This is a review of 10 Illayaraja compositions which have got somewhat forgotten in the glow of his renowned masterpieces like Mandram Vandha , Ninu Kori , etc. Some of these songs also take a little longer to grow on you and don’t necessarily grab your attention right away with out-of-the-world patterns. But they are works of genius, nevertheless. I’ve taken care to not include any of the songs mentioned in the other reviews, but alert me if I’ve failed on that count. And please don’t complain you’ve not heard many of the songs - that’s the whole point of the exercise!

1. Yendrendrum Anandame - Kadal Meengal
   Truth to tell, I loathed this song when I heard it the first time as I am not a big fan of Malaysia Vasudevan’s singing and the picturisation aggravated my discomfort. But later when I heard only the audio, I realised I had a masterpiece in my collection. This is probably one of IR’s earliest experiments with fusion. The entire song is set to a disco beat and all the vocals are sung on crossbeat. Raja gives a touch of frenzy and fury to pure Carnatic violin notes. A word of caution: In music, as in architecture, there is such a thing as aesthetics. On that count, this is not a great song as Vasudevan threatens to cause discomfort in many notes. What makes this song remarkable is the whole conception and construction of something so innovative, that too without the best of recording equipment.

2. Ennathil Yedho - Kalukul Eram
   This is again a song which doesn’t bewitch you the first time. But listen to the interludes again and again and then you fall short of words to praise IR’s incredible maturity evident even in a relatively early film. The tune will likely disappoint you as it doesn’t offer you anything particularly striking and S Janaki hasn’t really gone all out with the feeling in this song (how rare that is!). But IR brings to your mind the rural landscape in a very delicate manner. The violin passages in the second interlude are lighter than the air, rather like a flower dancing in a gentle breeze. There is the usual mathematical symmetry in the construction of the interludes. Anybody out here who agrees with every word of mine so far as this song goes, I need your e-mail id right away.

3. Nee thoongum nerathil - Manasellam
    This song got lost in that turkey of a film and even in the soundtrack was overshadowed by the more popular Ilaya Nadhi. This is heart-breaking pathos with possibly Hariharan’s most mature solo performance. The pallavi reminds you of Vennilave by Rahman. But where in the second stanza, Rahman stretches Hariharan with some really high notes, Raja puts his stamp on the song with a very restrained handling which reminds me of the late Mukesh’s sad songs. This is music of the golden era translated in the language of the 21st century. And it sure works teriffically!

4. Vizhiyile - Nooravadhu Naal
   I guess this is a well-known film and yet none of the 14 reviews have mentioned this song, so perhaps this too is a forgotten rough diamond. The S.P.B - S.Janaki combo work their magic again. IR’s orchestration is too brilliant for words with the alternating use of guitar, flute and violins and the accompanying keyboard for the icing on the cake bowling you over completely.

5. Unnai Thaane - Nallavanuku Nallavan
    Jency’s vocals are too atrocious for words (!) but IR’s perfection in orchestration reaches its zenith in this song. KJ Yesudas holds together the song in the second half so that you are richly rewarded for your perseverance. The tune is catchy and is set to a trademark Raja beat. Alas! If only he hadn’t allowed Jency to destroy so many of his masterpieces!

6. Indha Umai Nenjin - Anada Kummi
    This song ought to rank high in any list of IR’s sad songs. The highlight of the song is the intense, yet superbly controlled orchestration. The solo guitar passage in the second interlude is to die for. S.P.B-S.Janaki are flawless on the technical side, but somewhere down the line, they missed the mood of the song, which is probably why it is never spoken of in the same breath as Mandram Vandha or Unnai Nanachen .

7. Seer Kondu Vaa - Naan Paadum Paadal
   This is not a rare IR gem at all, but again it is inexplicably missing in the other reviews. I suppose his formidable work in Tamil music has resulted in this song getting eclipsed by other equally deserving compositions. IR’s innovation in Carnatic-based handling of the electric guitar is well-known, but in this song he gives a Western stylishness to Carnatic elec guitar. Yes, you heard me right. Western-sounding Carnatic guitar - only IR can pull it off. The duet is sung by a formidable combo already mentioned in this review twice. Another speciality of the song is the sweetness he evokes. Creating beauty is a frequent phenomenon in music, but evoking a sweet flavour is IR’s unique ability.

8. Vanakuyile - Priyanka
   You would remember listening to this song, but try getting it in the market now and you’ll know what I mean by ’rare’. S.P.B easily eclipses Kumar Sanu in the Hindi equivalent Jabse Tumko Dekha Hai from Damini . This is a very thought-provoking tune, exotic even by IR’s standards.

9. Poovadai Kaatru - Gopurangal Saivathille
   Anybody who’s as crazy as/crazier than I am about Raja would distinctly remember listening to this song sometime back, so this is my way of reminding you to go,listen to it again! There is a long vocal prelude that doesn’t make sense, just skip it and wow! What a song! The guitar notes right after the prelude shift from Country to Carnatic. Again in the first interlude, IR seamlessly shifts from Carnatic to Western. As for Surender’s singing, it’s not worth wasting cyberspace on, but S Janaki saves the situation with an impeccable rendition.

10. Kalyanam Vaibhogam - Naan Mahaan Alla
   Those of you who have never listened to Hindi music seriously may not relate to this song as much as I do. This is IR’s answer to the many ballroom songs of the 70s - Jeevan Ke Din , Dilbar Mere . The conventional waltz beat is there, the piano is there, the violins are there. And yet, IR finds a way to give it his own twist. If any Indian composer can explore life with musical instruments with a crystal-clear vision, it is Raja. S Janaki and S.P.B in the last stanza go a little overboard with the pathos, but it is still a unique IR song - perhaps his only typical ballroom song.