U2's Joshua Tree Concert in Mumbai

I heard U2 was coming to perform. I was not a huge fan of U2 though I liked some numbers. The video where thy play 'Where the streets have no name' on a rooftop remains etched in my mind. Other numbers one can't forget are 'With or without you', 'I still haven't found what I was looking for' 'Pride - In the name of love', 'Mysterious ways' etc. Their music had some unknown angst, some lonely element, of a life incomplete. It was somewhere there - not up there, nor way below. Anyway, it looked like it was too much effort, the ticket prices were high, so all in all I decided to drop the thought.

Ticket!

Until Malay called me from Pune a couple of months ago and said - keep yourself free on Dec 15, we are going to the U2 concert. He also told me that I had introduced him to U2 when he was much younger, so he was buying me the ticket. The concert was one thing but this story was lovely so I said yes. Also this was their last concert - for the Joshua Tree!

Waiting for the action to begin!

So off on Dec 15 to Mumbai. Headed off to Tharian's place in New Mumbai - haven't met him in ages. Met him first in 1991 as a trainee in Bharath Petroleum, got to really know him but within a month he was transferred to Mumbai. Years later met him in Mumbai when I was posted in Mumbai and we have been in touch since. He came home to Hyderabad, I spent many days at his flat in Mumbai. Met his wife Marina and Sanjana, his sixteen year old, who is doing her 11th. A great lunch with beer and biryani and off to meet Malay, Sarah, Kalpak, Shraddha, Bhavna and Nicola at their hotel. Spent a while there and headed to the concert close to the gates closing time. DY Patil stadium was huge, the stage was huge.

The Joshua Tree

We were in the standing front crowd and the youngsters headed off to the front. I am not a big fan of the crowd up front so I found a place to sit at the back and waited. There were many fifty plus people - men and women - who had grown up with U2 in the 80s. All of them trying hard to be young again in their clothes, self-conscious dance moves, outrageous behavior with a few. In all this one sees a complete fan who is not bothered about what is going on and is fully immersed in the experience, singing it word by word.

Super impressive screen

There were no cover bands and sharp at 730 the band came on and started singing some numbers. The screen was unlit. And then the act picked up and the popular numbers came on one by one. When the screen came on it was beautiful - the biggest stage and screen I ever saw. Bono was full of energy, said al the right things - vote carefully, women and minorities must be safe etc. When the lights went off the entire stadium lit up with the mobile candles. Nice sight but nothing spontaneous about it anymore.

The band is a speck at the bottom

Somewhere in the stadium were Shrini, Nandita, Ram, Chandra and LV and some others I knew of later. The music got louder and louder until my ears hurt. But Bono went on and on without a break for the entire period. In the end came 'Ahimsa' with AR Rahman and his daughters. The background was peppered with women heroines - Kalpana Chawla, Arundhati Roy, Rana Ayyub and Smriti Irani. What was the idea I wonder. Perhaps it's better to stick to the music and let that speak than send out confusing messages.

Lights off, mobiles on

Magic moments - 'Pride' for me. And the visuals on the screen. Not the best I've experienced overall, but glad I was there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByuyP1PNqKQ (Pride - In the name of love!)

My best U2 song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxcDTUMLQJI (Mysterious Ways)

Roger Waters, Bryan Adams, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Enrique Iglesias, Yanni.

U2.  

Top Gun - Assorted Artistes

Top Gun released in 1986. I first heard the song 'Danger Zone' with Vidyuth Jaisimha, who was my roommate in several cricket trips. This was the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai and Vidyuth had bought along a small stereo player with him. One fine morning I hear him playing 'Danger Zone' and got hooked on to it. I asked him to play it again and again, repeatedly until he got tired of my request. Then i would sneak up when he went for a bath and play it again. Kenny Loggins got into my blood with that song. Obviously, I had to own this cassette at the earliest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwpn14IE7E (Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins)

Soon enough, the movie was released in Hyderabad. I remember going to watch the movie at Padmavathi or one of those theatres in Kachiguda with Subbu and Sanjay and Choudary. We went on on my scooter and Sanjay's Yezdi, but on the way back, we came back on fighter jets. I rode like a madman and I am surprised we made it back alive  - definitely remember Subbu asking me desperately to slow down. But I was in the Danger Zone you see. I was flying and well its just a feeling that you want - one where you feel so alive it does not matter if you died. I can taste that feeling still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xji5tRVxTI (Mighty Wings - Cheap Trick)

