Bob Dylan would be releasing a holiday album titled “Christmas in the Heart” on the 13^th October. In the true spirit of Christmas, the album is about a giving heart; and not only through the songs. Bob Dylan has made this album as a charity album. That is, all of the royalties in the album that he derives in America will go to Feeding America, an organisation that provides food to the needy people. This is not an album of his original songs but a compilation of Christmas classics such as “Must Be Santa”, “Little Drummer Boy”, “Winter Wonderland” and “Here Comes Santa Claus”. There are totally 15 tracks on the album. Similarly, the international charities will go to similar international organisations. It is expected that a donation equivalent to 4 million meals will be given to Feeding America.
A preview of the album was available on the net since September 17^th. This album is in continuance with Dylan’s shift from serious, political albums to humorous, playful music. The arrangements of the song are quite similar to a traditional Christmas song; however, Dylan’s rusty voice adds a different style to it. The instruments are also pleasant and include Christmas bells, accordions, violins, synthesizers and acoustic guitars.
Holiday albums have previously been released by a number of artists such as James Brown, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jethro Tull and Beach Boys. Still, making a Christmas album was an unexpected step from an artist like Bob Dylan. However considering the popularity of Bob Dylan and the fact that it is being done for a noble cause, the album will definitely sell like hot cakes during the holiday season.

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”

In the winter of 1965, a group of architecture students were joined by a Cambridge Art School student to form a band called “The Tea Set”. The Art School student was probably not happy with the name of the band and suggested the name “Pink Floyd” after two blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council; and the rest as they say is history.

The architecture students were Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Bob Klose and the art school student who would soon become the face of the band was Syd Barrett. Bob Klose soon left the band and Syd Barrett became the lead guitarist, vocalist and song writer for the band. Unfortunately, in 1968, Barrett had to leave the band.

Roger Waters soon filled up Barrett’s place as the song writer for the band and developed the idea of “Concept Album” and come up legendary albums such as “The Dark Side of the Moon”.  However, the band was still missing Syd and they compiled an album for him; aptly name “Wish You Were Here”.

“Wish You Were Here” is the title track from that album and is one of my personal favourites of all times. The song, although an obvious reference to Barrett leaving the band, also talks about the detached feeling that most people go through life with (“We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl”).  The lyrics of the song were written by Roger Waters while the music riff was composed independently by David Gilmour. When Waters heard Gilmour play the riff in the studio, they decided to compose the song using it. Gilmour provided the vocals for the song.

“Wish You Were Here” being a concept album, all its song blend into each other. Thus “Wish You Were Here” flows in from the previous song “Have a Cigar” through an interlude of a radio play and Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony (actually someone is switching between different radio stations). The song begins with the riff played on an acoustic guitar and the song gets louder as it progresses with electric guitar and drums entering later. The song ends with wind sound effects that take it into the next song (“Shine On You Crazy Diamonds”).

In the original form, the song was never released as a single. The album, however, got a great commercial success and critical acclaim immediately after it released. The song has featured on a number of compilation albums by Floyd including Delicate Sounds of Thunder, Echoes and Pulse. In 1995, the Pulse recording was also released as a single. This was one of the songs they played during the 2005 Live Aid Concert when the band reunited after 20 years. In 2004, the song was ranked #316 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In the thirty four years since its release, the song has been covered by numerous artists. Most notable amongst them are Dream Theater, Pearl Jam, Velvet Revolver and Wyclef Jean but none of them come even close to the original song. Fred Durst and Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit and Johnny Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls performed this at the 2001 “Tribute to Heroes” telethon to benefit victims of the terrorist attacks on America.

This song has been very close to my heart and I am sure it is so for a lot of other Pink Floyd fans. I shall conclude with a quote of David Gilmour about the songs he writes:

“If everyone interpreted the same meaning from a song that I have written, then I have failed miserably in my endeavour”

Pink floyd performing the song live

Goo Goo Dolls and Limp Bizkit performing for “Tribute to Heroes”

