Panch Who Knocks You Out. Review on Twenty Best Songs of R.D. Burman

Gulzar once said, *?Sangeet ke to sirf saat hi sur hain?.par Pancham ki shaksiyat mein bepanah sur the?.?

There couldn?t have been a more appropriate comment or a more appropriate source. It is as if one stud complimenting the other.

Raina beeti jaye?, Piya tu?., Piya Bawari?., Dum maro dum?., Jiya na lage mora?., Duniya mein logon ko?.Isn?t it simply amazing that all these songs have been composed by one and the same man? And this of course is an iota of a miniscule of his compositions.?Panch? is arguably the most prolific composer for films in India who knew as much about Jazz and Rock as he knew about Raag Malhar & Bhairavi.

A chunk of the current remix industry survives on his compositions. And to think of it he got only three Filmfare awards, even one of which was posthumous. One of the best judges of instruments and orchestrisation, he was the kinds who would use a guitar in a qawalli(hum kisi se kum nahin). A very good singer even when he wasn?t doing his usual histrionics. To my belief he used to self-sing any song that to his mind no one else could sing.

Panch was perhaps way too modest for his credentials. He never knew how to blow his own trumpet. Somebody who was unconditionally made for music. That was the reason unlike some others he never meted out any stepmotherly treatment to many of the movies he did, their cinematic mediocrity notwithstanding. That is the reason some of his best songs are from some very obscure movies(Ratnadeep, Sitara, Kitaab, Basera, Manzil Manzil, Gomti ke Kinare, Jaise ko Taisa, Zehrila Insaan{O Hansini!}?)

My 20 favourites would be?

(Yeh wada raha)? Arguably the most romantic song of his?and Asha is simply amazing.

? This 21/2 minute composition is no song but has as many as 12 instruments including his whistling. This composition leaves you mazed evrytime you listen to it.

(Ijaazat)? Simply wonderful music and https://lyrics.

(Kinaara)? This song is almost like a narrative with only the guitar in the background. Amazing stuff.

(Jeeva)? This song simply takes you somewhere?long live Asha! for this song.

(Balika Badhu)? A love ly song where Panch lends his own voice as the majhi. Amit Kumar is simply great.

(Teri Kasam)? Another wonderful song with full of energy and youth.

(Satte pe Satta)? It?s a song where some 6 people simply freak out including Pancham himself. An all time favourite!

(Rang Birangi)? A song with an amazing amount of hidden energy and happiness.

(Sitamgarh)? This song is as good as it is for Asha?s voice and there is something very mystically attractive about it.

(Khel Khel Mein)? A simply I like simply because Pancham has lent his genuine voice to it?and he is simply amazing.

(Ratnadeep)? This is arguably one of the cutest songs composed by Pancham. Its really nice and simple.

(Sitara)? Another wonderfully written song by Gulzar sung very well by Bhupinder and Lata.

(Hare Rama Hare Krishna)? The guitar and Asha singing are simply amazing here.

(Tessri Manzil)? Another simple and romantic song with wonderful variations of tunes.

(Bade Dilwala)? Another lovely song with rendered wonderfully by Kishore and Lata.

(Caravan) - A sexy song with something typically'P{ancham' about it.

(Khubssorat)? The classical element is of course excellent and Ashok Kumar lending his voice to it is like?sone pe suhaga?.

(Masoom)- Excellent songs.the latter especially rendered soulfully by his assistant Anup Ghoshal.