When I bought the cassette, it was a gold mine. Apart from Danger Zone, there was 'Mighty ings' by Cheap Trick, the Top Gun anthem by Harold Faltermeyer and not to forget an all time fav ballad 'Take my breath away' by Berlin. Ah, what pleasure. 'Take my breath away' played at all the slow dancing times in parties then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUis9yny_lI (Take my breath away - Berlin)

The Top Gun tape will always remind me of Vidyuth and the number of times I heard the song in Madras and Subbu, who was the Ice Man to my Maverick on a ride that was nothing short of a fighter jet in flight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTJmXrgsFg (Top Gun anthem - Harold Faltermeyer)

Second year engineering, cricket career on the up, friends, fun, laughter, world at our feet - what else do we want. Tom Cruise and Kelly Mc Gillis will never be forgotten nor would Val Kilmer. Ah, what fun.

My Musical Notes - Queen 'The Game'

This is the first introduction to Queen and it was a solid one. It had terrific energy with songs like 'Dragon Attack', 'Another one bites the dust', 'Crazy little thing called love', 'Need your loving tonight' and others. My favourite was 'Another one bites the dust' followed by 'Dragon Attack'. 'Crazy Little thing called love' left enough impression to last a lifetime. Another of Mani's contributions to my musical growth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spm5-SXo4Do (Dragon attack)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE (Another one bites the dust)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6D_BAuYCI (Crazy little thing called love)

Queen, I have heard on so many occasions with my friends, myself. Favourite memory is listening to it on my hooked up system where I connected a tape recorder to our radio to increase the volume and played it loudly back in the 80s. Queen was always cool.

Years later I found another Queen fan in Sunil Jyothi who was another music friend of mine. Sunil loved Queen and Jetthrotull and introduced me to several new singers. Most impressive of that list was Supertramp but we can come there later.

This one dedicated to Mani.

My Musical Notes - Bread's Greatest Hits

This was a tape Mani gave me when we were in school perhaps. Maybe early 1980s. Mani was not too possessive about his cassettes unlike some of us. He also listened with a marginal interest - not obsessively like I did. So it stayed with him for all these years. It was the first time I heard Bread. They had a different sound, soft and soulful. Very fragile.

Bread was an LA based band which made its music in the late 60s on. Their best number was for me 'If'. Nice lyrics. I shared this one song with all the girls I felt something for. Sharing music was big for me - it was letting that person in. Many a night I have played this cassette and dozed off listening to the soft music of Bread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYFJRomR12k (If)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0KXV0gB0dw (Make it with you)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrsKJ0KUyJw (Guitar man)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-OJV4hjwSI (Sweet Surrender)

I loved the sound. It fit a particular mood. No one ever asked to shut Bread off when I played it. It seemed to have some haunting quality to it.

Thank you Bread for the wonderful moments. Dedicated to Mani.

My Musical Notes - Little River Band 'No Reins'

1985. Choudary and I are at Chirag Ali Lane for some work of his after college. He takes me to this little shop that sells all sorts of stuff - including music. In this vague little shop I find an exotic collection. Like this one - a rare album by Little River Band 'No Reins'.

Little River Band was little known to me. The numbers I had heard of theirs till then were 'Man on my mind' and such which were completely different from this one which was a rock collection. Some fabulous numbers like 'Face in the crowd', 'Time for us', 'No reins on me', 'Thin ice' and 'How many nights'. 'Forever Blue' was a haunting number.

I just realised that it has John Farnham on vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5-Fo93Esbo (Face in the crowd)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVNsZp5p4xM (No reins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN9t18bHJLk (Time for us)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPst1_jldmA (Thin ice!)

Not too many shared my enthusiasm at listening to Little River Band but it's one of my favorites and I listened to it alone many times. Biggest memory - finding that shop and going there with Choudary on his Bullet.

My Musical Notes - Rock Hits 86

This was one of those albums that compiled hits. When I bought this I really didn't know many groups or songs. But it had some great numbers like 'These Dreams' by Heart, 'Rock Me Amadeus' by Falco (never heard of them again), 'Manic Monday' by the Bangles (big hit). I liked 'Calling America' by ELO, 'Beats so Lonely' and the biggest hit in this album 'Let's go all the way' by Sly Fox (another one hit wonder).

What I am loving about this exercise of pulling out my old cassettes is that they give away tell tale signs of the times when I bought them - sometimes I wrote the name of the place and date on the cassette cover. But this tape has great memories as we played 'Let's go all the way' many times in our parties. My all-time memory of this was Venkatapathi Raju telling us how much Azhar loved this song on an England trip that they had made then.

