Best Soundtrack from Maestro's Love subject Films

Yes V_S ji. I batted for other languages without realizing I've not seen most films and only love the albums and while voting, soundtracks edge out only albums   my fault only. Will at least rectify by watching Geetanjali fully if it makes it to the final list. My point is, after we decide final 10/15 based on overall majority, to make sure I've seen all films to be able to vote for what I feel is best.

Sure. :)There need not be hard and fast rule to come out with the nominations. Some might feel this is their best without even watching the films. Some might even come with a list purely based on songs only. Absolutely fine. Definitely watching films would help mainly appreciating the score for the situations. Even there are tons of scores in YT for some films which can also be utilized. My thought/logic process was if the film was absorbing, automatically we also tend to appreciate the score more, but it may not be true always. I too might have missed some real deserving ones. That's why we are only nominating not coming to any conclusion now

I'm not venturing into non-TFM albums and need to pick my nominations from the following:
(sorry V_Sji, I've added a few more based on Anbu sir's sheet - such as Anandhakkummi, because of the album being awesome despite a dud movie, so some extras here)

Aanantha Kummi
Aanantha Raakam
Aavarampoo
Alaigal Oivathillai
Amman Kovil Kizhakkalae
Anbae Odi Vaa
Annakili
Aruvadai Naal
Athu Oru Kanakaalam
Azhagi
Chembaruthi
Chinna Thambi
Chittukuruvi
Eeramaana Rojavae
Eeravizhi Kaaviyangal
En Jeevan Paaduthu
Enakaaga Kaathiru
Enga Ooru Kaavalkaaran
Enga Ooru Paattukaaran
Giramathu Aththiyayam
Giramathu Minnal
Gopura Vaasalilae
Idhaya Koyil
Idhayam
Idhayathai Thirudathae
Ilamai Kaalangal
Ilamai Kolam
Ilamai Oonjal Aadugirathu
Johnny
Kaadhal Kavithai
Kaadhal Oviyam
Kaadhalukku Mariyathai
Kadalora Kavithaigal
Kallukkul Eeram
Kannukkul Nilavu
Karagattakaari
Karumbu Vil
Kavikkuyil
Kizhakkae Pogum Rayil
Kizhakku Vaasal
Kungumachimizh
Meera
Mella Pesungal
Mella Thiranthathu Kathavu
Moondram Pirai
Mouna Raagam
Muthal Mariyathai
Naadodi Paattukaaran
Naadodi Thendral
Naan Paadum Paadal
Neethanae En Pon Vasantham
Nenjathai Killathae
Nilavu Suduvathillai
Ninaivellam Nithya
Niram Maaratha Pookkal
Panneer Pushpangal
16 Vayathinilae
Payanangal Mudivathillai
Poo Vilangu
Punnagai Mannan
Puthiya Vaarpugal
Puthu Kavithai
Raaja Paarvai
Thendralae Ennai Thodu
Thooral Ninnu Pochu
Time
Udhaya Geetham
Uravaadum Nenjam
Varusham 16

My picks will be a mix of 3 categories "excellence in soundtrack but not so great films" , "soundtrack and film both good", "great film but ok soundtrack"...

No problem app ji. Please go ahead with the list and file your nomination

app_engine wrote:"great film but ok soundtrack"...

Is this even a possibility? Curious to know those films.

V_S wrote:

app_engine wrote:"great film but ok soundtrack"...

Is this even a possibility? :)Curious to know those films.

Only on a relative scale

For e.g. 16V (IMO).

Comparing to the soundtracks such as NNithya / AO / NEPV where 6+ awesome songs for dud / sumAr movies, this great film has 3 excellent (sendhoorappoovE, sevvandhippoo & manjakkuLichchu) and 2 OK songs (chOLam & Attukkutti) IMHO, overall making the album at OK level IMO, in comparison with other albums.


Strictly relative to other awesome works of IR and not on absolute standards. 

Definitely not to compare IR with BR or anything like that.

