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SPB and TMS - Compare and Contrast

Topic started by rajaG (@ kcecfp01.sprint.com) on Tue Mar 16 12:39:41 EST 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I had mentioned very briefly mentioned about TMS's talents (and some deficiencies thereof strictly IMO) in another thread. Obviously, the two kings of TFMs deserve at least a separate thread for discussion, instead of merely being a 'distraction' in some other thread.

My request to the participants is:
Please try to be objective in assessing their qualities. Let us explore difference in background, cultural situation at the time of their prime, acting style of the principal heroes, training etc. Let us not take the easy path of 'mere mudslinging' on the artists or the DF participants. Believe me, if and when I have done it, I have not been proud of it!

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Responses:

• From: vasanth (@ gw-1.broadreachconsulting.com) on: Tue Mar 16 16:50:53 EST 1999
  
  BOTH ARE BRILLIANT ...TO SAY TMS IS VISIBLY IMMORTAL..AND S.P.B ..YOU KNOW..HE IS THERE FOR EVER
  
  
• From: Sriram Lakshman (@ ifmxlenx.na.informix.com) on: Wed Mar 17 17:06:02 EST 1999
  
  Appa, finally an opportunity to write about these
  two colossuses.
  Instead of indulging in direct comparisons ,
  I would like to just point out (IMO) their respective strengths and failings .
  The idea is to just set the ball rolling now.
  TMS:
  His forte is his voice. Yes, very masculine and
  powerful too ,powerful enough to
  elevate mediocre tunes to some heights.
  Coming under the Poochi Iyengar lineage of singers,he was introduced to TFM by SMS and recommended by none other than PU Chinnappa.
  His major influences have been MKT and SundarambaL (for their delivery styles) and
  MSS (for her expressions).
  During his hey days, he did have the luxury of
  allowing the tune that was given to him to sink in,reflecting on it deeply and giving it
  the form that he deemed best. He is said to have cajoled KVM and MSV often to atleast hum the tune 10 times for him to get a grasp on the nuances of the tune.
  He says that MSV often gave him a choice
  of 10 different tunes for each lyric that was being considered and prides himself on his ability to choose the tune that would have the mass appeal without compromise on quality.
  This was ofcourse done with the consent
  of the director. The recording studio , it seems
  resembled a village fair those days with the director's cronies too chipping in with suggestions.
  His brighas have a polish and precision ,
  no fuzziness there, crystal clear brighas which had an air of finality, the listener feels that this is
  the last word in brighas. He did not depend on exciting and unexpected sangathis or improvisations to make a tune endearing,
  his voice and his expression making up for the inadequacies in this area. His improvisation was limited to changing his voice culture based on the song situation, Yaar antha nilavu, O little flower, Gnayiru enbathu had a touch of sophistication and the lovable nasal twang,
  "thannanthaniyaaga
  naan vantha pothu","Thenna mara thoppuKKuLLe paartha gyaabagam"
  had the rustic flavour and there are so many more such cases.
  He was best at expressing Bhathi, intense sorrow like in "Enge nimmathi","Yettil ezhuthi vaithen".
  
  Now what genre of song can't this voice do justice to ?
  Songs with a Hindustani feel , that is songs with lenghty meters set to not so rapid beat patterns . These songs required voices with a
  great bass and singers with the ability to capitalise on the lenghty meters to introduce twists and turns. Songs (in the above mentioned category) like "Oru NaaLile" (sivantha MaNN), "KaNNan enthan Kaathalan"
  (oru thai makkaL)", Mella mella mella (?) all had PS rolling her voice away to glory with TMS caught on the wrong foot and playing
  it safe. I thought his voice sounded too "Canatic-ish" and open-throated.PBS would have been the ideal choice.
  
  The TMS of the mid 70's , had his voice struggling to live up its 50's and 60's "high-pitch" standard . His efforts to maintain the
  same pitch had his nose vying with his voice to take 50% of the burden and the result
  was the voice that one could avoid. But still there were some classics like "Isai kettaal puvi", "Alangaaram kalayaatha" etc.
  
  SPB :
  A born singer whose singing was just an extension of his talking. WIth no orthodox schooling in music he joined the select band of "instinctive" singers in IFM which had
  giants like KL Saigal, Kishore Kumar etc when
  Kothandpani gave him the first break in '66-'67, though I consider him to be more versatile than the above two.
  The singers who have influenced him most were Mohd. Rafi (expressions), Ghantasala (the influence could be felt only in the old Telugu songs of SPB),
  PBS (overall modulation and usage of falsetto voice when appropriate). I am sure SPB was drawn towards Asha Bhonsle's style of improvisation and to some extent Lata's too , remember the sangathi when he sings
  "Naan ariyaatha ragasiyam ondru" the second time in the song "Vaazhvil sowbaaggiyam vanthathu". This echo effect was something Lata used quite often. If there was one singer who used Rafi's romantic expressions and took
  them to heights never seen before it was this crooner.
  You can feel it when he sings the pallavi "Then sinthuthe vaanam" after SJ finishes her charanam and when he puts accross "Arusuvai nirambiya paal kudam" the second time in the
  song "AvaL oru navarasa naadagam".
  
  His vocal reach has to be admired, evasive notes, subtle notes, he has 'em all covered.
  