Nice stuff!

Eega - Movie

2012. One thing that got away. Ticked. V nice. I liked what Rajamouli said in an interview he gave after this - that he had understood the craft of telling a story and he could now tell it interestingly with a fly or a mosquito even. Interesting.

My Musical Notes - Bryan Adams 'Reckless'

Back in 1985, I ran into my friend from Junior College, Naresh Raghavan. Naresh and I were music buddies. In our Intermediate years I visited his palatial house in Padma Rao Nagar and we listened to 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson on his stereo. He also introduced me to 'Eye of the Tiger' and 'I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight' among many others.

Anyway, after I met him, he showed me this video of this song 'Run to You' by Bryan Adams and told me how he loved the way Bryan Adams pulls the guitar from the sand and plays on it. The song was lovely. I made a trip to Sangeet Sagar and got myself my own cassette. 'Reckless' was the album and it remains one of Bryan Adams best with songs like 'One Night Love Affair', 'Run to You', 'Heaven' and 'Summer of 69'.

Bryan Adams came back again and again with so many beautiful albums and I bought most of them. When he played at a concert in Bangalore I went. And then I went again when he came another time. Always as good as the first time.

Favorite memories are playing these numbers at parties with the gang. And recording them for my favorite people with whom I shared music as a way of sharing my friendship with them.

My Musical Notes 18 - Tina Charles's 'Greatest' and Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall'

1983-84
The cassette was the first host to two albums - Meatloaf's classic 'Bat out of hell' and Toto's 'TV'. Both great albums but somehow they did not appeal to me then. So when I spotted Tina Charles's Greatest Hits and Michael Jackson's 'Off the wall', I happily traded the earlier two albums. Of course, in later years, as I grew up and lost sweetness for bitterness, I brought back rock music into my life and these two albums came back.

Tina Charles was regularly played by the RJ on Yuvavani and the song 'Dance little lady dance' was a big hit. Other numbers like 'You set my heart on fire,' 'Love bug', 'Love me like a Lover' were all big hits. Tina has this unique voice and was much liked by my sisters, Chanti in particular who used to do a nifty little step on 'Dance little lady dance'.

I played the tape over and over again perhaps while studying or reading some novel. (My favorite memory of a book associated with music was Donna Summers 'Bad Girls' and The Godfather - done in one sitting!)

I did enjoy Tina Charles but Michael Jackson's 'Off the wall' was sensational. 'Don't stop til you get enough', 'Rock with you' and 'Get on the floor' were superb numbers. I haven't heard many people listen to this album but I loved it. 

My Musical Notes 17 - The Best of Alan Parsons Project

1984.
I was introduced to Alan Parsons project by Sanjay, my cousin-friend, who was then studying in IIT, Madras and Ram, my brother. The song they got me hooked on to was the one everyone loved 'Eye in the sky'. But then I also remember a song called 'Time' that I discovered in another assorted rock album that I had bought. Technically, that cassette, if I find it, comes before this.

Alan Parsons project brought some intelligence to the table. Right from their formal sounding name to the names of their numbers which go like 'Psychobabble', 'Games people play', Pyromania', 'Old and wise', the group had a distinct presence. They would not fit with the hard rock crazies, nor be the romantic silly headed pops guys. They were in their own little world which fit neither here nor there.

Alan Parsons, however, was always played in the rock music evenings which meant that the default group would have been Anil Menon, Sunnie, Ram, Kiran, Choudary. I loved the whole idea of an eye in the sky but in later years started liking 'Old and Wise', a sad song. However, when I first bought the cassette my favorite was 'Psychobabble'. Another big one for me was 'You don't believe'.

Those were the engineering college days, cricket playing days. My music advisors would be mostly Vidyuth and Naresh. Since not too many enjoyed this kind of psycho music it meant I was left to listen to it by myself in my room mostly. Which I did and thoroughly enjoyed.

The team of Alan Parsons (who worked with the Beatles and Pink Floyd) and Eric Woolfson met at Abbey Road Studios canteen in 1974. Goes to show that canteens should be infested more. 

My Musical Notes 15 - Best of Journey 'Frontiers'

1984-85.
This was an interesting trade. I was visiting my friend Kumar at his house. He had just returned from some trip abroad and he showed me two tapes he brought back with him. One was Journey's Greatest Hits. (The other was one of the Thomson Twins.) I had never heard Journey so I asked him if I could borrow it. Kumar was not much of a western music buff anyway.

