The immensely widespread video-sharing platform helps musicians and music lover carry again some semblance of an amazing custom of Onam track releases
There was a time when music lovers used to look ahead to the Onam season with pleasure. For, music firms like Tharangini Records would carry out audio cassettes in the course of the pageant interval.
Those melodious days could also be lengthy gone, however immediately YouTube helps musicians and listeners carry again some semblance of that nice custom. Just take heed to the track Chembakappoovil, crooned by Ok.S. Chithra, and you might be shocked. It consists by Sharreth and written by Anoop Mukundan.
“I am glad I could at least compose a melody like this now because of YouTube,” says Sharreth. “In the great outdated instances, I had composed an album of Onam songs sung by S. Janaki and P. Unnikrishnan,’ he says.
That album, Poovili, was launched in 1999. The observe of music firms bringing out a whole lot of non-film cassettes was already on the decline then.
Big craze
Sharreth has vivid recollections of the times when these cassettes have been a giant craze. “Growing up in Kollam, I used to wait impatiently for the latest Onam cassette from Tharangini,” he says. “Often the wait would be long, for the cassettes would be sold out in no time. I still remember the excitement with which I listened to the songs of Ulsava Ganangal (Vol. 1) at Lakshmi Musical in Kollam.”
That album, which had lyrics by Sreekumaran Thampi and music by Raveendran, contained timeless classics similar to Ennum chirikkunna sooryante and Uthraadappoo nilaave vaa. More than 5 lakh cassettes of it have been offered quickly after its launch in 1983, Mr. Thampi had as soon as mentioned.
A yr later, Raveendran got here up with one other sensible album, this time within the firm of lyricist Bichu Thirumala. Vasanthageethangal featured all-time widespread songs similar to Valampiri shankhil, Arayanname, Maavu pootha and Mamaankam pala kuri.
The identical yr additionally noticed Tharangini bringing out one other gem of an album, titled Ganolsavam, which had music by Jerry Amaldev and lyrics by O.N.V. Kurup. It stays one of many best albums of sunshine music in Malayalam, with unforgettable songs like Shraavana chandrikaa pushpam choodiya and Iniyonnu paadi.
‘Golden period’
“That was indeed the golden period of our non-film songs,” says playback singer Madhu Balakrishnan. “But it is good to find that there are takers for Onam songs even today, thanks to YouTube. I have recorded 20 Onam songs this year,” he says.
One of them, Aishwarya ponnonam, written by Viditha Madhu Balakrishnan and composed by Satish Nair, has attracted 1.5 lakh views inside 5 days of its launch. This Onam, a number of singers, together with Ok.S. Harishankar, Sudeep Kumar, Vidhu Prathap, Rimi Tomy and Akhila Anand, have launched Onam songs on YouTube.
And if you wish to rewind the Onam melodies from the previous, you possibly can simply do this too on YouTube.