Wyclef Jean’s version of the song

Amitabh Bachchan’s booming delivery of Hinglish rap alongside Anoushka Manchanda in Genie Rap is quite entertaining, despite that teeny weeny resemblance I felt with the duo’s composition Ab To Forever from Tara Rum Pum. And a major factor that contributes to the enjoyability is the inventive arrangement by Vishal and Shekhar. One instance I particularly enjoyed was that of the fleeting tabla beats at the end of each of the two lines starting from I do the grooves.. V-S had previously employed the tabla not very differently in AB Junior’s rap in Bluffmaster and there too the effect had been delightful. DJ Suketu does an equally commendable job on the remix, introducing a lot of Punjabi elements to good effect. Its a different matter that the remix is almost double the length of the actual song! Vishal and Shekhar have in the past confessed their being big fans of R D Burman, and have paid tribute to him in many of their compositions. And here in the pleasantly boisterous Tak Dhina Dhin they create another engaging track to add to that list. The arrangement is evocative of Pancham Da’s songs like Jahaan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai while incorporating some modern elements, Shankar Mahadevan at his exuberant best rendering the song alongside Shaan.
Amitabh Bachchan returns with Shreya Ghoshal, Sudhesh Bhonsle and Shaan in the frivolous and folksy O Re Saawariya which heavily draws from older Bachchan chartbusters of the same genre, the Sasur Ghar Jaana refrain especially standing out for that reason. That is not to say the song is not entertaining, the singers doing their part effectively. Not that entertaining however is its remix where DJ Suketu spoils things with the electronic loop running all through the song. The wait for a fresh tune in the soundtrack ends with the breezy You May Be, where the MDs hit bull’s eye with their arrangement. And coming in Vishal Dadlani’s throaty vocals, this track is undoubtedly the best one of the album. Vishal should try more such soft tracks in future, methinks. After that track its back to vintage mode, Vishal Shekhar spinning out another number a la yesteryear disco songs – Bachke O Bachke. By this time the old song influence factor is definitely not working, and the singers – Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal, Shaan and Sunidhi – are not able to mitigate the effect either. The soundtrack winds up with a jazzy track called Giri Giri. Though the orchestration is well done indeed, the rendition by Sanjay Dutt isn’t quite upto the mark. I have enjoyed Sanju baba’s singing in Kaante etc, but this one honestly I didn’t find that tasteful.
Almost a year since their previous release, Vishal Shekhar produce a soundtrack that is highly engrossing, but is severely lacking on fresh tunes. And for that reason, we give the album a rating of 7/10.
Recommended tracks – You May Be, Tak Dhina Dhin, Genie Rap

David Gray, the English songwriter/singer has released his new album. Titled “Drawing the Line”,  is his 8th studio album.  For this body of work, Gray fired all of his previous band mates and is backed by a wholly new set of musicians.  He had achieved remarkable success with his previous crew and this new album is a deliberate attempt by Gray to have a new beginning.

The album has 11 new songs and is his first set of new songs since 2005.  Gray has collaborated with Annie Lennox and Jolie Holland in two duets. I just got to hear few samples from his website and I liked what I heard. Gray released a single from the album as a video a  few weeks back, here is it. Pretty neat song it is.

Director: Anthony D’Souza
Producer: Dhillin Mehta
Music Director: A.R. Rahman
Lyricist: Abbas Tyrewala, Mayur Puri, Rajat Arora, Sukhwinder Singh
Label: T-Series

Chiggy Wiggy – Singers: Kylie Minogue, Sonu Nigam

(Kylie)
Every man who ever sees me wants to hold my hand
And be the one who gets me to say oh i do
Swear eternal undying devotion yes they swear
That they will love me forever love me true
But I dont need a shining star
And I dont wanna be rescued
Neither a frog nor charming prince
Nor my summers barbequed
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you fella
Just chiggy-wiggy with you baby!
Free your mind
Free is the way to live it up
Free to go
Free if i dont wanna give it up
Free to groove
The dance floors where i wanna be
Free to move
White picket fences frighten me
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you fella
Just chiggy-wiggy with you baby
Aa aa dont want a talker
Aa aa dont need repartee
Aa aa dont need a future
I just like to party
Aa aah forget tomorrow
Aa aah my feet are tapping
Aa aah why dont you get it baby
Why won’t you let it happen
Say you’ll never go never ever go
Down upon on your knees
Say you’ll never say
Never ever say
Baby marry me please
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you
Aaaah ahahhh chiggy-wiggy with you baby
Hey hey heyyy heyy Gore!  (Sonu)
Baby! (Kylie)
(Sonu)
Yeh khatoon ki khidmat mein khiladi ki hai khwaish
Qaatil yeh adaayein qaatilana yeh numaish
Kar le chiggy wiggy mere sang soniye
Kar chiggy wiggy mere sang jaaaniye
Kar chiggy wiggy sang sang heeriye
Chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy
Chiggy wiggy mere sang soniye
Kar chiggy wiggy mere sang jaaaniye
Kar le chiggy wiggy sang sang heeriye
(Kylie)
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
(Sonu)
Tera husn hai rehmat ya ghazab
Tere ishq ibaadat ya khata
(Kylie)
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you fella
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you fella
(Sonu)
Tera husn hai rehmat ya ghazab
Tere ishq ibaadat ya khata
Tu kahe to tere sang sang zindagi
Ya guzaroon aaj ki raat raat
Tu kahe to din
Tu keh de to shaam
Tu jo kahe woh sach
Jo tu kahe wohi mera naam naam
(Sonu)
Kar chiggy wiggy mere sang soniye
Kar chiggy wiggy mere sang jaaaniye
Kar chiggy wiggy sang sang heeriye
Chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy chiggy wiggy
(Kylie)
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
I wanna chiggy-wiggy with you boy
(Sonu)
Ho ho chiggy wiggy ho thoda chiggy wiggy
Oh sun haal dil ka
Oh aaja chiggy wiggy
Oh kar chiggy wiggy
Oh kyun soche kal ka
Oh aja chiggy wiggy
Oh thoda chiggy wiggy
Sun haal dil ka
Oh aaja chiggy wiggy
Oh come on chiggy wiggy
Oh kyun soche kal ki baat baat

