There was a time, very very long ago, when some of the best albums used to get mixed at EMI's Abbey Road studio in London on 24-track analog mixers, slap basses were, well, played on actual bass guitars, Bappi Lahiri was several stones lighter and Runa Laila was really hot.I guess it was the early part of the 80's, the time when SUPERUNA was made.
That piece of history is still with me. A 25-year old vinyl disc, still lodged precariously in a sleeve with frayed edges.
The old times rolled again last evening, on my Yamaha belt-drive turntable, hooked up with my home theater set-up via a Sony FH-15R pre-amp.
I took a deep breath as I settled down in my favorite couch after carefully placing the needle on the plastic, listening fondly to that electrifying first crackle that the diamond-tipped pin makes as it comes in contact with the vinyl.
And then, the music started.
'Disco Premee' (with a nod to the famous intro to BoneyM's "Nightflight To Venus"), 'Pukaro' (again, deeply indebted to BoneyM's "Malaika"), the silly 'Holiday', the groovy 'Haiya-Hoo' and the funky 'Romance'. And of course, Runa's absolutely magical rendition of 'De De Pyar De' - I was blown away!
Tabun's (Tabun Sutradhar, guys) guitarwork was so refreshing, even after all these years.
And of course, the magic of the man behind it all, the great Alokesh Lahiri, better known as Bappi Lahiri. Those guitar chops, synth accents, bass-slaps and electronic rhythms - oh, they don't make 'em like that anymore!
Pure retro rush!
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