Thanks To me chOLam vedhaikkayilE and aattu kutti are also my big favorites, no skips in this soundtrack. The earthy flavor in raasa and mv anna's voice is nonpareil. Perfect for the film setting. While chOLam vedhaikkayilE has that rustic and at the same time serene feeling, aattukutti is on the fun side which we don't get to listen very often. Charanams are so nicely tuned. These genres are extinct nowadays. To me it is a landmark soundtrack, folk at its very best. No music director of today can come with such an authentic, soulful, innocent, earthy, folksy soundtrack.

drunkenmunk wrote:Panneer PushpangaL; God awesome songs. Masterpiece. Just 1 would have been enough to remember that film. This film had 3. And he almost did this for free (not a criteria while deciding but still zaps me that he gave this quality for almost free of cost).

Yeah. I mean, yAr indha kAlathula freeyA pOduvAnga idha mAdhiri albatha? And there are many more like this, I have heard, free or done for a pittance. IdhellAm pesa mAttAnga, AnA "Naanu Kulcha nu IR romba pesarAru, discuss" ipdi oru topic kuduthA mattum aracheetrathOdu oru essay ezhudhi pOda vandhu linela nippAnga.

Coming to the topic, Nenjathai kiLLAdhe, Mouna rAgam, Punnagai mannan, RajapArvai assured spot in top 10. Will come up with a more comprehensive list over weekend. I haven't seen most of these movies, so I will be assessing based only on the songs and BGM score if I have heard it. 

V_Sji - Nenjathai score is one of my favourites too. 

DM- Moondram pirai Silku theme, you had this in mind I suppose?   

Parental advisory: PG 13
What a mesmerising piece of music though, seriously. The way the violins start off after that pause, after err......, to signify err.....never mind.

Digression:
Wanted to post in the other thread but didn't get a chance. Moonrampirai BGM & songs are prime examples of how tightly-knit Raaja's bass lines are with the main melody & orchestration, and pretty often the bass also makes up such a significant portion of the melody (compared to just supporting it). I'd be stretching my imagination if I were to think a second person wrote the bass portions after Raaja had composed all the other portions.

Imagine this - Raaja composes:
poongaatru <daylight> pudhidhanadhu
pudhu vAzhvu <daylight> sadhirAdudhu

Raaja: Viji, here's a new song. I'm breaking the rules big time. Check out the sandhams! Heard of anything like this before?
Viji: Wow, Raaja! Sounds cool but er... it sounds a little incomplete. Wait a minute, how's this for an idea?
<Takes his bass and fills up the song dang-dang-dang-dang-dang-dang-bam-bim-bom>
Raaja: ah, great job Viji! This sounds even more cool! You're a genius!
  
ivalO yEn, kids learning the keyboard/piano are taught to play both the portions (bass & melody) together and it's not difficult to notice how inter-connected they are and that bass is not really rocket-science! If you know your chords, you're pretty much covered on the bass side too. Raaja's speciality lies not just in how distinct & beautiful his bass lines are but also how integral it is to the piece on the whole. The very though that a man who can write music for a complete symphony orchestra cannot write his bass lines is clearly the case of someone trying hard to sound serious but ending up being unintentionally funny!
End-dig.

Surely not a romantic movie, but one of my favorites love themes: MahAnadhi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSuSwpeS49Y

^^^And that, gentlemen shall be the last word on this topic.

Mahanadhi's love theme is an all time favourite for me...fantastic counterpoints.

fring151 wrote:

DM- Moondram pirai Silku theme, you had this in mind I suppose?   

Parental advisory: PG 13
What a mesmerising piece of music though, seriously. The way the violins start off after that pause, after err......, to signify err.....never mind.

Same same. <dig> this Silk-Poornam and Silk digging Kamal was a later addition. Distributors were not keen on buying the first version with Sridevi's accident --> Kamal taking her --> relationship growing --> she forgetting him. They wanted spice and hence this was tweaked into the screenplay. So everything from this BGM to Ponmeni Urugudhe is a later addition <end dig> and what brilliance with BGM here!

