The Unheard Years : Raja in the mid 90s

[Devaraagam]

Sorry for the delay is restarting this. My home broadband link has been down since last week and I can't do this from office. Hoping BSNL guys will fix this soon so that this weekend I can start this again.

Actually I was abt to ask you today on this thread

[Sureshs65]

Song No: 28
Song: Kottum Melangal
Film: Makkal Aatchi
Singers: Chitra
Lyricist: Muthulingam
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer...0'&lang=en

First NEPV, then work and then non functioning broadband kept me away from continuing this. But this series is close to my heart so I cannot give a big break. Given the tight situation on the professional front, I will probably be doing two writeups per week. I guess that will give people enough time to digest the songs and the writeup.

This song was a request from a friend called Sridhar, on twitter, @maya_twit. A very ardent Raja fan, he asked me to consider this song. As usual, this was the first time hearing for me. People can tell if this song was popular. This is one of those 'almost' Malayalam songs I would say. A soft and slow melody but with some very attractive rhythm. Chitra has sung many such songs for Raja and she does a class job. Songs like 'Shivamallipoove', 'Sitagathi Penoruthi', 'virahamay vipalamayi' come to mind.

The song starts with what sounds like a tribal beat and with women chorus before Chitra joins in with the Madhyamavathi based tune. And what a pallavi he constructs. Seeming simple but so charming, especially when she goes, 'poon kuruvi' and the female chorus joins her. The whole tune is like someone caressing you with a feather. The first interlude is typical Raja. The flute and violins playing counter to each other with the bass joining in.

The charanam is another master stroke. Raja keeps the rhythm instruments aside and lets only the bass and violins provide the rhythm. Very surprising given the high emphasis on the rhythm aspect in the pallavi. Only he can think this way. The way the melody moves with the female chorus joining in mildly is again typical Raja as is the way he joins back to the pallavi. The second interlude goes a step above the first one, with the bass playing a prominent part and the strings playing the countermelody.

An excellent song which showcases Raja's grip on the Indian raga as well as his grip on WCM. Ofcourse we can say this for many of his songs

[musiukunit]

Great Suresh

This thread is a joy to live back the memories of Raja songs of 90s as I started growing with them.

Great job! keep going!!

The only uruthal factor is that your thread title. Raja Unheard years ??
No way!!
For me that should be 2005-2010..and that too mainstream audience as by this time the core fans had started tail tracking his every release and song.

90s..I donno about Chennai or any city but in my part i could hear all raja's songs always.
Infact in the initial days that was the repulsive factor for me in Raja's music. It was played again and again.
I hated ennai thalata varuvala for instance to the core those days since it was repeated for 2 years atleast.

I have heard most of the songs you had mentioned and I dont remember me tracking Tamil Film Music as I was in my school.

There are always unheard songs in his period..Be it 80s, 90s, 00s as this man's volume of work is insane for anybody to completely track.
But for general public 70s, 80s,90s, Early 00s he has been heard repeatedly.

My fear was the trend from 05-10 and NEPV has just shattered that to bits.

Just wanted to record this and nothing against yours..

[Sureshs65]

Bala,

Fair criticism of the title I agree. Infact the title was kept deliberately for two reasons. One, because there is this myth that with the advent of Rahman, Raja became a non entity and people stopped listening to him. As can be seen from your comments and from P_R's comments earlier, that is not the case. So through this I wanted to get such responses. Second, it will get more eyeballs and more people may come in and have a look. So to put in in Senthil's words, "ellam oru vilambaramdhaan".

You have also hit the right point, which I have been making here. Chennai seems to have been very different from other parts of T Nadu. Chennai people mostly agree with my title but those from other parts of T Nadu have the same opinion as you.

Do keep visiting and letting us know your views on the songs and if you have heard it when it was released.

[Gregorysab]

I hated ennai thalata varuvala for instance to the core those days since it was repeated for 2 years atleast.

For some reason I still dont enjoy this song. and its not just because of bhavatharini but even hariharan's version. I somehow feel that its a very average composition compared to so many delights that Raaja gave during that period. The synth sounds, i feel, sit very uncomfortably in the aura that is called "Ilaiyaraaja". He used some good synth sounds in some other songs but in this one, they just lack something. dont know what!

[Gregorysab]

Song No: 28
Song: Kottum Melangal
Film: Makkal Aatchi
Singers: Chitra
Lyricist: Muthulingam
Link: http://www.thiraipaadal.com/tpplayer...0'&lang=en

Yet another good find. I am listening to it for the 1st time now. Nice song. peculiar percussion arrangement. Makkal Aatchi always meant "Eppodhenna" song for me. Never really tried other songs till now. I agree with your view on charanam. Its very surprising. Usually his songs have change of percussive sound in charanams (western to indian or viceversa etc). But here, he just suspends that altogether and allows the melody to take the limelight.

Wonderful pick. And dont forget eppodhenna song. I know its famous, but still worth a revisit - to exchange opinions

[Sureshs65]

aakarsh,

'Kadhalukku Mariyadhai' splits Raja fans down the middle One set which hates that music and says Raja's music went downhill from there. Another set which loves it because that showed Raja still had the 'hit' potential !!! So we are bound to get both views but we will hold it till we come to that year

Once I am through the other rare songs of this year, let us revisit 'eppodhenna' song.

[San_K]

I am a fan of ETV song . Forget the synth, forget the singers and tell now, did not the song had very nice tune?. I just waited n number of times to listen the 'bonus' portion 'Naalaikku naan kaana varuvaala, paalaikku neer oottri poovala, vazhiyoram vizhi... " song for tune arrangements and lyrics to some extents.

[Gregorysab]

I am a fan of ETV song . Forget the synth, forget the singers and tell now, did not the song had very nice tune?. I just waited n number of times to listen the 'bonus' portion 'Naalaikku naan kaana varuvaala, paalaikku neer oottri poovala, vazhiyoram vizhi... " song for tune arrangements and lyrics to some extents.

hmmmm... nahi yaar! Personally, i didnt feel that its a great or even half-good tune. I find it very bland. Raaja has done much much better stuff before and after that song.

[KV]

+22/7
Never been a fan of this song! I'd even pick 'oh baby baby' over this one (especially for that lovely 'vizhiyil vizhi moodi' prelude section).