Famous Songs & Their Inspiration, Original song & later better-known version Options

[RajanCS]

Thanks Abhay for this enlightenment. - Rajan

[pareshmotiwala]

Faraaj ji

As per the HF rules, any file with bitrate less than 96 KBPS can not be posted on HF. One can upload it on the external file sharing server and give a link here.

Just FYI. I do not want an avid music lover like you to get into trouble with the rules and regulations.

Regards
Parag

Parag Saab

I understand and respect the 96-192 kbps rule. It is a sensible rule for defining a reasonable quality range for available songs.

I will not upload any available song at a lesser or higher bit-rate. But if there is a song that is simply not available, I would like to add it in the topic itself for the ease of members instead of uploading it elsewhere.

I also don't want to defeat the spirit of the rule by re-encoding at a higher bit-rate and spoiling the audio quality. I sure the Admin are reasonable people and fellow music lovers who will understand but if they warn me, I'll certainly remove an offending song immediately.

So, if you're interested in the song please download it quickly just to be on the safe side!

Kind Regards
Faraaj

Faraajbhai
You can use dbpoweramp music converter and convert the music to higher bit rate.
It will not improve the quality, but will make the admins happy.

[abhayp]

You can use dbpoweramp music converter and convert the music to higher bit rate.
It will not improve the quality, but will make the admins happy.

Please do *NOT* encourage this kind of trickery! Not only will it "not improve the quality", it will actually worsen it manifold.

The purpose of the bit-rate restriction is to ensure some quality control. If low-res versions are the only option, they can always be shared off the forum.

Warm regrds,
Abhay

[abhayp]

Here's a quiz: name a film that has a rain-related title, music by Roshan, and raag Gaud Malhar cascading during its opening titles.

The answer: not one film but two, separated by 9 years. In 1951, Roshan got Lata to sing the traditional Gaud Malhar bandish, "garajat barasat bhiijat aa_ilo" and used is as the background for the opening credits of the movie "Malhar". In 1960, when creating them music for the film "Barsaat Ki Raat", he seems to have remembered that earlier rain theme: he used the same bandish as the base to create a song that again played as the opening credits rolled on the screen!

The only available recording of the original drut-laya bandish seems to be Malini Rajurkar's version released long ago on cassette. A short snippet of that (just over a minute) is uploaded below in mp3 @ 140 kbps (VBR):



The full 9-minute rendition by MR is uploaded on the Raag Rang forum in in post # 16 at this link:

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?show...id=561288&#

What Roshan has used in "Malhar" in 1951 is essentially the classical bandish itself sung in a scaled-down manner for a little over two minutes. Lata Mangeshkar has sung it beautifully. The song is encoded here in mp3 @ 128 kbps:



When Roshan used the same bandish as the base for the title sequences of "Barsaat Ki Raat" in 1960, he didn't just use it as is: while retaining the first two words and the overall melodic structure, he re-worked it into a stunningly beautiful song sung as a duet by Suman Kalyanpur and Kamal Barot (for me, it is by far the best of the three renditions being uploaded in this post). Sahir's words fit the tune just right; this is obviously one of the rare occasions when he wrote to the tune. The song was sung onscreen by Ratna Bhushan and Shyama. It is 3:11 minutes long; the upload here encoded in mp3 @ 128 kbps.



Warm regards,
Abhay

This post has been edited by abhayp: Jan 2 2009, 12:39 PM

[abhayp]

Continuing the thread with bandish-inspired film songs, we come to a piece that has been sung by any number of classical and semi-classical stalwarts: the Bhairavi thumri, "lagat karejawaa me.n choT". To open this round, I am uploading first a version by Jaddan Bai. Known to most people now only as Nargis Dutt's mother, Jaddan Bai was a celebrated figure in her own day. A singer and actress herself, she was also a film producer and a promoter of talent: she was, for instance, one of the earliest mentors of Akhtaribai (way before she became Begum Akhtar).

There is almost no recording of Jaddan Bai's in the public space. A friend had long ago sent me this rendition taken off a 78 rpm record. The sound quality is not great, but the singing still shines through. The voice and style are both reminiscent of Rasoolan Bai. Here, then, is Jaddan Bai's rendition (3:24 minutes, mp3 @ 80 kbps VBR):



Two more renditions of this thumri - a long-ish rendition by Bhimsen Joshi and a 78 rpm version by his guru, Sawai Gandharva - can be found on post # 17 at

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?show...id=561391&#

Once again, Roshan is the music director who chose this bandish to create a song for the film "Dooj Ka Chaand" (1964). The mukhaDaa is retained as is; Sahir wrote the antaraa-s. Manna Dey has sung the song very well, although the comic situation created in the film (Agha lip-synching to this record being played in the background, the record getting stuck a couple of times, a snake scaring everyone concerned) detracts from the beauty of the rendition to some extent. I wonder whether there exists a studio version of the song without all these frills: it would be great to find out how the 'unadulterated' adaptation would sound!

