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, âThe Bombay Connectionâ 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.
âBombshell Baby of Bombayâ contains the song âJan Pahechan Ho,â which 12 of you may remember from the film âGhost 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 donât feel like overly-commercial rehashes of previous compilations. I would call this series a âbad mother-fakir,â but that's already been taken.