Raja's New Albums

@jai and @ank - thanks for humoring me with Chennai nostalgia. I went to College of Engg. Guindy, where Krishnamachari Srikanth was our senior (way senior). We run into him at the ashtalakshmi temple at adayar (where Amala also ran a restaurant). You probably have seen our college in many movies. Good memories but getting distant now :-)

kiru wrote:@jai and @ank - thanks for humoring me with Chennai nostalgia. I went to College of Engg. Guindy, where Krishnamachari Srikanth was our senior (way senior). We run into him at the ashtalakshmi temple at adayar (where Amala also ran a restaurant). You probably have seen our college in many movies. Good memories but getting distant now :-)

Kiru: now for more nostalgia - After high school, moved to Indira Nagar and my friend and I would frequent Rasoi (Amala's mother's restaurant) around 9 pm as the word was that Amala shows up after 9 pm.  We have seen her there a few times :0

I didnt go to Guindy but one of my best friends did and he was there a year or two junior to Cheeka - did you know G. Mohan?  He was a quite a popular guy.  He since moved to the US  - did his MS in Tuscaloosa and now a prof in AZ.  I used to run into Cheeka near Ashtalakshmi Kovil too.  In fact, he it a 80 in an irani cup final the same day he was announced that he was included in the Indian Test side for the first time.  A bunch of guys and him met in a street corner in Besant Nagar and I remember him buying us all a piece of cake to celebrate   

Another funny recollection - through very good sources my friend and I had heard that in those days (late 70s/early 80s) IR would visit this relatively unknown yogi by name Narayana Iyengar, especially on saturdays.  My dad knew Narayana Iyengar and guess what, we would be there paying Naryana Iyengar a visit on saturdays with our main objective being meeting IR   And we have done the Lord Raghavendra Kovil trips on Thursday for Rajni too

Sorry for digressing from the main topic - but could'nt resist going back to those days.

These nostalgic trips make for a very interesting read and keep this forum vibrant.
Thanks for sharing.

haa.. cool nostalogy as kopinaath would say..

Kutrame thandanai..... Theatreil parthen... 300 per irukum.. ordianry theatre dhan.. analum... amaidhiyaga rasitha kootam......

IR peyar varum podhu.......... kai thattal....... vaazhga manikandan........... Ilaiyaravidam.. dhairiyamaga thannudaiya asaiyai solli.. IR
azhagaga seidhu irukar.......

Manikandan.. Interview il solli irupar.. BGM patri.... suvatril irukum virisalku kuda music irukum endru... adhu enna endru gavanithen.
Unmai.. peyar kaatum podhu varum.. oru suvatru virisal.... anal

IRai naan purindhu kondadhu.. Title score...........

Oru Viewer aga...Directorin paarvaiyaga.. kudavae.. padam parkum Audience aga.......... padam muzhudum IR nirambi vazhigirar.

Oru viewer aga...... Title music.... elloraiyum theiryum. kadhai theiryum...... enbadhu pola oru gambeeramana oru BGM. ordianry padam... anal

oru Gambeeram.. Nichayam. adhu Status kagavae ilal.... Director in manadhu.. kadhai... andha kutrame thandanai enbadharkagana oru gambeeram adhu.


Audience kaga....... yar enna epadi enbadhu pola mandhin ennangalin oru ottam........ adharkaga oru portion adhu........

padam.. characters adharkanga isai.. solli kondae pogalam.............. sollanam.....

Usha wrote:Kutrame thandanai.....  Theatreil parthen... 300 per irukum.. ordianry theatre dhan.. analum... amaidhiyaga rasitha kootam......

IR peyar varum podhu.......... kai thattal....... vaazhga manikandan...........  Ilaiyaravidam.. dhairiyamaga thannudaiya asaiyai solli.. IR
azhagaga seidhu irukar.......

Manikandan.. Interview il solli irupar.. BGM patri.... suvatril irukum virisalku kuda music irukum endru...  adhu enna endru gavanithen.
Unmai.. peyar kaatum podhu varum.. oru suvatru virisal.... anal

IRai naan purindhu kondadhu.. Title score...........

