The 20 best local pop albums … ever!

Oh bhai so called self styled paindu, obsolete hippy, qaidee number 1969/420 from Udiala jail--Mr. Nadim Parcha saab. The attitude of giving a f*** about every thing is quite old fashioned now. So Mr. Hippy, even the word hippy (not cos that you have big hips, so don't think its a compliment) is obsolete from the oxford dictionary. So please take a hair cut, shave for once in your life time (get a new gillette razor and throw away that disposable blue razor that you have kept since 1969, as it is supposed to be disposed after few shaves)and most importantly brush your teeth as i can even smell your bad breath even though i am on a different continent. Please start saying something which makes atleast a little bit sense.

P.S. For your information, Khwab was sunf by Nusrat Hussain not Salman Ahmed.
farras

I would say Inquilaab should stand tall at number 2. This album inspired a rock revolution that made artists create issue based music. Albums like Irtiqa, Maazi Haal Mustaqbil and other good rock albums are basically a culmination of the rock initiative taken by Junoon. Sure Junoon has fizzled out with some crap music but they still remain, in my opinion the founders of true rock music in Pakistan.

yeah yeah I know they sold out to cola companies...y do they have to do that? Man zindagi ka saara maza kirkira ho gaya...

Fizza
I don`t think albums being huge hits is criteria for them to be good as well. In fact most super hit movies and albums are really crap. I agree with Nadeem, Strings 2 was raw but more adventurous than Duur or Dhani.

CoolHandLuke
LLLLLOZZZZ!!! Atta boy.

PZulu
Make some sense, for a change.

#41 CoolHandLuke:

LOL

Rating Strings-2 at number 5 ..well thats very fine but how come not including Strings`DUUR`, one of the most smashing hits of the recent pop ...uh.. that seems :S

Give me a Break NFP... First of all it`s really annoying to see u posting your Top20 list (all time blah blah) every other month, like i think u need some time to really think hard about your peculiur choices.. but this time i was really expecting something fresh from u.. like how in the world u can skip VITAL SIGNS ``HUMTUM`` (album 4) from your all same rusted list....no doubt VS:2 was plain amazing ...and desrves to be #1 ...but HUM TUM was brilliant and powerful, in all sense!!... songs like ``NAMUMKIN`` and ``MEIN CHUP RAHA`` can blow all the competition out of the water!!..techinaclly it was masterpiece in term of it`s composition, effects and ofcourse it`s mellon cholic feel , Rohail Hayyat and Shahzad Hassan Fluid production..was at it`s best ever!!..it`s a shame that after reaching to this height they failed to come out with an album, and u NFP what about Junoon ``PARVAZ``.....yes inquilab was fresh and powerful, but not bigger then the mighty ``PARVAZ`` .. it was a superb accomplishment .... like how can u put milestones, awaz and that clown najam on your top 20 and get rid of these 2 ultimate albums.....they derserve to be on top 10!!!...so plzz..for God sake next time if u ever decide to come out with your same old rusty all time lists....give a deep thought......needs a major refinement..and updation...on your behalf!!.....

PujabyZulu
You aren`t the man.

You said: ``Leave the music criticism to the NME, it is painful to watch brown boys from Karachi making execrable rock music and then discussing it as thought its Radiohead or something``

Leave reading NME and start reading Stardust. Yes we are brown here in Karachi, thankyou very much. Are boys in Rajistan green? Just asking. Because Stardust discusses them as though they are from sunny california or something.

riffat

Pakistani bhangra is really hopeless and when Pakistanis try to do bhangra they just end up looking stupid. Pakistani singers like Naseebo Lal make good traditional folk music they should stick to that.

CoolHandLuke

You are the man.

Have you ever watched This is Spinal Tap? I thought that movie could not be made more funny but reading these posts discussing the music of Spinal Tap with an Urdu accent is the bomb. You are guys are funny. Leave the music criticism to the NME, it is painful to watch brown boys from Karachi making execrable rock music and then discussing it as thought its Radiohead or something.

Noori .Ali Noor copy the Ali azmat style of singing . ``Oncha Hoon Mein`` is a truly a song in Junoon style.should not rate them in top 20.

inquilab was junoon`s best..... followed by azaadi

Adnan at 33:

The first album had only 1 song that had part Pushto in it. The 2nd album has none. Both of them are therefore, Urdu numbers. But its his musical style and messages that are essentially Pushto in nature.

But Rahim Shah does sing Pushto songs in private and close gatherings. Its these Pushto numbers and Urdu songs that have made him popular in Pakistan and Afghanistan alike.

Come on rozaiba, not Awaz Vol:1. Talaash & Pervaaz were good, but I agree with NFP on ultimately chosing Inqaylaab. And can anyone tell where in London can I buy an Alamgir album. The one mentioned by NFP in #30?