Silk is not physically satisfied with Poornam though she outwardly likes him. The physical climax for Poornam means nothing for Silk. She spots Kamal. BGM rises temperatures. She mentally climaxes with Kamal. BGM underlines this mental climax. That is what Raaja brings to the table as a composer.

And dammit! I missed Nenjathai Killadhe. Epic album. Superb BGM. Pch.

-dig-
Sorry V_Sji, sudden thought...

Nerd wrote:I had another idea for a series of threads to encourage active participation. We did this for a little bit at tfm/mayyam and complicateur ran a similar series in twitter. Best song in XXYY album.

My idea for the next thread with a poll (not immediately, once we're done with love albums) :

Which actress inspired rAsA the most?
(Female solo is simply the TOP genre by rAsA, unbeatable by any other group! And, going by his speech about KBR during some function - that rAsA first opined "indha moonjikku epdi meesic pOdRadhu", and applying its corollary, the female moonji fetched some great music from him)

In thatstamil language : ராசாவை மிகவும் கவர்ந்த நடிகை யார்?

-end dig-

kv wrote:Digression:
Surely not a romantic movie, but one of my favorites love themes: MahAnadhi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSuSwpeS49Y

Lovely. Second Fring that idhukku mEla adhula pEsa oNNum illa.

That aside, a few words on this film and film's BGM. Especially because Mahanadhi is not a love story in its heart. It is much more than all that and more. padatha pathi pathu pakkam pEsalAm but this is not the thread.

But BGM nu pEsarappo, we always celebrate this BGM kv linked and rightly so. Lovely counterpoints and such beautiful music needs to be celebrated. But is Raaja just about beautifully complex music with counterpoints? Of course that is all important. But that is technical. Raaja goes beyond that and touches the weak spot in the viewer with unerring accuracy in Mahanadhi. There is another BGM he uses for Jayasudha. He uses it when her name is raised. Krishnasamy's friend Sundar while talking about the doctor who is notorious for his inefficiency mentions Krishna's wife Narmada being killed by him and realizing quickly that he has spoken inappropriately, apologizes and calls Krishna's son Barani, a sweet boy to make up for the awkwardness caused. appo varra BGM. Also comes when Kamal is reminded of wife Narmada while seeing Kaveri. Every name is a river's name, Krishna, Yamuna (Sukanya), Narmada, Saraswathi (SN Lakshmi), Kaveri, Barani (Thamirabarani), prostitute Ganga in Calcutta (enna oru poetic touch) down to Punjabi (Panjabakesan but the full is given only in his character intro. He is only called Punjabi after that, as though he is from Punjab, land of 5 rivers). Hero's life also resembles a river, adventurous and reckless.

Adventurous: (Raaja's BGM here does outstanding justice here. This near symphonic music can be juxtaposed to a bouncing, young river too. andha mystic adventure eppidi varudhu ya BGM la!): http://splicd.com/JVlxbH6Qoas/637/682
Reckless: http://splicd.com/JVlxbH6Qoas/1322/1376

It then tumbles towards it own descent through its actions: http://splicd.com/JVlxbH6Qoas/3744/3805 only, the descent is painful.

The life then mellows in jail, slows and joins the sea in a mixture of bitterness (killing people who ruined his life) and happiness (at the sangamam). kadasila, ellA punidha nadhi pOlavum, suthamA Aramicha ivan vAzhkaiyum sAkkadaiyA Akkina pAvam ulagathayE sErum. AnA manusha vAzhkaiya nadhiyOda sEthu sonna adhE moochula Sri Ranga Ranga Nadhanin song la nadhiya manushiya sonnAn pAru ya Kamal, Vaali and Raaja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itZ1ESboqOk. Has anyone placed so much subtle importance to an apparently non-descript visual being linked to the subtext of a film in mainstream Tamil cinema as Kamal? No.

