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Shopping for & about tamil music

Topic started by Kishore (@ unknown-11-93.clorox.com) on Sat Nov 13 23:52:34 EST 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I'm planning to visit Kuala Lumpur and Tamilnadu this Dec-Jan. Could you tell me where I can go to get tamil film and carnatic albums recorded? I'm looking for rare IR songs, rare old songs, private concerts and old LPs of carnatic songs etc. Also, I'd love to buy copies of Balamurali Krishna's TV series on carnatic and film music, biographies of tamil film composers, lyricists etc.

To start off the discussion, I've updated the shops list from previous posts in this forum. Please update (esp.)in terms of Video shops as above and in Kuala Lumpur. thanks,

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Responses:

• From: Kishore (@ unknown-11-93.clorox.com) on: Sat Nov 13 23:53:27 EST 1999
  
  Don't know if this is going to work - this is probably the longest post ever on the forum?
  
  
• From: Kishore (@ unknown-11-93.clorox.com) on: Sun Nov 14 00:01:34 EST 1999
  
  Stores in TN & Singapore selling TFM/carnatic/devotional music (PART 1):
  I requested store names and addresses on this forum in Dec 98 and received several responses on
  Madras as well as a suggestion to dig into the archives. This is an update on stores I visited as well as additional store listings elsewhere in TN & Singapore.
  
  Hope it's helpful when you visit TN. Old TFM (here) includes everything from MKT to early IR (pre-1980). IR includes 80s selections such as the hits being collected in other threads. CC means credit card accepted (several say AMEX welcome, but whine for Mastercard/Visa if available). Most stores will open and play each album so
  you can verify recording quality.
  
  COIMBATORE: stores in RS Puram
  1. AVM Saraswathi Stores - off of DB Road (opposite the Post Office). Great carnatic and
  old film (HMV) selection. Cds available as well. Decent western music collection though I didn't buy any. Picked up lots of old TFM, carnatic albums (stock a lot of labels not just AVM). I asked for a couple AVM albums that they were able to get for me from their warehouse in 24 hours.
  
  2. KVN audio (?) - on DB road a couple blocks away from Hotel Annapurna. Small shop with an emphasis on Ilayaraja (80s) and 90s TFM. Worth a look in since it's in the same neighborhood.
  
  MADURAI: stores on Town Hall Road (opp to Regal? Theatre; adjacent and to the right of the Railway Station)
  3. Vijay Musicals - Great selection of TFM (old,
  IR, 90s); devotional is in a separate room; carnatic, hindustani upstairs. Picked up a lot of old TFM, carnatic, devotional albums. Also, has a good selection of the more unusual stuff - musical discourses, debates etc. Picked up albums of all varieties.
  
  4. Keeshtu Gaanam ( a few yards away from 3) - Good selection of carnatic, new TFM, some old TFM/IR, and most new releases. Cds available - picked up kaadhal kavithai/manam virumbuthe unnai and desiya geetham with other IR hits sung by IR.
  
  5. Several small shops selling original and pirated tapes and CDs
  
  6. Babu electronics ( a few yards away from 4)- they sell Ramji cassettes and T series
  stuff. Ramji cassettes releases gramiya-type albums such as villuppaattu and naattuppura pattu. They also release execrable stuff like double stereophonic recording of kandha sashti kavasam.
  
  7. Rhythm House (Farther down Town Hall Road, past Dhanappa Mudali St and pretty close to the West Tower of the Minakshi temple) - Good selection of old TFM, carnatic albums. Cds available. If you happen to be a booklover, Sarvodaya Ilakkiya Pannai (a few yards away from Regal Theatre),
  Palaniappa Brothers (near 7), Motherland Book Center, and Liberty Book Center (both opposite the Railway station, and adjacent to Mangammal chathiram) are in
  the neighborhood.
  
  TIRUPATHI (around the temple and in the Corporation/Sreenivasa complex)
  8. Too many small shops (about 20-25) to single anyone out - strong on carnatic and devotional. Can pick up rarities that have disappeared in Madras such as DK Pattammal's Rama_anjali.
  
