One common question everyone asks, third to be precise, after someone meets me is, what are my hobbies? And one popular, safe hobby we all, and for some time, I chose to say was, ‘listening to music’. My friends don’t ask me questions, they know I can blabber on and on. So, it’s people who don’t know me, unfortunately, who ask this question, but they zone out to my answers pretty quickly (hmm, they are smart after all). And, while the discussion is still going on around the table, I go back in time, to see how my hobby developed.
As with everyone of my generation here, I grew up mostly with music from the movies. But, not all popular music went down well with me, and at one time, when I was not sure if I could have individual opinions, discovering that I had certain musical preferences was a shock to me – we generally go with the crowd. I never liked many popular movie songs, but when everyone were grooving to them, I thought something was wrong with me (Indian classical music, hindi punjabi pop, trance) but never did I realize I was hearing a different drummer. After realizing it was ok to have my own preferences, I started dwelling deep, why did I listen to music? to relax, and to groove and shake a leg – that was my starting point. Some genres were out of question, I simply never was into them, I used the process of elimination to find out what was left. Classical music gone, movie music gone (over exposure can kill even a sweet song), punjabi pop (hmm, not much into it), Hindi pop (some artistes), English pop (definitely my area), trance/disco/party (no, not my thing). What was left on my plate? some, not all songs of:- Kishore Kumar, KK, Kumar Sanu, Balu – no specific music director; MJ (the only king of pop; the only guy who represented english pop scenario in India once – we simply knew nobody else), Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, Bryan Adams (the second set of bands we were crazy about), Blue, Enrique & Eminem (whose music was a respite and a war cry at the same time – saved me from certain doom). Was that it? those were the only english singers we all knew (and some still know) (when cable was still in its nascent stages, and we all watched DD). I heard their songs, their complete catalogs, but, that was not enough, I wanted more. Where to start then? I didn’t know, and I took a sabbatical from music.
Music is one such beauty, that we cannot be away from it long. I knew I had to experiment. I knew our music (classical), and that I wouldn’t be much interested in it (except ghazals perhaps) so, I started with english pop – my best bet at that time. Purchasing english music was/is a costly affair in India, I didn’t want to squander my money, I needed the best bang for my buck – I needed expert advice. I approached a rocker friend of mine, and asked for advice. He asked me to try rock. I had my apprehensions about rock music, people with long hair, torn jeans, open shirts, drugs, head banging, and the ‘f**k you’ attitude was a real turn off for a guy who came from a conservative family. I said, I couldn’t get into that ghastly music. He smiled and asked me to do some research and understand it a little bit, to remove my misconceptions. So, I did my research and went back to him for suggestions (Head banging was only for certain sub-genres). From then, the fun started.
I started with “Eagles”, ‘Hotel California’ from ‘Hell Freezes over’. ‘fell in love with the guitar. ‘Tequila sunrise’ and ‘Love will keep us alive’ were two others favorites. “Linkin Park” was next; ‘was initially turned off by the loud metal music and screaming, but the excellent fusion of rap and rock, with really good lyrics, made me a fan – go for their entire catalog. Then, one day, the unthinkable happened: MJ passed away. I was too shocked to believe. ‘was too depressed. He was such a larger than life figure in my life that coming to terms with his death was not easy. Celebrated the whole day and a couple more after that, with only his music. That’s when I heard ‘We are the world’ for the first time (I don’t know how I could’ve missed that song earlier). MJ’s charity song for one of the causes he supported. With such an ensemble cast, the song was moving. In that song, I discovered two artists to explore: Bruce Springsteen & Lionel Richie. I love Bruce’s husky voice, rhythm and the lyrics. The Wrestler, Secret Garden, Born in the USA, Radio Nowhere, The River, We shall overcome, The Rising became my favorites. Lionel’s ‘Hello’ blew me out of my mind. I’ve since searched for a girl, worth dedicating that song to. Four artistes; so far so good. I kept pushing…
‘Queen’ came next. Freddie Mercury did turn me off with his weird costumes, but, my goodness, his voice, the octaves he could reach, the depth he could bring to his songs, the emotions he could convey… unbeatable. The show must go on, is the best song I’ve heard in recent times… Sultans of swings & brothers in arms by ‘Dire Straits’; Words, Stayin’ alive, How deep is your love by ‘Beegees’; Time, Us and them, Another brick in the wall by ‘Pink Floyd’; love me tender, puppet on a string, are you lonesome tonight from ‘Elvis’; Like a rolling stone, times are a-changing by ‘Bob Dylan’ (just started with his music) quickly followed.