Like every river being responsible for its recklessness, descent and subsequent mellowing down, he is responsible for his fate. engAvadhu yOschAnO fund company Arambikkaradhukku munnAdi? He wanted to compete with the upper class Sundars of the world and bring his children up like their children not realizing the pOliness of their life (btw, his daughter spotting friend Sundar's car and number and the ensuing chase leading them to Dhanush possibly tells of a link between an upper class spoilt Sundar and a pimp, Dhanush eh?) and went along with the high flying Dhanushs and lost his family, peace of mind and even then, his righteous indignation only endows him with a sense of anger, force and leads him to further miseries and not enjoy life like a Dhaunsh or a Sundar because he is not a fit for a pOli life ("rAman'ayum Gandhi'yum yEn udhAraNam kAtti enna vaLathAnga?" he himself asks the question). andha character flaw (oru vidhamAna rajO guNam nu sollalAmA?) guides his life and the screenplay. evvalO sOkkA sonnAn pAru ya writer Kamal (GOAT is warranted here. Sorry for jumping threads ).

seri BGM pathi pEsa vandhu padatha pathiyE pEsittEn. andha Narmada/daughter/family BGM idhO (after Sundar mentions Narmada: http://splicd.com/JVlxbH6Qoas/897/960

Kamal-Sukanya love theme which is more celebrated and discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSuSwpeS49Y

Used here again: http://splicd.com/JVlxbH6Qoas/7454/7546 (a naughty Punjabi hiding his specs in his pockets and asking Yamuna to look for it, to ensure an unmarried Yamuna and Krishna don't err... cross the line. awww   )
And here:  http://splicd.com/JVlxbH6Qoas/7567/7589

But as Krishna kisses Yamuna goodbye before getting the vengeance his righteous rage deserves, look at what Raaja does:
Narmada's theme!!! Yamuna has got Narmada's status (piLLaingaLa un veettukkE koottittu pOgalAm). That is Raaja. Dear apparasents of idhu dhANda music Rajasekhar school, look. This is scoring BGM for a love story. Film is not a love story. But what Raaja does is subvert the writer for a moment and stamp himself underlining brilliantly what the writer has in his mind. adhAn Raaja. Point is not just about composing beautiful BGMs that work with the film, but the brilliance to travel with the characters and express the characters through the music which is what we saw with the inversion of the Yamuna-Krishna theme with the Narmada-Krishna theme as Krishna accepts Yamuna as his wife.

I mean, we get to enjoy the pristine usage of instruments. String sections with violins, cellos counterpointing with the guitars on one hand, violins and cellos on the other hand and guitars alone in one more version of the same theme 3 times between Kamal and Sukanya. All this writing the score happens on the spot so choice of instruments with score is extempore. adhuvE unbearable excellence. idhukku mEla tune complexity, beauty, tugging at heart strings, pure bliss ellAm uNdu. adhukkum mEla, travelling with the writer and reflecting the characters and screenplay. That depth. Writing/execution Kamal and music Raaja only possible. Lucky are we, to realize, understand and enjoy their art. Long live  

DM,

 IR oda sogam.. romba bayam... romba kashtam......  post panni.. azha vechuteengalae.......... Reality to the Core......(kadhai ennavendru theiryamal.. padam parthen.... bayandhu ponen......... epavum dhan. )

 sapida ponen.. sapida thonalai...

Nice post DM!


I am trying to do "elimination" method to short list from my long list...

Let me set the first criteria :
#1 Must have 3 great, excellent songs (not just good ones)!

(So, any album that had less goes - the current short list has 53 TFM albums still )

DM,
Excellent write-up on Mananadhi with lot of insights and details    intha maathiri padamellaam maththavanga yaarum yOsikkavE mudiyaathu. I dare say that any state make a film like this. Indian film industry'kkE orE oru padam thaan (why not world film industry?). Same goes to music, no one can dream such a music. Thanks KV for lighting the fire :)and thanks for the detail analysis on how bass tracks cannot be separated from the main melody as most of the times it travels along the mail melody and as you said it even serves as the main melody.

