Did R.D.Burman really preferred KK over Rafi?
This article is written by Mr.H.V.Guru Murthy.
A regular browser to web site mohdrafi.com, having gone through the letters of Rafi lovers would assume that R D Burman did not utilize Rafi properly, instead he preferred Kishore Kumar. Because of this reason, Rafi Fans are still upset with RDB even though he passed away a decade back.
Yes, it is true that RDB preferred KK over Rafi during early seventies. For that matter, which Music Director or Actor or Producer or Director will not have his preference. It was well known that Raj Kapoor always preferred Mukesh, Manoj Kumar preferred Mukesh or Mahendra Kapoor, B.R.Chopra films had Mahendra, MD Ravi also had plenty of songs with Mahendra so also O.P after he broke with Rafi. Similarly OP always had either Asha or Geetha Dutt and never Lata. Salil also used all other Singers. Director Subba Rao insisted on Mukesh for SAATHI even though the hero was Rajendra Kumar and MD Naushad, two Rafi Fans. Even Kalyanji Anandji had many films with Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh and KK even though Rafi was instrumental in their raise through JAB JAB PHOOL KHILE, AAMNE SAAMNE, etc. LP, by all means Rafi Bhakts, used KK regularly in the early seventies even for Rafi heroes like Jeetendra, Dharmendra, etc. SJ also switched over to KK in movies like MAIN SUNDAR HOON, DIL DAULAT DUNIYA, KAL AAJ AUR KAL, etc. Of course, the music standard came down a notch or two in that period. But, well, it is their prerogative to have whomsoever they wanted though I am sure in heart of heart, why even openly, they would have admitted the superiority of Rafi over all other Singers. Similarly, RDB also used KK for almost all his movies in the early seventies as perhaps he had some special chemistry with him.
However, let us not forget that RDB used Rafi extensively during late sixties as his main playback singer right from the first movie. He gave hit music with Rafi in TEESRI MANZIL, NAQLI NAWAAB, CARAVAN, PYAAR KA MAUSAM, THE TRAIN, ABHILASHA, ADHIKAR, RATON KA RAAJA, etc. Later during late seventies he returned to Rafi and gave hits like SHAAN, HUM KISISE KUM NAHIN, ABDULLAH, ZAMANE KO DIKHANA HAI, etc. In between, he had Rafi in CHANDI SONA qawali with Mannadey (Ek Shok Hasina Se), YADON KI BAARAT (Title song and who can forget the duet with Asha Chura Liya Hai Tumne), DIL KA BAADSHAH (this Raj Kumar starrer had all songs by Rafi), THE GREAT GAMBLER (Raftasa Mera Naam), SHEHZADA (Solo Tere Attaroo and duet with Lata Kaahe Ko Bulaya), etc.
If a person cannot appreciate the greatness of Rafi, then it can be safely concluded that the person does not have a sense of music. Of course, RDB was a good MD though not a great MD like Naushad, Madan Mohan, OP Nayyar, SDB, etc. RD would have definitely known the great qualities of Rafi, the Singer. Just because he did not use Rafi extensively as one would expect, let us not degrade this MD who gave us some good songs in CHANDAN KA PALNA, PADOSAN, HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA, MERE JEEVAN SAATHI, AJNABEE, AMAR PREM, SANAM TERI KASAM, BHOOT BANGLA, BAHARON KE SAPNE (Rafi solo Zamane Ne Maare), PARICHAY, KINAARA, APNA DESH, ZAHREELA INSAAN, RAMPUR KA LAKSHAMAN (Pyaar Ka Samay with Lata, KK and Rafi), 1942 – A LOVE STORY, KATI PATANG to certain extent, etc. though he gave some very mediocre music in films like DEEWAR, SHOLAY, KITAAB, ZAKHMEE, RAFOO CHAKKAR, NAMKEEN, DHARAM KARAM and BIWI O BIWI (so un-RK film like), etc. so many forgettable movies as for as music was concerned.