Aaj Dil Gustakh hai – Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Shreya Ghoshal

Chal chal sha ra ra ra re (Sukhwinder)
Chal chal sha ra ra ra re (Shreya)
(Sukhwinder)
Aaj dil gustakh hai, paniyon pe aag hai
Dhadkan bhi betaab hai
Chal chal sara rara re
Saanson mein sailab hai, kya surila khwab hai
Dhadkan bhi betaab hai
Chal chal sara rara re
(Shreya)
Dhoop gum hai dekhke, do badan hai ret pe
Saaya lekin ek hai
Chal chal sara rara re
(Sukhwinder)
Ooh yeah
Chal chal sara rara tera junoon
Ooh Yeah
(Shreya)
Chal chal sara rara re
Jane khana milega sukoon
Aaj dil gustakh hai, paniyon pe aag hai
Dhadkan bhi betaab hai
Chal chal sara rara re
Saanson mein sailab hai, kya surila khwab hai
Dhadkan bhi betaab hai
Chal chal sara rara re
Meri sham dhalti dhalti
Kar rahi hai galti galti
Teri raah chalti chalti hai kyon
Meri sham dhalti dhalti
Kar rahi hai galti galti
Teri raah chalti chalti hai kyon
(Sukhwinder)
Badalon pe udata hai, na ruke na mudta hai
Waqt ko itni jaldi hai kyun
Badalon pe udata hai, na ruke na mudta hai
Waqt ko itni jaldi hai kyun
(Shreya)
Chal chal sara rara re
Sara rara rara re
Jane khana milega sukoon
Aaj dil gustakh hai
Paniyon pe aag hai
Dhadkan bhi betaab hai
Chal chal sara rara re
(Sukhwinder)
Chal chal sara rara tera junoon
Hoon kabhi to dekho dekho kabhi to paas aake
Halkey halkey kalkey nashey mein aaj aankhein (Shreya)
Yeh junoon khoobroo khoobroo hai yara tu (Sukhwinder)
Aur kya kahoon mein kya kahoon (Shreya)
Chal chal sara rara tera junoon (Sukhwinder)
(Sukhwinder)
Surooh dariya hua
Pursukoon dariya hua
Kya kahoon mein kya hua
Chalchal sara rara re (Shreya)
(Sukhwinder and Shreya)
Aasman chalka hua
Din bhi hai dhalta hua
Kya kahoon mein kya hua (Sukhwinder )
Chal chal sara rara re (Shreya)
(Sukhwinder)
Ooh yeah
Chal chal sara rara tera junoon
Ooh Yeah

