this is a copy, but from where?

3. ? Record

And the last label is from Malaysia, it is on Hindi and Tamil records. But I don't know when they where made?

If anyone has any info, or if someone has a record with one of these labels on it please feel free to leave a comment! Thanks!