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SPB the greatest singer that India had ever produced

Topic started by greatest_spb_fan (@ 212.2.14.241) on Thu Aug 2 04:57:19 EDT 2001.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

why don't anybody start a thread like 'SPB the greatest singer that India had ever produced', pls

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: KavipPiriyan (@ 209.219.209.68) on:
  
  NCR,
  
  have you heared the SG (sIrgazhi) version of "siva sangari " ? Please listen to it and let me know who is better between SG and Ghantasala. It will be a nice and healthy comparison.
  
  I agree with you on carnatic/complex/devotionals numbers that Ghantasala has an edger over SPB. I am glad that you have brought this in to light to open the eyes of many who keep posting almost every " SPB is the best in the world..." etc. etc.
  
  But as regards melody, (and in general light (music) singing SPB excels with the kind of expression and punch he gives to the songs with his vocal acrobatism. Light music needs such a talent to give a inspirited appeal to the songs and he does it wonderfully.
  
  You may be right saying SPB is not the greatest , if you really set very high standards. But , in Film Music (Light Music) SPB has scored over many other singers in the last 3.5 decades and has sustained until now.
  
  
• From: NCR (@ 206.30.30.2) on: Fri Aug 31 11:49:37 EDT 2001
  
  Hi Raghuvaran, KavipPiriyan
  
  I disagree with SPB having an edge over the Ghantasala in melodies. Since ghantasala was mostly restricted to telugu songs, (why I dont know the reason), but I can quote lot of examples in telugu if any body heard of it. like Enta haayi ee reyi enta madhuram, lahiri lahiri from mayabazar there are n number of examples. you really know how best he is. IMHO SPB definetely adds but lacks something w.r.t ghantasala. I dont know the reason why. As ragu said the composition of melodies were different between times. So it is purely subjective what you like between these periods.
  
  I heard both versions of shiva shankari, I feel whaat you hear first will have an impact on you. So I like ghantasala's version where as you may like SG's version.
  
  Next I agree that SPB has an edge when compared to multilingual talent which I told in my earlier posting too but that is not a big factor. I feel if you can sing in one south Indian language, you can definetely sing in all south Indian. It is different to North where SPB also had tough time. North Indians feel the difference in accent. When SPB Sings tamil songs you dont feel the difference but when SPB sings Hindi, there is a difference in accent. Almost all singers now are multilingual.( mano, chitra, PS, SJ, sujatha etc.,). But when you can convince northies also then I can say multilingual.
  
  There were very few rock songs in the 50's and 60's. there are fast numbers too. One example of Ghantasala is konte choopu cheputondi ( NTR song). Definetely he could have sang if there are more numbers.
  
  //SPB has scored over many other singers in the last 3.5 decades and has sustained until now.
  
  who are these singers. Are there anybody of these standards? KJY was around he also sang almost equal numbers.
  
  What I say finally is that he had all characterstics as a singer, but if you see he still couldnt outlast ghantasala. We cant compare with the characters which were between two periods. But in what are the common ghantasala has edge over SPB atleast in telugu.
  
  So as I said earlier, SPB is great but not the greatest.
  
  
• From: vazipokan (@ 12.5.10.153) on:
  
  after rafi it is Ghantasala ...mmm
  next some one get T.R.mahalingam in the rat race , followed by MKT, P.U.Chinnappa and if possible P.U.Periappa
  
  
• From: just like to know (@ 12.5.10.153) on: Fri Aug 31 12:37:22 EDT 2001
  
  NCR
  we have heard spb is awake when singing,
  is Ghantasala also awake while singing..
  :)
  
  
• From: evvano oruthan (@ 195.92.67.69) on: Sat Sep 1 12:53:53 EDT 2001
  
  Hello Mr.NCR;
  
  SPB is class of it's won, who can not be compared with other singers in IFM, I agree KJY have done similar achievement (40K songs), but KJY is not multi talented as SPB, KJY is limited, but SPB is unlimited, KJY lacks SPB's excellent Bass & punch, but KJY is also great.
  
  We have consider the fact that, KJY,BMK,UK,SMD,Mano,HH have learnt carnatic, apart from HH who learnt Ghazzels, But what did SPB learn?, nothing, It's all self taught, Are you saying that is not amazing???.
  
  Ghantasala , KJY or BMK would not have sung Shankaraparanam better than SPB, these singers lack modulation & expressing emotions, Can you pls tell me one singer in India, who is better than SPB in expressing emotions (I mean "navarasam").
  
  SPB has also talked for certain actors like Kamal, Mohan, NR, etc films, SPB's voice is same heavy voice as he sings in, Can you tell me any other singer who sounds the same when speaks as well as sing???, I can not think of any, take KJY 4 eg, he sounds different when he talks, than when he sings!
  Most of KJY's songs are "devotional" & "carnatic", but Majority of SPB's songs are cinema songs.
  
