Tuesday 1 January 2019

Bappi Lahiri: Dahshat (1981)

Dahshat

This record is one of those Bappi Lahiri soundtracks that tend to have exorbitant price tags attached to them on the second-hand/collectors' market. It sometimes baffles me which ones do and which don't. 'Dahshat' [review] is hardly that scarce – could simply having tracks featured on Western compilations such as 'Bollywood Bloodbath' contribute to the inflation? The score is good in parts, but come on, it shouldn't be costing hundreds of bucks.

Half of it fails to interest me. Kishore's opener I find annoying, and Asha's contribution is quickly forgotten. On the plus side, 'Disco Title Music' is pretty decent. It has a vague 1970s blaxploitation or crime theme feel; for what is essentially an instrumental it could have sounded more adventurous to warrant a 3-minute runtime, but it's still worthwhile. 'Meri Jaan' (on which Bappi takes centre stage himself, along with Sulakshana Pandit) is the album's highlight; a boisterous dance floor stomper situated somewhere between his early (funky) disco experiments and the synthetic (ostentatious) variant of the genre he gradually become famous for.

Track listing:
1. Kishore Kumar: Mere Pyar Ka Metre
2. Bappi Lahiri & Sulakshana Pandit: Meri Jaan
3. Asha Bhosle: Meri Yaar Ghussewala
4. Anand Raj: Disco Title Music
5. Dialogue


If the above post gave you some joy or value, if you've ever been inspired by the contents of this blog, please consider leaving a tip. In addition to showing your support, you could gain access to currently unavailable downloads. Or why not buy a copy of MFT3F's unique guide to 100 Bollywood Soundtracks Every Music Lover Ought To Hear? Either way, you'll be letting me know the work I've put into this matters to you, and you'll be motivating me to continue.

9 comments:

  1. https://mir.cr/HJTRKWCH
    no reups

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you very much for this, and Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome and rare share.
    Thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing. 'Meri Jaan' is pretty good, and 'Mere Yaar Gussewala' is tolerable, but I agree that the Kishore song is a miss. The beat on Disco Title Music sounds like an ominous precursor to Bappi's "Jag Sara Nache" from Karate (1983) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hcPXxZMPQg.

    Happy New Year, PC!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have a point there, the relentless percussive drive is quite similar isn't it. I need to dig that one out for a re-listen soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you so much. I'd dream one day that you will review Jadu Tona (1977).
    https://youtu.be/9pyy6UAnP94
    Click the link to see why. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds awesome, but sadly not a soundtrack I've ever come across.

    ReplyDelete