Nadeem. .
thank you for that entertaining response. why do i remember that dastardly or bastardly coup being in 1977 rather than `76. oh well. . .i do remember `daikha na tha. .` i had that on one of alamgir`s greatest hits albums, and then i bought a cd and there it was again, i had forgotten he sung that with naheed akhtar.

i rarely watched lollywood filmein so i don`t really remember aaina. though my old faded memory is stretching to remember what the last lollywood film was that i saw with nadeem, which was partly filmed in london, i think. anyway, i`m trying to remember the mehdi hassan and nayyara noor songs, and will probably remember them once i listen to them, but i do remember `mujhe dil se na bhoolana, chahe roothay ye zamana. . ` loved the song when it first came out. love it a little less now.

i guess i was projecting some of my own opinions of alamgir there. for some reason i was totally peeved by `khyal rakkhna`. . .the song itself, not the entire album. there he was my favorite 70`s urdu pop star singing `. . `jamal-e-subh hai. . .khayal rakkhna` on independence day `83, and i`m thinking kahan jamal-e-subh hai yaar!

thanks for the memories,
n~

Some albums that do belong in the list but aren`t there.

Junoon`s Talaash and Parvaaz. Awaz Vol. 1.

ahmedzai: Is Rahim Shah`s album in Urdu or Pushto?

Dont know about Ziyad but Ali Tim`s new lead guitarist Hammad is definitely a gem. His latest jazz-eastern classical number on air on IM these days is a treat. But are we ready for jazz?

I also want to know who wrote+composed Manware for Noori?

NFP also needs to do a piece on all the nameless, faceless composers/musicians, arrangers, producers etc who make the Faakhirs and the Strings and the Hadiqas of the world. People like Shahi, Shuja, Zeeshan, Nizar and so so many more...

For the benefits of the readers, I would just like to state that Rahim Shah is the most listened to singers in Afghanistan. His cassettes and videos are in great demand. Hotels and restaurants that can afford playing his videos and cassettes seem to have a definite competitive edge over their competitors. In Kabul, even the northerners seem to enjoy his songs.

Those of you who are pointing towards EP,first get hold of their album and then criticize them. You`ll have nothing to say after listening to their songs FITRAT,BURZAKH,IRTIQA III and RAHGUZAR.

no one has done stuff like that, amazing lyrics and great guitar riffs. What else you want??

Ref: # 28:

g) Some of the below...

Number ? (Add position here):Bobby & Julie (1976): Alamgir; & Aina (1976): Various Artistes

After Ahmed Rushdie had reached his peak (in 1975) as local Filmi music`s top man, and before that, his female counterpart, Runa Laila had left for Bangladesh, the void in this respect was rather brilliantly taken care of by a young, enthusiastic Alamgir (and later Mohammad Ali Shehki and Naheed Akhtar). He proved to be far more experimental. Like the way he so fluently blended the Filmi-Pop sound with early-`70s Glam-Pop, Latin folk music, and a bit of Disco on his compositions for 1976`s Lollywood stinker, Bobby & Julie, from which ``Daikha Na Tha`` is a top-notch classic, and the song which finally turned Alamgir into a hugely influential star.

1976 .... the year the liberal ``swinging `70s`` came to a myopic halt in Pakistan via the toppling of the populist Z A. Bhutto by Zia`s right-wing coup .... was also the year when local Filmi music`s more melodic, moody and melancholic off-shoot-genre, Filmi-Noir, reached its peak with the great Robin Ghosh`s beautiful and introverted compositions for Lollywood`s biggest blockbuster ever, Aina. Just check-out Mehdi Hassan`s ``Kabhi Main Soch Ta Hoon``; Nayara Noor`s ``Roothay Ho Tum Tum Ko Kaisey Manaoon Piya,`` and Alamgir`s ``Mujhay Dil Sey``, and you`ll know, nay, feel, exactly what I mean.

Nadeem F. Paracha :)

Nadeem:
just out of curiosity, having grown up listening to Alamgir and Mohammad Ali Shaki (yes, i`m old. .chronologically). . .granted this is your top 20 list, and therefore subjective, but i am nevertheless curious, the reason (or top ten if it merits) for leaving alamgir out are kya? a) it`s not considered pop b) he played kiss-ass to the system c) he really isn`t that good of a singer (and junaid jamshed is??!!) d) you just don`t like him e) all of the above f) none of the above?

and no matter what anyone says about Mohammad Ali S. now, i still think that `problem` is one of the funniest songs i`ve heard. .in urdu that is.

oye punjabiyo (and i mean all of us)
your insinuations about bhangra may sound funny now, but i do see the danger of this turning into my punjab is better than yours. . .puhleeze!!! let them feel superior to us, never mind that some of the best indian punjabi `bhangra` isn`t even in india right now!!! (ducking). we`ve got reshma, we had alam lohaar, we know what we have. ik dooje nuN bhadkane di ki lohr ai?!?!!!

Nadeem:

I think you did a wonderful job by putting Jadoo in the list, although at # 20. Dr. Ali Tim is a terribly under-rated basist. I think his articles in the MAG earned him the wrath of media, who was not kind to him when critiquing his work. The jazzy guitarist (Ziyad?) was also under-rated. The trio was a real treat to listen to and their live gigs were well - real live gigs.

