About

I am Ravi (though I use author name RSBAAB) and love Indian film music. I grew up listening to film songs on the radio (much before TV came into our living rooms) and eagerly waiting for the weekly Binaca geetmala. I started admiring the great music directors and their work. I discovered that each music director had a distinctive style, much like each one of us have different signatures. Over the years, I became a keen observer of these styles, techniques used, the shapes, contours, patterns, the  effects and impact created by the composers.

Perhaps having only a radio was a good thing. I find that TV adds an additional visual element, which is enjoyable. At the same time, you cannot focus and listen to the fine nuances of a song, which is possible only if you give 100% of your attention to the audio on the radio or an iPod. You may enjoy a dance or the actor’s expressions or the beautiful scenery in a TV. But if you really want to enjoy the music and the beauty of a good melody, you need a radio. Only in a radio or iPod, you can immerse yourself in the melody of the vocals and also enjoy the sweet tunes of a flute, the silken notes of a sitar or the clarity of a guitar. Only the audio can make you really feel the joy or pathos in a Rafi song, the clarity and richness of Lata’s voice or the resonance of a Mukesh.

An interesting exercise for me was to gauge the rhythm, tempo and shape of the melodic lines to try and guess if the tune was the handiwork of Shanker or Jaikishen. I followed Hindi film music a lot, at the same time also enjoying South Indian film music. While admiring good songs and great music directors, I developed a special liking for Kalyanji-Anandji and Ilayaraja and the beautiful blend of melody and rhythm in their music. When asked about the poor visuals in films for some of Ilayaraja’s memorable songs, Ilayaraja replied “Why do you need visuals? Why can’t you enjoy music for the sake of music?”. I firmly believe that listening only to the audio is the best way to enjoy music and appreciate a composer’s work. I watch TV too, but when I really want to “feel” a song, I will listen only to the audio.

A radio also gives you the freedom to go about your normal work while you listen casually to the music in the background. You may not appreciate the finer nuances of a song, but this helps you relax, enjoy the music and perhaps makes you more productive in your work! In this blog, I am trying to bring back all the enjoyment of a radio for both the serious connoisseurs of film music as well as casual listeners. Most posts, contain a player. You can listen to the songs at your own pace and in your own style. Thanks to the internet, the music player in each article is like an internet radio! In addition to listening to an internet radio, in each of the articles (posts), you can also understand the composing styles of music directors, gain some insights into film music and enjoy a few anecdotes as well. This should add an additional dimension to your enjoyment of good quality film music. 

When I turned breadwinner for my family, I could not hear as many songs as I wanted. However, all the songs I heard in my younger days stayed with me in my memories for the impact they created on me. All the songs in my blog posts are those I heard several times on the radio and enjoyed the impact immensely.

This blog is not meant for commercial purposes. This is to only to share views, analysis and enjoy music with like minded people with similar interests and passion. This blog is to share and express my enjoyment of film music from the ‘outside’ – purely from a consumer of music or listener’s point of view.

In all the posts, the descriptions, analysis, commentary and views are mine. All other media elements of the blog are of course, created and owned by their respective creators and owners.