Sympathy for the Devil

When Mick Jagger, then in the prime of his age, crooned, "What is puzzling you is the nature of my game," it's hard to ignore him. Not that this is a great song. Which it is. What attracts me these days is the crooning. I always chuckle when I hear the line, "Use all your well-learned politesse, Or I'll lay your soul to waste".

Ironically, I first listened this song as played by Blood, Sweat and Tears. I never liked the Rolling Stones version of it. Until this friend send it to me on a CD. Well, enjoy.

Hello Mr. Ethir Katchi

I remember watching this song from Iruvar for the first time in the theatre. It was an unique experience. Ash couldn't act back then (she later proved she could with Raincoat), but boy wasn't she lovely to look at!

Kaiser Chiefs

One reason why you may not have heard of Kaiser Chiefs is because the band, which has made an impact on the British rock scene, is yet to storm the US market. Here's their hit song Ruby, which is peaked at No 1 in February. Listen in.



Kaiser Chiefs official website.
Link via Talgeri.

Discovery

Wanna listen to music on a blog without downloading from the Net? Here you go.

Friend Talgeri had suggested this blog a long time back.

A rock song from Kerala

Almost a decade after Hindi took the pop route, here's a Malayalam band playing catchup. Avial, named perhaps after the tasty dish, is a five-member band. I have listened to the song a couple of times and the band does seem talented. The video is professionally shot. Do have a look. Boy, aren't my Mal friends going to go mad after hearing them. Or may be they will be sceptical. Who knows? More about the band here.

Thanks, Sri for letting me know about them.

Casino Royale: Bond gets real

How difficult was it to reinvent James Bond?

When critics say that Daniel Craig is the best bond since Sean Connery and closest to Ian Fleming’s literary creation, are they reacting to minor changes in the Bond formula? After all, any Bond film made now has to take into account the MI series and the Bourne films, particularly the latter, which seem to have changed action movies forever? And isn’t it time anyone making a Bond movie was influenced by Quentin Tarantino? Or took into account the newfound love for dark movies among both critics and audiences? Now, unlike in the sixties, everyone loves grey; black and white is passé.

But the counter argument is powerful. For 21 official films – Dr No was made in 1962 – and through five Bonds, the franchise remained, at least in its essentials, largely the same. Bond is suave, intelligent, handsome and lethal. Except in the case of Roger Moore, who made Bond silly instead of lethal. He was a delight in his own way, but he played himself instead of Bond. But in the early years of the franchise, it was Connery who enthralled audiences worldwide with his cool smile and smooth talking ways. He was Bond, in all his glory, and those who came after found it hard to replace him. That was the story for all actors who stepped into the Bond shoes.

For me growing up in the 90s, the Bond movies were campy and outdated. Having never witnessed the paranoia of the Cold War, Bond movies seemed to be like a Mediterranean cruise. And Bond always won. And you always knew it. Like the Bard says, the rub always lies in the how.

Golden Eye was the first Bond movie of my time. It reprises all the clichés, the out-of-the-world opening sequence, the two Bond girls, the amazing stunt sequences, the gadgets, the BMW, the globe trotting, and the megalomaniac villain who is out to destroy the world. It smelled like euphoria. But every Bond movie made after that was a disappointment. I wasn’t sure if I had become big or the movies small. But it just wasn’t the same anymore.

It isn’t the same with Casino Royale too. Bond has been, perhaps, forever changed. First of all he gets real. Then he gets vulnerable and falls in love. He gets beaten up, stabbed and tortured. He has scars on his face, and through the course of a night in a club, his shirt is repeatedly drenched in blood, some of which is his.

The changes begin right from the opening sequence. Instead of the gravity-defying stunt sequence, we see Bond making his first two killings and earning the 007 status. What could have been the opening sequence comes a little later as Bond chases a Black runner through the streets of Madagascar in what must be one of the best Bond chases ever. But this one is on foot.

Later in the movie, there is a car chase. The villains have the Bond girl, played by the dignified, virginal Eva Green. Bond is chasing them in his Aston Martin. Classic Bond scenario. The first Bond chase was in a boat in From Russia, With Love, I think. None of them have ended in an accident. So director Martin Campbell (Golden Eye, Zorro) end this chase in one.

He also does away with Money Penny, the adoring secretary to M, and Q, the gadgetmaker. The famous score doesn’t make an appearance in its entirety till the closing credits. “The name is Bond, James Bond,” is said again only at the end. Ironically, someone else says it before Bond in the movie.

Craig is outstanding in a couple of scenes. In one he is washing away his wounds in front of a hotel room mirror. In another, he almost dies in his favourite car of a cardiac arrest. He plays Bond as a spy instead of a superhero. This is the how-it-all-began story and so all that makes sense.

As the movie unfolded, I realised that Campbell had based the entire movie on the novel. In my teens, I had thought of that as a very boring novel. But that is believed to be Fleming’s best writing. The loyal adaptation works in some cases, and even when it should not work, it does. Like when Bond drinks poison. Everyone in the theatre knows Bond cannot die. But that scene is one of the best of the sort made since Connery beat to death a large spidery creature put in his bed in Dr No. (Wasn’t it?)