Here is the Manna Dey version from the film (3.20 minutes, 192 kbps):



PS: That this is a Bhairavi doesn't mean that we have ended this series - many more to come yet!

Warm regards,
Abhay

This post has been edited by abhayp: Jan 2 2009, 07:29 PM

[abhayp]

Yaman is perhaps the most popular raag for light music. Any number of film songs are cast in and around this raag (as a friend puts it, "in Yaman territory"). The song being uploaded here, however, is not just cast in Raag Yaman - it is a direct rendition of a very famous traditional bandish: "ai rii aalii piyaa bin".

The creators of this song are again the Roshan-Lata team (refer to the similar adapations in 'Malhar' and 'Barsaat Ki Raat' uploaded earlier). This song is from the 1952 film 'Raag Rang'. Going by the short duration, I suspect this is again (as in the earlier two cases) used during the film titles. Can anyone who has seen the film confirm this? The song is just 1:43 minutes long; it is uploaded here in mp3 encoded @ 160 kbps.



A short snippet of Kishori Amonkar rendering the same bandish is uploaded below to give an idea of how the bandish sounds in its "proper" classical avataar (1:21 minutes, mp3 @ 160 kbps).



The entire rendition by KA (just over 10 minutes) as well as two other renditions of the same bandish can be found in post # 23 at this link:

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?show...id=561939&#

Warm regards,
Abhay

This post has been edited by abhayp: Jan 4 2009, 11:43 PM

[Yadavagiri5]

SONG:



Song: Chandaa Loriyaa

Movie: Nayaa Sansaar

Singer: Lata

Music: Chitragupt

Year: 1959

Format: mp3

Bit Rate: 128

Duration: 3:24

My rating of Music: 8/10





ITS INSPIRATION



Song: Thaare Aaankh No

Movie: Divaa Dandi (Gujrati)

Singer: Dilip Dholakia (also a music director, several great classical-based songs in "Private Secretary", 1962)

Music: Ajit Merchant

Year: 1956

Format: mp3

Bit Rate: 128

Duration: 2:36

My rating of Music: 8/10

[simplefable]

Yadavagiri Ji..that is quite a revelation. thanks a lot..

[behenji.turned.mod]

mazaa aa gaya sdb ka ghum bulechi sun kar

thx a ton yadavagiri

This post has been edited by behenji.turned.mod: Jan 8 2009, 09:27 PM

[Faraaj73]

Abhay

You've hijacked my thread! I think this must be one of the rare cases where the victim thanks the hijacker!!! I really can't thank you enough for the masterpieces you've uploaded....

Hearing Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sing what I always knew to be a filmi song - Mandir Dekh Dare Sudhama - was refreshing.

I had not heard Kankana Bannerjee before. I preferred Pandit Jasraj's wonderful rendition of Lat Uljhi Suljha Jaa Balam (I'm hearing it repeatedly!), which again I knew as one of Noorjehan's best Pakistani songs (it played quite often on PTV). Rashid Attre did a good job, but there is no beating Pandit Jasraj's rendition.

I see what you mean about the Suman-Kamal Barot version of Garajat Barasat. It is lovely....

I'd been trying to find some Jaddan Bai recording (without success) for a long time, but wasn't very successful...so thanks for that as well...the recording is pretty decent given the vintage....

I am uploading a 3m 32sec version of Lata's Ayri Aali Piya Bina. It's basically the same song but includes a musical prelude that's nearly 2 minutes long. The file is mp3/128 kbps....


I'll keep the driving seat warm with a few uploads till you get back from your travels....although I'm keen to see you continue...safe travelling....

Kind Regards
Faraaj

[Faraaj73]

Anil Biswas is arguably the greatest composer of 20th century filmi music - Naushad is another name that comes to mind.

One of his less well-known songs for Milan (1946) - overshadowed by Jisne Bana Di Bansuri and Gun Gun Bole Gungarwa from the same film - was Suhani Biriya Beeti Jaaye sung by sister Parul Ghosh.

He used this tune as an inspiration five years later for the better known Bol Papihe Bol Re from Tarana (1951) - ...kaun mera chitchor, kaun mera chitchor...

Both songs are attached in mp3/128 and 160 kbps respectively....