The irony of RDB was either he gave good music or petered out to a very mediocre music in so many films. I read some where that Shashi Kapoor called RD as National Anthem Music Director. In those days, theatres used to play National Anthem at the end of the movie and the Hall doors used to be shut till the completion of the Anthem. As soon as the Anthem used to commence, our in-disciplined people used to rush to the Hall Door and wait for the door opening. Similarly, whenever RDB songs commenced in most of the movies, people used to rush to toilet.
Still, it is not fair that we use harsh and sometimes, un-parliamentary language against any body if they differ with our views. We cannot forget the contribution of all these MDs, Heroes, Singers, Directors, etc. in making the Indian Film Music so rich.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:01 am
ref post 420:
myk, since your post is numbered 420, I thought I’d start with “ramayya vasta…” but that’s an sj composition. My number 1 rd composition has always been “tumne mujhe dekha” and this is the only rd composition I’d include in rafi’s top 25. I never get tired of listening to this song. This song demonstrates how well rd could have exploited rafi’s soft, romantic voice if he had wanted to. I’d also include the two trend-setting duets from tm (aaja aaja and o haseena), simply because that kind of music was hardly ever heard earlier in hfm. I’d also include the folksy “ni sultana re” from pyar ka mausam. Among the 1970s songs, I’d include the two qawaalis from hkkn and burning train. And of course, there’s chura liya. Among the earlier songs, you could also consider those from caravan, abhilasha, the train and chandan ka palna.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Mr. MYK,
Your post no. 420. Here are my 10 best RD - Rafi songs as picked today. As you have mentioned, perhaps if you ask me on some other day, the list may change.
1. Chura Liya Hai - Yaadon Ki Baraat.
2. Poocho Na Yar Kya Hua - Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai.
3. Sona Re Sona Re - Teeesri Manzil.
4. Tumne Muzhe Dekha - Teesri Manzil.
5. Tum Bin - Pyaar Ka Mausam.
6. Wadiyan Mera Daman - Abhilasha.
7. Pal Do Pal Ka - The Burning Train.
8. Rut Hai Milan Ki - Mela.
9. Chaand Mera Dil - Hum Kisise Kam Nahin.
10. Maine Poocha Chaandase - Abdullah.
Bad that you gave us only 10 choices. One criterion considered while selecting the songs was that it should not be loud and melody should be the sole criterion. The songs are chosen not in any particular order.
March 26th, 2008 at 12:58 am
re Post 419…
true.. all the mentiond composers “lost out” in film music due to
the non use of Rafi ji….
excepting anil biswas, all the mentioned composers were terribly
unhappy with their personal lives too and at least two female
singers were responsible for their sorry plight.
c.r. did come to his senses and realised his folly but it was too late
in the day.
Just ten days before Rafi left us, c.r. recorded a song with the
farishta and had said golden words on his demise. One another
time i would translate the words from marathi in this thread..
binu nair. the rafi foundation………+9833 250 701
March 25th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
GuruMurty ji,
i think all of them ab,cr,sc,rdb definitely gave some beautiful songs to audience but wat c ramchandre, anil biswas & salil lose wdout rafi was::
1.they badly fall back in all departments compare to their fierce competitors(naushad,sdb,sj)
2.their music was never revolutionary.
also there is hardly any difference b/w the c ramchandra & pre 57 sdb, untill 1957 both were equally great, but we can rate sdb distinctly ahead of c ramchandra just bcoz of wat sdb did from pyaasa to guide.. sdb will remember most for wat he did wd rafi ji from pyaasa to guide…
c ramchandra was always great, but his selection of singers was something beyond understanding.. take his classic from navrang in raag maalkos and daadra taal, song is — aadha hai chanrama, master piece composition by c r wd excellent shayari, normally these type of compositions takes a lot of sweat out of the composers, daadra taal is a rythmic taal but just look at c ramchandra’s sheer genious, he crafted this beautiful thehraav based romantic number on daadra, most of the genious composers used to make thehraav songs on vilambit daadra(koi sagar dil ko, chho lene do nazuk hoto ko) .. but ultimately what he did, he hand over his classy composition to mahendra kapoor, had this song been delivered by rafi ji, it wud have been much more remembered today, although mk delivered well but not upto the class of the composition..
