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Ten Great (and Forgotten) Songs from Bangla Rock By Arafat Kazi
Probably the greatest thing about the AG forums is that whenever someone finds something new that’s great and should be shared, they do it. Many bands or artists that might have been overlooked by each of us as individuals are brought up again to be enjoyed. How many times have we forgotten that one great B-side in a compilation, or that one great song by the band that never produced anything (of note) again? The collective circle always remembers. AG itself doesn’t share full albums because of obvious reasons, but off the site some of our members trade in MP3s a lot. This is usually done among those of us who live abroad and can’t go buy the stuff from Eastern Plaza. This is also done when the album itself is not available to anybody, i.e. when the albums are produced in say Germany, or so rare that not even the artist himself has a copy of it. I’ve tracked down ten of these gems: some from my personal collection, some from friends, some from personal contacts, and some from recommendations in the forums. These are the unknown greats of Bangla rock: songs you haven’t heard or perhaps ignored. They are also available in the MP3 section if you wish to check them out. Note: This not a top ten list. These are just ten great songs that you should listen to. Miles: Music on the Radio There are many rumors that Miles have an English album. Those rumors are true. It’s called A Step into the Future, and it’s fantastic. It’s got 6 minute jazz instrumentals and its mainly bluesy classic rock. Its pretty much Miles: Hameen Ahmed, Shafeen Ahmed, and Manam Ahmed, featuring Kemal on drums. Some info on Kemal: he was once one of the greatest drummers in Bangladesh, his nephew is now the greatest drummer in Bangladesh (pick a fight, come on: it’s Daiyan Mir), and he’s a session musician in LA now. As you can guess, everybody knows what they’re doing. We’re talking about a level of artistry and musicianship that Miles never achieved in their other studio albums. Music on the Radio is the only reggae song in the album, and the Police influence just kills me. It’s a pity that they never used these songs in their later work. (And also, those of you guys who like to complain about English-sounding Bangla accents are in for a special surprise here!) Of special note in this album are the last three songs, done with Renaissance. They are Shubolong, Rock ‘n’ Renaissance, and the famous Temporary Love. I
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couldn’t burn these because the cd I have is awful, but if anybody has copies they’d like to share I’d love you for it. Trikal: Bondhu Trikal is a Germany-based metal band with a Bangladeshi singer. The songs are in Bangla, and the lyrics are incredible. They’ve been mentioned in the forums before (thanks Nitewulf!) and I love everything about this band. Rumor has it that they once toured Bangladesh but didn’t get the kind of attention. I chose this song out of many (since they have a lot of songs available for download from their site) simply because it’s the first one I heard. The singer sounds like Bruce Dickinson from the early 90s, and the band sounds like early-90s metal. Great stuff, google them and download as much as you can. Also, Nitewulf recommends Jotobar. Asif: Bhalobashi Ami I’m sure you’ve got two questions right now: a) has Arafat gone mad? and B) Everybody’s heard of Asif, why the %(&$#@ is he on this list? The answer to the first one is: “Not yet, my friends.” As for the second question, well, how many of you uber-cool black metal artists and vinyl ‘n’ sugar zookeepers actually listen to Asif? I thought so. Now this song is nothing special, it doesn’t have any 7-minute guitar solos or double bass or even anything more than two great hooks. But ever since I put the song on once, just to listen to what Asif sounds like, it’s been stuck in my head. It’s really one of those songs that just never go away, and I think it deserves to be here for the simplicity and catchiness. Srishty: Adhar Everybody remember Charpotro? Srishty had that one great song in there and then they disappeared. It’s got a great chorus, I actually like the ska lead, and it’s a rock band that I would love to see come out with an album. It’s such a pity too, since nobody ever heard of them after this song, and nobody even knows these guys. Someone go and give them a record deal! Whoever composed this song is too brilliant to pass up. Chandrabindoo: Duniya Dot Com According to their official website, this is from their Cha album in 2000. Chandrabindoo is a Calcutta-based band and one of the most famous Bangla
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bands in India, so in a sense they shouldn’t be on this list. Unfortunately though, nobody knows them in Bangladesh, and they’re just brilliant. They need more love from us! Duniya Dot Com is total techno and completely unlike most of their other songs that I’ve heard. They’re a rock band with flippant lyrics: they have songs with names like “Doodh Na Khele,” “Tanana Tana Na,” “Toker Jonno Nin,” “Ma Daake Khoka” and so on. But non-serious doesn’t mean that their lyrics are inferior in any way. On the contrary, Duniya Dot Com has probably the best lyrics of any Bangla song I’ve ever heard. These guys are not only musicians, they’re poets too. And etto shundor Bangla kabbo ami Bangla rock gaane jiboneo shuninai. Also, thanks to Unknown for sending me the song. Sumon: Funkadelic Fried Rice OK, so everybody’s heard of Sumon bhai, and everybody also knows that he’s the best bassist in Bangladesh as well an incredibly nice guy who’s helped all the bands in the underground