Perhaps the finest cure for seasonal ennui are collections of vintage music from hip Indian movies. I realize that the mix of twangy spy-movie guitars, Diddley drum beats and indigenous percussion and woodwinds is an acquired taste. It behooves one, however, to suppress any misgivings and immerse oneself wholesale into the proceedings.
Of the first two volumes, “The Bombay Connection†may prove more accessible to unaccustomed ears. The material dates from the late 70s/early 80s and, not surprisingly, bears striking resemblance to Western action-movie soundtracks of the same era.
“Bombshell Baby of Bombay†contains the song “Jan Pahechan Ho,†which 12 of you may remember from the film “Ghost World.â€
That could be something of a selling point … Thora Birch dancing … aah the sweet, sweet memories. Both volumes feature the undisputed royalty of Indian playback singers Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. Fortunately, the series is compiled by a serious collector and historian, so they don’t feel like overly-commercial rehashes of previous compilations. I would call this series a “bad mother-fakir,†but that's already been taken.
