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Compilation - Goal! EMI, Music CD, Rs. 395
The football World Cup won't come back for another four years but you can keep the fever alive with Goal!, a compilation of some of the best football anthems ever made.
Over the years a few numbers have become iconic due to their association with football. Though they have been chartbusters in their own right, the association with football has taken them to a whole new level of popularity. And some of the numbers have even made it as official anthems of football clubs.
With youth today "Song 2" by Blur is the most easily associated with football. "I got my head checked, by a jumbo jet. It wasn't easy, but nothing is, no..." These are the lines that greeted one when the computer game FIFA 98 was started. The number was from the years when grunge was 'the' genre of rock to listen to and was an instant hit.
David Bowie's "Heroes" is another number that has been used by football fans in various versions. The most recent version was a cover recorded for the World Cup.
But when it comes to football, the fans and music, nothing comes close to "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry and the Pacemakers. The title of the number is firmly emblazoned on the emblem of English football club, Liverpool, and the club's fans are famous for rendering rousing versions of the lyrics at every match.
All the numbers in this compilation have been associated with football either at national or club level. The list of bands and artistes reads: Chumbawamba, Coldplay, Gorillaz, Pet Shop Boys, Tina Turner, and Queen finds a place twice. Their "We Will Rock You" is a football favourite but an even bigger one is "We Are The Champions". Well every football team that wins anything loves to sing it!
ANAND SANKAR
Modalu Maanavanaagu , Lahari, Cassette, Rs. 35
The title of Shimoga Subbanna's bhavageethe album Modalu Manavanaagu seems so much a notion of the past, considering the liberal humanist spirit that it upholds. This poem by Kavyananda with the same title is far removed from our highly competitive, present-day world, which puts success ahead of everything else. The song also harks you back to a time and age when the world still believed that the pen was mighty. The song, originally composed and also sung by Balappa Hukkeri, has a nice nostalgic feel. Nostalgia not just for the great singer and his honest song, but also of a time that has quietly slipped away.
My personal favourite in the album is "Ninna kaanutalenna, yedeyeko haaruvudu". I'm convinced it is Subbanna's favourite too. The song, set in Durga, is a poem by Ti. Nam. Srikantiah and celebrates love with amazing simplicity. I particularly like the line "... hosa bageya santhosha yeko gevudu... " (`It fills me with a new kind of happiness'): it's not about wild passion, but of happiness and admitting to it in a tone so genuine and sincere.
The Charukeshi song, "Mikkavarali", also by Ti. Nam. Shri, has a lovely tune. Particularly, the refrain "Olavo hageyo yavudidu... " which finally builds to "Olavo, huchcho... ". It contains in its tune and rendition a contemplation, a dilemma hauntingly beautiful and this it executes in an understated manner. The thoughtful background score heightens the effect of the refrain sung in the lower octave, by employing a higher octave piece on the synthesiser. The notes soar and work well in contrast to the voice.
The flight of the flute in the Hindola song "Ille Ello... " by N.S. Lakshminarayana Bhatta is breathtaking. The song has a Carnatic take to it. The offbeat patterns on the tabla and the staccato violins over it in the background score for the first charana weave a lovely pattern.
"Sanjegenna Payanavendu" has a very unusual tune with western opening with the overt presence of guitar and drums.
One thing comes ringing in the album: Shimoga Subbanna's firm belief that the human voice is only a carrier of poetry in the bhavageethe genre. So much so that the tunes don't even need that extra embellishment. Unlike most bhavageethes of the recent times, the lyrics come through with great clarity and are not drowned in heavy orchestration. N.S. Prasad needs a special mention for his brilliant background score (particularly the outstanding sitar and flute passages) that never goes overboard.
DEEPA GANESH
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