Back at home I listened to the tape and loved the numbers. 'Separate Ways'. 'Send her my love', 'Rubicon', 'Don't stop believing,' 'Stone in love', 'Open Arms,' and 'Faithfully'. I could listen to all these songs and when Kumar asked me the next visit if I wanted to trade the tape for a helmet of mine (riding) I was happy to give it away.

Two incidents come to mind. One when I was totally sozzled during some night out with the boys, one of those when I was in a rare but really bad shape, a friend said he would take me out for a spin in his car so I could feel better. As we drove I heard Journey sing 'Open arms' in his car and through my numb senses I told him I could place the group and did. It kind of proved to them that I was ok if through all that I could get the group and its song right.

Another incident was when I was playing against a tough VST side. MCC had a weak team that year and this was the first game. We won the toss and elected to bat. I remembered listening to 'Stone in Love' that previous day and there is one small bit when the music plays in a particular way and it stuck in my head. I would hum that tune and it would still my mind. I kept humming that tune all day and ended up scoring a hundred. I also remember going to Naresh's house after that inning and bumping into Shobha on the way at Deccan Chronicle. Listen to it at 2.28. That's what I hummed all day. I can hum it all day even now.

'Faithfully' made it into all my slow tapes and it's a song with a beautiful video. I think I shared it with everyone who liked rock ballads. Journey will always remain special for that hundred and for so many lovely moments.

Thanks Kumar.

My Musical Notes 14 - Yes's 90125

1984-85.

My friend at Sangeet Sagar pulled a fast one on me. The cover of this album was attractive and I had only vaguely heard of YES thanks to Jetset or some other such magazine. I asked him how the music was. He said it was good and he played it for me. Very smartly he played the one big hit from this album 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' which strikes a chord in anyone's heart. But the rest of the album was trash.

That was the only time that I trusted him and was let down. But he was always good otherwise. I made it a point to do my research next time so I don't get into such situations. But actually 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' is really worth the entire album.

I have heard it many times with my rock music group which included Choudary (by default), Anil Menon, Sunnie, Aqueel, Sunil Jyothi and others. Of course, once the song was played the cassette would come off. The tape is still in great shape. YES and the 'Owner of a lonely heart' will always remain in my heart as another sweet memory of my Sangeet Sagar days.

Checking the album I realise that it contained another big hit of theirs - 'Cinema'. They won a Grammy for that. I never liked it.

My Musical Notes 9 - Rick Springfield

Back in 1984 I did not know who Rick Springfield was. But I remember seeing a poster of this handsome Aussie and I think I bought the poster or the magazine and for many years it adorned my room. Rick in his leather pants and jacket staring down.

I also found a tape then at Sangeet Sagar or the other shop in Chirag Ali lane which sold the just coming T series brand which looked completely tacky. But it was great value for money at 20 bucks and much better quality than  HMV cassettes. The tape still looks good enough to play.

Rick's tape is still with me. Classics like 'Human Touch', 'Alyson', 'Affair of the Heart' 'Tiger by the tail', 'Motel Eyes' and 'Living in Oz' which was probably the name of the album stayed with me. I especially loved 'Alyson'. Googling Rick I find that he has moved to the USA and is still giving concerts.

I love these guys. They do it for the love of it. Doesn't matter if it is a small concert or a big one.

Thanks Rick. You were up there on my wall of fame! I did like your songs. I love that you're still performing.

My Musical Notes 8 - PinkFloyd "The Wall"

The first version I heard of this iconic album was from a cassette that my good friend Dr. Satyanath Patnaik (or to all of us, simply Mani) gave me. This was early 80s. I was amazed that people could make music like this - such different sound, so radical and clearly political. This music was not just about entertaining, it had something to say. They said then that it was banned in India, but after checking the net I find that South Africa had banned the album and the song 'Another Brick in the Wall'.

For a novice just starting out, Pink Floyd breaks all conventions. 'Another Brick in the Wall', 'Thin Ice', 'Hey You', 'Mother', 'Empty Spaces' grab you. But what you can listen to again and again year on year, decade on decade, is 'Comfortably Numb'.

After 'The Wall' I listened to several of Pink Floyd's albums. 'Division Bell', 'Dark Side of the Moon' were certainly those that caught my imagination. But more on them when I come upon hem later.

