Anything about IR found on the net - Vol 2

Hi Malar, would you mind sharing a few things about the concert? I read a report from a notorious Raaja-hater that the concert was a failure or something. I am interested to know details like the occupancy / whether the crowd enjoyed the concert / were there any obvious OMG that sucked moments etc.

Sure, Let me compile everything and I'll try to post the soonest.

Would help get exact details if we tell Malar what exactly the venom spillers are saying. He says concert was attended only by 5,000 folks in a 25,000 seater stadium despite many hundreds of free tickets given. And do share all your experiences. Quite eager to know how the mood was among the audience when Raaja came and how he was received.

I was on a family vacation (with no internet). My wife first saw the news, reported in a small way in the front page of TOI in Belgaum. She told me about Raja being hospitalized with heart ailment. As Kiru I too first was confused as to how Raja, with his very strict lifestyle have any heart ailment. (To be very honest I have never taken his mortality into account at all.) Then I called up Suka whom I know personally and asked him about the situation. He said things were OK and they had done the angioplasty. That is when I realized it was a bit serious. The worry was whether he would go to Malaysia in these circumstances. I was hoping he wouldn't and luckily he did not go. Lets hope that Raja recovers fully from this and gets back to normal routine. He is man who cannot survive without working. As app mentioned, angio is quite common nowadays and hopefully it is not very serious.

Stuff available so far!

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/12/30/King-of-Kings-concert-shows-for-five-hours-without-star/

Images Set - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.595697737145889.1073741865.117458724969795&type=1



Both of them don't have credible info on crowd.. lets wait

OK, just now saw the comedian's post there. LOL! He was asking for pictures, wonder how this thestar.com.my link did not reach is ever inquisitive eyes. Or perhaps like he always does he becomes short-sighted with anything Raaja. யப்பா என்னென்னல்லாம் ட்ரை பண்றாப்ல.. முடியல..

17000 (if true) without Raaja being present is enough testimony to his fandom.

Whatever it is, Raja is always had maintained that "ஒரே ஒரு ரசிகர் வந்தாலும், அவருக்காக நான் வாசிப்பேன்!" Current MD's who are dependent on PR and brand doesn't have the audacity to say so!

Comedian will be given fitting reply, soon, by me!

Another short vids, this shows pretty decent crowd actually. Infact this is the only vid where we can see real crowd. THe earliear vid only had a still of crowd 

Raja Talks to Malaysian Fans! Ngoyyaala whatte connect!!

Everyone, 

I'm posting in the IR Concerts thread about the KL concert details. 

Further posts will continue..

Drunkenmunk wrote:Updated the blog. Ramanukke Seethai: http://raajasongadaykeepsboredomaway.wordpress.com/2013/12/29/sangamam/

However a few things do catch the eye, or rather the ears, as the song grows. SJ’s beautiful hum for a prelude is followed by guitars rolling in.

The flute in the second interlude with the guitars and drums is that bridge between the two genres like love is that bridge between the ancient and modern. The Maestro nails it just like that as the final pallavi carries different lines from Panju Arunachalam which ends by invoking ragam and paadal for the hero and the heroine. Like with Rama and Seetha, or rather the soul of the love birds in this song, marriage of music and love happens there (highly undeserving brilliance for THIS film). Quite easily Raaja’d.

DM,

 paatai kaeka  katru kodutha oru blog.........  kaekum isaiyai.. varthaiyl.. ezhudhuvadhu.. romba azhagana Gift. You Have DM......... Pl continue ur Service..........

(correct aga quote seidhen endru ninaikiren................... Thanks to kiru....)

Usha wrote:
DM,

 paatai kaeka  katru kodutha oru blog.........  kaekum isaiyai.. varthaiyl.. ezhudhuvadhu.. romba azhagana Gift. You Have DM......... Pl continue ur Service..........

(correct aga quote seidhen endru ninaikiren................... Thanks to kiru....)

Thanks Ushaji. It is a give and take. I learn a lot from you and our forum discussions too. Let's keep this going as a team and learn from each other

DM,
Thank u. anal.. naan neraiya ularuven,. Rajavin composition ai purinjikara nerangalil............


Neenga. romba correct aga solreenga...................

Nice Write up....... True indeed....

http://fiveminutesofmagic.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/why-ilaiyaraja-2/


No other composer can evoke that kind of emotion inside me. He pulls at each and every heart string, he takes you up and way into the skies only to then magically drop you back onto what feels like a bed of roses! Just go and listen to Kaadhal Kavithaigal from Gopura Vaasalilae to know what I mean.






 don’t have a speck of music knowledge to analyse his numerous compositions. I’m definitely not blessed enough to meet him nor speak to him. And, without a doubt, I’m only a partially-formed drop in the ocean of fans the man has.
Last 3 para....... Really Great words.....

