Question Courtesy: Flightless One

Who is the person talking, and what is the instrument being spoken about? For a bonus pat on the back also ID the blues “wonder” he plays tribute to (in the middle section of the clip). He has in fact collaborated with the bluesman on a 1995 recording.

Answer: Ravikiran talking about the Chitravina,  perhaps the world’s oldest slide instrument. The bluesman is Taj Mahal. They recorded an album Mumtaz Mahal with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Rightly answered by Australopithecus and Nirad. Pat on the back for Rosh for id’ing Taj Mahal.

Whats the significance of this picture? Or whats blanked out?

Answer: This was the first instance of the word Ambient being explicitly used for an album, eventually leading to the genre being called so.

Rightly cracked by Emmanuel, Easwar, Rosh, Nitish, Swaps, Jayesh, Vivek, Flightless One, Nirad and Praneetha

The word Rai in Arabic has many literal translations like “opinion”, “my way”, “tell it like it is” etc. Rai is also the name of a popular genre of world music which originated in Algeria in the 1920s, having its roots in Arabic love poetry and Bedouin folk music, and drawing influences from Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms. As its Arabic meanings implied, Rai music was indeed a way of Arab youngsters of the time to express their views on alienation, poverty, drug abuse and sexual desires, many things considered taboo by Islamic beliefs. Rai music however took a long time to spread to the rest of the world, and the artist who was instrumental in taking Rai music outside the Arab precincts was Khaled. Khaled made it big on the international scene with his 1992 self titled album which contained his legendary song Didi. And in 1996 Khaled followed up his success with an even bigger hit, which was the love song Aicha.

The song was written originally in French by singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman. The original French single however was never released in an album, though Khaled’s 1996 album Sahra featured a bilingual version of the song, sung both in French and Arabic. The Arabic lyrics were penned by Khaled himself. Like other Rai singers, Khaled was also known for his socially progressive themes in his songs and videos, something that didn’t earn him a lot of buddies on the conventional Islam side. In fact threat to his life forced Khaled to move to Paris in late 80s. Even in case of Aicha, the lyrics imply equal rights for woman and man, which represent true love, the words in Aicha’s reply to the man who woos her like “A cage is a cage, even if it’s made of gold” suggestive of the fact.

Aicha bears about it all the charm and romance of a pop ballad, hooking you onto it from the word go. The refrain played on guitar, and the ambient effect created by the synth make a mesmerizing combo. Add to that Khaled’s inimitable rendition and some eastern percussion and the song becomes absolutely irresistible. If I have heard anyone do an equally commendable job on covering the song, it would be the Danish hip hop band Outlandish. The band recorded an English version of the song for their album Bread & Barrels of Water. Outlandish did a complete revamp of the instrumentation keeping just the tune intact, and did a fantastic job of it, maintaining the haunting effect, though in an Outlandish way. The cover versions of Aicha have come from varied genres which widened the ambit of music lovers who were smitted by Aicha. Apart from Outlandish, other notable covers include a salsa variant by Senegalese band Africando, and a very entertaining a cappella version by Pennsylvania-based Hindi a cappella group called Penn Masala. The Penn Masala version though is more a cover of Outlandish’s Aicha than of the original, with some Hindi lyrics thrown in nevertheless.

Today is a time when World Music has grown to become a part of mainstream music itself, rather than being restricted to certain elite sections of the musical audience. The trend has also had its impact on Rai music, increasing its acceptance factor on the international front, some artists even using rai to send positive messages post 9/11. Khaled still continues to bring out albums, the latest one being Liberte. But none have so far managed to enrapture the audience worldwide on a scale like Aicha or Didi did. Being a fan of Rai music and specifically of Khaled, I hope that the “King of Rai” spins out another such magical composition, soon enough.




Live version by Khaled, Rachid Taha and Faudel (Courtesy: Adriana)

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…..

This Dickensian quote did go well with the times of the French Revolution. Another period that would fit the description perfectly would be the 60s, also called the swinging sixties. The sixties were turbulent times. It was the times when people started questioning the conservative approach in politics and the social repression measures used by the authorities. The sixties were the time of the counterculture movement which emphasized on the freedom of expression and diversion from rigid social rules. It was also the time when there were lots of political movements like Anti War movement, Civil Rights movement and much more evolved. Musicians and music also prospered in the sixties with 4 young musicians from Liverpool paving the way.

The Sunset Strip in California was also witnessing the new wave of music in a big way. Musicians and performers used to hang around in night clubs like The Troubadour, Whisky a Go Go, Roxy, Pandora’s Box and the London Fog which were like a haven for musicians and hippies alike. The Sunset Strip was also the main centre for counterculture movements. It was November 12, 1966 when numerous youthful demonstrators erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of a few curfew laws at the Sunset Strip. It was because of the forceful closing down of the club at the corner of Sunset Strip named Pandora’s Box. This was known as the Sunset Strip Riots, also known as hippie riots. It is also the main inspiration behind the political song For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield, a band comprising of Stephen Stills, Dewey Martin, Jim Messina,  Bruce Palmer, Richie Furay and Neil Young.

