Anyone who knows my
music well knows one thing definitely – I love the music of A. R. Rahman. And I have done so
from the first few strains of “Chinna Chinna Aasai”, that marked the opening to
a career in the Indian film industry that has now reached more than 20 years
and won him accolades from all over the world. So I thought a long-pending blog
that I have wanted to write should definitely be about him! I have chosen 30 of his albums which I consider his best
to write about (in chronological order). This is part 1 of 6 parts of the blog –
with 5 albums from 1992 and 1994 (the beginning phase). Of course, this is
completely my opinion, so please feel free to share your opinions too! Alright,
so let’s dive right in then!
Roja (1992): The first album that turned ARR into a
sensation and brought to us his genius for the first time. Five simple songs
which turned my musical world around! The album starts with the note of hope Chinna
Chinna Aasai, which includes a delightful folkish interlude with ARR’s
own voice. This is followed by the raunchy Rukkumani (which I really struggled
to understand way back then!), Pudhu Vellai Mazhai – a song which
is just beauty personified, the quintessential far-away love song Kadhal
Rojave, and the first patriotic number among many to emerge from ARR’s
repertoire, as well as the first recorded song in this album, Tamizha
Tamizha. The essential simplicity of the songs is what I would imagine
attracted most people to this album, winning awards and being named as one of
TIME’s 10 best soundtracks of all times in 2005.
Favourite from the album: Pudhu
Vellai Mazhai – there is something unbelievably special about this song –
its melody, the background music, the singing, the modulation, the percussion,
the chorus… it is just put together wonderfully well!
Gentleman (1993): A movie in which most of the songs are
based in dreams, Gentleman’s songs became a complete rage, with an appeal that
cut across age levels – high on melody and a modern feel at the same time. The first
song is the beautiful En Veettu Thottattil, a classical
based song with sublime melody – a number that really demonstrates ARR’s deep understanding
of music. This is followed by Usilampatti Pennkutti, which has
some very interesting background music and a folkish feel (and some weird
lyrics!). Third comes arguably the most popular song of the album – Chikku
Bukku Raiyile, which has absolutely superb percussion, including a
train type beat in parts – the first truly ‘item’ number of ARR. Then comes Parkathey
– a simple song whose background music is extremely cute! The album ends with Ottagatha
Kattikko – a wonderful composition combining excellent percussion and
beats with excellent singing and music giving it a “grand” feel.
Favourite from the album: En
Veettu Thottattil scores over the others simply on the melody!
Thiruda Thiruda (1993): Masterpiece would be putting it
mildly when it comes to Thiruda Thiruda. The experimental usage of both voices
and instruments helped establish ARR firmly – and how! An album of 8 songs
(including 2 small snippets) that go from melodious to pop to sad to grand in
the space of just over 30 minutes. First up is the peppy Kannum Kannum whose use
of background vocals should be watched out for. Then comes the powerful Konjam
Nilavu (Chandralekha) – one of the most aggressive female songs I have
ever heard (I love trying to sing it!). Following this comes the operatic, the imaginative, the grand Veerapandi Kottaiyile, which is
easily one of ARR’s best ever songs in his career (probably even the best). Starting
from the perfect “Ohh ohh” and excellent singing, it maintains a beautiful
change of pace and percussion at every point, keeping it unstructured within a
structure – simply wonderful. This is followed by another excellent piece – Thee
Thee, which combines energetic percussion and singing with soft melody
to wonderful effect. Then comes Raasathi, a slow song made
completely beautiful by inspired singing and fantastic folk-based choral
arrangements with amazing modulations using no instruments at all – an acapella
song composed 20 years ago! And finally comes Putham Pudhu Bhoomi – a
melodious piece with simple and beautiful lyrics about how the world needs to
be a better place.
Favourite from the album: Definitely Veerapandi Kottaiyile!
Duet (1994): Duet will always remain a special album of ARR’s,
mostly thanks to one other person – Kadri Gopalnath, the saxophone player. The beauty
of the compositions, the mix between Carnatic based songs and the western notes
of the saxophone played by Kadri is just unbelievably soulful. The first song
is ample proof of this – Anjali Anjali which has a simple guitar based background
combined with the saxophone and a beautiful tune, and a flute piece that
complements these elements to perfection. The second song is Vennilavin,
a sad song which combines elements of orchestral music with interesting
background percussion and strong lyrics set to an almost poetic tune. Third comes
Mettu
Podu, in which Kadri’s saxophone matches the singing at every stage,
and exceeds it completely at times! Thoughtfully penned lyrics add to make it a
very well done song indeed. The next song then becomes almost an anti-climax – Kathirikka
– which pokes fun at the overweight hero. I must confess though – I do have a
big soft spot for this song – the singing is perfect, the beats are appealing,
and the lyrics are comic but cute. The song that follows, En
Kadhale is one where Kadri’s real genius stands out – his solo
parts are just superb. The lyrics are also very poetically written, and tug at
the heartstrings. There is also a female version of this song in the album. The
next one is a slightly more folk-based beat and tune combination – Kulicha
Kuttalam – another fun song in the album. The album ends with a couple
of snippets and instrumental pieces, but before that comes a song Naan
Paadum – another outstanding saxophone piece – the modulations of music
are especially marvellous. Overall Duet is one of ARR’s underrated and yet
extremely beautiful and soulful albums.
Favourite from the album: Mettu
Podu – the lyrics, catchy tune and saxophone combine to make this a winner
for me! But Anjali does come a close second!
Kadhalan (1994): Kadhalan, released in 1994, is another of
ARR’s complete wins – a commercial success with songs that continue being popular
even today, almost 20 years after its release. The first song of the album is Ennavale,
a beautiful romantic number which has absolutely lovely background music and excellent
singing. As the mellow tunes of the song die down, the next song picks up with
an excellent percussion piece with a voice almost yodelling – and you know the
hit song Mukkala has started! The song was a huge rage from the moment
it released. The almost western ('cowboys western' I mean) tune, the dance beats and the picturisation
onscreen – all combined to make it the most popular song of the album. Following
this comes Errani Kurrathani, another folk based song from ARR’s
repertoire – I love the flute piece especially in the middle, and the melody
especially at the end of the paragraphs is just superb – it is structured very differently
from typical songs, which contribute to making the song stand out. The song
after this – Kadhalikkum Pennin Kaiyil – has some of the most awesome beats
and a very fun feel to it – it is one of my all-time favourites from ARR! The next two
songs are again extremely popular – Urvashi and Pettai Rap. Urvashi is a
song I always associate with my brother – playing it could get him out of his
sullen moods at any point of time with its crazy lyrics and youthful appeal! It is
hard to describe Pettai Rap though – it is a rap song as is obvious, and the
best and most unexpected part of the song is “Amma pettai, ayyam pettai” part,
which I remember giggling to as a young girl. Pettai Rap changed the tone of
Tamil music in some ways – opening it up to newer influences like rap and
reggae. The album caps off with three small snippet numbers: Kollayile
Thennai, a lullaby theme song; Kaatru Kutiraiyle, a beautiful
melodic piece; and Indirayo Ival, a female version of Ennavale. All three are
beautiful to listen to and close out the gem of an album that is Kadhalan!
Favourite from the album: Ennavale
definitely – melody combined with nuances in singing, instrumental background
music that transports you to a different realm, and creates a romantic atmosphere!
So that is it for this
blog – the next one will start from 1995 and ARR’s Hindi debut – and of course
his journey thereafter from strength to strength. Do leave your thoughts in the
comments below!