20 years after I first heard 'The Wall' I attended a Roger Waters show at Bangalore with Kiran (we drove down and drove back) and was amazed at the professionalism, the care and passion that goes into their craft. How could anyone sing what they wrote and sang twenty years ago, when they were youngsters, with the same emotion, passion? I decided then that is what I would like to be like. The lasting memory of that concert - it winding down with 'Comfortably Numb' in an ethereal setting under the Bangalore skies and the image of a fan lying down and soaking it in, eyes closed, behind the screen right in front of the stage. He didn't want to see them, he just wanted to hear the music.

'Comfortably Numb', 'Another Brick in the Wall' and 'Hey You' are my favs from this album. There have been many many evenings spent on 'Comfortably Numb' which is an anthem song for all those high spirited evenings with the boys and will probably remain till the end of days. Usual suspects that I enjoyed it with are Kiran (as recently as last week), the irrepressible Anil Menon and several other victims of mine when I was handed the keys to the music.

Thought I heard it first from Mani's tapes, my first possession of this cassette came when I picked it up from a music shop in the shopping arcade outside World Trade Center in Bombay in 1994-95. The shopping centre had a bookstore and a music shop and I would walk in every payday and buy one cassette and one classic book to read. This cassette was one of those golden collections. 

My Musical Notes 7 - ToTo

A huge discovery and a big step forward in my musical life was the discovery of the music store Sangeet Sagar at Basheerbagh. I have no idea how I discovered the store but everything about Sangeet Sagar was brilliant to me. Those days they would have a huge display of vinyl records and a number of cassettes. A large Hindi section, but most interestingly for me, a large western music collection.

I would sidle into the shop and hang around at the back while more important people came and finished their work. I would check out the records, the many groups I had heard of and had not. Normally I would be ignored or hustled by the other salesmen but I remember one tall salesperson, complete with Amitabh Bachchan hairdo, who would ask me what I wanted, play out songs, make recommendations. Sangeet Sagar would record an album for 10 bucks on one side of a C90 tape. And that meant that I would not have to spend an entire 45 - 60 bucks on a cassette. The recording was pretty good too and the collection, really nice.
So it became a ritual.

Something I would do all by myself and fully enjoy every moment. I'd first find myself an empty cassette (which would cost 30 bucks perhaps). I'd take the bus at 4 pm from ESI Hospital. 4 pm was important because by the time it would drop me at Control Room near Public Gardens the evening would be mellow. The sun would be slanting across the gardens and I would love walking across the IT bhavan, past all the shops and then reach Sangeet Sagar. I would spend some time figuring out which albums I wanted to be recorded and then finally go with the man's suggestion. The groups I got introduced to thanks to Sangeet Sagar were phenomenal - Men at Work, Yes, REO Speedwagon, Tina Charles, Toto and so many more. Listen to a couple of songs, give him the tape, pay money, get a receipt and walk back contentedly to Public Gardens bus stop. By now the sun would be just setting. Get a window seat and enjoy the ride back home. Couldn't wait till the delivery day and then repeat the same procedure.

Toto then. And more specifically Toto IV. I had no clue about this band and never heard of it. Just went with the recommendation of my friend and got hooked to the two huge numbers 'Rosanna' and 'Africa'. Incredible sound. Toto remains one of the greatest and most serendipitous discovery of mine and their music still resonates. I could listen to Toto anytime by myself.

A favorite Toto memory. One time when we were all partying at home, I was playing requests by all my friends. Trina, Madhav's American wife, completely removed from our culture made one request - 'do you have Rosanna by Toto? Yes maam. She was impressed. I was impressed with myself. I don't think I shared Toto with anyone else but Trina surely gave me a Toto moment in my life.

My Musical Notes Part 6 - Grammy Awards

A big part of the musical revolution was the influence of friends. Vidyuth was one and I remember listening to Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' and 'Billy Jean' in his father's Fiat. A car with those Pioneer cassette players in those days was the ultimate in luxury especially when most did not even have a music deck at home. This was the time when we were just out of school and growing small mustaches and soft beards, struggling with hormones and freedom and insecurity. Music seemed to provide to us a language that made sense when nothing else did.

Of course, there was no way to get my hands on a Michael Jackson cassette then so it was very frustrating, more so because I'd meet Vidyuth rarely on some cricket match days. Luckily, i found another great friendship based on music, Naresh. Now Naresh owned a deck too and had an MJ album. Though he lived far away in Padmarao Nagar, I did make a few visits to satisfy the music urge. Another musical friend of mine (limited to Jethro Tull's album that had this brilliant song 'Orion') was Sai from my junior college St. Alphonso's Junior College who father owned a nice record player and a deck to go with it. Sai did not like music much, but generously played it for me when we went to his house.