Oru Viewer aga...Directorin  paarvaiyaga.. kudavae.. padam parkum Audience aga.......... padam muzhudum IR nirambi vazhigirar.

Oru viewer aga...... Title music.... elloraiyum theiryum. kadhai theiryum...... enbadhu pola oru gambeeramana oru BGM. ordianry padam... anal

oru Gambeeram.. Nichayam.  adhu Status kagavae ilal.... Director in manadhu.. kadhai... andha kutrame thandanai enbadharkagana oru gambeeram adhu.


Audience kaga.......  yar enna epadi enbadhu pola mandhin ennangalin oru ottam........ adharkaga oru portion adhu........

padam.. characters adharkanga isai.. solli kondae pogalam.............. sollanam.....

:IRai naan purindhu kondadhu.. Title score...........:

Thats the key sets the stamp for the movie.

Just noticed the rhythm pattern of "thumbi vaa" starting tune and tune for swimming scene which starts with piano/fluet followed by drums in "appa" movie are same.
the one navin posted as impossible is nothing in soundclound

looks like he likes thumbi vaa so much

irfan123 wrote:[

Thats the key sets the stamp for the movie.

very True....... IR BGMai purindhu kondavargaluku than idhai unara mudiyum.

Characters.. avargalin (True) Feelings and the expressions.. idharku BGM.. idhu dhan IR.. epodhum.. Ipodhum.. anal oru chinna maatram..
indha padathil.. IR BGMil....

Characters Feelings........  inga irukar IR.. ipodhu yarukum manadhu soft illai... thinking unmai ilai... suyanalam matumae. adharkaga oru
dharmam ilai.. indha padathi... director miga azhagaga kaati irupar.. adhai IR purindhu kondu..........

irugi pona idhayam... Nyayam illadha manadhu.. indha madhirii tharunangal.. Characters....... idhil.. padathin mukkiyamana characters ellarukukm
amaigiradhu.. avargalin mosamana manadhu velipadugiradhu......

idhai IR music.....  romba azhagaga nirambi vazhigiradhu.. kallaagi pona idhayam. manadhu.. adharku endru oru isai.. adhu
characters kaga... endru..

Heroine ku endru oru vidham.......... hero kaga oru vidham........ heroine in boss kaga. endru.......  IR in isai pesugiradhu.......
indha idhayangalukum oru soft portion irukiradhu. adhaiyum.. IR isai solgiradhu.. adhai rasika oru gavanam vendum.......

Irakkam endra ondru inum irukriadhu... adhai director kaati irukirar.. adharkum IR isaithu irukirar....

kadhai. Kutramae thandanai.. kuttramum thandanaiyum.. Director ninaitha ondru.. adhu dhan kadhai...... indha thalaipu irundhu irundhal kadhai
udanadiyaga therindhu irukum...

kutramae thandanai...... IR sonnadhu........ idhu kadhai parthal matumae therindhu kolla mudiyum....

kadhaiyil Ellorum thavaru seigirargal.. Ellorukum Thandanai kidaikiradhu....

Heroine ku kolai endra vagaiyil thandanai.

avaralai kalyanam seidhu kolla marutha kadhalanuku... kolaikaran endru thandanai.

kolai seidhavanuku Heroval thandanai.....

Hero ku...... kadavulal thandanai..........

indha ithanai vishayathirkum.. IR in isai.......  arputham.........

mosamana manadhu..kulambi pona manadhu..when human brain freaks out and does things unacceptable ..the BGM fully shows the state of every characters mind ..distorted brain of everyone exposed in music..

Kutrame Dhandanai title score - I rate this among the finest in this decade from Raja. It stands in competition with ASK and NL. 

Will write in detail, when I have cycles...

ravinat wrote:Kutrame Dhandanai title score - I rate this among the finest in this decade from Raja. It stands in competition with ASK and NL. 

Will write in detail, when I have cycles...