  MADRAS
  9. AVM Saraswathi Stores (next to Gnananda Hall/Narada Gana Sabha) - HQ for AVM but has only a small shop in front (smaller than the Coimbatore one), but can get pretty much any AVM album in print in 24 hrs from their warehouse. Good selection of carnatic, AVM TFM including per sollum pillai/puthumai penn from the 80s on CD. Also has a selection of other labels. Some carnatic Cds. Behind the shop is Shankara Hall where an exhibition of cassettes/CDs is held every year (mid-Dec to mid-Jan).CC.
  
  10. Essen Musicals (Peters Road - New College Shopping Center) - thanks to whoever suggested this store. Great selection of just about everything. Second the reco to visit the attic - got the soundtrack of kaase thaan kadavulada and KJY singing abiraami andhaadhi. Picked up Cds of Bharathiyar songs in TF containing ezhavathu
  manithan and other film songs, Seerkazhi's Philosophical songs, and Philosophical songs from MGR films v2 (atho antha paravai) - May be HMV has suddenly developed a philosophical train:-) CC.
  
  11. Shanthi Carnatic Book Center (Maya Plaza, T Nagar, Sir Thyagaraja Rd on the way to Pondy Bazar from Panagal Park) - Someone on this forum said there was a shop called Rhythm House here, but it seems to have disappeared. Shanthi claimed they had a book shop on the 3rd floor and the music shop on the 2nd floor - found no traces of the book shop on the 3rd floor. Small-mid Cassette shop managed by a couple of teenagers. Great selection of carnatic, devotional songs with some recent TFM and popular western albums like the soundtrack of Titanic which was selling well (Good God!). Cds available. Picked up IR's devotional album - a homage to Ramana Maharishi.
  
  12. Lakshmi Musicals (Usman Rd, near Saravana bhavan walking towards Panagal Park) -
  average selection (recent releases) of carnatic/devotional albums. TFM selections abysmal. CC.
  
  13. Bharathi Pathippagam (Usman Rd, few yards away from 12) - good selection of carnatic/devotional, western. Got rare albums like ariyakkudi live concerts etc. Who'd have thought a book publisher'd have a good tape collection?
  CC.
  
  
  
• From: Kishore (@ unknown-11-93.clorox.com) on: Sun Nov 14 00:06:35 EST 1999
  
  PART 2:
  14. Music World (Spencer's Plaza - Mount Rd) - Resembles a generic US mall music store like Sam Goody in terms of setup - Good selection of TFM including Cds (recent hits of IR), carnatic, devotional. Poor selection of hindi film music. Seem to think it's cool to blast 60s hits like Doo-wah-wah-diddydaa-diddydo on the stereo.CC If you're there before Pongal don't forget to check out the Book Fair at the Quaid-e-millat Arts college grounds around the corner (opp to Hotel Connemara; BTW, inside the Hotel complex is a bookshop called Giggles specializing in English books).
  
  15. Giri Trading Agency - (Kapali kovil, near the south? Entrance - opposite side of the teppakulam) Good selection of carnatic and devotional on their own and other labels. Have recently released a 7 tape album of bhagavad geeta with Cho reading Bharathiyar's commentary (with his own interjections?) and the verses set to music and sung by an unknown singer. Cds available.CC.
  
  16. Bhavani Pustak - (few feet away from 15) same as 15.
  
  17. Sukra Musicals - North Mada st (to the left of the temple as you go towards it from the teppakulam; opposite their famous silver jewellery shop) same as 15. CC.
  
  18. Bhavani Music Enterprises & Parson's complex - Bhavani is on South Mada st (to the right of the temple - opp side of 17). Recently changed managment so the store is open from about 11-5 unlike earlier reports in this forum. Didn't get a chance to look at the stock. Parson's complex (under Gemini Flyover) was mentioned as the motherlode for pirated cds - but wore a deserted look, probably because I went on maattupongal:-)
  
  19. Anand music and video - (opp Anjaneyar kovil, Luz) decent selection of old TFM, carnatic, devotional, has a lot of Lps. Cds available. Video library at back.
  
  20. Aradhana - (few yards away from 19 towards kapali kovil) - decent selection of carnatic, devotional, some old TFM. Cds available.
  
  21. Landmark - (nugambaakkam high rd, below gemini flyover) - great selection of TFM, carnatic, devotional - Cds available. They have a listening station for some recordings that you can play. Check out the bookstore as well (only english) CC.
  
