60 years of Bollywood (4-CD pack)

Saregama Rs 500

Saregama has dug into its archival treasure trove and come up with a compilation that would remain a treat for the ears over the years. Called 60 Years Of Bollywood, the four-CD album takes listeners on a trip down melody lane, featuring a musical milestone from each passing year, starting from the year the country gained its independence. All the songs have been digitally cleaned.

Today, the nation may be feeding on film music, but how many have heard of our yesteryear nightingales Uma Devi and Shamshad Begum? They are the ones who start the journey with Afsana likh rahi hoon from Dard (1947) and Kahe koyel shor machaye re from Aag (1948) respectively. And identifying the voice singing Jiya beqarar hai from Barsaat (1949) as Lata Mangeshkar’s would fetch bonus points in a quiz contest.

The selection is careful to keep a balance of the playful and the poignant, the romantic and the devotional. For every Mera jeevan kora kagaz (Kora Kagaz, 1974) there is a Yeh dosti (Sholay, 1975), for every Satyam shivam sundaram (Satyam Shivam Sundaram, 1978) a Dekha ek khwab (Silsila, 1981).

What has enriched the album is the freedom to choose across music labels without getting constrained by Saregama’s own resources. Thus Tu hi re (Bombay, 1996), Chhaiya chhaiya (Dil Se, 1998) or Pathshaala (Rang De Basanti, 2006) can find space here, despite being properties of other labels.

Some decisions have been bold, like keeping out recent years’ big hits Dhoom or Bheegey honth (Murder, 2004) but the selection leaves little to complain about.

If one must nitpick, it will only be about the choice of the song from Devdas, the 2002 entry. Why choose Chhalak chhalak when the film has gems like Maar dala, Dola re dola and Bairi piya? But then, the album offers 59 other reasons to forgive that one disappointment.

The booklets with each of the CDs are a bonus, setting the songs in context through a short comment or trivia on each. That is where one gets to know that the singer of the first song, Uma Devi, is none other than Tuntun, the much-loved comedienne.