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MOVIES WITH OFF-BEAT MUSIC IN TFM

Topic started by Nithin (@ nc36.pr.mcs.net) on Sat Jun 6 18:53:07 EDT 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

A few movies that come to my mind as having not the usual musical or melody patterns in Indian film music. Does any of you know of any more film music with unusual break-through musical presentations? I am not sure if this thread is already there. If that is the case, Ravi Sir, please remove this.

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Responses:

• From: Nithin (@ nc36.pr.mcs.net) on: Sat Jun 6 19:04:57 EDT 1998
  
  First that comes to my mind is:
  
  1. EERA VIZHI KAVIYANGAL (IR), then follows
  2. Tik, Tik, Tik - IR
  3. Echchil Iravugal - IR
  4. Oru Thalai Ragam (TR)
  5. Aatukkara Aalamelu (SG)
  5. Ninaithale Inikkum (MSV)
  6. Avatharam (IR)
  7. Ezhavathu Manithan (L Vadiyanathan)
  8. Minsara Kanava (ARR)
  9. Iruvar (ARR)
  7. Theyen Sinthithe Vaanam (VK, who has done some more real special songs in other movies)
  
  Rajan Nagendra, Shyam and Vijay Bhaskar have by their selective and few movies easily stood out with some different styles, I may not call them off-beat but they are really distinct.
  
  Folks, do you know more? The best benchmark would be songs in Tik, Tk, Tik, Eera Vizhi Kaaviyangal and Minsara Kanavu.
  
  
• From: Ravi (@ envy.cs.umass.edu) on: Sat Jun 6 23:27:21 EDT 1998
  
  Nithin: In what way are these movies unique? It would help what you mean by 'benchmark', 'off-beat' and 'breakthrough' here.
  
  
• From: krishna (@ mailserver01.sb.com) on: Fri Jun 12 18:23:29 EDT 1998
  
  I remember Eera vizhi kaviyangal songs. They were just great and definitely off-beat (meaning a totally new style). I wish I could get a CD or tape of those songs
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ nc.pr.mcs.net) on: Sat Jun 13 02:56:08 EDT 1998
  
  Ravi
  
  I did not give this topic of mine much attention, since there is much else going on in other threads :)
  
  I find the management jargon that I have used seem out of place. However, what I meant by benchmark was keeping a score as a base to evaluate upon. Eeravizhi Kaaviyangal is one of the first movies with experimental scores and did not have songs that at the time of that movie, movie songs followed a set pattern. I am getting those songs from home soon, so maybe then I should put it across much better.
  
  Second, 'off-beat' is the theme of my query. It is that nature of a movie song that has drifted away from the norm and stood out. A recent example is Minsara Kanavu's Strawberry Kanne.
  Has such a off-beat style been a 'breakthrough' in our movie music, not really as such songs are difficult to repeat, for one reason, the composers cannot repeat that singular feat or the producers sublimate the composers effort to give what the listeners would prefer to hear.
  
  So, we really do not have significant break-through's in our movie music, in that we do not have a Minsara Kanavu type song repeating or a song like Hotel California becoming an idiom in our film music or having songs that are simply less vocal based, while using more of the light orchestra, if you get my drift. Rather than the pallavi, instrumental bit, charanam, annu pallavi, etc.. with a mix of both vocal and instruments, has Indian film music listeners come to accept a balanced variety of differnt styles of song presentation?
  
  So, I am hoping that our friends here have more info on such type of contribution in TFM, in particular.
  
  
  
  
• From: DAVID CHELLADURAI (VIMALA PRIYAN) (@ spider-wa013.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Jun 13 17:54:54 EDT 1998
  
  Nithin,
  Your research project is interesting. One particular song that comes to my thought is that heart-breaking song
  En kanmani..... in the movie "Chittukkuruvi" in which I.Raja gave us the most mellodious harmony of different voices mixed up at different paces. This was the most
  off-beat song which captured the attraction of many
  different prominent music directors of that time (including MSV, who openly appreciated Raja's new idea of mixing different voices in the same song. I remember Raja also explained how he happened to compose this different song which he thought was unique at that time period. To my knowledge, nobody has ever used this idea before this, or even until now. Any comments ?
  VIMALAPRIYAN
  
  
• From: DAVID CHELLADURAI (VIMALA PRIYAN) (@ spider-wa013.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Jun 13 17:55:52 EDT 1998
  