Another new thing is the torture sequence adapted from the novel. Bond is stripped bare and tortured in a way that makes Goldfinger look like a wuss. Bond also falls in love, for the last time, with the Eva Green character. He falls, falls hard and learns his lesson. Trust no one.

But again was it so hard to do this? It really wasn’t. But what cannot be explained is how hard it was to reinvent Bond. To make him real, vulnerable, and dark. To put fear, pain and loss in his eyes. That is what is different in this Bond movie. That is why you shouldn’t miss it.

It’s not about how good the movie is. It is about how good it opens up the series for the movies to come.

Read proper reviews here, and here.


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Time magazine recently listed the 100 best albums of all time. Some of my favourites Graceland and Blonde on Blonde are there.

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During the last few days, I wrote three Metblogs. On the Common Entrance Test, Chit Chat, a restaurant, and on the rains. There are more here.

Unusual Tamil rap song

You must absolutely go here and listen to this track. Like, CC says, the song is pretty good. Don't be put off by the first few seconds. This is a super example of a remix song. Pretty long, this song by Yogi B and Natchathira is about six minutes. But you will find yourself coming back for more. I am still trying to get the lyrics. Now go listen. Really. It's good.

To Ramona

Ramona, come closer,
Shut softly your watery eyes.
The pangs of your sadness
Shall pass as your senses will rise.
The flowers of the city
Though breathlike, get deathlike at times.
And there's no use in tryin'
T' deal with the dyin',
Though I cannot explain that in lines...

(This song is from Dylan's Another Side of Dylan. It's one of my favs. Read the complete song here.)

Graceland - Paul Simon at his best

If you have listened to Simon and Garfunkel in The Graduate, you may not recognise Paul's voice and compositions for his more recent solo album Graceland. And I should defenitely add to that list you won't recognise, Simon's unique lyrics for this album. After having listened to Graceland for every night over the last week, I feel Simon's lyrics to this album are among the best for any rock album - and that should include Dylan as well.
Graceland is the name of Elvis Presley's estate in Memphis. (More here) But what Simon does with his album is borrow some really beautiful instrumentation, chanting and howling from the traditional music in Africa. Yes, howling. It's great to listen, btw.
If S&G were singing sweet ballad like songs with enchanting lyrics, then Graceland is in part African, in part Jazz, in part Rock n Roll and in part Rock music.
While Graceland found its way into Rolling Stone's best 500 albums ever list, it was also taken to task by some reviewers like this one.
But I have now listened to it more than a few times and I really do like it. I find it a liberating experience to listen to music which is from the 'other'.

Some of my other posts about rock music are here.

Dylan out with new album

Bob Dylan's first album in 5 years Modern Times is out on Sony records.
There is this new page up on Google Video to mark the release of Modern Times. I have a slow connection. Do let me know how they are.

Something else you might be interested in. Mark Haddon, the author of Curious Incident of the Dog at the Night-time, has written a new book. Read Janet Maslin's review of A Spot of Bother here.

Bye Bye Barrett

Syd Barrett is a name always whispered with reverence. Sadly that is all I have heard of this music genius: whispers. On Sarpvinash, there are lyrics to a song of Barrett's. Sometimes, only you can write your best tribute. Know more about Barrett here.

Kadavul pathi -translated

Following is a hit song from Aalavandan, Kamalhassan's movie from five years ago. A friend considers this lyric special and asked me to translate it for his blog. I really slogged and then he made a couple of good changes and this is what the song is like is now. Tamil lyrics are followed by the English lines.

Opening
Kadavul pathi, mirugam pathi,
Kalanthu seiytha kalavai naan.
Veliye mirugam, ulle kadavul
Vilanga mudiya kavithai naan.
Mirugam kontru, mirugam kontru
Kadavul valarka parkinten
Aanal, kadavul kondru, unavai thintu
mirugam mattum valarkirathe

Half-god, half-man,
A mixture of the two made me.
A beast outside, a God inside,
I am incomprehensible poetry.
Killing the beast, I try to raise god
But, killing and usurping god,
The animal alone grows in me.

Nandakumara, Nandakumara,
Naalai mirugam kolvaya,
Mirugam kondra echam kondu
Meendum kadavul seivaya
Kurangil iruthu manithan ental
Manithan niryai velvana
Miruga gyathiyil pirantha manitha
Deva jyothiyil kalappaya

Nandakumara, Nandakumara,
Will you kill the beast tomorrow?
Will you raise god from the beast's remains?
If man evolved from monkey,
Will he completely overcome it?
You who are born in the animal species,
Will you become one with the eternal flame?

Repeating
Kadavul pathi, mirugam pathi,
Kalanthu seiytha kalavai naan.
Veliye mirugam, ulle kadavul
Vilanga mudiya kavithai naan.
Mirugam kontru, mirugam kontru
Kadavul valarka parkinten
Aanal, kadavul kondru, unavai thintu
mirugam mattum valakirathe.