  22. Stereo Vision - (Ritchie St & Mount Rd, near Anna statue) - great selection of TFM, carnatic, devotional - lots of Cds and tapes. CC.
  
  23. Meenambaakkam airport - There's a shop across from the departure gate that had the best album I bought on this trip; Memorable Duets of IR Vol 3 (Garud Musik) - has naan pesa vandhen, oru kunkuma sengamalam, poonthalir aada, etc. Great sound quality.
  
  Noticed several shops such as MitaVision, but no time to visit anymore esp. Bangalore Music Center (oh, well next time:-). Thanks for suggesting the shops in Madras everyone! Managed to pick up several interesting albums like: IR - savaal, tik tik tik, ellaam inbamayam, pagalil or iravu, kavikkuyil, gayathri and really old TFM such as poompuhaar, nandanaar, thaai magalukku kattiya thaali, konjum salangai, maya bazaar, pathala bhairavi, uthaman, raja, rojavin raja, avan oru charithiram etc. For videos, I went to Raj video vision on Anna Saalai - large but undistinguished collection. Columbia Films in Kuala Lumpur is much better.
  
  BTW, I didn't go to shops like Goodies (near Ashok pillar), Sangeetha (Perambur), Audio point (KK Nagar), Pallavi (Arcot Road), Music India (Adyar), Super Bazaar (Central Bus Stand) due to lack of time - I did have other things to do as well.
  
  
• From: Kishore (@ unknown-11-93.clorox.com) on: Sun Nov 14 00:11:04 EST 1999
  
  PART 3:
  SINGAPORE
  Go to the Kaaliamman temple area on Serangoon Road. Most of these shops are close by and within range of the Komala vilas'. There are several other small shops in the vicinity which have some gems - like Chandrababu hits, PU Chinnappa songs etc.
  
  24. Musthafa's (farthest from the temple) - generic selection of TFM, hindi, some carnatic & devotional.
  
  25. Parveen's audio (on Serangoon Road, a few yards from the temple) - didn't have a chance to go there. But, they release CDs on their label which means they must be good. I picked up a PBS duets CD with paarthu paarthu nindrathile paarvai izhanthen (manappanthal).
  
  26. V & V music center (Upper D_ckson Road; off of Serangoon Road. A few yards from 25) - Excellent selection of TFM (old, IR, new), some carnatic and devotional. Also big on VCDs and some DVDs. Picked up unusual albums like SPB sings for Kannadhasan, SPB - P Susheela duets etc. Also said they'll record customized selections on CD.
  
  
• From: Kishore (@ unknown-11-93.clorox.com) on: Sun Nov 14 00:15:44 EST 1999
  
  Well, that's the end.
  
  Humor break:-)
  I was trying to type D_i_ckson Road, but the site complained that the word 'D_i_ck'son was forbidden. I suppose if someone wants to discuss Charles D_i_ckens in the literature section they're in for a hard time.
  
  
• From: Kamesh (@ pm-82-135.tm.net.my) on: Sun Nov 14 01:10:57 EST 1999
  
  In Kuala Lumpur try
  for audio and vedio cd's and cassettes
  
  BEst bet would be Jalan Masjid India
  
  
  1. Haniffa textiles for generic stuff
  2. Madras Stores for the popular stuff
  3. Thangamalar video (in the road perpendicular to Jalan Masjid India) has a very good collection too.
  There are more shops around the area. From there you could walk down to Leboh Ampang too. You could find a lot of shops there but the notable is a small shop in the corner towards metrojaya.
  
  The only other alternative I can think of is Brick fields - Jalan Sambandam area.
  
  
  
  
• From: Kamesh (@ pm-82-135.tm.net.my) on: Sun Nov 14 01:11:45 EST 1999
  
  sorry for the typo's
  
  
• From: Kamesh (@ pm-82-135.tm.net.my) on: Sun Nov 14 01:13:53 EST 1999
  
  But if you are looking for Carnatic music and related stuff KL may not be the place for you.
  
  
• From: Kamesh (@ pm-82-135.tm.net.my) on: Sun Nov 14 01:21:34 EST 1999
  
  BTW
  
  1 & 3 accept CC.
  
  

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