scene get record deals. But his recent work with Aurthohin has completely overshadowed his earlier solo albums, which have just as much to offer. Of course, with a massive fan base, these days Aurthohin can take risks and break new ground with songs like Guti From Hell. But Sumon bhai was doing it all along in his solo albums, and the best example is this little bass solo, taken from his solo album Shopno Gulo Tomar Moto. It’s just one instrument quietly funking up this world. (Well, there are other instruments too, but you know what I mean.) This instrumental is well worth checking out for just the pure funk if nothing else. This is what it’s all about, guys!!! Wooten wishes he could play like this!!! Studio Pagol: Moon Studio Pagol is a Belgium-based band with a Bangladeshi singer. They’re uber-hip, using all kinds of world instruments and technology to create a unique sound. They’re big in Europe and you can get their latest CD off of Amazon.com. Fans of Habib O Krishno especially will love their highly eclectic and superbly original songs. I don’t know much else about these guys so I’ll let the music speak for itself. The Attempted Band: So Much I wouldn’t put up a band that I played in here (oh who am I kidding: I WOULD!!! AND DID!!!), but nobody knows about The Attempted Band. And yet they/we were responsible (to an extent) of starting the whole tradition of small, non-
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metal shows. We recorded a couple of songs (two of which were completely re-done in Ohom) and I think that these songs rock. Plus, these were written in 1998 and recorded in 1999, long before the current hierarchy of bands was established. This is “alternative” music in the sense that it sounds like alternative bands from the 90s, and (as you’ll see) it’s in English. I should also say that these songs were written before any of our current “alternative” bands actually did anything. I won’t say any more about the band except that the lineup consisted of Jisha, Daniel (now in FBR), Imran (The Watson Brothers) and me. Cryptic Fate: Protibaad You know, there’s a reason why I keep on going on and on about why Cryptic Fate rocks. First off, they had a very metal album, Ends Are Forever, in 1995. When I first heard it I was blown away: the songs were great then and are great now, and an English heavy metal album in Bangladesh was unheard-of then (as it is now). Their legendary 1997 concert set standards that, for a long time, only they could live up to. Also, in 1997, they recorded Sreshto. Sreshto was released much later with some additions and some subtractions: Amar Shathe Aye, Shesh Train and the new Protibaad were added, while the original Protibaad and Biday were left off. It’s a pity because the re-mixing for the release left the songs a lot less powerful than they originally were, and Fate never got the fan base it deserved. But back in 1997, when I first met Shakib bhai (Oh bhaiyajan!!!), he gave me a copy of the original Protibaad, i.e. the English version, called Eternal. For all I know, the original version’s been lost to history, because even Shakib bhai claims to not have it. However, I have the original Bangla version, which in my opinion is much better than the later re-write (no offense, Farhan! Tor lead onek joss!). Here’s the original version so that finally the world can see why. Azam Khan: Jibone Kichu Pabonare While this wasn’t a top ten list of any kind, I saved the best for last. This is taken from Azam Khan’s Rock Star album, with either Salim Haider or Rocket playing the solo (even he doesn’t remember who it was). There are three different versions of this song, but this is the original. The latest version is from his Notun Puran: Eto Shundor Duniya album, made in collaboration with the guitarist from Vikings, and while it’s a lot more polished and has some killer solos, it’s nothing when compared to the raw ferocity of the original one. I still haven’t figured out whether the original recording has a drum machine or not, but it’s the greatest rock song I’ve ever heard in my life, and that is neither a lie nor a joke. A note on how I got it: after two years of searching literally every CD store in Dhaka, including offering a guy at Rapa Plaza 500 takas if he could get it, and
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including going to the original Sargam offices, I couldn’t find it. Last summer at one point I went to Sargam’s store at Dhaka stadium a day or two before I was returning to the states. I was with Handsome Jon, and we had no luck there. The store had had ONE copy—ONE COPY!!!—and the Guru himself had taken that copy for a video shoot. Shoot! So Jon and I went to the swimming pool where he taught swimming pool, no luck. We then waited outside his house in the heat for about an hour until he came back. He didn’t have the cassette. We left with me broken-hearted. But as we were buying shingaras at a nearby hotel (I’d gone two hours without eating), the Guru called Jon’s cell phone and said that he had called BTV and that they were sending it back. That’s the long and complicated story of how I recovered the greatest song in the world. And it’s extremely rare. You can’t buy it anywhere because God knows I’ve tried, and even the singer himself doesn’t have it. Sargam might or might not have it, but it’s not out in the market. But here it is now, in MP3 format. An apology for the sound quality, but it’s taken from a decades-old cassette. And let me close this article with some very wise words from the Guru of rock ‘n’ roll himself: Chole jete chao ojanaye Eka jeyo na Bhebe shune koro kaj Kore bhebo na.
История рока в Бангладеше
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