The point here if any one else says the bass track was composed by Viji and all, we can ignore, but if the same comes from raja fans who technically knows that it cannot be separately conceived (mainly for Maestro's compositions), it hurts, especially when they know his style of composing.

App ji, nothing to feel sorry. Please proceed, would love to know your views on female solo songs of Raja.

My criteria #2 for elimination - take out albums that had 2 or more songs that irritated me

e.g. Anandhakkummi - though it was an awesome album, it had the 'machAn mAttikkittAru' & 'aNNanmArE thambimArE', both that irritated me. (Of course, despite being IR production, the movie was a dud and didn't run for even a week anywhere I think).

So, started taking out such albums...let me see how many go away

*Dig

Re IR's often touted 950 films, 4500-5000 songs, I am curious if that number includes dubbed movies and songs. Does 950/5000 include say, Garshana/Agni and songs from both albums, for instance? If so, the actual number is likely to be somewhat smaller right? Not that it matters, but I am trying to estimate what percentage of IR songs I have heard and would like to know the "actual" count.

fring151 wrote:*Dig

Re IR's often touted 950 films, 4500-5000 songs, I am curious if that number includes dubbed movies and songs. Does 950/5000 include say, Garshana/Agni and songs from both albums, for instance? If so, the actual number is likely to be somewhat smaller right? Not that it matters, but I am trying to estimate what percentage of IR songs I have heard and would like to know the "actual" count.

I think it does not count simply-dubbed ones.

OTOH, it may count "remade / simultaneously made in two languages" as two (and not 1).

From Anbu sir's list, if one accounts all dubbed ones, I think the number had crossed 1000 already (thaLabathi is counted but dalpAthi hindi is possibly not ; OTOH, moondRam piRai & sadma are counted as 2 numbers).

app_engine wrote:I think it does not count simply-dubbed ones.

OTOH, it may count "remade / simultaneously made in two languages" as two (and not 1).

From Anbu sir's list, if one accounts all dubbed ones, I think the number had crossed 1000 already (thaLabathi is counted but dalpAthi hindi is possibly not ; OTOH, moondRam piRai & sadma are counted as 2 numbers).

Oh, ok. Thanks for the info. But I am wondering whether counting remakes might also skew the statistics, esp. Telugu/Tamil ones. In that case, I would put the lower estimate at Movies/Songs= 850/4000  (reducing movie count by 100 and song by 500). Still pretty eye-popping.

Add Background score to that whole list and if we consider background score to be equivalent to 5 songs per movie, it will double the list of movies/songs he has done, which not many music directors do/did on their own.

Regarding remakes it does not skew much as, first of all there are not many remakes as the number of dubbed films from thamizh to telugu is around 200 films (whole chunk went there), which were already counted as only one film.

Remakes
Kotha Jeevithalu - 1980 - Remake of Puthiya Vaarpugal
Chinnari Chitti Babu - 1981 - Remake of Poonthalir
Nireekshana - 1986 - Remake of Yathra [Malayalam]
Guru Sishyulu - 1989 - Remake of Guru Sishyan
Chanti - 1991 - Remake of Chinna Thambi
Chinna Raayudu - 1992 Remake of Chinna Gounder
Moratadu Naa Mogudu - 1992 Remake of En Raasaavin Manasile
Amma Koduku - 1993 Remake of Senthamizh Paattu
Saamaram - 1994 Remake of Athiradi Padai
Unnaal Mudiyum Thambi 1988 - Remake of Rudra Veena


Bilinguals
Bala Nagamma - 1981 - Bilingual
Dhoni - 2011 - Bilingual
Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu - 2012 Bilingual

There may be couple more definitely, but for example if you take Rudra veena and Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, both songs are background score are completely different. Worst case, he has re-do the score even if the songs are same.