Fiqrana – Singers: Vijay Prakash, Shreya Ghoshal

(Vijay)
Fiqrana hoke hum jeeyen, khamakha hum jeeye na kyun
Beparvaah hoke hum jeeyen, khamakha hum jeeye na kyun
Jeet-te hain ad ad ad ke hum
Fir-te hain fur fur fur se hum
Mil-te hain rom rom rom se hum
Chal-te hain dum dum dum se hum
Mehk-te gulzaron mein hum
Chamak-te sitaro mein hum
Dehak-te angaro mein hum
Lehak-te hawao mein
Oh ye fiqrana…ye fiqrana…
Oh ye fiqrana…ye fiqrana…
Hain qaatil apni rangat
Hain shatir apni sangat
Thodhe se hum hain diwaane
Yehi hain apni daulat
Main puri karlu hasrat
Main mann ki saari mannat
Mujhe koi rok nahin… tok nahin…
Main manmana…
Hu junoon sukoon main sharara
Main mazaa sazaa main aawaarah
Yeh maan le main hoon ishq ka maara
(Shreya)
Hone de yeh mulakate
Thode din thodi si raate
Sochenge fir yeh hum
Chahenge ya na chahenge hum
(Vijay)
Jeet-te hain adh adh adh ke hum
Fir-te hain fur fur fur se hum
Mil-te hain rom rom rom se hum
Chal-te hain dum dum dum se hum
Mehak-te gulzaron mein hum
Chamak-te sitaron mein hum
Dehak-te angaron mein hum
Lehak-te hawaon mein
Oh ye fiqrana…ye fiqrana…
Oh ye fiqrana…ye fiqrana…
Hain qaatil apni rangat
Hain shatir apni sangat
Thode se hum hain diwaane
Yehi hain apni daulat
To karle sabse khilafat
Tu ban ja meri mohabbat
Jahan se lad jaunga
Mar jaunga main mastana
Toh shuru karu ishq badana
Jo kahe woh lage rab ko pana
Jo jale voh jale apna hain zamana…
(Shreya)
Honge sang jo humare
Aasman ke yeh tare
Milenge tab tum-hum
Haan kar denge na na karenge hum
Jeet-te hain (Vijay)
Ad ad ad ke hum(Shreya)
Fir-te hain(Vijay)
Fur fur fur se hum(Shreya)
Mil-te hain (Vijay)
Rom rom rom se hum(Shreya)
Chal-te hain (Vijay)
Dum dum dum se hum(Shreya)
(Vijay)
Mehk-te gulzaron mein hum
Chamak-te sitaro mein hum
Dehak-te angaro mein hum
Lekhte hawao mein
Oh ye fiqrana…ye fiqrana…
Oh ye fiqrana…ye fiqrana…

Bhoola Tujhe – Singer: Rashid Ali

Bhoola tujhe kaise kahaan
Hua tujhse kab juda
Ya khuda
Hasun ya main roun bata
Hui mujhse kya khata kya gunaah
Mere khuda
Yahi hai jo maalik teri razaa
Meri aazmaaish hai ya sazaa
Hayaat qayamat ki ya hai qazaa
Mere khuda
Bhoola tujhe kaise kahaan
Hua tujhse kab juda
Ya khuda
Pyaare khuda pyaare khuda
Bache koi khud se bhi
Bache na wo kismat se
Bacha to woh bas teri azmat se
Der se ki dua
Dil se pehli baar yeh aayi hai
Mere pyaare khuda
Mere pyaare khuda
Bhoola tujhe kaise kahaan
Hua tujhse kab juda
Ya khuda
Hasun ya main roun bata
Hui mujhse kya khata kya gunaah
Mere khuda
Yahi hai jo maalik teri razaa
Meri aazmaaish hai ya sazaa
Hayaat qayamat ki ya hai qazaa
Mere khuda
Mere pyaare khuda
Mere pyaare khuda

Blue Theme – Singers: Blaaze, Raqeeb Aalam, Sonu Kakkar, Jaspreet Singh, Neha Kakkar,

Dilshad

[Gash kha ke dig paina khich dulleya
Kash laaake khich lainaa khich dulleya
Dung lainaa das laina khich dulleya
Dus dus bas bas khich dulleya]
[blue]
[blue] Bekhauf nigahein
[blue] Bebaak adayein
[blue] Shaffaakh dilon mein
[blue] Bedaag wafaein
[blue] Sagar ke dil mein
[blue] Jitne khazane
[blue] Dil ke sagar mein
[blue] Utne fasane
Aatish aangare, sholon ke dhaaare
Rangeen shaaraare, barish ke tare
Sad rang wafa ka sagar mein kyun hai
Kabhi surkh lahu hai, kabhi rang blue hai
Bekhauf nigahein, bebaak adayein
Shaffaakh dilon mein, bedaagh wafaein
Kudi daa shaloo paata hai
Shaaloo kaun samete hai
Chaccha chori kutte hai
Bekhauf nigahein, Bebaak adayein
Shaffaakh dilon mein, Bedaagh wafaein

