Wednesday 31 January 2018

Sonik Omi: Heeron Ka Chor (1981)

Heeron Ka Chor

There's generally a lot of interesting (if not always entirely original) stuff happening in Sonik Omi's music. 'Heeron Ka Chor' is one of only a few of the duo's 1980s efforts I've come across, and while the songs aren't necessarily very memorable this too has a lot going for it. Like some excellent dancefloor-friendly grooves, spread out through the album.

A trio of tracks stand out. 'Ye Jawani Hai Meri Jaan' effectively melds Latin and Arabic influences and is infectious as hell. String sections are obviously common in Bollywood film songs, yet I can't recall many featuring an actual fiddle solo. 'Kuchh Aise Ashiq Saamne' has a compelling, vaguely psychedelic and sort of sleazy vibe (Helen sporting a whip contributes to that); the arrangment is riddled with neat details. And 'Phoolon Se Hai Meri Dosti' has a cool, double bass and percussion driven jazz thing present, augmented by 70s/80s synth touches.

Additionally, the opening disco number 'Mera Dil Dhak Dhak Dhak' is a beat heavy stomper (you'll need to get past its rather cringeworthy English introduction), and 'Title Music' is almost (but not quite) up there with the best Kalyanji Anandji action movie themes. So all in all, despite there not really being any melodies to hum, a pretty ace soundtrack.

Track listing:
1. Amit Kumar & Chandrani Mukherjee: Mera Dil Dhak Dhak Dhak
2. Mohd. Rafi & Asha Bhosle: Ye Jawani Hai Meri Jaan
3. Mohd. Rafi, Asha Bhosle & Chorus: Kuchh Aise Ashiq Saamne
4. Aziz Nazan, Asha Bhosle & Chorus: Chilman Se Nikalkar Saamne Aa
5. Mohd. Rafi & Chorus: Phoolon Se Hai Meri Dosti
6. Title Music


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8 comments:

  1. Hi PC, do you watch the films of every soundtrack you posted on this blog? If so, what is your favorite film?

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  2. No, I seldom do. I'm afraid I've only seen a small handful of the ones I've posted soundtracks to. I love the music; the films not so much.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yo Pc,the rare record listings on your want list, Infos about these records can be on the net, but how do you find out the more rarer ones that have hardly any trace online? Just very curious m8

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mostly by chance; stumbling over clips on Youtube or elsewhere online, or other enthusiasts tip me off.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the info, anyways i found this

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bollywood-record-BHOOT-BUNGLA-Ultra-rare-ANGEL-12-Rahul-Dev-Burman/152913396749?hash=item239a59440d:g:lxoAAOSwsZJadaYW

    are you willing to get it?

    I hope you do. :)


    ReplyDelete
  6. Nope, will almost certainly give that one a miss.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I came across "Ye Jawani Hai Meri Jaan" before, on one of Saregama's endless reissue CDs which had no integrity for original artwork or track listings. I think that track is glorious, and a magnificent showcase for Bhosle and especially for Rafi, who was enjoying an all too brief resurgence in popularity when he was taken from us all. No style was beyond his mastery.

    ReplyDelete