Customer Reviews

Ananda Shankar

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was first heard 30 years ago, but it is as relevant today as it was then. The dreams of a talented musician who studied music in the USA, and who came from the famous classical Sitarist Shankar family. Ananda Shankar was a musician who liked Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and had a dream to combine Eastern and Western Music. So hear what happened. Hear how an ancient instrument, full of dignity, grace and sentiment and depth of human emotion clashed with the Moog synthesiser, and brought into creation a rock sitar music. Ananda creates a whole bright new sound. Like the music pioneers of the 60's and 70's Ananda has made his mark as the father of a new form of music. A music which has no name, but blows the lid off convention, as true music pioneers do, Like Jimi Hendrix and electronic guitar effects. So many Indians have tried to follow Ananda but cheated by westernsing Indian Music. This album is not "Westernised Indian Music". Oh no - this album is for real. It still sounds like its years into the future. Maybe a sound of tommorrow waiting to be explored. It is as relevant today as any other form of music. Classics like Jumpin Jack Flash leap out at you. Light my Fire gives a gentle and soothing introduction - hear this track first if you've never heard this kind of music. It encompasses all of Ananda's talents.

For clasical fans, the track 'Sagar' calms and soothes. This track is used by many therapists so you might have heard it without realising it.

The only vocal track on the album 'Raghupati' is an old Hindu prayer chant, made unique by the dancing atmosphere of the moog synth.

All serious musicians will appreciate the talent and impressive creativity shown on this album. The rest of us will find that East meets West is definately worth listening to.

Ananda Shankars album is wild.From the highly stylized cover tunes by the Doors and The Stones to his own beautifully emotive compositions Ananda Shankar delivers a musical package that is worth every bit of the high import price.The only problem for me was that it wasnt two hours longer!Happy listening

now that we've got that out of the way - this CD is really great - this version of jumping jack flash (my favorite song) is amazing and, I'd say, as good as the original, though clearly different - some talk about this sounding dated, well, yes it does, but so do so many records from 1970, that doesn't mean it's not good

There was a brief flurry of interest in the sitar during the late-'60s/early-'70s, reminiscent of the rise of fake-Hawaiian lounge music in the late-'50s/early-'60s. Both eventually devolved into Muzaky travesties of current popsongs, sure to sound the deathknell of any fad.

While the late Ananda Shankar was one of the few practitioners with any real credentials, his solo album also marked the beginning of the end. There are a couple of pretty tunes ("Snow Flower" & "Metamorphosis") one nice traditional raga ("Sagar") and unfortunately a lot of dreck ("Light My Fire," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Mamata," "Dance Indra," "Raghupati") hampered in no small part by extremely dated synthesizer sounds.

While it's nice to see this overpriced collector's album finally reissued, it is by no means the zenith of the genre.

Said by an, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD Fan, In Sweden Who also did buy another great CD here I have bean whaiting for in Thirty Years ! Grand Funk Railroad Antholghy-Box, Title:" Thirthy Years Of Funk " ******

Ananda plays Sitar, and she likes it asmuch as a Jack&cok