Customer Reviews

The Best of Bollywood

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

 

 

My new son-in-law Inam Rehman (India), introduced my family and I to the culture of India through the films of his country. Much of what I've seen is interesting and exciting ~ therefore when "The Best of Bollywood" came my way I jumped at the chance to review it. Of course the first Indian sound film came into being March 14, 1931 "Alam Ara" ~ since then we've seen thousands of films come out of India.

But to me it is the music that really grabs you first ~ films like what is being featured on this album ~ "Janabaaz", "Qurbani", "Tere Mere Sapne", Johny Mera Naam", "Julie"(that's my daughters name), "Gambler", "Dil Tujhko Diya", "Sholay" (biggest film of the lot, sold over 20 million soundtrack albums), "Devdas", "Lajja", "Bombay" and "Chori Chori Chupke Chupke" ~ all in all, films from India do very well in other parts of the world. For example, take a look at "Monsoon Wedding", the comedy drama blended family and domestic problems within the clever direction from director Mira Nair ~ keeping a North Indian Hindu Wedding in full swing ~ very popular in the USA.

Job well done to Hip-O Records, who within the realm of the Entertainment Industry has captured the essence of "Bollywood Films" through their music and traditions. A must have for all "film-score-buffs" and "World Music" fans, this is a must have ~ in plain words a keeper!

Total Time: 77:57 on 15 Tracks ~ Hip-O Records B0000359-2 ~ (5/06/2003)

Everyone knows the best thing about Bollywood is the music. This is a fun collection across time of some popular songs. I like most of the older songs the best, but there are a couple of exceptions. This is a really broad selections that soungs best with the volume turned up. Feel free to sing along (um...its probably for the best that I don't speak hindi anyway).

Standout songs: Laila o laila, wada na tod, badi mushkil, pyar do pyar lo, hay maine

Although my search for music from the film, "Kannathil Muthammittal" ("A Peck on the Cheek") was fruitless, I discovered this CD which has a similar appeal for its exotic Indian musical flavors ... spiced with curry and saffron and accompanied to a great tabla rhythm. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit I saw none of the films for which the music was composed. However, the whole CD is a feast for the senses, just as tasty as a sumptous meal at "Khyber's of India" (famous Indian restaurant in Chicago). I find the song lyrics written by Indivar, Nareej, and Anand Bakshi are among the best. The vocals by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar are sensational. At times, a single vocalist male or female who begins a song, then there is a chorus added to enhance the message and music. Sadly, there is only one composition on this CD by A. R. Rahman with whose music I am most familiar and have come to love. At times, the music sounds like Central European and Balkan gypsies at their wildest moments ... other times, the female vocalists create unusual evocative appeals that captivate the listener and have you swaying to the melodies. The tempo and rhythm are quick-paced, the melodies have a far-away distant familiarity. Occasionally there are fast changes with interesting transitional phrasing. The instruments are both traditional and modern, one definitely sounds like a santur, similar to a cimbalom (Hungarian hammered dulcimer), occasionally there is a violin accompaniment but with a more earthy tone. Unfortunately, the liner notes give no informaiton about the instruments. While the lyrics were originally written to convey more meaning to a specific scene in a specific film and they were composed to enhance the already charged up emotions of the moment, this CD proves the music stands alone as a uniquely appealing genre, original, creative, cultural and exotic. The music from the best films of Bollywood (Calcutta and Bombay, India) have a huge following within their native country and beyond ... this listener is enormously pleased to have discovered it. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

I fell in love with Bhangra, so I ventured over to Bollywood for a similar flavor. Bollywood has a much different feel than does Bhangra. The beats and musical arrangement are more similar to Western culture than are Bhangra, so I was pleased with the presentation, but found that I am much more of a Bhangra fan. I enjoy travelling musically away from Western sounds. Bollywood lacks the hard dohl beat of Bhangra, but does hang on to the cultural echos of India. I do enjoy my Bollywood album, but I still favor my Bhangra favorites. If you haven't tried Bhangra and you do enjoy Bollywood, try Bhangra's Punjab collection. You won't be disappointed.

I am a fan of Indian music, and this cd offered fun singalong songs. They are very catchy and pretty. My personal favorites are songs 1, 2, 8, and 12. This music is not the same, to me, as the music of Ravi Shankar and other more traditional Indian artists. These songs have more of a western structure, with the 4/4 beats and the verse/chorus pattern. I recommend this cd to anybody looking for the 'typical', romanticized Indian sound that they might have heard here in the West.

I am a fan of Indian music, and this cd offered fun singalong songs. They are very catchy and pretty. All the songs are my personal favorites. This music is not the same, to me, as the music of Ravi Shankar and other more traditional Indian artists. These songs have more of a western structure, with the 4/4 beats and the verse/chorus pattern. I recommend this cd to anybody looking for the 'typical', romanticized Indian sound that they might have heard here in the West.

I am not one to write reviews just to complain, so let me start off by saying that I am extremely new to the world of Bollywood, and musically, this CD does a nice job in giving a brief overview of some of the best Bollywood music of the genre and it certainly leaves you wanting to hear more. The only thing that disappointed me about this release, is that very little information is given in the liner notes. Although it states on the cover that it containes a history of Bollywood, this is just a brief paragraph which hardly can be called a history of an industry that puts out upwards of 800 movies a year... Also, although there is a very brief bit about approx. half of the movies featured on the disc, there is nothing about the other half, leaving me to wonder what year some of these songs and movies are from which is a tad frustrating... But maybe Hip-O did this on purpose to get you hooked with this CD, and make you want to go out and soak up as much info as you can... If that is the case they've succeeded as I want to know, see and hear more! :)

I am glad I got this, there are some great songs, and I've actually seen some of the movies, so can put the song within the story. That being said, an album without Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh or Ashe Bhosle isn't quite the "best." The recordings, though, are well done, and this is a pleasant addition to my collection.

Good collection, yes - but a little unfair - as all the tracks are lifted from another collection, "The Music of Bollywood", which is a THREE disc collection, and provides a wider repetoire, thus giving a better insight into the huge range of Bollywood-type music.

Although this is titled the "Best of Bollywood," there are better CDs out there. This is very good but there are some duff tracks on here and the liner notes are sparse given this is introduction to the genre for a Western audience.

If you've watched any Bollywood movie you know what to expect here but I'd say pick up the Rough Guide CD on this if you want a more comprehensive taste of Bollywood tunes with the notes to follow along.