  TMS was good at modulation, but no where near SPB, he could not sing any carnatic songs, he often sounded bad at low pitches, since his voice is very good at High pitches.
  
  I think Balamurali Krishna, Ghantasala & SPB have some thing common in thier voices, but SPB has the deepest bass out of all them.
  
  Thanx
  
  
• From: evvano oruthan (@ 195.92.67.69) on: Sat Sep 1 12:56:11 EDT 2001
  
  NCR;
  
  correction!
  
  "SPB is a class of it's own"
  
  
• From: NCR (@ 12.87.59.187) on: Sat Sep 1 13:43:02 EDT 2001
  
  evvano oruthan
  
  I agree with you on few points over here. Though HH,UK,and other current singers learnt carnatic etc., they definetely lack a lot when compared to SPB. They never can reach class of SPB or even others. Also I agree that SPB is a class of its own. KJY though has lot other qualities some how I dont know why he too is restricted to only few types of songs and he was branded with that.
  
  But I diagree when you say SPB is the only one who could express so well. Since ghantasala sang very few Tamil songs, many people dont know him as they know SPB. Only who listened Telugu songs of 50's to till now would know the greatness of ghantasala. He was the one complete singer Telugu Film industry has produced. clarity in pronounciation, expressing the feeling of the song, can sing from A-Z of music.
  
  You know what everybody felt the lack of Ghantasala in telugu when Sanakarabharam movie was released. But SPB convinced everybody, still telugu people feel how different it would be if ghantasala would have sung.
  
  But in Modern era i.e after 70's SPB is the best and greatest. Also since we are trying to compare between two different ages, which is not appropriate.
  
  Also the current age will feel that he is greatest singer as he is.
  
  The voice is a great gift of GOD for SPB. I agree his voice is as sweet as he sings. That's really amazing. I love his voice when he dubs for Kamal, Mohan etc., But this factor is not relevant to this thread though
  
  When I started discussing on this thread, I told this would be degression since I know Ghantasala was not known much like SPB.All examples would be only few. Relation with TFM is very less.
  
  Some how my vote is that Ghantasala comes first then SPB,Rafi,KishoreKumar, and then KJY. That stops my list.
  
  
• From: Real SPB fan (@ 64.124.150.138) on: Sat Sep 1 16:09:08 EDT 2001
  
  evvano oruththan:
  
  chappaaththi chappaaththi thaan rotti rotti thaan.
  
  
• From: Nallavanukku nallavan (@ 195.92.67.71) on: Sun Sep 2 04:34:16 EDT 2001
  
  NCR;
  
  Evano Oruthan;
  
  I agree with both of you in most extent, but to be honest, I was not born when ghantasala was around, though I have many of his songs, I feel he lacks the punch & bass, but SPB is superior to Ghantasala in these aspects, I also feel, That SPB's expression outstands all singers in IFM, I also feel that SPB's voice has very deep bass & punch than of ghantasala.but nevertheless ghantasala was great but not the greatest.
  
  I also agree that being multillingual does not make an individual any better singer, ghantasala was restricted strictly to "telugu" &"tamil", where else SPB is multillingual, that does not make SPB any better than any singers in IFM, but SPB is the greatest out of all singers in IFM, I have heard M.rafi,KJY,Kishor,TMS, PBS,Ghantasala, B.murali Krsihna,M.vasudevan,mano, hariharan, Uk,Shanker.Kumar sanu, Udit narayan,sonu nigam
  
  All of these lack a lot of abilities of SPB, KJY was around for more time than SPB(atleaset 6 years more than SPB), but he also lack something of SPB,
  SPB is excellent in Carnatic, even though he knows nothing of carnatic.
  
  SPB is unique class of it's own!!!, no body can conquer SPB
  
  
• From: Shivani (@ 195.92.67.67) on: Sun Sep 2 07:39:56 EDT 2001
  
  Mr. nallavanukku nallavan
  
  Spot on dude, you are excatly right, it is pity that we rarely listen the magical acorbatic voice of our SPB uncle!!!
  
  Shivani
  
  
• From: Real SPB fan (@ 64.124.150.133) on: Sun Sep 2 10:16:40 EDT 2001
  
  chappaaththi chappaaththi thaan rotti rotti thaan....
  
  
• From: Indian Music Fan (@ 204.50.249.134) on: Sun Sep 2 12:51:40 EDT 2001
  
  >>>>Can you pls tell me one singer in India, who is better than SPB in expressing emotions (I mean "navarasam").
  