Rehnuma – Singers: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal

(Shreya Ghoshal)
Ho fida khatam, fanaah
Meri chaahat mein tu
Jal zara haan phigal zara
Meri ulfat mein tu
Leher si yeh baahein
Zeher si nigaahein
Qaatil ada…
Ho fida
(Main fida hua) (Sonu)
Khatm, fanaah  (Shreya)
(Main fannah hua) (Sonu)
Meri chaahat mein tu(Shreya)
(Teri chaahat mein) (Sonu)
Jal zara haan pigal zara meri ulfat main tu (Shreya)
(Main teri ulfat mein) (Sonu)
Leher si yeh baahein zeher si nigaahein (Shreya)
Qaatil ada… (Shreya)
(Qaatil ada…)(Sonu)
(Sonu)
Teri panaahon mein to zindagani
Shaayad milegi khud ko mitake
Keemat hai teri wafaao ki kya sanam
Maar de ya pyar de
Jo bhi ho haasil
Na sahara na kinaara
Kismat mein na koi saahil
Rehnuma.. (Sonu)
Hai tera samandar(Shreya)
Mehrbaan.. (Sonu)
Haan tera samandar(Shreya)
Kaaravaan.. (Sonu)
Mein tera samandar(Shreya)
Hamnavaa(Sonu)
(Shreya)
Zulfon ki qaid mubarak tujhe ho
Palkon mein so ja tu gham bhula ke
Aashiq awaara saans le zara
Khauf se ya shauk se naam le tu mera
Ho inaayat ya qayamat
Haq hoga bus us par tera
Rehnuma.. (Sonu)
Hai tera samandar(Shreya)
Mehrbaan.. (Sonu)
Haan tera samandar(Shreya)
Kaaravaan.. (Sonu)
Mein tera samandar(Shreya)
Hamnavaa(Sonu)
Rehnuma.. (Sonu)
Hai tera samandar
Mehrbaan.. (Sonu)
Haan tera samandar
Kaaravaan.. (Sonu)
Mein tera samandar
Hamnavaa(Sonu)

Yaar Mila Tha – Singers: Udit Narayan, Madhushree

(Chorus)
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi yeh eehh eehhh
(Madhushree)
Yaar mila tha saiyaan ek din
Yaar mila tha saiyaan
Aankhon mein sapne dil mein leke
Pyaar mila tha saiyyaan
Kya main karti saiyyan baiyyan
Kya main karti saiyyaan
Teri yaad mein kitni sadiyaan
Aah bharti saiyyan
(Udit)
Aarre kuch toh sharm kar leti
Aab kya kahengi duniya
Kyun uske sang ho li
Us peepal ki chaaiyaan
(Madhushree)
Socha nikal loon par pallu woh khencha zor se
Bola sandesa hai laaya woh teri aur se
(Udit)
Haaye dil ghayal zakhmi jiya
Kaise jeeye ab tera piya
Maar diya dulhaniya tune
Maar diya dulhaniya
Jeete jee apne saiyaan ko
Maar diya dulhaniya
(Madhushree)
Yaar mila tha saiyaan ek din
Yaar mila tha saiyaan
(Chorus)
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi yeh eehh eehhh
(Madhushree)
Hai kusoor kya mera batana yu sata main
Teri raah takti thi
(Udit)
Raah takti thi to khafa
Ho gayi thi tu ya bewafa
Ke panghat pe ghoonghat ke bina
Jaa baithi kaise tu woh bhi mere bina
Usi panghat pe jahan jhat se
Pehli baar thaami thi maine
Teri kalayi harjayi
Jahan dhoop se hum bache the
Jahan Nache the apne kadam
Aur besharam woh kalayi tu thama ke aayi
Haathon mein na jaane
Kis khotte ke kis potte ke
Mere hote se par sote se
(Madhushree)
Ooooo
Par tu ne hi to usse bheja na?
Ooooo
Ke mera pyaar piya ko dejana
Ohhoo hhohoo (Udit)
(Chorus)
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi yeh eehh eehhh
(Madhushree)
Yaar bulaya saiyaan maine yaar bulaya saiyaan
Bhooli saari duniya jab ek baar bulaya saiyaan
(Udit)
Toh a gale dulhaniya lag jaa a gale dulhaniya
Dhekh ke aapni yaari duniya laakh jale dulhaniya
Yaar bulaya saiyaan (Madhushree)
Lag jaa a gale dulhaniya(Udit)
Bhooli saari duniya(Madhushree)
Duniya laakh jale dulhaniya(Udit)
(Udit)
Arre teri waffa ke kisse ab ga rahi hai duniya
Har maa kahe bete se la aise dulhaniya
Haay dil ghayal zakhami jiya
Jeeye bas jeeye ab mera piya (Madhushree)
(Chorus)
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi khudiye we done it all
Khudi khudi Khudi khudi yeh eehh eehhh

Appearance can sometimes be deceptive. This instrument here that looks like a miniature flying saucer or two cooking pans put on top of each other would seem like some traditional percussion instrument that produces gong-like sounds. It has however been invented as late as 2000 A.D. after an extensive research on gongs, Ghatam, cow bells, drums and other percussion instruments. You will really appreciate the research that has gone into the making of this instrument after you have heard its melodious sound. Few percussion instruments that I know of produce sound as sweet as this one.