Ayya!  Eagerly awaiting your detailed report!  My expectations are sky high after your post!

http://www.canindia.com/prakash-storms-off-tv-interview-when-asked-about-kavery-row/

Prakash Raj / Ramayana / Cauvery

"Music is good", says the hindu in Prakash Raj Ramayan review :
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/refreshing-narrative/article9195294.ece

Another review:
http://www.teluguone.com/tmdb/news/-Manavoori-Ramayanam-Movie-Review-en-67491c1.html

The film has only one title song which was played while displaying the end card. Ilayaraja's background music was beautiful as always

app_engine wrote:"Music is good", says the hindu in Prakash Raj Ramayan review :
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/refreshing-narrative/article9195294.ece

Another review:
http://www.teluguone.com/tmdb/news/-Manavoori-Ramayanam-Movie-Review-en-67491c1.html

The film has only one title song which was played while displaying the end card. Ilayaraja's background music was beautiful as always

What happened to the Sudha Raghunathan song?

mERkuththodarchchi malai in an International film festival

வர வர ராசாவுக்கு இந்த மாதிரி விழாப்படங்களா விழுகிறதே

"திரை விமர்சகர்கள்" பின்னணி இசையைப் பிய்த்து விளையாட இன்னொரு பொம்மை கிடைத்து விட்டதோ?

appA to become achchO

I don't typically see a need for remaking ANY Thamizh movie into Malayalam (as the original itself can be played in KL theaters and people can pretty much understand them)...

Raja going from strength to strength...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnFp-2gnLZs&feature=youtu.be

Will write in detail about this.  Only a Raja composition can beat another...

This is what I am waiting for! A sheer genius in action.  When music directors struggle get a decent one line melody/tune, here goes Maestro with limitless free flowing melody for more than 5 minutes non-stop, after 40 years of non-stop musical shower.

When it comes to Malayalam, Maestro’s melodies are always very special. When music directors extrapolate some 3-4 line tune/melody (which was done months together as a result of jamming sessions),  to a 4 or more minute song ditching the art and cheating people and music lovers, he comes a honest, pure, unadulterated composition with not a line like another.  You can hear how the melody flows into Maestro so sweetly and effortlessly implying how his hard work which he did single handedly, yielding best results one after another, years after years.

Hear the longest pallavi; Orila eerila aalilaaduvaan aadiyum Odiyum aadimaasamE nee pOrumO With MaLayalam language and its lengthy words, it adds to the free-flowing nature and sweetness. How many years since you would have listened to this lengthy line of melody (apart from Maestro’s melodies I mean)? All we get to hear some knee jerk “non” melodies with absolutely no soul in it. Anu-pallavi is so dashing, especially the ending with aaru nee bhoomi vaathililOdi vanna kuLirE, and that pause. Lovely! Just this is enough for me to loop the song.

When there is already an anu-pallavi, Maesto is not tired or dishonest to save his best effort to another song, he poured everything out there in the second anu-pallavi or a short pre-charaNam (whatever way we call it) in the form of  podimazha podiyanu kurunirayiLagi adimudi nirayanu kulirkaattE, pularoLi thiralannu kavithakal viriyum madhurima choriyanu kulirkaattE. Again hear the continuous free-flowing, lengthy melody totally different from the pallavi or anupallavi.

While the piano, veena, flute and electric guitar ornament the first interlude to give that breezy feeling, the ending sound gives the sense of abstractness that the breeze and the sky gives us. The tone of the interlude (even the rhythm) is little subdued and not overpowering to give the sense of relaxation and admiration of nature. In second interlude he takes us to the western continent for a brief time and lurks back to the mountains of Kerala. It is not just in the interludes, please don't miss the musical narration during the vocal portions too and observe how it adds to the melody. Too much for undeserving listeners.

Here we go to another territory with Maestro’s inimitable charaNams. He starts off in middle octaves and slowly, but gradually and without we noticing how he touches the upper octaves with neeyOrammayallE so effortlessly. The best part he didn’t even allow the lyricist to repeat the same two lines for the next two line of melody (which is same),which we usually see nowadays.