Usha wrote:Nice Write up....... True indeed....

http://fiveminutesofmagic.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/why-ilaiyaraja-2/


No other composer can evoke that kind of emotion inside me. He pulls at each and every heart string, he takes you up and way into the skies only to then magically drop you back onto what feels like a bed of roses! Just go and listen to Kaadhal Kavithaigal from Gopura Vaasalilae to know what I mean.


..don’t have a speck of music knowledge to analyse his numerous compositions. I’m definitely not blessed enough to meet him nor speak to him. And, without a doubt, I’m only a partially-formed drop in the ocean of fans the man has.

Last 3 para....... Really Great words.....

Good girl :-) IR creates music with an emotion in mind not with an aim to 'make people who dont listen to indian film music listen to it' :-) Edho ..award vaangaraanga ..panam pannaraanga .. santhoshama irundhaa sari ..

Updated blog with my most favorite 10 songs I discovered in 2013: http://raajasongadaykeepsboredomaway.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/134-top-10-discoveries-2013/ Do read

Thanks a lot DM.  I have always wanted to listen to the songs of Mahadev and could never find them.  Really liked this one.  Interesting that the song seems to be entirely programmed on synth and drum machines? The saxophone doesn't really sound like live sax to me, though it could well be.

DM, quickly went through the blogpost. Well written and looks like an interesting compilation and I am yet to hear many of these songs. Will try to listen shortly and post if I have anything interesting to add to your write-up. I will also share my top 10 discoveries here. Btw, sort of disappointed to see "Poonthendral kaatre vaa" missing from the list. I recall sharing it here sometime in mid 2013 and you posted that it was the first time you heard it.   .  

Also, will  be back to regular posting shortly. Currently on vacation with limited net access. And thanks Malar for the detailed write-ups on the concert here and in the other thread. So looks like it was a decent success despite IR's absence? I think it is time he stops doing concerts outside Chennai. It does seem to be taking a toll on his health. Besides, the crowd is not worthy.

crimson king wrote: Interesting that the song seems to be entirely programmed on synth and drum machines? The saxophone doesn't really sound like live sax to me, though it could well be.

Thanks CK. Yeah There is extensive synth and the sax seems to be programmed and such synth work somehow seems very raw and unlike the synth we hear from a lot of people. So cool. Superb composition and singing too.

Fring151 wrote: Will try to listen shortly and post if I have anything interesting to add to your write-up. I will also share my top 10 discoveries here. Btw, sort of disappointed to see "Poonthendral kaatre vaa" missing from the list. I recall sharing it here sometime in mid 2013 and you posted that it was the first time you heard it.

Please do. And yeah, missed that song. But I had my own list of 13 top favorites already and had a tough time picking the 10th (not in the order in which I had listed them, invocation was kidding around with a cliche and the last song was specifically placed there ) from the remaining 4. So I guess it's alright as I'd have had 1 more song to break my head on

I am curious now, were there other songs from that chronology i.e. 87-88 that were that synth oriented? I am not able to recall offhand.  IIRC Mahadev songs were not recorded in Chennai (?) because the sound is much more dense and rich on this song compared to say Agni Natchatram.  It is almost like Chinna Vennila (Kadhal Rojave) except it's 1987, not 2000!

Agree with you about the singing too, it's  simply supercalafragilistic.  So expressive even at this relatively late stage in her career, superb legato too.  It gives a very different flavour of IR than what I am accustomed to (i.e the multitude of fast staccato notes).  This could have been sung staccato too and it would have been a bit more like a Tamil song with Hindi lyrics but she doesn't.

After being deprived of Internet/news for the past two weeks (mostly traveling) what a shocking news! Can't believe it s true. I don't have courage to digest this news. Prayers will be on continuously for his speedy recovery and for his long life with best of health and full of music.

See you all in a week's time.

crimson wrote:kingThanks a lot DM.  I have always wanted to listen to the songs of Mahadev and could never find them.  Really liked this one.  Interesting that the song seems to be entirely programmed on synth and drum machines? The saxophone doesn't really sound like live sax to me, though it could well be.

There is a rare (now pretty famous on internet) interview of Ilayaraja, by composer Bhaskar Chandavarkar. The whole interview is worth storing. Its is interesting to note that Raaja played for Bhaskar (by his own admission) and years later Bhaskar got to interview Raaja.

Kamesh Bavaratnam recently shared this interview (again) on his blog: http://kamsnet.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/ilaiyaraaja-rare-interview-he-says-he-has-not-done-something-read/ 

Bhaskar quizzes Raaja about drumming in Mahadev: http://kamsnet.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/051.jpg 

What is absolutely striking (shocking, for Raaja fans) is that Raaja prefers computerized/programmed drumming over live drumming. With that one statement, the pet theory of some Raaja fans that he is more LIVE and less COMPUTERIZED (i saw many raaja fans pedalling this theory to showcase his genius and diss other composers) goes for a toss. 

Anyway, I am surprised that you discovered Mahadev now. Dilwale Raat hai jawan has been a favourite of many raaja fans and the song came into light through an article by guitar prasanna.