salil’s music was nice blend of east and west and neither of his male compositions were complex classical based so i really don’t bother that whom he preferred, but one thing for sure that by under utilizing rafi he limited himself. for example ravi was not as much trained as salil, but we have a vast variety on ravi from bar bar dekho to chhu lene do nazuk hoto ko.. obviously if you have a singer like rafi with you than you will get more space to experiments and go innovative…
by the way here is talat-lata classic by salil::
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZjcjBr6ZcUM&feature=related
then finally came the clever bengali bandhu pancham, who entered into big league through rafi ji(not once but twice-TM,HKKN) and today he is known as a composer of kishore, but i think he shouldn’t be called like this as he had 100+ great songs with rafi ji as well…
by the way this pair rocked 80s too, here are the two best songs from 80s having pancham & rafi ji..
1.jab hum ek sath hain fir(very melodious gazal)
2.maine poocha chand se…
and what about these two quawwalis,
1.pal do pal ka saath(the burning train)
2.kya takalluf hai walla(rafi,bhupinder & asha from movie jail yatra)…
March 25th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
xxx,
i agree with you. although rafi is by far my favorite - i couldnt live without the other great artists and “rafiception” MDs like salil, chitalkar (who btw has 70 songs for rafi and is a top 10 composer for him), etc. in fact, i appreciate the variety. just recently we talked about the need for variety and how only few prefer to hear only one voice for a long time. this variety helps us to keep all voices fresh. how wonderful “suhana safar” sounded in the voice of mukesh ji. brilliant composition by salil!
sometimes, you have to create a separate niche otherwised you get washed away. like asha bhonsle with her style of singing or on the other hand suman kalyanpur who had an amazing voice but sounded too close to lata. so perhaps you’re right - by centering on other singers they became “different” and a separate niche from shankar jaikishan, op nayyar, ravi, etc.
yes, we should certainly appreciate these other composers. i got hooked to music thanks to rafi but eventually graduated from a big fan of rafi (which i still am of course) to a music lover. and a true music lover will not fail to appreciate the quality and variety of greats like rd burman.
March 25th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Mr. Haldar, Mr. XXX, Mr. H.V. Guru Murthy & Mr. Harvinder,
What are your Top 10 RD-Rafi songs ?. Please list them, as I am curious to know all your opinions. It’s tough choosing 10 out of so many great songs, but this is a fun exercise.
I know lists can change, and you can have a different set of Top 10 songs another day, but the songs you choose should be among your very favourites.
The list can include both solos and duets.
March 25th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Dear XXX,
It is true MDs like CR, SC, AB, RDB did not use Rafiji as frequently as other MDs like Naushad, SDB, SJ, LP, MM, Ravi, etc. Perhaps they thought that they would lose their importance if Rafiji sings and makes the song a hit, all the credit will be Rafi’s. Well, they forgot, in the process they missed the opportunity of giving a good song to the audience, which others who used Rafiji frequently could do. Hence, these MDs, who did not use Rafi much, were the real losers.
And whenever, thse MDs used Rafi, they gave super songs. SC in Madhumati, Maya and Poonam Ki Raat, CR in Rootha Na Karo and of course RDB in scores of movies.
Regarding Jagjit Singhji’s comments on Rafiji, please ignore him Though he is a good gazal singer, he has to still travel so many light years if he has to get credentials to criticise a ‘once in a millenium’ Singer like Rafi. Well, I have used a very mild word ‘credential’ and not the more blunt equivalent of Hindi word.