Now comes the best part of our listening, on how Maestro would end the charaNam and connect to pallavi, as he (akin to the character enjoying the beauty of nature) is already on a peak with his tune ornamenting and decorating the upper octaves beautifully. He adds a couple of relaxing lines in the form of kaadum  mEdummEri kaanaathangu pOyaal. Then he constructs a bridge with koottillaathE...OhO..hO..koodillaathE . Observe how the OhO..hO phrase not only adds charm (with Maestro implying there is no rush to do anything and keeps us in guess), but also lays the platform how the connection is going to happen. Then he removes the OhO..hO phrase as if he is removing all the accessory constructs of a bridge with koottillaathE koodillaathE maarum poovani. Hear the melody maarum poovani  and how it drops and suddenly, but subtly goes up at the end to give a feeling of un-limitedness . OMG! Unbelievable!! A beautiful bridge is born to hear the pallavi melody again. What a journey it has been!!

Alka has sung beautifully, I might have preferred a little bit brighter and expressive voice for the song of this quality (again it is just me), but that's very minor. A song of nature and how it should be composed with no limits just like there is no limit to amount of the breeze, and also to the sky, the melody exactly describes that. When continuous, free-flowing, sweetest melodies (these terms itself will make the MDs fear and run away) like these are extinct now, Maestro brings back everything to the fore only to be unheard or dismissed by the cruel listeners of our time. Such a sweetest and soulful composition that it will nourish my dry senses with full of life and energy. Rajaavukku oru ummaa!!    Thanks a lot!!



Lyric:
Orila eerila aalilaaduvaan
aadiyum Odiyum aadimaasamE nee pOrumO (aahaa nee porumO)
kaattumoru paattallO
tharunirayudE makalallO
aaru nee bhoomi vaathililOdi vanna kuLirE

podimazha podiyanu kurunirayiLagi
adimudi nirayanu kulirkaattE
pularoLi thiralannu kavithakal viriyum
madhurima choriyanu kulirkaattE

thaanE maayumennum thaapaneerEn thennalE
thaarinum thalirinum neeryorammayalle
neeyE poovinaaLum mounaraagam panghidaan
kaathinum karaLinum rOmaharshamEkaan
kaadum mEdummEri
kaanaathangu pOyaal
koottillaathE...OhO..hO..koodillaathE
koottillaathE koodillaathE maarum poovani

snEhaaraamamaakum ennum kaattE paadavE
nOvinE gaanamaayi maattidum kinaavE
neeyE paathi pookkum mOhajaalam theerthuvOL
kaadinum kadalinum kaalchilambu thannOL
maarikaarinOdaayi maayamanthramOthi
chaathal thooki...OhO..hO..paattum paadi
chaathal thooki paattum paadi snEhavEshamaayi

My reply to critics like Baradwaj Rangan who found fault with Kutrame Dhandanai BGM: https://onlyraja.wordpress.com/2016/10/12/kutrame-dhandanai-bgm-and-the-critics/

Superb writeup V_S

Thanks Suresh ji. I am hearing lot about KutramE Thandanai bgm and (bad) reviews, still want to delay reading all your (and others) articles till I watch the movie. One thing for sure, among all music directors, Raja is the only one who knows what he is doing and the only one who could musically narrate 100% what he thinks is required for the movie.

Yet to read Sureshji's post on KT BGM (as advised by him  )...don't know when I'll be able to watch the movie.

However, based on the comments on BRangan site and the variety of tweets / expert comments etc on KT, I want to add my 2 cents...

After a "not-watching-movie-sabbatical" of about 5 years while in high school, I restarted visiting theaters during college days. I was already a big admirer of IR and it was early 80's. 

However, I was not that refined in movie-watching-capabilities w.r.t. BGM. Not yet.

So, initially my movie watching was something like P_R (@dagalti) mentioned. i.e. who cares to pay attention to BGM when watching (good) movies for the first time, unless it irritates you 

Or, like how BRangan responds to P_R,  "no - no, even during first watch, I can say I'm hearing gittar, tablA, mOrsing, peeppee"

In that condition, I went to watch moonRAm piRai in a Trichy theater and my only attention to BGM was when it was LOUD  . The friend who went with me to the theater was so irritated with the theater guy and was complaining "why these fellows switch on the "side-speakers" unnecessarily". That's when I realized that such a phenomenon was now happening in theaters.