  Most of his songs took shape when the "track singer" culture was in vogue. He has openly admitted that he misses the conventional style of recording with the full-blown orchestra. This could be because, he had struck a personal equation with some musicians, Eg :- Prasad (MSV's chief tabalist) and these two more or less indulged in a friendly hide and seek game.Prasad and SPB's sangathis,must be awesome stuff !! Ever the master improviser,
  he kept the listener guessing with his sangathis when the MD was sporting enough to accomodate all this.
  No other singer IMO, showed such sensitivity to flow of melody and nobody else "decorated" a tune as well as he did. He negotiated very well, the problem that generally "base-voice" singer are plagued with. The voice deepens
  and thickens , it stops "rolling" as well as it used to.
  During the mid-80's and there-on ,he therefore
  judiciously blended his base voice with his false voice. "NenjukkuLLe innarunnu" in "PonumaNi" had SPB "basing" only at the word "puriyuma". He was best at expressing silent passion as in "Mazhai tharumo en megam", "Paal nilavu neram". He
  showed a great penchant for songs with a Hindustani touch like "Devi vantha neram", "Nanda Nee yen nila","ANNan oru koyil endral" etc.
  He too had his defeciencies, he was not as
  "open-throated" as he should have been in "Pallaviye SaraNam" and some
  other carnatic based songs. His prolificity did take its toll as you had an overworked SPB more intent on just completing the song and ignoring the finer points in the tune. The time constraints did not help his cause either.
  
  He can be held guilty of over-doing the "Sogam" stuff.This "over-singing" spoilt the flow of the song. He was much better in the early 70's in this aspect,"Thangathottil pattu methai" stands as a testimony.
  
  More later..
  
  I have not indulged in any sort of comparisons between these two legends only for the fear this thread too getting transformed into one of those degrading "Muyalukku MooNu kaal" wars.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: Sriram Lakshman (@ ifmxlenx.na.informix.com) on: Wed Mar 17 19:09:58 EST 1999
  
  Correction, the last sentence should read
  "for the fear of this thread too "
  
  
• From: karthi (@ lab3.theatrium.net) on: Wed Mar 17 20:17:25 EST 1999
  
  That was simply great Sriram! One wonders what else to say? But I have some points to add too - and no comparisons!
  
  SPB -
  
  (+)
  He just did the right job in singing his Lingaashtakam - correct and perfect to the point neither did he overdo nor underdo any part of the song-slokam thereby rendering it an immortal value. When I hear it my mind becomes like 'still water' in a river (which is unusual!). His pronunciation is the best among male singers in TFM. He also modulates his voice - listen to NeedhaanE Endhan Pon Vasandham, KaathOdu Poovurasa, Kamban Emaandhaan - but doesn't accept it. He's also the most versatile singer that ever happened to the music world.
  
  (-)
  Even some of his best film songs are spoilt by his over improvisations - unexpected sangathis never always excite you. (Sriram, mannippaayaaga!) Thanks to him he didn't do any such thing in kanaa kaanum kaNgaL mella! His voice (false voice?) sounds kind of so thinned out in high pitches. Eg: NilaavE Vaa.
  
  I love SPB of the late 70's and early 80's.
  
  TMS -
  
  (+)
  There cannot be another 'ULLAM URUGUDHAIYA' in the world! Nenjil Araigira Maadhiri Oru Kural. 'YAAR THARUVAAR INDHA ARIYAASANAM' can be sung only by him and none other. His voice is so fulfilling that sometimes you will not desire anything in this world. Just an example: ChinnavaLai Mugam SivandhavaLai! Tremendous Bhaavam! Just listen to 'Ennadi Raakkamma' (Pattikkaada PattaNama) - there's bhaavam in each and every syllable he sings, 'Sirithu Vaazha Vendhum' (Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban) - the joy of being among the kids reflects in his voice completely, 'Kaatru Vaanga POnEn' (Kalangarai ViLakkam)- the reminiscences of that romance that is expressed in the song shows in his voice. Anyone knows of his ability to modulate his voice. ILamaiyaana oru kural - atleast in his hay days!
  
  (-)
  very poor english pronunciation always to spoil the mood of the song. Never heard him say Jathis in songs - once heard that he wasn't good in that. Cannot sing for a young hero like Ravichandran and the like because of the nature of his voice. In some songs one can find a slight pisiru in his voice at some point.
  
  His powerful voice always keeps me in awe - AAh!
  
  
  
  
  
• From: rameshb (@ spider-tr013.proxy.aol.com) on: Wed Mar 17 21:11:07 EST 1999
  
  Sriram L,
  that was a profound analysis!
  is your statement
  >He did not depend on exciting and unexpected sangathis or improvisations to make a tune endearing, his voice and his expression making up for the inadequacies in this area. His improvisation was limited to changing his voice culture based on the song situation<
  concludes saying
  a)he can express more with his voice to make a tune long lasting than by a technical methodology in which the MD makes a tune more haunting by introducing sangathis? -- period
  Are you saying that a tune could be more endearing by virtue of ones voice and expression alone and not by melodies or sangathis? I am sure that is NOT what you mean here! melody very much forms the building block of any Tamil song and sangathis are ornamental to give sophistication to the creativity. Some may feel irritated by sangathis, but i find it an extremely pleasing element of melody. May be sangathis are sporadically used in TFM songs, (correct me if i am wrong , may be they were used in some other songs rendered by sirgAzhi and TRM), but i wonder if TMS was really lacking any kinda vocal strengths to perform sangathis. I am sure if you give him the number 'rAdhE unathu kObam AgAthadi' in which the melody is brought about by means of sangathis, he would do it equally good .
  
  
• From: Ragapriyan (@ 202.54.37.18) on: Wed Mar 17 21:59:58 EST 1999
  
  Sriram, Karthi & Co:
  
  innum ezhudhungappaa, please.
  
  

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