by Faizul A Tanim
It was in the mid 60's that Bangla rock music listeners discovered the art of creating music, reflecting the tasteful tunes and sensuous lyrics in their song compositions that came alive with extreme emotions of pathos and joy.
It is hard to know precisely why some bands succeed and others fall short. For Bangladesh, it was a handful of self-taught musicians that got together to create original sounds and jump-started the rock scene like never before. Their efforts resulted in the birth of the 'Bangla Rock Scene'. Among the pioneering groups in the late '60s were iconic bands like Windy Side of Care (Ex-Iolites), The Lightnings, Rambling Stones, Ugly Phases and Insex Dui, they eventually became the veterans of band music. "It was during the late 60's, we would jam for hours every so often at the Intercontinental Hotel, now Sheraton. We would probably be paid around Rs. 750/- for a night's show where the entrance fee would be Rs. 5/-", remarked the ex-members Rafique Mazhar Islam Sajju and Rafi Omar of Windy Side of Care. That was more or less a common scenario.
Musicians of the earlier days of Bangla rock did not have the privilege of expensive instruments or sound systems, which the present rockers now take for granted. But a common element followed through most of the talented musicians of all the eras. They were all self-taught which brought out a raw energy and initiated original scores. But musicians now are blessed with more expensive and hi-tech instruments. Exclusive models of Ibanez, Fender Guitars, Dw, Tama Drums, Warwick, Mtd Bass, Korg and Kurzweil Keyboard along with Pod processor are the most prized possessions a band can own. The sound quality too has greatly improved.
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Soon after our War of Liberation in 1971, Azam Khan, soon to become a legend in the rock scene, with Uchharon and the Akhand Brothers (Lucky and Happy) created the hype in the music industry with their straight-down-the-line magnetic songs around early and late 70's. Happy Akhand's Abar elo je shondha is a milestone and probably is one of the dearest songs ever produced. His premature death was a big blow to all the musicians who were influenced by Happy's passion for music and had now lost a pioneering figure of Bangla pop music.
Azam Khan the imaginative composer, the inspired musician and lanky bearded lyricist ignited something that caught the attention of plenty of listeners. A freedom fighter himself, his songs had a pathos never before heard with such uninhibited emotion. Obhimani, Ashi Ashi, Highcourt er Majare, Ami Jare Chaire, Orey Saleka, Jibone Kichu Pabona Re and many more of his outstanding compositions became instant hits. Even today, these songs are the ones that still keep the audiences on their toes.
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He was the hero of the 70's making his music speak the universal language of bringing one's inner feelings to life with tunes. His contemporaries included great icons such as late Firoze Shai, Ferdaus Wahid and Fakir Alamgir. Firoze Shai, like the traditional mystic Sufi singers, spoke of the relation between Allah and Allah's creations. Ek seconder nai bhorosha was one of those spiritual and emotional songs. Ironically he died just after performing this song onstage. Ferdaus Wahid was the most dazzling of the quartet. With his funky printed shirts, bell bottom trousers and large sunglasses, he brought in a disco element to his songs. The long and curly-haired Fakir Alamgir used to sway his head left-right while rocking to songs. One of the slower numbers still remains a memorable composiO sokhina gesos kination. They blended our traditional folk music with various Western forms and gave Bangla pop-rock a new face.
Even the song lyrics went through a revolution. For the first time in Bangla rock, lyrics started to have their own appeal. It started off with Azam Khan with socio-political songs like Orey saleka orey maleka. The lyricists spoke of love, discontent and frustration in their own way. Around the 1990's Feedback had upbeat lyrics like Bashonti rong shari porey lolona ra hetey jai… Melai jaire. Later it took great courage for Maqsoodul Huq to write about political fiasco in Bangabda 1400 and later in the Nishidhho album. One could feel the thirst for truth, even in rock songs. James of NagarBaul around the 90's brought about a transformation with his entrancing Taray taray rotiye debo and Je poth e pothik nei… ak glass jochona ar ak glass ondhokar. Then around early 2000 Aurthohin and Artcell's deep dark lyric would release a lot of energy. Odekha Shorgo and Mrittur shohore was yet another revolutionary change for the different style of lyric.
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The first set of bands to follow after '71 were Souls, Miles, Feedback, Feelings (now known as Nagar Baul) and then Waves. Emerging around the late 70's, they would also perform gigs at hotels and clubs. Although Waves and Miles were more underground, Souls was perking up to be a mainstreamer and soon got themselves a record deal. Their first album in 1982 was an immediate success, soon making them much admired all over the country. Not only were they popular for over a decade, but also served to launch popular artists like Ayub Bachhu ( who later created LRB) and solo pop performers Tapan Choudhury and Kumar Biswajit. Many new bands formed as well when Souls split up. This was the time when band solo albums were taking over conventional single artiste compilation. By early '82, Miles would soon follow that track and release their first compilation. That set the example; bands were getting more promotional ventures through the audiovisual medium, they could be seen in TV programmes and rapidly encouraged music admirers all over the nation to visualise music as a performing art. Feedback absolutely ruled the ’80s era with their album Ullash.
Then, around the mid '80s, musicians from Chittagong and Dhaka started creating new waves in the field of band music giving birth to a new genre of music termed as 'mellow pop/rock' fused with a lot of jazz, blues and black western influences. They also followed a lot of Caribbean style of music calling themselves Renaissance, meaning 'rebirth'. Fresh vibes of compositions started blending into the scene. Continued... Page [2]
Author and Courtesy:
Faizul A Tanim
& The Daily Star
Edited by Nahidul Haq