அதாவது, ஸ்ரீதேவி வண்டி அடிபடும் காட்சி, கமல் நடராஜைத் தேடி ஓடும் காட்சி, கடைசிக்காட்சி போன்றவற்றில் "எஃபெக்ட் கூட்டுவதற்காக" எல்லாப்பக்கமும் உள்ள ஸ்பீக்கர்களை படம் ஓட்டுபவர் ஆன் / ஆஃப் செய்வார், திடீரென்று சத்தம் கூடும் குறையும். மற்ற காட்சிகளில் எல்லாம், திரைக்குப்பின்னால் உள்ள ஸ்பீக்கர்கள் மட்டுமே வேலை செய்து கொண்டிருக்கும். உறுத்தாது.

Because of the leelais of the theater operator, my general reaction was something like "what is this noisy sounds rAsA is making"   Only during later watches of the film, in our college audi and other theaters, I could really relish the terrific BGM that IR had done for the classic.

So, often this nonsense of people telling "decibel level is high" has to do much with theater / operator. Let me add the experience of watching an ARR movie too, in a Michigan theater - which left me in headache, mainly because of the theater's decibel levels. Though I won't say the BGM of Sivaji was great etc, it was OK and fitting for the masAlA when I watched on DVD later on. That way, ARR was NOT to blame for the decibel attack on me the first time.

On occasions, it's the sound effect fellow (e.g. Rasool Pookkutty) or the movie director who could play into the decibel business, for effectu. There are of course occasions when the MD can contribute but I won't place the main blame due to dB on any MD, even the horrible fellows.

OTOH, IR had ALWAYS BEEN "soft-on-ears" person, even in harsh situations / stunt scenes etc, per my observation. 

Coming to the BGM-sensitivity during first watch, I've come of age within a couple of years from that moonRAm piRai first watch  

Any movie viewing - including those with classic scenes / dialogs - never pose any difficulty in paying special attention & appreciating the OST at all  

Well, in most cases of IR-movies, the visuals only "distracted" me  and not the other way around.

V_S, as usual superb writeup! Only one thing i wud like to say on this song is, just the very last bit in the both interludes, அந்தமாதிரி ஒரு Landing notes/ending notes மட்டுமே கூட, very nice and rare and refreshing to hear!

The Rerecording is a very nice mild-inspiration on vivaldi's 4 seasons! thoroughly enjoyable and best ones we've got for this 2016!

Thanks SKV. Yes, As I mentioned, I got intrigued by the 'abstractness' of the both the interludes on how it ends.

V_S wrote:This is what I am waiting for! A sheer genius in action.  When music directors struggle get a decent one line melody/tune, here goes Maestro with limitless free flowing melody for more than 5 minutes non-stop, after 40 years of non-stop musical shower.

When it comes to Malayalam, Maestro’s melodies are always very special. When music directors extrapolate some 3-4 line tune/melody (which was done months together as a result of jamming sessions),  to a 4 or more minute song ditching the art and cheating people and music lovers, he comes a honest, pure, unadulterated composition with not a line like another.  You can hear how the melody flows into Maestro so sweetly and effortlessly implying how his hard work which he did single handedly, yielding best results one after another, years after years.

Hear the longest pallavi; Orila eerila aalilaaduvaan aadiyum Odiyum aadimaasamE nee pOrumO With MaLayalam language and its lengthy words, it adds to the free-flowing nature and sweetness. How many years since you would have listened to this lengthy line of melody (apart from Maestro’s melodies I mean)? All we get to hear some knee jerk “non” melodies with absolutely no soul in it. Anu-pallavi is so dashing, especially the ending with aaru nee bhoomi vaathililOdi vanna kuLirE, and that pause. Lovely! Just this is enough for me to loop the song.