It is only when we keep looking, even though we have no idea what we’ll find, if we’ll find any, that we discover the best. And, I found my best: Air Supply, John Denver, The Beatles, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, BB King.
I’m all out of love, Unchained melody, Making love out of nothing at all, Goodbye, Now and forever.. bought tears into my eyes… love moved me. ‘Air Supply’ had me. The Australian band of two, with Hitchcock’s soaring tenor voice and Graham’s simple yet majestic songs created touching songs… Annie’s song, Take me home country roads, Leaving on a jet plane, Dreamland express, This old guitar… yea, ‘John Denver’ it was. To sit and enjoy his music with headphones to shut out the rest of the world was/is a Zen experience because after a while we forget we’ve been sung to, and our mind and heart fill with happiness & peace. Only a artist like John could’ve done that. I can’t write enough of the song, ‘This old guitar’. Especially, in one of his live performances, he recounts the story behind the song, and its truly touching, Here is a stanza from the song: “this old guitar gave me my lovely lady, it opened up her eyes and ears to me, it brought us close together, I guess it broke her heart, it opened up the space for us to be..” I’m hard-pressed to find better lyrics than these. His music truly fills up my senses…
They were everywhere, the band, which drove a generation crazy, who were said to have been more famous than Jesus Christ, were planning to release their complete catalogue in mono and stereo, and I wanted in. Marketing did the trick. But, I wanted to know if I liked them, and after hearing their songs, I couldn’t believe I never tried them before. Yes, I’m talking about “The Beatles”. I ended up with both the pressings (thanks to a friend of mine). And, they never sounded better. Love me do, Help, Norwegian bird, I see the sun, Yesterday, While the guitar gently weeps (my first Beatle song), I guess I’ll have to write their complete catalogue as my favorites. John’s soulful voice, great song writing, a visible artistic progression, from infectious melodies to exuberant harmonies, they did it all, creating everlasting music fusing all genres. No wonder they are famous even after 50 years since their first album; and I’m glad to have discovered them… There’s one distinction in Beatles fans, you are either a John’s guy or Paul’s guy. I’m definitely a John’s guy. After Beatles, I moved to John Lennon’s solo career. His, lyrics from Imagine – you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, no need for greed or hunger, a brother hood of man, imagine all the people sharing all the world, you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m no the only one… (true John, you are not the only one, we are all with you) mad me think, can music get better than this? A man’s vision, dream of an utopia, expressed in such simplicity making us question ourselves if is it so difficult to have world peace, if we really wanted it. His, stand by me, working class hero (John at his sardonic best), watching the wheels, nobody loves you when you’re down and out, borrowed time, give peace a chance, are my other favorites… I’m always depressed after listening his songs; no, the songs don’t depress me (quite the opposite), but, the fact that he is no more does. A great man’s life cut short by a lunatic – that depresses me. But, it is said, you achieve immortality in your legacy, and John’s will continue as long as there is meaningful music
If you followed me, you would’ve understood that I’m good at branching out, starting with one artist, I move onto their friends, or peers; from George Harrison, I moved onto discover God. My first song of his, was Tears in heaven, second was Layla (unplugged), followed by Layla (original), My fathers eyes, Cocaine (live from Japan), Bad Love, & After Midnight (live from Japan). Rammed through his catalogue, saw & heard him live, and with the way his guitar speaks: no wonder he is known as the “Guitar God”. “Eric Clapton” has since been my most sought after artist. Collecting his music became a addiction (especially his live recordings) and his prolific work did not make it easy. But, my collection grew and still continues to. He conveys so much emotion through his guitar than his writing or singing, that he is incomplete without it. He expresses the unsaid and the unknown, with the strings in his hand. A genius, whose music is best discovered on your own. Looking forward to buy a Fender Stratocaster for myself, but, genius lies in the hand which plays it, not in the instrument right? Moved onto other guitarists: Jimi Hendrix & BB King. Jimi never clicked with me, his music was more chaotic than rhythmic. BB King’s was that of a true master. It’s amazing to see Mr. King talk to Lucille (his guitar) and Lucille talking back to him, in every song. He has his trademark technique of stretching the strings to get that special twang from his guitar, that I love. The thrill is gone, Chains and things, Everyday I have the blues, When my heart beats like a hammer, Come rain or come shine are my favorites of his. With an artist like Mr. King, it’ll take a while for me, to complete his collection, and I’m still discovering his numbers. But, the best thing with these guitarists is: we not only get to hear some very good songs, but also, some very good guitar.
And so, my experiments go on… (So should yours). I’ll move on to different artists, genres, languages, some I’ll like, some I’ll not, but, its worth the investment, after all, is that not the beauty of life?… finding something beautiful when it is least expected??
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