March 24th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
harvinder ji,
i can understand that it is hard to believe for most of the ardent rafi ji fans that rdb was great, but same is not the case with me, may b im not a rafi ji’s ardent fan like you and most of odrs , but for me he is the greatest playback singer ever happened and i respect him a lot..
another thing i want to admit that all those so called non-rafi composers - salil choudhary, c ramchandra, anil biswas, rahul dev burman were really great. we can’t ignore the variety they introduced to hfm, few years back frm now from now i listened the radio pgm–”sangeet ke sitaro ki mehfil ” on great naushad, when he asked to name his favorite composers, the first name he lipped was of none other than anil biswas, same anil biswas ho criticized rafi ji on 70s(if sources to be believed)..
another great composer from 60s who used rafi ji all the way was ravi , who assisted hemant kumar in his initial days and the composer he idolizes was none other than c ramchandra, who surprisingly preferred mahindra kapoor over rafi ji, i can understand his affection for mk as he was judge in the all india singing contest won by mk, but just imagine cr’s gr8s wd rafi ji…
i think they all were willing to made their own distinct mark, thats why they under utilized rafi ji(unlike other greats), and they succeeded too, all of them gave great music but their music was never revolutionary like other greats (naushad,sdb,sj), as revolution always came with rafi ji, whether it was baiju baawra, or junglee, barsaat ki raat, pyaasa, guide, teesri manzil.. ..
among these four only rdb was revolutionary , but his revolution was also came wd rafi ji.. teesri manzil, carvan, hum kisise kam nahi..
———————————————————————————————
haldar ji,
how can we expect the burmans from lata ji’s lips?? whenever she asked to name her favorite composers she always named her loyalists .. ya its surprising that why this album has so many dada’s tunes, sounding like shradhanjali to dada..
by the way here is link to one more album where dada’s classics used in majority by jagjeet singh, and there is a song for the critics of mukesh, listen to the “kahin door jab din dhal jaye”, eminent gazal sinnger jagjeet who insulted rafi ji is nowhere close to even mukesh ji, its hard to beat golden voices, no matter how much trained you are …..
http://www.esnips.com/doc/29c9e496-d21d-45f9-a874-3320c5e8ee68/Close-To-My-Heart–Jagjit
March 24th, 2008 at 8:38 am
ref post 407:
xxx, I resisted the urge to listen to lata’s version of “dil ka bhanwar” for more than a week, but finally I gave in. My worst fears were confirmed; it sounds nowhere near rafi’s version. Listen to rafi’s “ooh ooh ooh ooh” with that special dada-dev touch and you’ll know what I mean.
Next, I listened to lata’s “kabhi khud pe”; this was much better than “dil ka bhanwar”. However, rafi brings in such beautiful nuances to this song that it is impossible for anyone to come near him. Listen to the stanza starting with “hum to samjhe the ke hum bhool gaye hai unko” and you’ll find that she cannot produce the same effect. I’ll stand by my claim that no singer, including the foremost ghazal singers, can surpass rafi’s rendition of this song. When jagjit singh had made some snide remarks about rafi saab, his no. 1 fan (I’m sure you know who that is) reacted very angrily, saying that he didn’t understand how such so-called ghazal singers can make such comments about someone whom Mukesh, Manna and he adored.
I then played lata’s “din dhal jaye”. On the thread for that song, I had recently commented that no one can else can score more than 7 out of 10. I’ll give her a 7. She did a much better job with “man re” but here I was trying to see whether she could have the same effect as rafi with those two words; I don’t think so. Of all the songs, she did the best job with “suhani raat dhal chuki”, though I missed rafi’s raw voice here (I admit that sometimes my biases creep in, as they are here).
To be fair to lata, she sang these songs when she was past her prime, and she selected songs that few other singers would dare to sing. She also made a wonderful selection of songs, not only for rafi, but for hemant, mukesh, geeta and kishore as well. The interesting thing is how many of dada’s compositions she selected — for rafi, geeta, kishore, hemant and even mukesh. And in the background you keep hearing the songs from pyaasa, kagaz ke phool and bandini. It makes you wonder why she still doesn’t acknowledge him as one of his favourite composers, which include sajjad, madan mohan, salil and shankar-jaikishan (a recent addition).