When there is already an anu-pallavi, Maesto is not tired or dishonest to save his best effort to another song, he poured everything out there in the second anu-pallavi or a short pre-charaNam (whatever way we call it) in the form of  podimazha podiyanu kurunirayiLagi adimudi nirayanu kulirkaattE, pularoLi thiralannu kavithakal viriyum madhurima choriyanu kulirkaattE. Again hear the continuous free-flowing, lengthy melody totally different from the pallavi or anupallavi.

While the piano, veena, flute and electric guitar ornament the first interlude to give that breezy feeling, the ending sound gives the sense of abstractness that the breeze and the sky gives us. The tone of the interlude (even the rhythm) is little subdued and not overpowering to give the sense of relaxation and admiration of nature. In second interlude he takes us to the western continent for a brief time and lurks back to the mountains of Kerala. It is not just in the interludes, please don't miss the musical narration during the vocal portions too and observe how it adds to the melody. Too much for undeserving listeners.

Here we go to another territory with Maestro’s inimitable charaNams. He starts off in middle octaves and slowly, but gradually and without we noticing how he touches the upper octaves with neeyOrammayallE so effortlessly. The best part he didn’t even allow the lyricist to repeat the same two lines for the next two line of melody (which is same),which we usually see nowadays.

Now comes the best part of our listening, on how Maestro would end the charaNam and connect to pallavi, as he (akin to the character enjoying the beauty of nature) is already on a peak with his tune ornamenting and decorating the upper octaves beautifully. He adds a couple of relaxing lines in the form of kaadum  mEdummEri kaanaathangu pOyaal. Then he constructs a bridge with koottillaathE...OhO..hO..koodillaathE . Observe how the OhO..hO phrase not only adds charm (with Maestro implying there is no rush to do anything and keeps us in guess), but also lays the platform how the connection is going to happen. Then he removes the OhO..hO phrase as if he is removing all the accessory constructs of a bridge with koottillaathE koodillaathE maarum poovani. Hear the melody maarum poovani  and how it drops and suddenly, but subtly goes up at the end to give a feeling of un-limitedness . OMG! Unbelievable!! A beautiful bridge is born to hear the pallavi melody again. What a journey it has been!!

Alka has sung beautifully, I might have preferred a little bit brighter and expressive voice for the song of this quality (again it is just me), but that's very minor. A song of nature and how it should be composed with no limits just like there is no limit to amount of the breeze, and also to the sky, the melody exactly describes that. When continuous, free-flowing, sweetest melodies (these terms itself will make the MDs fear and run away) like these are extinct now, Maestro brings back everything to the fore only to be unheard or dismissed by the cruel listeners of our time. Such a sweetest and soulful composition that it will nourish my dry senses with full of life and energy. Rajaavukku oru ummaa!!    Thanks a lot!!



Lyric:
Orila eerila aalilaaduvaan
aadiyum Odiyum aadimaasamE nee pOrumO (aahaa nee porumO)
kaattumoru paattallO
tharunirayudE makalallO
aaru nee bhoomi vaathililOdi vanna kuLirE

podimazha podiyanu kurunirayiLagi
adimudi nirayanu kulirkaattE
pularoLi thiralannu kavithakal viriyum
madhurima choriyanu kulirkaattE

thaanE maayumennum thaapaneerEn thennalE
thaarinum thalirinum neeryorammayalle
neeyE poovinaaLum mounaraagam panghidaan
kaathinum karaLinum rOmaharshamEkaan
kaadum mEdummEri
kaanaathangu pOyaal
koottillaathE...OhO..hO..koodillaathE
koottillaathE koodillaathE maarum poovani

snEhaaraamamaakum ennum kaattE paadavE
nOvinE gaanamaayi maattidum kinaavE
neeyE paathi pookkum mOhajaalam theerthuvOL
kaadinum kadalinum kaalchilambu thannOL
maarikaarinOdaayi maayamanthramOthi
chaathal thooki...OhO..hO..paattum paadi
chaathal thooki paattum paadi snEhavEshamaayi

What a sweet song and brilliant composition!