Friday, 1 January 2010

Rahul Dev Burman: Caravan (1971)

1.1.10    26 comments

Caravan

One of RD Burman's most famous soundtracks, containing the quintessential Bollywood cabaret number 'Piya Tu Ab To Aja', sung by Asha Bhosle and performed on screen by the incomparable Helen. Song and scene both are awesome; elaborately arranged and staged, catchy, full of subtle (and not so subtle) eroticism - a classic. And a lot of you will know it already.

The question is then, how's the rest of 'Caravan'? Well, not all that exciting to be honest. Most of it is traditional, and unmemorable (and no, I'm not equating those two things). Both 'Ham To Hain Rahi Dil Ke' and 'Daiya Yeh Main Kahan Phasi' have their moments, but the only other track that's really worth mentioning is the lovely 'Ab To Mile Hai'. My kind of campfire singing.

Track listing:
1. Asha Bhosle & Rahul Dev Burman: Piya Tu Ab To Aja
2. Mohd. Rafi & Asha Bhosle: Goria Kahan Tear Desh
3. Lata Mangeshkar: Dilbar Dil Se Pyare
4. Lata Mangeshkar & Mohd. Rafi: Chadhati Jawani Meri Chal Mastani
5. Lata Mangeshkar & Mohd. Rafi: Kitna Pyara Wada
6. Asha Bhosle: Ab To Mile Hai
7. Kishore Kumar: Ham To Hain Rahi Dil Ke
8. Asha Bhosle: Daiya Yeh Main Kahan Phasi

To celebrate the new decade, I'm throwing in a Burman bonus. Happy new year!

26 comments:

  1. MFT3F1 January 2010 at 14:28:00 CET

    http://lix.in/-6a22d6

    and bonus:

    http://lix.in/-6d3090
    (José Flores/RD Burman: 'Pantera')

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  2. Reza1 January 2010 at 16:12:00 CET

    Thanks for Pantera, great newspaper article, where did you find that !
    That cover though ....

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  3. MFT3F1 January 2010 at 22:28:00 CET

    If you google Pantera you'll find the website where I picked up the article :)

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  4. memsaab1 January 2010 at 23:37:00 CET

    Thank you PC!!! Great start to the year :)

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  5. MFT3F1 January 2010 at 23:52:00 CET

    I was actually hoping to link it to a film review; I think you mentioned in a comment over at yours that you might be doing one...?

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  6. Anonymous2 January 2010 at 02:05:00 CET

    Great start for the year. Thanks PC.

    Warm Regds / Babu

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  7. princeali2 January 2010 at 03:15:00 CET

    PC,

    I can't Thank you enough !. I was waiting for this one.

    IMHO, the kind of music and songs that RD put into this one album alone, was rarely matched by him elsewhere. For Nasir Husain (Producer), he always produced something extraordinary and Caravan is no exception.

    A cult album, and definitely one of RD's Top 10 (of all time).

    Thanks so much, and Happy New Year !!!.

    P.S: I see there are some awesome albums lined up.

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  8. Unknown2 January 2010 at 03:32:00 CET

    Thank you ! Happy New Year :)
    Great ! Pantera & Caravan ! Total Burman-ish start for a new year.

    Harshi :)

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  9. litlgrey2 January 2010 at 09:39:00 CET

    That '80s Pantera sleeve is awful !!

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  10. Stephen D2 January 2010 at 11:31:00 CET

    Happy New Year PC. Thanks a ton once again for this fantastic album. I believe Dilbar Dil Se and Chadti Jawani are immensely popular numbers as well.

    And the original Bengali version of 'Ab To Mile Hai' is "Jabo Ki Jabo Na", which can be heard here: http://www.esnips.com/doc/58c01b1a-19dc-483d-84e8-2e641cb8a4c1/Jabo-Ki-Jabo-Na_Asha-Bhosle

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  11. Stephen D2 January 2010 at 11:58:00 CET

    Any chances we'll get to hear RDB's Padosan (The Neighbor) on Vinyl ??? Just wondering......