And here’s a parting thought. Who wants to pass the ultimate litmus test? Dekhi zamane ki yaari… Raju Bharatan, are you listening?
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 am
Post 413 of Mr xxx.
I agree that Padosan’s songs by Kishore da brought him into bigger league before Aradhna and yes it was RDB’s work
Thank you.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Since this thread is devoted to pancham so here are few more links::
1.Pancham on jaimala gold:: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/865
2. 3 way conversation(asha-pancham-gulzar):: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/867
3. Manohari singh remembers pancham:: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/869
March 21st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Here i got some fine links on various maestros
1.Pyarelal on Rafi ji :: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/567
2.Vishesh Jaimala naushad:: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/514
3.Various artists paying tribute to rafi ji :: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/565
4. Shankar Jaikishan:: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/703
5.Jaimala gold Roshan(1966):: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/vividhbharati/message/757
March 20th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Mr. Harvinder ji,
Albums that you have mentioned were all nice, and Kishore da’s songs from them were nice but i think Kishore da got all those gems from other mds due to huge breakthrough by rdb in Padosan, and i think it might be padosan’s impact that made shakti samanta to agree upon kishore for aaradhna, after that ksihore da got all those by others(do raaste,safar,parwana)…
By the way can you name any better Revolutionary album(from 70s) than these where Kishore da dominating as a male playback singer::
1.Kati patang
2.Amar prem
3.Mere Jeevan Saathi
4.Anamika
5.Parichay(Musafi hu Yaaro)
6.Aandhi
7.Aap ki kasam
8.Ajnabi
9.Aa gale lag jaa
10.Paraya Dhan
Yes Kishore da Was great, but every great singer(including Lata ji) from yesteryears was Bounded by certain limitations(except Rafi ji), but rdb Exploited Kishore da so well in early 70s that he suddenly Became commercial phenomenon…
March 19th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I had responded to post 405 of xxx. I am surprised that my comments have not been posted.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Ref post 405 of xxx.
Thank you for your contributions, but your claim of 90 % of Kishore da’s classics in 70’s being RDB’s compositions is hard to believe. Kishore da was genius as a singer / actor. If anything, it is RDB who rode on Kishoreda’s pupularity. I have a die hard Kishore fan who being fanatic of RDB and ill informed attributes most tunes of of KA, LP also to RDB where Kishore da has spelled his magic. e.g Safar, Do Raaste. Even Madan Mohan’s Parwana (Simti si) is assumed to be of RDB.
I know my good friend is one of the thousands who felt that every good tune in 70’s was made by RDB.
March 17th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
respected guru murthy ji,
im agree wd u, i respect lata ji a lot, wat i meant was she sung it bit casualy,
by the way here is link to shradhanjali by lata ji,
1.shradhanjali side a
2.shradhanjali side b
March 17th, 2008 at 10:00 am
DEAR XXX,
I HAVE THE SHRADDANJALI CASETTE OF LATAJI, WHERE SHE HAS PAID TRIBUTES TO SAIGAL, PANKAJ MULLICK, RAFI, MUKESH, KK, HK, ETC. SHE HAS SUNG TWO TO THREE SONGS OF EACH OF THESE STALWARTS AND HAS REALLY SUNG WELL. PLEASE DO NOT COMPARE HER SINGING TO ORIGINAL SONGS. I AM SURE EVEN IF THESE SINGERS HAD SUNG LATAJIS’ SONGS, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL.
LATAJI HAS SUNG TWO SONGS OF RAFIJI - “MANARE TU KAHE” AND “KABHI KHUD PE”. SHE HAS PAID GLOWING TRIBUTES TO RAFIJI, STATING THAT HE WAS A GENTLEMAN AND COULD SING ANY TYPE OF SONG SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD EXCLAIM “WAH WAH”. SHE ALSO ADMITTED THAT SHE HAS SUNG THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DUETS WITH RAFIJI.
