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Great Impact of ARR on Indian contemporary Music and IsaiGnani

Topic started by The Fan (@ spider-we053.proxy.aol.com) on Thu Nov 12 02:16:07 EST 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

By now we must appreciate the positive qualities of ARR's musical genre or style and interpretations. ARR has single handendly made film music and that too, Tamil film music one of the most favorite discussion topics anywhere. He reengineered or turned around the concept of film music in India and made it a pop culture. Though there is something left to be desired in his creativity, he has forever changed the landscape of Indian film music. Taking it to a different platform, he has escaped comparisons and stands at the heap of a new generation of musical presentation and thought. I feel glad that ARR happened at the right time to Indian films. Otherwise look what might have happened to Isaignani, who probably would've lost the inspiration to stay around. ARR's has woken up IR from his classical mode and made IR change mode to a trendy style, eg: KM and MVU, each filmy score of IR getting more experimental and in tune with current taste for music. In other words, I personally thank ARR for being the EYES AND EARS OF IR. New rhythms, extremely different melodic structures. etc.. In addition, ARR is gaining on to be the next icon of music in Indian film music, maybe not in Tamil film music, however. This is what we need. New persectives, a 360 degree difference in styles. In this thread, it will be beneficial to talk about how ARR brought in new things that made us wonder why didn't our other composers attempt this, so easy, so out there, why didn't they. And,difficult innovations that challenged even IR. This will discussion should be purely to discuss the impact of ARR's contributions and his impact on IR's creative styles.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Krishna (@ 56.new-york-08.ny.dial-access.att.net) on: Thu Nov 19 16:55:24 EST 1998
  
  You asked for IR's fils this decade, here they are...you may not like Dharma and poonthottam but that does not mean Ir's quality has come down or those who like it are fanatics..well anyway i am not really even bothered about what your classification is because it is immaterial...But let me list the albums this decacde where all the songs challenge ARR's in quality...the brilliance in compositions unmatched.
  
  devar magan
  Chinna Thambi
  chinna Gownder
  Ejaman
  Athma
  Uzhaippali
  Walter vertivel
  marupadiyum
  Mahanathi
  Veera
  Valli
  Rajakumaran
  Pattu padavaa
  kalaignan
  Pudupatti Ponnuthayee
  Kolangal
  Pattu Vadhyar
  Chandraleka
  Siraichalai
  Ilaiya Nila
  rajavin paarvaiyele
  avatharam
  vettula vesishanga
  Oru oorile oru rajakumari
  Nandavana theru
  Nammora handhara Hoove
  guru
  yatra Mozhi
  India 24 Hrs
  Moga Mull
  Punniyavathi
  devadhai
  avatharam
  Kadavul
  Kadhalukku mariyadhai
  annan
  kizhakum merkum
  Veera thalatu
  dharma
  poonthottam
  manam virumbuthe unnai
  Kaliyoonjal
  
  Guys! If this is what you think someone with his skills on the recline does, I will deffinitely take the brilliance raja has shown in the last decade over anything else you got.
  
  I have a marketing degree and have been in marketing for more than a decade! I am now working for a large pharmaceutical product responsible for launching a new vaccine (in the next couple of months), one of the largest vaccine launches in the US.
  
  I have my hypothesis on ARR's ascent based on consumer behavior which has nothing to do with quality of music or better recording or whatsover but all to do with perceptions and "media/marketing" hype. Those are post martem analysis. Thats why I responded to this posting. Now that ARRis made famous, people are trying to pin on him laurels that are false...like he is the only one who concentrates on each and every song of the album or he is the only one who can reach to the common man.
  
  When ARR played music for Roja, people have begun to expect quality music from mairatnam's movies..meaning music in mR movies had a brand image of recognition/fame..which was created by raja (my other pt..raja did not need brand manes to establish himself..he created brand names)..So ARR had walked into a 'no lose' situation. Around the sametime, based on the enimity that GV, KB and MR had with IR, they promoted the hoot out of this and affordrd the movie a national award...the award by itself has no value but added to that brand building of ARR. The reason I cast my doubts on that was the people on the selction committe were GV and KB. Also in my opinion devar magan's music had more brilliance than what I heard in Roja. Further if Roja deserved an award ther5e were tons of such movies by IR which deserved awards which they chose not to give to raja like Ninaivellam nitya, Payananga;l Mudivathillai, alaigal oyavdhhilai etc. From then for the next couple of years similar brand name building occured and the media played a huge role beacuse a. of its explosion in coverage and b. because people in media hated IR because Ir never had time for them nor would he attend thier annual gatherings etc. raja became everyone's favorite villain and they mad ARR a way of getting at Raja.
  
  The other consumer demographic trend, similar to the one that happened, was in the early 90s with the opening up of our economy and mainly our media there was a shifting consumer tastes. The teenagers of the 90s were clamoring toward anything western like in nature..people liked to identify with maniratnam's movies, arvindswamys etc..there was a yuppie culture with dispposable income..These were people who were probably in childhood during the IR years and had not developed the same taste buds that Raja had developed in our generation. Thus ARR playing in Roja with maniratnam and arvindswamy types was the right combination at the right time. The same holds good for northies listening to tamil music. the trend satrted before Roja in the sense that after Nayagan dubbed as dayavan in Hindi, maniratnam was getting popular in Hindi. So, northies taking to ARR had more to do with that.
  
  My assertion is that IR's music is brilliant as ever. After I heard "etho etho" song in manam virumbuthe unnai, I said if I can compose only one song like that I'll be proud for my life. I havent heard such a brilliant compositon from anyone else. I hear avatharam songs and often ponder how thos who give national awards could miss such an ablum.
  
