S. D. Burman: Taxi Driver (1954/1977) Pakistan

Ok, ok. I actually enjoyed the Taxi Driver soundtrack more than Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. And I have to admit that I am finding some S. D. Burman songs which I enjoy very much (hey, don't even think about it...this doesn't mean that I am a S. D. Burman Fan). I have still to find an entire "Dada" album that impresses me. To date, this is the closest, if you don't count Aradhana (composed by S. D. Burman/R. D. Burman). And bizarrely enough S. D. Burman won the Filmfare Award for best music director in 1955 for the song "Jahen To Jahen Kahan" and not for the entire album. Actually, the first two years the award was given, it was awarded for a song not an album (Naushad won it in 1954 for "To Gauga Ki Mauj" from Baiju Bawra).

I agree with Filmfare on this one, I very much enjoy Talat Mahmood's version of "Jahen To Jahen Kahan". I usually associate Mahmood with Dilip Kumar, and Dev Anand with the equally talented Hemant Kumar (aka Hemanta Mukherjee), but this combo does just fine in the picturization of this lovely tune. Lata also takes a stab at the same song but I it's left emotionless next to Talat Mahmood's version.

I also admire "Dil Jale To Jale", an "almost vamp song" for Lataji with its catchy and fine swaying melody. Do like the two little gore playing instruments in the band (I just had to post pics...).

The duet "Dekho Mane Nahin Roothi Haseena" is good and playful. Yet I still don't know exactly who the male playback singer Jagmohan is? My closest guesses are either Jagmohan Bakshi a music composer, associated with Sapan Sengupta for the Sapan & Jagmohan team, or Jaganmoy Mitra the Bengali singer.

Also worth a listen is "Ae Zindigi Aaj Raat Jhoom Le". But I would have liked it if the intro to the song (shown in the link) would have been on the record. To bad.

Overall, this album is worth a listen, and I hope you appreciate it more than I do.

Tracks

Side 1

1. Asha Bhosle: Jeene Do Oji O

2. Lata Mangeshkar: Jaen To Jaen Kahan
3. Asha Bhosle & Jagmohan: Dekho Mane Nahi Roothi Haseena

4. Lata Mangheshkar: Ae Zindigi Aaj Raat Jhoom Le

Side 2

5. Kishore Kumar: Chache Koi Khush Ho Chahe Galiyan Hazar De

6. Talat Mahmood: Jaen To Jaen Kahan

7. Lata Mangeshkar: Dil Se Milake Dil Pyar Kijiye

8. Lata Mangeshkar: Dil Jale To Jale

Lyrics: Sahir

Stella_1's score: 3.5

Get the music Now: S. D. Burman Taxi Driver