March 16th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Ref. post#384
You do have a point.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
mr. p haldar ji,
here is the link to the shradhanjali version by lata ji for that “bee sting inspired song”.. for which you have mentioned this in one of your earlier post
“”The nightingale has sung this song in her shraddhanjali series. I haven’t heard it myself, but if you have, please let me know how it compares”"”
i think lata ji was not up to the mark of rafi ji but she delivered really well, enjoy the song::
http://www.esnips.com/doc/95888601-f572-4126-a723-449c8cc4195e/Dil-Ka-Bhanwar-Kare-Pukar
March 14th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Kaun kisi ko baandh saka is another nice number by d rafi ji for rdb from the movie kaalia, whenever rafi ji associated with anybody,so much class and melody came automatically, such a supernatural singer he used to be…
all the songs from the kaalia were nice but this one by rafi ji taking out everything from kishore da & asha ji, rahul dev burman gave his best composition from this movie to rafi ji.
thank god that he didnt gave this one to kishore da odrwise one more nice composition would have been gone to the bin… although kishoreda was gr8 wdin his genre but these type of songs were not his cup of tea..
March 14th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
im fully agree with anmol ji & myk ji, rafi-rdb combo would have been great and nostalgic, had rafi ji been lived in 80s..
harvinder ji, rd burman definitely made the fortune of ksihore da, 90% of kishore da’s classics from 70s had rd burman label on it. and i think that was nice, there is nothing wrong if a talented person like kishore who respected rafi ji a lot got some attention in 70s…
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
by the way here is a link to the album where mighty naushad ji paying rich tribute to rafi ji…
http://dishant.com/album/The-Last-Journeyof-Mohammed-Rafi-By-Naushad.html
March 13th, 2008 at 7:01 am
I have so far seen 403 posts on RD Burman’s article and his alleged preference of Kishore da over Rafi Saheb.
He is being made to look the most popular MD till date. I find it rather strange to believe as if he made the fortune of Kishore da. He never figured in Lata or Rafi Saheb’s list of great or good MD’s.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Ref Post 402:
I totally agree with you Mr. Anmol Singh, if Rafi had lived in the 80’s, the RD-Rafi combo would have been amazing. I agree with Mr. Haldar, that if there was one combo to really look forward to in the 80’s, it was this one. The charm and freshness of the RD-Rafi combo can be seen in their overall association, and also in their coming together for songs in the late seventies/early eighties.
The songs from Mukti, Devta, The Great Gambler, Abdullah, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, TBT, Shaan, Bulandi etc. were a sign for things to come. Then tragedy struck, and before the RD-Rafi combo could go on even further, Rafi-saab passed away.
I think “Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara” and “Maine Poocha Chand Se” are two of the finest songs to emerge from the 80’s decade. True, RD’s classical talent could have been further highlighted with Rafi in the 80’s.
March 11th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Ref to post 401
Possibly if Rafi Sahab could have lived in the 80s the RD-Rafi combo could have been the most deadliest. RD could have not made much use of KK or any other singer. Infact RD’s classical talent which also remained untapped could have been highlighted in the 80s. Possibly with Rafi on his side in 80s there was a possibility that he could have surpassed or equalled LP. Infact the set back what RD experienced in the mid 80s could have never occured.