The Hang [pronounced ‘Hung’] was created by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer of the PANArt Company in Switzerland in 2000 and was first displayed at the Frankfurt music fair in 2001. The hang consists of two steel pans with nitride surface that are attached to each other. The top side [called the ding side] contains eight tone fields which together form the tone circle. This circle surrounds a central dome called the Ding. The other side is called the Gu side which is a plain steel pan with a hand sized hole in the middle for sound resonance. [For the techies: it is a Helmholtz resonator; remember the tuning fork and resonance tube experiments of your schooldays]

There are many ways to invite the Hang to sound: with fingertips, thumbs, and the heel of the palm – and a mix of all three. Most of the time, the Hang sits on the player’s knees, but you also could play it on a drum stand. Players can let their hands and their feelings discover how to play.

If you have a Hang you can put it under the rain and you will listen the symphony of the gods! it make a exact time song and it’s so deep.

- Joan Oench

The Hang is produced only in Bern, Switzerland and hence is a very difficult instrument to obtain. The creators only by the PANArt company which is a small company and hence produces a very limited number per year. You have to either go to Bern and obtain one yourself or write a letter to the company for obtaining one. It is not just a simple letter but more like an SOP for obtaining a hang. If they don’t like you, you may have to wait for a long time to get it.

The instrument being so rare and so young has not been used much in mainstream music. However, it sounds do fantastic by itself that it does not need the company of an orchestra for one to appreciate it. We have shown here a few videos that will give you a sneak preview of this fantastic instrument. Soon we will be back with another such rare and lovely instrument. Until then, enjoy!

Randy Granger gives an introduction to the Hang (beware of his bad jokes! )

Biddle de duddle de doo!

In 1973, Samuel “Bloody Sam” Peckinpah, prolific director of such great films at The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, came out with another of his Western films, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Riddled with conflicts and controversies right from its production stage, MGM released a truncated version of the movie in the theatres which was widely regarded as incoherent. Though some 15 years later critics changed their views on seeing the complete director’s cut version, hailing Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid as a mistreated classic, in 1973 it was a complete box office failure. What it did succeed in, however, was in giving Bob Dylan his debut role in a feature film (Dylan played Billy’s right-hand man Alias in the movie) and debut feature film score, and thereby presenting the music world with one of rock music’s most enduring anthems, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.

One of the most striking features of Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is the simplicity of its lyrics. As can be easily discerned from them, the song is all about the feelings of a dying person, apparently a deputy, who believes he is knocking on heaven’s door. While the lyrics combined with the music and Dylan’s singing are evocative in themselves, the situation in the movie and the picturisation add to the effect, and hence listening to the song as part of the movie can be quite an emotional experience.

If I were to talk about all the cover versions that have been made for Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door it would probably take me a whole book to do so, as there has been an insanely large number of those! Hence, I discuss two of the most prominent covers, namely those by Eric Clapton and Guns N’ Roses. Eric Clapton released his version of the song as a single in 1975. The song wasn’t made part of an album until 1982 when a compilation of Clapton songs titled Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton, was released. Clapton then recorded a more jazz version of the song with vocalist Randy Crawford and saxist David Sanborn for the 1989 Mel Gibson-starrer Lethal Weapon 2. Guns N’ Roses‘ famous cover version of the song happened first in 1990 for the soundtrack of Days of Thunder. It then appeared on their 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. They also played the track at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. The highlight of the GnR version is of course the breath-taking solo by Slash. Another very interesting tribute to the epic happened in October 2007 in India, when 1730 guitarists assembled at a stadium in Shillong during the Autumn festival playing a 5-minute long version of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, creating one of the largest guitar ensembles in the world (Many people mistakenly believe this to be the largest guitar ensemble in the world, whereas according to the Guinness Book that record belongs to a June 2007 ensemble in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, which involved 1802 guitarists playing Smoke on the Water)
We sign off with a few of the videos that have been spoken of above. Be back soon with more!

