Monday, 23 January 2012

Chitragupta: Pyar Ka Sapna (1969) / Kalyanji Anandji: Apradh (1972) / Sonik Omi: Play Boy (1975)

Pyar Ka Sapna

I consider the one album I have by Chitragupta to be fairly good, but he has never been a music director I've put much effort into pursuing. At least not until I saw a clip of Helen in 'Pyar Ka Sapna' and it became a matter of necessity to locate that film's soundtrack. The song in question, 'Night Is Lovely Lovely, is one of the tastiest, catchiest, best Bollywood pop songs ever made, end of story. I've yet to come across a sensible copy of the LP, but this EP does me nicely.

Apradh

An EP is in fact all there ever was from 'Apradh' [review] [2]; for whatever reason the film wasn't afforded a full length album. The soundtrack is primarily noteworthy for 'Ae Naujawan Hai Sub Kuchh Yahan' which became kind of famous in the west when The Black Eyed Peas sampled it for 'Don't Phunk With My Heart'. I wasn't a big fan of the latter, but I do love Kalyanji Anandji's funky original. Who doesn't?

Play Boy

The Mohd. Rafi track on 'Play Boy', and indeed the score as a whole, is credited to Sonik Omi. But it's this 2-track single's A-side that's really interesting; 'O My Son Shine Baby' is one of the most unusual Bollywood songs I've heard, in the sense that it doesn't sound at all as if it was made in India. A mix of Burt Bacharach, 60s West End musicals, bubblegum pop-soul and fuzzed out freak beat, sung in English (and also written) by one Edgardo Binalling Bing; it's a wonderful treat. And I'd love to find out more about it.

I've never come across a full length version of this score either (and hardly any mentions of the actual film), but look around the interwebs for some additional songs; worth grabbing.

Track listing, 'Pyar Ka Sapna':
1. Lata Mangeshkar: Ye Zindagi Hamari Kya
2. Asha Bhosle: Night Is Lovely Lovely
3. Lata Mangeshkar & Mohd. Rafi: Aai Meri Zindagi Tu Nahin Ajnabi
4. Mohd. Rafi: Tere Chehre Se Hate

Track listing, 'Apradh':
1. Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar: Hamare Siwae Tumhare
2. Asha Bhosle: Ae Naujawan Hai Sub Kuchh Yahan
3. Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle: Tum Mile Pyar Se
4. Kishore Kumar: Tum Ho Haseen

Track listing, 'Play Boy':
1. Edgardo Binalling Bing: O My Son Shine Baby
2. Mohd. Rafi: Aaj Tumhare

30 comments:

  1. And by the way, the 'Play Boy' tracks have incorrectly been tagged 'Playboy'; amend at will.

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  2. Of course in their infinite wisdom, Indian vcd/dvd manufacturers cut "Night is Lovely" from the film.

    *SIGH*

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  3. Great stuff.
    Gonna try out. Always had "Apradh" on original cd but then I always love the vinyl version :)
    Lemme know if u want the HQ "Apradh" OST. Thanks a lot for this trinity treat.

    Harshi =)

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  4. Hi, PC! These all sound great. Just curious, did you only scan one side of the "Play Boy" 45 and not the other? I don't want to accidentally miss anything.

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  5. @memsaab, that's just backwards and very very wrong.
    @harshi, thanks, I think I already have those.
    @litlgrey, yup I only scanned the one side I'm afraid.

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  6. Ah, okay. No problem! Thanks once again, PC!

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  7. I just wanted to let you know that Aradh WAS in fact released as a full length album. The reason that they werent a lot of copies made or bought by the public is because the film only had 4 songs and 4 songs isn't enough for a 12 inch lp. It was a lot more cost effective for the consumer and the music companies to make and buy cheaper eps, which had all the songs like the ep! I do not have the lp myself but im guessing dialogue was probably used as filler, the two things missing from the ep that the lp had are to music tracks! Which would be awsome to hear!!! Plus just found this out right know but there is apperently a reissue of Apradh on lp recently (which i havent seen on the market)!

    Original LP:
    (front)
    https://picasaweb.google.com/lipgloss14/A02#5548429370670163090

    back
    https://picasaweb.google.com/lipgloss14/A02#5548429339186507394

    Reissue LP:
    http://thankgodimanathist.blogspot.com/2011/11/apradh-anjaan-raahein-lp-cover.html

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  8. Well I'll be damned. Never seen that before. Neither have many others I think - almost everyone I've asked have claimed there was just the EP. Just goes to show. Thanks for the info Karen, and as you say, it would be great to hear the instrumentals at some point.