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  12. MFT3F2 January 2010 at 12:02:00 CET

    Don't have it I'm afraid.

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  13. ***Dj Paris Exotic Store***2 January 2010 at 14:55:00 CET

    Hello PC,

    Bonne année Happy new year!

    Ha Caravane i liked very much the famous song.

    I had a real pleasure to see Mukkadar Ka Sikkandar. Did you sau it?


    Perhaps you recognised the jacket of my radio program. I mixed two jacket of your vinyls.

    http://www.parisexoticstore.blogspot.com


    Thank you.

    I made a party and i couldn't imagine but everybody danced on Bollywood twist.

    Jan Pehechan Ho from Gunam had a lot of succes.



    Samuel


    ,

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  14. viz2 January 2010 at 18:12:00 CET

    Hey PC!
    Blockbusters in row! What line up! Talash in the line - ohhhhh my mouth is watering! Thanx for making my new year so speacial... keep up the good work! Always there for ya ............

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  15. Unknown3 January 2010 at 07:05:00 CET

    I always thought nearly all of Caravan was amazing. Especially "Dilber Dil Se Piyere" and "Kitna Piyara Wada"

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  16. Mister Naidu14 January 2010 at 07:45:00 CET

    Thanks for Caravan and Pantera. Carvan is one of RD's best and is better appreciated when one sees the film. Each song is beautifully picturised, especially Helen's song - Piya Ti Ab To Aja. :)

    Sad to find out that the groovy title music, which plays while Asha Parekh attempts to drive down a mountain without brakes, wasn't put on the album. So, I've just taken the audio from the DVD and uploaded it to MediaFire. Here's the link http://www.mediafire.com/?ngmjhy4yyza :D

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  17. MFT3F14 January 2010 at 10:29:00 CET

    Thanks. That happened quite a lot though, them omitting the (often ace) title music from the soundtracks.

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  18. litlgrey14 January 2010 at 15:24:00 CET

    Well done, Mister Naidu !!

    That's clearly Usha Iyer's voice.

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  19. Mister Naidu14 January 2010 at 16:30:00 CET

    Yw. Glad u you guys liked it! So, that's Usha Iyer aka Usha Uthup's voice on the tile music? Thanks for the info, litlgrey. She also did the vocal of one of my all time favorites - Ek Do Cha Cha Cha from Shalimar.

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  20. litlgrey17 January 2010 at 23:37:00 CET

    I don't think Uthup work with many other music directors other than Burman.

    Of course, she has a website... I imagine you could simply ask her.

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  21. MFT3F21 January 2010 at 15:53:00 CET

    She sang for Bappi on Disco Dancer, and on KA's Purab Aur Pachhim.

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  22. litlgrey21 January 2010 at 17:02:00 CET

    DId she? Ah, thank you!

    I have this theory, but not being either Indian or Indian-American, I can't prove it - perhaps some of those readers of this blog will feel free to ring in - but I am thinking that Iyer's comparatively western sounding deep voice and her nearly unaccented American english limited her appeal in Bollywood circles. Is there anything to that, or am I making it up?

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  23. MFT3F21 January 2010 at 17:09:00 CET

    I wouldn't know myself... just read her wikipedia entry though; nothing there to suggest the above.

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  24. Saptaparna16 November 2010 at 11:46:00 CET

    any many Thanks for all ur beautiful uploads...

    i've one request......if u have the "Panthera" LP with u, can u please share all cover pictures including pictures of the record label?i'm searching for that since long....thanks in advance....

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  25. MFT3F16 November 2010 at 12:19:00 CET

    Other than the front covers, which are included in the download files, I haven't really got the time to scan more of the artwork. It would take me too long to include back covers, gatefold insides, labels etc. Sorry.

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  26. Saptaparna18 November 2010 at 05:27:00 CET

    yah........its ok....but if u get any chance, please share them with me...thanks again..

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