The instrumentation which comprises of the electric guitar plays two notes repeatedly with tremolo, the acoustic guitar strumming and the quiet pulse like beat on the drums along with the laid-back vocals gives a mildly creepy feel to the song which bears about it an overall mood of regret. It’s the lyrics of the song penned by Stephen Stills that stand out nevertheless. “There’s somethin’ happenin’ here what it is ain’t exactly clear” was the popular line in 60’s counterculture. The repressive measures are highlighted by the clever use of verses like “There’s a man with a gun, over there Tellin’ me I got to beware”, “Young people speakin’ their minds Gettin’ so much resistance from behind” and “Step out of line, the man come and take you away”. The repeated use of the lines “Stop, hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s goin’ down?” is like a wakeup call to the generation of the 60s. (It is still good enough to serve as a wakeup call to our generation and those to come.) The standout line for me in the whole song has to be “Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong”. (Still makes me think or must I say Stills makes me think!)

The beauty of this song is that it manages to warn of increasing polarization and violence in American society of the sixties, without taking any political stand other than that of acceptance of diversity and free speech. This song has been hailed as an antiwar song since it was written during the time Cold war was raging, and at times is mentioned as written based on the Kent state shootings which happened much later during the start of 70s. It does give us a feel that Stills possessed powers of prophecy just like Nostradamus did.

Led Zeppelin covered the song during Communication Breakdown medley, at their famous Live on Blueberry Hill concert. Another notable cover of the song would be the one by CSNY which had Stills accompanying himself on piano, and with vocals that are positively histrionic. The February 13, 1978 episode of The Muppet Show re-writes the song with animals singing slightly altered anti-hunting lyrics. The musical interlude was filled with hunters wildly shooting their guns while animals hide. In 1998 the group Public Enemy released He Got Game, a rap song that sampled lyrics and music directly from For What It’s Worth. This song deserves special mention because Stephen Stills appears and performs in the music video for this song.

Buffalo Springfield was a short-lived folk rock group that served as an excellent launchpad for the likes of Neil Young, Stephen Stills and others who went on to have awesome music careers. For what it’s worth is one song which made sure that the Buffalo Springfield legacy stays on. The song is a classic retort to those who argue that rock is just being loud, aggressive and violent. Rock may be all that, but it is much more than loudness and aggression and violence. It is also about standing up for a cause. And this song is an example, a great one at that.

Article written by Easwar.

Question Courtesy: Easwar

This pop song has its origins traced to the composer approaching X, who had previously collaborated on many projects, to render it. X however turned down the offer due to the lyrics (more specifically the title) of the song. The song eventually went to Y and became a huge hit, marking a high point in Y’s career. Just give me the song. It is very much guessable from the question.

Answer in comments.

Answer: Guess the word “pop” threw people off track. It is basically an Indian pop song, Made In India. The music director was obviously Biddu, who first approached Nazia Hassan, who being a Pakistani had objection with the lyrics, and the song as you all know went to Alisha Chinai. No cracks today.

Connect the following songs:

Song 1

Song 2

Song 3

Song 4

Answer in comments. May I add that the connect is not restricted to the above four songs. This is a much bigger list.

Answer: These are a few of the songs that RD Burman drew inspiration from. Most of the folks got it right. Creative answer from swaps btw, though it wont fetch you any point. Points to:

Easwar

Rosh

Nirad

Wasi

Flightless One

Praneetha

Debasish

MS

According to a legend, during the Virata Parva in Mahabharata, one of the brothers was given the responsibility of handling the kitchen. The guy had no clue how to cook and so he just chopped and boiled all vegetables and added a seasoning to serve. What was the name of the dish?

Question Courtesy: The Flightless One

The nickname for this team refers to a form of dance music that has evolved in the last 30 years. ID the music type.

Answer in comments.

Mail in your guest questions, if any, to response [at] musicaloud [dot] com

Answer: Soca, a form of dance music from Trinidad & Tobago, which has its roots in Calypso. The pic is of the Trinidad & Tobago national football team who are known as the Soca Warriors.

Apologies for not being able to post a question yesterday, thanks to our internet connection speed. Instead we have two questions today. Here is the first.

Connect these bands:

Answer: A few of the bands that Metallica covered in their album “Garage Inc.”

In picture is the artist’s impression of a dinosaur whose fossil was excavated from Antarctica in early 1991, the first carnivorous dinosaur to be discovered in Antarctica. Due to its facial features’ resemblance to something else, this dinosaur was known by a popular nickname. What was it?

Answer: This is indeed the Elvisaurus, or Cryolophosaurus, the nickname owing its origin to the haircomb reminiscent of Elvis’s famed ducktail hairstyle.

It was gladdening to see so many responses, and all of them correct at that. A point apiece to:

Sharat

Rosh

Flightless One

Vivek

Mrinalini

Jayesh

Swaps

Umang

Emmanuel

Dante