Enjoy!

Kind Regards
Faraaj

[Faraaj73]

Continuing the thread with bandish-inspired film songs, we come to a piece that has been sung by any number of classical and semi-classical stalwarts: the Bhairavi thumri, "lagat karejawaa me.n choT".

Once again, Roshan is the music director who chose this bandish to create a song for the film "Dooj Ka Chaand" (1964). The mukhaDaa is retained as is; Sahir wrote the antaraa-s. Manna Dey has sung the song very well, although the comic situation created in the film (Agha lip-synching to this record being played in the background, the record getting stuck a couple of times, a snake scaring everyone concerned) detracts from the beauty of the rendition to some extent. I wonder whether there exists a studio version of the song without all these frills: it would be great to find out how the 'unadulterated' adaptation would sound!

Warm regards,
Abhay

Hi Abhay

Your post was lingering in my mind because I knew I was missing something to do with the words Lagi Karejwa Mein Chot.

Apart from Roshan, Pankaj Mullick used it (with minor modification) in Yahudi Ki Larki (1933) for KL Saigal. And C. Ramchandra used it as a duet for Lata-Talat in Duniya Gol Hai (1955) which is probably the best filmic presentation of this bandish....

The two songs are attached as mp3/192 kbps and 160 kbps respectively.




Enjoy!

Kind Regards
Faraaj

This post has been edited by Faraaj73: Jan 11 2009, 11:14 AM

[Faraaj73]

One of Lata's most beautiful (and beautifully sung) filmi songs is Bajubandh Khul Khul Jaye from the film Bazoobandh (1954) based on Raag Bhairavi, that most popular of raags for film music. I have uploaded below both this song mp3/192 kbps



and a wonderful 3m 32sec Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan rendition of Bajubandh.



As companion pieces, I uploaded two other longer renditions. The first is by Ustad Barkat Ali Khan of the Kasur Gharana - who was also Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Saab's brother - running at 8m 36s. The second is by the late Ustad Amanat Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana running at 9m 27s. Both are uploaded in the Raag Rang thread accompanying this here:

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?s=&a...st&p=563926

Enjoy!

Kind Regards
Faraaj

This post has been edited by Faraaj73: Jan 12 2009, 03:21 PM

[Faraaj73]

One of Manna Dey's proudest moments was when he got to sing a jugulbandi in the hero's voice against Bhimsen Joshi and defeat him (in the fil at least!). The song Ketaki Ghulab Juhi is well-known as is the film Basant Bahar (1956). Manna Dey has mentioned several times in interviews that before recording the song he actually thought of running away from Bombay for a few days to save himself the embarassment of looking like a fool trying to outdo Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. His wife however convinced him not to run away, and later Pt. Saab complimented him by suggesting that he leave film music and move over to classical singing as he had the natural ability. This song which was central to the picture was, as one can guess from the title of the film, composed in Raag Bahar. Here is this famous song in mp3/128 kbps...



As an accompanying piece - same raag and tune - is an earlier version titled Des Des Ki Thi Jung, Dushman Sab Haar Gaye which was sung in honour of the Maharaja of Champanagar (circa 1933-34) by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan at the tender age of 11. Its no great surprise then that the Maharaja became the young boy (and his brothers) patron. It is a beautifully rendered piece.....mp3/192 kbps CDQ



Finally, Zohrabai Agrewali (alongside Gauhar Jaan) was the leading singer at the turn of the century (guess which century ). Since she passed away in 1913, there are literally only a handful of recordings of her recordings that survive. In my opinion, the attached mp3/40 kbps is the best of the 8-10 I've managed to find. Raag Bahar and same tune, this is probably a 19th century composition that was recorded in the first decade of the 20th century.



For those intending to download all three pieces, I'd strongly recommend hearing them in the exact order they've been uploaded. Enjoy!

Kind Regards
Faraaj

[Faraaj73]

At the end of last week I uploaded Anil Biswas's Milan and Tarana songs which essentially followed the same tune. I find Anil Biswas to be a very original composer (not easily inspired )....towards the latter end of his distinguished career as a music director, he composed a beautiful song for Sautela Bhai (1962) - Jaa Mein Tose Nahin Bolun. Lata has sung the song beautifully. Here it is in mp3/192 kbps.



But, this filmi song - Jaa Mein Tose Nahin Bolun - had an earlier life as a Bhairavi Thumri sung by the very great Rasoolan Bai. What magic this woman's voice has!!! Hear the attached in mp3/192 kbps (both uploads are CDQ).



Enjoy!

Kind Regards
Faraaj