  Anyway sorry for the long wordrd messgae..My point is I accept most people like ARR's music now..great listen and be happy..but that doesnt mean that you guys have to denigrate Raja..
  
  
  
  
  
• From: pg (@ gate02.merck-medco.com) on: Thu Nov 19 17:02:30 EST 1998
  
  Krishna :
  Don't even bother to explain.
  
  Music gurus in this forum have decided that all of rAjA's output in the lasy year is junk so why bother ? Just enjoy the music.
  
  
• From: Srinivas (@ pup38.stanford.edu) on: Thu Nov 19 18:27:12 EST 1998
  
  Dev,
  I am not at all sure that SPB is singing every song in every Telugu movie.
  I got some albums recently and % of SPB songs is less. The newer MDs are introducing their own choice of singers. That may be one reason why SPB is singing less. But, yes, this trend was started by arr.
  
  
• From: MPR (@ 212-183-25.ipt.aol.com) on: Thu Nov 19 19:20:06 EST 1998
  
  Krishna:
  
  Ilaiyaraaja needed one KB to get two
  national awards. This tells us how
  the award committee works :-))
  
  
• From: dhan (@ dajal.legato.com) on: Thu Nov 19 20:21:03 EST 1998
  
  krishna:
  
  let whatever you say be all correct and logical...but you missed one simple fact. Music is not like any other commodity, like coffee or Tea. It is something to do for our "ul-unarvu". If I am having a hectic times and wanna relax for a while, I am going to listen to something which is going to be smooth for me. Will I think of an adv or media hype or ARR's hairstyle that instant. In my case, I will never think those things.
  
  ARR rose becuz his music was accepted by people, I donot think any anti IR media put any kind of ban on IR's music, if its so, how would u explain KM phenomenon.
  
  pin kurippu: naanum oru padu thivira 70s/80s IR fanatic dhaan!
  
  
• From: Raj (@ pdxss902.pdx.intel.com) on: Thu Nov 19 20:25:44 EST 1998
  
  Krishna,
  
  I think u are wasting time. Because u will be branded a fanatic anyway irrespective of what u write. U are a fanatic if u disagree with some
  music gurus here who have the final word on the
  quality of songs. I didn't find this much bashing
  in ARRs jeans thread and uyire thread. I think IR fans are more restrained in their comments. Perhaps u think they were impeccable in quality and it may be true too. However, I find Poonthottam impeccable and so many other movies too. But it is so tough for ARR fans to comprehend that somebody likes Poonthottam. If that says that I have a poor taste of music I am fine with that.
  Somehow people here seem to categorize DFers into
  just two categories-IR fanatics and true lovers of music. There is nothing else. Anybosy who just says one IR song in this decade is good, ARR may have done better in this album, IR is not gone is an IR fanatic. Before anybody asks me whether I know anything about music to comment about anything here, let me explain, that I havent played any instrument in my lifetime, never learnt music but I do enjoy listening to music. Hope that is qualification enough to post here.
  
  
• From: Mukund (@ sdwwwgw01.sd.nmp.nokia.com) on: Thu Nov 19 20:53:13 EST 1998
  
  Hi Dhan,
  
  Lot of people don't even listen to music the way you say it is. (It is correct way of course). But a whole lot of people just listen to songs. For them TFM is not a serious stuff.
  
  I too beleive ARR is talented and his songs are good, selling of casettes and popularity of songs is entirely dependent a lot on hype. A lot of my friends who for a long time did care 2 hoots about TFM started buying ARR casettes.
  
  When I ask them why, they would not say that they like all his songs or sonemthing, BUT will say "Everyone seems to be hearing ARR these days :-)" will be their reply.
  
  That is hte influence of hype.
  
  Mukund
  
  
• From: Srikanth (@ slip-32-101-16-103.il.us.ibm.net) on: Thu Nov 19 21:19:52 EST 1998
  
  Hi
  Krishna:
  Thanks for a the huge list, if you see the list only 8%-10% was upto his stds, all other were total crap. Oflate there has not been anything new from Raja as mentioned by me earlier we can predict his score.
  
  The story you put on enemity of BR, KB MR etc is the reason for the ARR growth - be practical Nala - Why did they choose ARR!, even Deva was around, Chandrabose was around, vidhaya sagar was around, maragathamani was around...
  
  You have reasoned out some right times for Arr - I dont get it , Katrula bothe thutrikol - he did it perfectly.
  
  ARR fans here never talk about Raja, it unwanted posting by the raja fans digs a canal for unwanted Raja bashing. Raja fans has even started a thread called ARR bashing to statisfy there killer thirst against ARr.
  I would say ARR fans here are decent than the IR fans.
  
  Krisha and other IR fans : you guys talk as though all ARr fans have put a 144 for Raja song, that is the reason for the downfall, this is not correct. Simple reason for Arr sucess - people have accepted his music , if you say mass acceptance is due to media hype, why media is backing up ARr always, why not deva or sirpi or vidhaya sagar or anyone or raja for that matter.
  
  Let us take a new raja song and analyze face to face on a chat, I can prove lot of things.
  Similary for ARr I can bring out many new things he did. for eg: the Malayalam pharse in nejinile - setting a perfect harmony for indian classical music is not easy. He did perfectly.
  There is no doubt - ARR gave a paradigm shift to TFM.
  
  Live and let live.
  
  Srikanth
  
  
  
• From: Suresh (@ 205-234-75.ipt.aol.com) on: Thu Nov 19 21:51:05 EST 1998
  
  Stupid Topic. Idiotic claim.
  
  

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