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  9. awesome quality pc......and thank u karen for info....as megaupload is now bloked....pc, any chance to get the older rips.....all other links r invalid....

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  10. I think my standpoint on expired links has already been made clear.

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  11. Ah, the saga continues...

    Some proclaim that the Apradh LP was never made, since after making the covers, Feroz Khan had a fallout with the recording company.
    Others claim the Lp was made but, after a few copies, the fallout occured.
    Reprotedly, Vinod Sonthalia, one of the biggest, if not the biggest collector, of Indian LPs had a copy. Since that gentleman is no more with us (he passed on), we are back to square one.
    Either way we guys dont get to see or hold this gem, forget hearing it.:)

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  12. Ah, a proper mystery then! Thanks for your input Sunny… any idea what happened to Vinod Sonthalia's collection?

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  13. Sunny, thanks for the enlightment on the lp issue! Had no idea about any of that! I cant remember where i had seen it on the web, but there was some piece on bollywood vinyl that focused on a particular shop in mumbai or delhi and in one of the pics of the shop there was the lp of apradh displayed and for sale!

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  14. Thanks for the Helen vinyl double feature :) Having a nice vinyl rip of "Night Is Lovely Lovely" from Pyar Ka Sapna alone is worth the price of admission :)

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  15. Good to hear from you Mister Naidu!

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  16. A triple treat to break through the sannata (silence) that is spreading throughout blog land. Thank you!

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  17. PC, from what I came to know is that his son (daughter?) decided to pursue the collection.

    @Karen - If you could locate that site it would be excellent. Would love to see an image of the actual record.
    Record dealers I have spoken to here in Bombay, have the same story to tell about the LP (non) release.

    Its strange, I wrote earlier, two days ago, but it did not show up here, so wriring again.

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  18. @Sunny here you go finally found the article! The shops located in Delhi, who know maybe they still have at!

    http://thedelhiwalla.blogspot.com/2007/06/city-secrets-jama-masjid-melodies.html

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  19. @Karen: That is the cover only. I know the owner, who clarified that he does not have the actual LP.
    According to him, not a single LP was made.

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  20. Karen, the shop that you posted the article about still exists. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner and his son syed afar shah who apparently are now collectors of highest number of lps and eps.

    This is their Facebook page
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shah-Music-Centre/160916550632309

    Very very nice people. Their shop has only few lps but they did take me to visits their godown where they keep all their material and it was an unbelievable sight to see so many ep's and lp's

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  21. HMV is releasing "Apradh" lp this mnth...this LP will have the songs from "Anjaan Raahen" also...

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  22. I'm curious - these new vinyl reissues we're seeing, are they any good? Or the same shoddy quality (usually lacking the instrumentals) as the 2-fer CDs that have around for ages already?

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  23. PC, Since they have another movie on the new Lp, the chances of any music from Apradh is remote.
    Knowing Ssregama, mostly the recording quality will not be as good like the older vinyls.
    Reviews from actual buyers of the recently released vinyls have been mixed, from good to sad.
    BTW Bombay to Goa has also been released, although no dealer has either this one or Apradh.

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  24. Bombay To Goa (and a few others) are available on eBay. I'm giving them a miss.

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  25. This shop also sells the LPs in India http://www.rhythmhouse.in/Specials.aspx?special=Indian+LPs&v=4&l=Indian+LPs&p=1

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  26. Rs799... that's what? US$16? Somewhat less than what the bloodsuckers on eBay are demanding.

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  27. Yes, just about. I wonder if they actually remastered the LPs or they slapped the CDs on vinyl....

    I love collecting the vinyl covers for my mp3 tagging, using them in place of my combo CD scans for many albums. I beleive that's what brought me to "Teesri Manzil" and you in the first place. :) Not that impressed with these re-release covers. One of the sites I get them from is also selling the re-releases for around the same price for those interested (but does not have said album in question): http://www.ngh.co.in/category/55-bollywood-lp-vinyl-music-records.aspx?orderby=5 To me sites like that and this one are good sources of album info, especially where back covers are scanned http://www.bollywoodvinyl.com/ (I've also noticed some other bloggers use the scans from these sites for their posts).

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  28. yah...thats quite cheaper...quality of new lot is quite good..."Bombay To Goa", "Chhote Nawab" are good enough...and this is the first time, any LP released for "Bombay To Goa"...

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