In this section, we are constantly looking at songs that have stood the test of time and space. Today, we look at another such song which has not only been popular for nearly a century, but also become such a phenomenon that countries across the world are claiming its origin. The song Misirlou (literally “Egyptian Girl”) was is again a traditional folk song whose origins are unknown. Although most sources state that the song was composed by Michalis Patrinos, a Greek rebetiko band leader, there are some claims to the contrary. The song probably originated in Asia Minor, in what is now the borderlands of modern Turkey and Greece (the title means “Egyptian girl” in both Greek and Turkish). It then spread throughout Greece and the Ottoman Empire, and was also presumably picked up by the local Jewish community and spread from there.

The song is about a Greek man in love with a Muslim Egyptian woman. Thus it talks about a cross-faith, cross-racial relationship which was considered a taboo subject in orthodox Greek culture. The original song had a much slower tempo. In 1941, Nick Roubanis composed a Jazz instrumental around this song and credited himself as the composer. The song became a minor hit and was covered by many artists such as Harry James, Freddy Martin, Woody Herman and Jan August.

The song truly reached mainstream music in 1962 when Dick Dale released a solo instrumental guitar version of the song. Dale composed the song when a 10 year old boy challenged to play an entire song on a single string of the guitar. Dale insanely increased the tempo of the song thus giving it the energy required to become a surf rock song. After this the song became so popular that not only did numerous artists perform its cover versions (Beach Boys, The Surfaris, The Trashmen, etc.) but it has also been featured in numerous movies (most notably Pulp Fiction), games (e.g. command and conquer) and other media (e.g. Domino’s ad). In its most recent form the tune was used by the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas in their song “Pump it!”

The song’s extreme popularity has given it a cult status in many European and Middle Eastern countries. Countries such as Morocco and Iran claim it to be their own folk song. The 2004 Athens Olympics Committee selected it as the most influential Greek song of all times and performed it at numerous venues and in the closing ceremony by Anna Vissi.

The song has been played by so many artists over so many instruments that it was difficult for me to pick a few good videos to show. Here I leave you with a few videos that would cover different styles of music in which the song was adopted. Tomorrow we will be back with another such legendary song. Until then, “Turn up the radio, blast your stereo and Pump it!”

1930 Michalis Patrinos Recording of the song

Dick Dale and the Del Tones playing Miserlou in 1963

Black Eyed Peas performing Pump It!

Misirlou by the London Ukulele Orchestra

I didn’t quite like the vocals in Sajna (which I believe is done by Vince Vaughn, he is supposed to have recorded a song for the movie), mainly due to the corny lyrics, but Rahman’s mesmerizing arrangement is more than enough to have you hooked to the track. The big surprise comes in the next track. How often do you get to hear Tamil song playing in a Hollywood soundtrack? Well here is one for you, Rahman crooning a chirpy Kuru Kuru set to a mildly folksy orchestration. A really addictive track this one, as I am discovering at this precise moment (thanks to a close friend for deciphering the lyrics). Jason and Cynthia Suite on the other hand begins on a more solemn note, Rahman employing all his orchestral splendour to a gradual buildup over three minutes before springing a surprise mode change to a more folksy segment led by the flute for the next two minutes. Nana which comes next, has a lot of tribal sounding words interspersed with rap in a carnivalesque track. I couldn’t discern Blaaze’s voice among the rappers. And I think the kid’s voice belongs to Rahman’s son Alim who had reportedly recorded a song in this movie.
In spite of a slight resemblance to Jaage Hai‘s orchestral sequence in its grand opening, Tour of the Villas is an absolute treat, an instrumental and more elaborately orchestrated version of Sajna. Strangely enough for a minute-long segment in between the song goes into a karaoke mode without a leading tune, just the backing instruments playing on. Of course that takes no credit off this short and sweet track. Meeting Marcel, the next track, is a spiritual song, albeit arranged in a sinister manner. While the first half with a folk tinge is dominated by the flute, the latter half taking on a darker tone belongs to the violins. Itinerary is typical background track material rather than something intended for a CD. It is made up of a sequence of different tunes which wouldn’t make much sense unless listened to while watching the movie. Undress sounds very Indian and very nicely so, thanks to the extensive use of ghatam, no negative connotation intended mind you. Lasting just over 1.5 minutes, this track would have been a perfect fit in a movie like Lagaan or Swades. It will be interesting to see how the picturisation of this happens (my interest has nothing to do with the title I assure you!).
Sharks is another mindblowing track albeit a totally classical-oriented one (Puriya Dhanasri/Panthuvarali the raga is I guess). With the violins playing at a frantic pace to an equally frenzied percussion, this song took me back to Rahman’s classic Hai Rama for a moment. Luau refers to a Hawaiian feast. And John O’Brien’s sole score for the movie is quite evocative of the party mood with its very native arrangement. Salvadore is superb fusion, Kailash Kher’s well executed Hindustani tarana (similar to thillana in Carnatic) mixed brilliantly with a Latin/Middle Eastern instrumentation. Intervention is another track marked by its orchestral opulence, and the combo with Rahman’s soulful humming is quite deadly! The result, another totally riveting track.
Similar to Itinerary, The Waterfall also features a collation of varied tunes which would be better viewed than listened to. Rahman produces an elegant reprise to Jason and Cynthia Suite with Jason and Cynthia Piano Theme, cutting down on the orchestral elements and making it more easy on the ear. Things are rounded off with another bouncy track, Animal Spirits, which starts off as a spruced up version of Jason and Cynthia theme but then moves on along a different line for about two minutes where things take a turn, with a revisit to the opening sequence of Tour of the Villas.
After a long hiatus post winning the Oscars suddenly there is a deluge of Rahman songs. While Blue was more commercialised and Passage at a more esoteric one, Couples Retreat combines a bit of both. Honestly I didn’t expect a Rahman soundtrack to displace Passage from the position of his best soundtrack this year, so soon! And now the million dollar question is, will the movie turn out to be worth such a brilliant effort. Hope it does. You can listen to the soundtrack here.
Music Aloud’s rating – 8.5/10
Recommended tracks – Kuru Kuru, Salvadore, Intervention, Tour of the villas, Undress