March 8th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Mr. XXX,
An excellent post, keep it up, let me comment on your points:
a) I fully agree when you say that the charm of RDB’s songs increased 4 times when rendered by Rafi-saab. Indeed the charm did increase many times more when Rafi was singing Pancham’s songs. He brought melody, range, emotions, punch and so much more to those creations, something Kishore and other male singers could not replicate. Rafi-RD songs are everlasting and in a class of their own.
b) RD did give his straight and simple compositons to Kishore, because they suited his range. This formula worked, but as you mentioned after 1975, it became repetitive and it could not sustain its earlier success. RD gave challenging compositions to Rafi, because he was the only one who could sing them, and Rafi always brought a certain freshness to Pancham’s songs anytime he sang for him, and this association never ran dry.
c) Jazz was RD’s strength, in fact he was inspired by Jaikishan’s jazz compositions, and he used this genre to great effect. The songs you mentioned do have jazz elements, and you are right RD always used Rafi for his jazz compositons and for many other compostions in genres that were his strength, along with songs in other genres as well.
I would also like to add that songs like “churaliya hai tumne”, “chand mera dil”, “poocho na yaar kya hua” (duet version) have the pop element in them as well. Rafi sang many of RD’s pop songs too and those were RD’s greatest songs in that genre. Pancham also introduced the bossa nova style that became a part of his trademark, and he used it effectively combined with other styles such as pop, jazz etc. He used the guitar as part of the underlying rhythm even to the extent of using it in classical songs along with the tabla rhythm. RD made bass prominent, he used the bass guitar to great effect.
d) You mentioned Pancham introducing new sounds to HFM, and he did that through the voice of Rafi. Teesri Manzil set new trends in HFM, his albums in the early seventies along with Rafi also brought another new sound to HFM, and then HKKN, again brought something new to HFM. Pancham used to experiment a lot when using Rafi’s voice. There are numerous examples, some of which are, in “gulabi aankhen” (the train) the use of the electric bass guitar, in “mujhse bhala yeh kajal tera” from the same film, he used the instrument spiraling technique, “chand mera dil” (HKKN) was one of his most finest chord progression based songs combined with the pop element, “aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera” ™ he used the breath effect as part of the rhythm, “pal do pal ka saath hamara (TBT), had an amazing fusion of western and indian elements combined with the sound of the train, and so many more experiments and innovations with the great voice.
e) Agreed, RD limited himself when using Kishore, and Kishore did not do full justice to many of RD’s tunes. Those three songs from Aandhi, Ghar and Mehbooba that you mentioned are great examples of Lata outshining Kishore. In “Aap Ki Aankhon Mein” from Ghar, Kishore is not able to do justice to the melody due to his limitations, and look at how Lata comes in and delivers the melody, she outshines him right away there. This would not have happened had Rafi been there. I have no idea why RD limited himself in such situations when he could have called on Rafi to deliver those tunes.
The Lata-Rafi duet from Phandebaaz “Mohabbat mein aji kya” is in my view Pancham’s best duet of 1978. Look at the way Rafi sings this song with Lata, the two complement eachother so nicely, its romance at is best. This duet beats out the Ghar duet from the same year and any other duet from other Pancham films released that year. I would rank the Lata-Rafi beauty as one of Pancham’s best late seventies duets and one of the best Lata-Rafi duets of all-time as well. There is another nice Lata-Rafi song from the same film “duniya mein paise bina”, again Rafi adds a unique touch to this composition.
f) I think Rafi-saab was always a commercial phenomenon. A few years of Kishore’s high popularity didn’t really make any difference, and no other singer sold as much albums, or had as many songs become hits (in all decades), as Rafi. Also, when he sadly passed away in 1980, he left at the top, which is a tribute to his genius. He always a commercial force every year, no matter what, such was his quality.
g) I think all MD’s who worked with Rafi, had a role to play in his success, and Rafi in turn made all of them successful as well. Rafi was a one-man industry, and MD’s had to rely on him to give their best. Rafi was associated at the top and with the top names in each decade he sang in. Even RD who “supposedly” backed Kishore, gave his best through Rafi, and this again shows Rafi’s versitility and class.
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Mr. HV Guru Murthy,
“O mere sona re” was a class composition, and so are all the other songs you mentioned in your post. Asha ranks “O mere sona re” as one of her top 10 compositions of all time. Rafi’s late entry in the song steals the show (as always).