  Yes I can !!!. His name is Mohd. Rafi Sahab. Rafi could express emotions better than any other singer in India. He could match any actor square for square. He is the only singer who used to study the actor's personality before he sang for them, the situation of the song and how best he could sing for them. There is no singer in India who has done that before. Even SPB once said :
  
  "There is only one person on this whole earth who
  could sing a song at its real feeling and that is Mohamed Rafi Sahab."
  
  >>>>Can you tell me any other singer who sounds the same when speaks as well as sing???
  
  Yes i can again !!!. Mohd. Rafi Sahab. I'll give you an example. Take the song "Dilruba Dil Pe Tu" from the movie Rajkumar composed by Shankar Jaikishan. In the middle of the song when he speaks for Shammi Kapoor it sounds as if Shammi Kapoor himself is speaking and when he sings after that, it is in the same voice that he spoke in. And this statement which you have mentioned doesn't have that much value. Just because a singer can speak and talk in the same voice, it doesn't mean that he is automatically great. KJY cannot do this but does that make him not great ??. Does this make other singers like Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar not great ???. If singers can do this then it is an added asset to their singing capabilities.
  
  When talking about Shankarabharanam the title song, Swami a guest on this forum who has had a close personal association with Rafi, Lata,SPB, KJY, Manna Dey, KK mentioned that 3 out of 4 singers who are called singers will be able to sing it and 1 out of 10 singers will be able to sing it with the same effect.
  So if this is true then what is the doubt that they cannot sing the rest of the other songs.
  
  One point to make which also Swami mentioned is that Rafi could easily glide over a song and express each word/emotion when singing.
  
  It is one thing to start and hold your breath and then reach a high note but it is another thing when you have to reach the high notes from low notes and suddenly switch notes as well. The
  former can be done with practice but the latter requires a special gift which Rafi had. It is also a known fact in the industry that Rafi ruled the high pitches and there is no male singer better in switching notes so easily.
  
  It was Rafi's natural ability to sing at wide and free pitches and most of his song will have that speciality. There is no one who has done justice to his songs in this lifetime as Swami mentioned.
  When SPB sings Rafi songs, it has the bass but lacks the punch and expression though it has the bass.
  
  Also, most south indian singers who have had good exposure have said that it is beneficial to learn hindustani music as it gives better breath control and improves expression.
  
  Rafi neither had a heavy bass voice or a soft voice. He had a good voice which was perfect.
  
  Another important point is that singing in hindi is harder than south indian languages as Swami also mentioned. There are more words such as "JHA","CHA","HA","THA", "KHA","JA","FA". These words take away the breath faster. The more expressive you are, the more air you are using up. By just singing from Nabhi will not help, your throat also needs to do a lot,for singing in Hindi, Urdu, etc. SPB will make you fall in love
  with his south indian songs but the same cannot be said about his hindi songs. If you just go through these words singing normaly, you will never be expressive. Doing this as well as reaching high notes is not easy. Rafi had this special gift and that is why it is difficult to imagine anyone else in his place.
  
  There is no song which Rafi could not sing. Just name any type of song or any situation and he will be at the top of your mind.
  
  And Nallavanukku nallavan, please tell me the abilities Rafi lacks that SPB has which you have said.
  
  
• From: Nallavanukku nallavan (@ 195.92.67.68) on: Sun Sep 2 14:52:53 EDT 2001
  
  hello IMF;
  
  I have never said KJY is great, he is great, but his abilities are limited, where else SPB is unlimited, he can sing any type of song!!!, without great ease, no probs.
  
  Every respectable would say something nice abt other singers, so SPB said ;
  "There is only one person on this whole earth who
  could sing a song at its real feeling and that is Mohamed Rafi Sahab". I am sure of M.rafi is a live, he would have loads of complimants abt SPB, I am sure of it, so if a singer compliments another singer, it does not mean that the other singer is better than the singer who made the compliments.
  
  I agree SPB's idol was Rafi, that does not make SPB under any circumstances inferior to Rafi, OK.
  KK sounds like an old man, agree, he sounds a bit like IR, I do not think he is great, I am sure many will agree with me on that!.
  
  I do not think any body(Including rafi) would have "Shanaraparanam", any better than SPB, rafi lacks the bass & punch of SPB, SPB suited the old carnatic artists voice, incredibaly well, no doubt, SPB's voice had excellent bass & punch of SPB in shankaraparanam, he always had these assets, You mention SPB' Hindi songs, Well I personaly think he Sings Hindi songs way better than tamil,telugu,malayalam, though his pronounciation of hindi is not good, but then if Rafi did sing in south, no body would have liked him.
  
  Rafi often lacked Shruti & layam; take his "madhuban mein radhika nache re", he is out of control with all the swaram bit. his voice flared out of control, since when SPB has done this, never ever, since 1966-2001, If you can find song, then we discuss this, so my conclution is
  
  SPB>M.rafi>KJY.
  
  thanx
  
  
  

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