It was some time towards the fag end of 18th century that William Blake wrote the book The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. A line from this poem – “If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite” – inspired the author Aldous Huxley to name his 1954 book describing mescaline experiences, The Doors of Perception. Later when Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore decided to form a rock band in 1965, they called themselves The Doors borrowing from the book’s title. And in 1966-67, as part of the band’s self-titled debut album, was born this now classic number called Light My Fire. Ranked #35 on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #7 on VH1′s 100 Greatest of All Time, this was the song that catapulted The Doors from an underground band known in the LA area into a worldwide phenomenon.
With a chord progression inspired by John Coltrane‘s landmark version of Rodger-Hammerstein‘s My Favorite Things from Sound of Music (Manzarek and Densmore were heavily into jazz at that time), Light My Fire had a major part written by Krieger who wanted to write about one of the elements. Rest of the band then expanded upon this, Morrison writing some of the second verse and Manzarek coming up with the organ intro. It is said that when the 1991 movie on The Doors was being made Krieger insisted that the scene showing the band rehearsing Light My Fire make clear that it was him not Morrison who composed the song.
Controversies were something that followed Morrison till his untimely death in 1971, at the age of 27 (in fact even post his death, as with his estate which he bequeathed to his girl friend Pamela Courson). Even Light My Fire had its share of tussles, the first one involving Ed Sullivan. When the band was to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show in September 1967, the producers of the show asked the band to change the line “Girl we couldn’t get much higher” due to the obvious reference to drug ingestion. After agreeing upon changing it, Morrison went ahead and sang the same lyrics on the show. Quite understandably, Ed Sullivan wasn’t really happy and never called the band again on the show. Not that the band cared anyways, Morrison’s famous reply while informed of this being something along the lines of “Who cares? We just did the Ed Sullivan show!” The second instance involves Buick. In 1967 Buick offered The Doors $75,000 to use Light My Fire to advertise their latest offering, the Opel. Morrison was out of town and the other three agreed to the offer. But when Morrison got back he was totally against the deal and threatened Buick to smash an Opel on television with a sledgehammer if they aired the ad!
A lot of artists have covered Light My Fire over the years. The most successful version to date has been Jose Feliciano‘s Latinised one which came out in 1968. Employing the classical and flamenco elements to splendid effect, the song went on to win Jose Feliciano two Grammy awards the following year, and was used as a base arrangement in many subsequent covers. Another brilliant variant came in Stevie Wonder‘s soul music for his 1969 album My Cherie Amour. And a third one, my favourite, is Ananda Shankar‘s sitar-based cover, which was released as part of his debut self titled album in 1970. Though we have restricted ourselves to speaking about just these three cover versions, there have been a lot of other successful covers in varied genres.
Below is an audio clip on the story of the song, straight from the horses’ mouths (just in case the embedded player doesn’t load, you can listen to the clip here.Make sure you don’t miss it; it is a wonderful audio), and videos of a few songs mentioned above. I couldn’t find a video of Ananda Shankar’s version anywhere. So you can listen to a small snippet of that here and buy it too, if you are interested. So long!

The story of Light My Fire

John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, which inspired the chords.