  Nithin,
  Your research project is interesting. One particular song that comes to my thought is that heart-breaking song
  En kanmani..... in the movie "Chittukkuruvi" in which I.Raja gave us the most mellodious harmony of different voices mixed up at different paces. This was the most
  off-beat song which captured the attraction of many
  different prominent music directors of that time (including MSV, who openly appreciated Raja's new idea of mixing different voices in the same song. I remember Raja also explained how he happened to compose this different song which he thought was unique at that time period. To my knowledge, nobody has ever used this idea before this, or even until now. Any comments ?
  VIMALAPRIYAN
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ nc.pr.mcs.net) on: Sun Jun 14 01:14:59 EDT 1998
  
  Hi, Vimala Priyan
  
  Actually, what motivated me to think of this topic was that Yen Kanmani song, however, I felt that it was more of a invention is so original and any compioser could have mused, why the heck did I not think of that? Whille Eeravizhi Kaaviyangal songs is off-beat, I mean if any composer repeated that pattern of composition, then it could become a kind of breakthrough. Actually, AR R has set some breakthrough, he has brought in those slow numbers with Roja. It was off-beat for film music, however the style of songs has become a norm with all the new composers, don't you agree?
  
  Thanks for the input.
  
  
  
• From: Viswa (@ webgate0.mot.com) on: Mon Jun 15 00:33:25 EDT 1998
  
  Hi Nithin,
  Getting to post a response in your thread after a long, long time. According to me, all the songs that Salil Chowdhury has scored for TF, have been offbeat (in the TFM sense). Dooratthu Idi Muzhakkam is a good example. The song "KAkkai siraginilE" from 7th Man (!) is also refreshingly different.
  I hope I've got what you've meant by "offbeat" by the examples above. I shall think of more when time permits...
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Mon Jun 15 14:47:31 EDT 1998
  
  More trend setters breakthrough songs I have witnessed:
  --Andha Naal Gnyaabagam--using dialogues intermittently in the song to create a story.
  --Unnidam Mayangukiraen: seamless blending of piano interludes in a mesmeric melody, was very groundbreaking in its time.
  --Selected songs from Agnisaatchi: using Vaali's pudhukavithai between songs where the melody almost stops abruptly before getting back to the tune.
  --Junior, Junior: ventriloquism used within the song's structure even though it follows the old question-answer format, it was still a groundbreaking song.
  --Kadavul Amaithuvaitha Medai: mimicry within the song's structure to tell a tale.
  --Maalaiyilae 6 Mani (probably an IR tune): tries a bold new trend where the whole song is in a prose style. The song paints a deep character portrait like the best short story can.
  
  I'm sure there are others but these are the ones that come to mind.
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ nc.pr.mcs.net) on: Mon Jun 15 22:52:25 EDT 1998
  
  Hi, Viswa and Udhaya
  
  I think, basically, the direction this thread should take is being provided by the three early contributors. Thank you.
  
  At this point, I would like to sum up the list we have developed so far. After which, I would like to put it across to Srikanth and Srinath for their valuable insight into the technical features of these songs.
  
  The off-beat songs that have become classics and set a path for many more such songs to be produced are:
  
  1. Kadavul Amaithu Vaitha Maedai (This song is really unique and one of the first that kind of was a breath of fresh air.)
  
  2. Kakkai Siraginile (KJY's in 7 avuthu Manithan) is an all-time classic. I wish we have more such great simple pallavi only type songs. The best way that a Bharathiar song has been presented in recent times. I hear that ARR is also going to try!
  
  3. Junior, Junior (I used to hate this song, but on recall this is one of my childhood memories! How much I tried speaking from the stomach!)
  
  4. Andha Naal Nyabagam (Classic and MSV stareted it all?)
  
  5. Two solo songs from Tij, Tik, Tik
  
  6. All songs from Eera Vizhi Kaaviyangal, even Yechchil Iravugal I might like to add.
  
  7. Minsara Kanavugal and Iruvar songs
  
  8. Aattukkara Alamelu (SG did that wonderful romantic number: Nadiganin Kadhalil, etc... It ranks as one of the best off-beat numbers)
  
  I have more to talk about soon...
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ ) on: Thu Oct 14 13:37:36 EDT 1999
  
  Under MD Bharatwaj, SPB has sung a fast number,"Saththam Illaatha" in Amarkkalam. The song is supposed to have 89 words all sung without a break with subtle climbs and drops by SPB. Vairamuthu has done a decent job writing the song as well. This song is also made up of two or three ragams I heard.
  
  
• From: Radhai (@ h32be.s86b1.baynetworks.com) on: Thu Oct 14 17:03:08 EDT 1999
  
  I quite liked the song "kanmani anboda..." in the movie Guna. It was different.
  
  Then there is the song "Poove sempoove" from Solltthukkidhu manasu giving the blend of western and Carnatic.
  
  

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