And then magic happened. Doordarshan, the state-run television and the only channel available to viewers, for some reason got its hands on the 26th Grammy Awards presentation. It was magic. And perhaps it was the best music made in a year ever - Michael Jackson, Sting, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen were just some of the heavies that featured. MJ walked way with 8. Lionel got nominated for 5 and won none. But we who watched it were blown out of our minds. Check the players in the field - MJ, Lionel Richie, David Bowie, Sting, Billy Joel, Irene Cara, Foreigner, Talking Head, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, Rick Springfield, Donna Summer, Linda Ronstadt, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Alice Cooper, Kim Carnes, Pat Benatar, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Culture Club, Eurythmics, Sheena Easton, Prince, Bonnie Tyler, ZZ Top. Absolute mayhem.

I do not know how but I got my hands on one cassette with some of those Grammy hits. I cannot forget 'Total Eclipse of My Heart' by Bonnie Tyler as one of those magical songs. The visuals, the magic of MJ performing, the sheer quality of performers and songs was an apt take-off. My cassette had Beat it, Uptown Girl, Total eclipse of my Heart, Karma Chameleon, Sweet Dreams, Let's Dance, Islands in the Stream and others.

That Grammy threw open a whole new world full of new sounds, fantastic performers and more and more cassettes to buy and listen. I finally got my hands on quite a few of those albums. A labour of love no doubt.

1984 was my second year of Intermediate. It was a breakthrough year for me in cricket. I just do not remember how and what, except that I did a two-week stint with Baig sir and played with a brilliant team for MCC - MLJ, Vivek, Vidyuth, Sunil Phillips, Ravan, Imtiaz, Sanjay, Chakkar and mostly Venkatapathi Raju or Lachi as we call him. Vijay Bhaskar and Umesh Soni were the others. Lots of cricket, music, the whole world ahead of me. What a feeling! Beautifully summed up by Irene Cara in her Flashdance song (above)..

Rain Songs - Hindi

The other day we were home and there was tons of rain and we played some rain songs and I realised its been a while since I wrote music and I remembered some of the rain songs. Some of the very best. Is it just me or is there some magic in these songs that makes all things alive.

Ab ke Sawan - Jaisa Ko Taisa

Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein - Ajnabee

Rim Jhim Gire Sawan - Manzil

Kaate nahin kat te - Mr. India

The Ipcress File - Movie Review

1965. Len Deighton's book of the same name with a young Michael Caine in the lead. He is described as being insubordinate. And he is part of the Secret Service. Bit of a bespectacled James Bond really with less fancy stuff - cars, girls, guns included.

Scientists are missing and not for all the right reasons. The service has two suspects and narrows down to one. That's quick. All Caine has to do is check some traffic records and catch him - and he does in a jiffy - because the man is still in that same place picking up traffic tickets (it's a public library which they need to help their scientists). The man is the right man and Caine orders a raid. It's futile. The bird (Bluejay in this case along with House Martin) has flown. Caine is then captured (after a couple of unnecessary deaths of complete lackeys) and tortured and brainwashed (Ipcress is some acronym of that process). But he escapes and finds out that one of his two bosses is the villain who set him up. But why?

Ipcress File was too full of holes for me. What were the American spies doing and why were they killed? Why was Jock killed? Why was Caine not killed? Why did the villain reveal Bluejay's name and thereby lead it on to himself? What was Bluejay trying to do if all he wants to do is trade in brains? Why did Courtney sleep with Caine?

Why? Why? And Why?

But British stuff is always fun even if its clumsy and this one is as clumsy as anything. I love clumsy. That said it got lots of awards. 

Some Popular Themes from Movies

Haunting theme music from 'Road to Perdition' - Road to Chicago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu33ASyD4o0


Love Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5pAWHRSdg0

Chariots of Fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fVlKU

Top Gun theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVNQGUkRX_U

Conquest of Paradise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94dY-QxjDiE

James Bond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUC8dJ0D6sA

The Godfather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9vA7L8H4nc

Star Wars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D0ZQPqeJkk

Happy Song - I Can See Clearly Now

Happy song to start the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrHxhQPOO2c&list=RDMrHxhQPOO2c

"I Can See Clearly Now" - Jimmy Cliff
(lyrics from www.azlyrics.com)

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

(ooh...) Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies.
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies.

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's going to be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
Yeah, hey, it's gonna be a bright (bright) bright (bright)
sunshiny day.