Half-god, half-man,
A mixture of the two made me.
A beast outside, a God inside,
I am incomprehensible poetry.
Killing the beast, I try to raise god
But, killing and usurping god,
The animal alone grows in me.

Slurring
Kadavul pathi, mirugam pathi,
Kalanthu seiytha kalavai naan.
Kaatril yeeri, mazhayil aadi,
Kavithai padum paravai naan.

Half-god, half-man,
A mixture of the two made me.
Riding the wind, dancing in the rain
I am the bird that sings poems.

Faster
Kadavul pathi, mirugam pathi,
Kalanthu seiytha kalavai naan.
Kaatril yeeri, mazhayil aadi,
Kavithai padum paravai naan
Kaatril yeeri, mazhayil aadi,
Kavithai padum paravai naan
Ovvoru thuliyum, ovvoru thuliyum
Uyiril verkal kulirkirathe
Ella thuliyum kulirumpothu
Iruthuli mattum Sudukirathe.

Half-god, half-man,
A mixture of the two made me.
Riding the wind, dancing in the rain
I am the bird that sings poems.
In every drop of rain, my soul grows colder
Even when all drops are cold, only two remain hot.

Nandakumara, Nandakumara,
Mazhai neer sudathu theriyatha,
Kannam vazhikire kanner thulithan
Vennir thuli ena arivaya
Sutta mazhayum, sudatha mazhayum,
ontai kandavan neethane
Kanner mazhayil kanner mayayil
Kulikavaithavan neethane

Nandakumara, Nandakumara,
Don't you know that rainwater is never hot?
Do you know that the tears that
flow down your cheek that are hot?
You are one who got wet in the hot and cold rain
You are one who got wet in tears.

(Any improvements on this? You are welcome to make suggestions)

Bob Dylan

I discovered Dylan in 2000. Time magazine had featured him on its list of most influential entertainers of the century. I saw a photo of Dylan and about a year later bought my first Dylan album - Live in 1966. Many songs on the B side were so noisy, I could harldy hear Dylan. But tracks on the A side were superb and I was hooked.
Then a friend played me songs from Biograph, especially Blowin' in the Wind. We even tried to use the song on a documentary about Naxalites in Kerala that a group of us made together. But that didn't quite work out.
Then I was gifted a copy of Biograph myself. It is not Dylan's best collection, but it's very comprehensive.

Dylan is not a very good singer, in my opinion. But he is brillant songwriter and can emote words really well. Just listen to him on the Jerry Maquire soundtrack. It's hard to understand Dylan as a rocksinger, because he is anything but one. No rock star that I know of writes songs quite like him. Visions of Johanna, Desolation Row and To Ramona are my favs. I recently began reading Chronicles: Vol One, which is Dylan's memoirs. One of best books on him, we can say, written by himself.

Btw, Dylan didn't sing in the Royal Albert Hall in 1966. The concert actually took place in another hall nearby. Why it's advertised as the Royal Albert Hall concert, well I never did quite find out.

Political movies; Illayaraja and Rehman

Very few political movies get made in Tamil. Only Manirathnam's Iruvar ( on MGR and his relationship with M Karunanidhi) comes to mind immediately. Even though most actors turn to politics at one time or other - Karthik and Sarath Kumar are again in the news this election year - the film industry hardly takes a serious view at politics. But there are a thousand stories to be told. The rise of J Jayalithaa in politics must be a fascinating story. A story on the death of the Congress and the rise of the DK must be another story waiting to be told. Even the ones that do get made are harldly critical of their subjects - a movie on Kamaraj, in recent years - and lack a modern story telling style.
MK recently wrote the story for a movie - Pasakkili - on two socially aware men saving their town and sister from the baddies. MK took a break from politics, stayed in some resort for a few days and came up with this absolute crap. A poster shows the two men - Murali and Prabhu - looking defiant in chains and the sister begging a baddie with a gun for god knows what. It's in this absurd scenario, that Hazaron.... gets made and is seen and appreciated. Like Zinda, Hazaron is a movie with a superb soundtrack, some solid acting by KK, and a well crafted script. A trifle long yet highly stimulating movie.
Recently, my friend Eka Lavya has written that Rehman started out in 1993. That seems wrong to me. Roja was made either in 1991 or 1992. Not sure which year, but 93 is a little too late. And there seems to be a marked difference to the kind of songs he made and the songs in Zinda and Hazaron. Besides, Rehman has harldy made a dent on Illayaraja territory, Tamil folk music. Rehman did score for movies of this sort - Kizhakku Cheemaiyile with Bharathiraja and Sangamam - but they are really no match for Illayaraja's prolific contribution to Tamil cinema. In Tamil Nadu, Rehman is seen a hi-tech, electronic music making wizard, who lacks soul to his music. Not true, in my opinion. In addition to using a lot of orginal instrumental music - e.g Duet for with Kadri Gopalnath work with AR - Rehman has indeed composed some of most soulful tunes even done in Tamil.
But Illayaraja is not dead yet. There is a good song in a movie as recent as Mumbai Express.