Ziad started working for Standard Chartered Bank and quit playing. Ali Tim is playing with a different and creative `Aks` these days.

And since the two of you used to write for `MAG`, perhaps you should ask Ali since he would be the best person to tell us where Candice went. My guess is that she went for studies in the USA and settled there after getting wedded.

My only disappointment is that Rahim Shah, who has introduced Pushto style to Urdu, did not make it into your list.

punjabizulu thinks daler mehndi is bhagra lol indians and their choyee moyee brains :)

Who says bhangra is `music?` Look at the list. Just one bhangra album mentioned by NFP, and that too because Billo was you know who.

Ref:#20


PunjabyZulu, I`m serious too. Since when is Bhangra a strictly Indian thing? There`s a Pakistani punjab also, isn`t there? Or do you Indians want that as well?

My favourite VS is Aitebar. Excellent music and inspirational lyrics of the title song used to have great effect in the early 90s. Though lately I seem to subscribe to the revised version JJ presented recently ``Aitebar bhi aa he jaata``. Time matters.

#20

And you do?

if there is a place for EP then there should be a place of Aaroh`s Sawal. What about Sequencer album, they are more better then EP

riffat

I was being serious. Bhangra is not a Pakistani strength. You dont have the soul for it.

A disappointment.

#17 by atifhassan ...somebody please define `MUSIC`



Subjective sound. Melody to some, noise to others.

_ Nadeem F Paracha

trashman who cares if PEPSI sponsored EP or anyone else....NFP thinks EP`s stuff is MUSIC.....somebody please define `MUSIC`

Anyone here remember a Nazia Hasan?


Ras

Ref: #6

A Notice to PunjabyZulu:

Please do not try to be funny. Leave that to the Pakistanis.



Thanks.

A typical controversy-friendly NFP piece. Conciously subjective and thus made to bug and confuse those who are taking it objectively. Great entertainment value and those acidic NFP lashings must be fluttering a lotta feathers.

#11 by atifhassan on December 9, 2003 9:28pm PT
(EP IRTIQA) somebody please tell me why is this album even considered as one of the top 20 on the local scene.


Paracha does, and that`s okay as far as most music lovers are concerned. He`s damn good and damn straight. Read the Irtiqa review again. He likes the music but bashes them up for puting a Pepsi logo.

(EP IRTIQA) somebody please tell me why is this album even considered as one of the top 20 on the local scene. Mr Paracha goes all out against AWAZ that the pepsi boyz cant make music, i wonder wat part of EP makes him believe its actually music. Tunes from Nickel Bck and Metallica and rap from Linkin Park.....the LIve performance inspired by fred durts to such an extent that one actually thinks AHmed Butt is actually copying him. And to reach ironic heights ahmed butt calls him self a white man while his grand folks called themselves the voices of asia lol . I thought Mr Paracha was a true music critic but now i think he`s just another desi writer imposing his biased opinions onto others claiming his lines as representatives of the whole nation.No offence meant but if Mr Paracha thinks EP is one of the top 20 he should stop calling himself a music critic and God Help his biased opinions.

(EP IRTIQA) somebody please tell me why is this album even considered as one of the top 20 on the local scene. Mr Paracha goes all out against AWAZ that the pepsi boyz cant make music, i wonder wat part of EP makes him believe its actually music. Tunes from Nickel Bck and Metallica and rap from Linkin Park.....the LIve performance inspired by fred durts to such an extent that one actually thinks AHmed Butt is actually copying him. And to reach ironic heights ahmed butt calls him self a white man while his grand folks called themselves the voices of asia lol . I thought Mr Paracha was a true music critic but now i think he`s just another desi writer imposing his biased opinions onto others claiming his lines as representatives of the whole nation.No offence meant but if Mr Paracha thinks EP is one of the top 20 he should stop calling himself a music critic and God Help his biased opinions.

overall very near to be a true list but locol pop 20 or even top 10 list cant be complete without ALAMGIR..how can you miss him?

Vital Signs were very good indeed :-)

Yaad Karna is hauntingly beautiful...(that song brings back painful memories even to this day...:-( )

A very God article.

In my opinion, Inquilaab and Disco deewanay deserve a bit better ranking.
All songs of Inquilaab wre superb. Rooh kee haay piyaas, Neeli neli aankhon, Chalay thay saath saath, main kon hoon were also very good songs also. Not to mention that Jazba e Junoon and Sayein were the super hits from this album.

VJ was the best ever musical program I have ever senn and in my opinion, it changed the trend and style of airing Pop Music programs.

In the newer albums, I don`t know enough but I have been listening that Fuzon has been doing very well. Will try to listen them soon.

Hey wildman (or is it erstwhile wild now?)
This is Malcolm`s bro-in-law you bumped into at The News` office back when IA was editor.

Thanks for this write up... look forward to reading it through tonight. Just wanted to put an end to your wondering where Candi is. She`s in Goan Canaan yaar... where else!!

Toronto, stupid! ;)

Notice to Pakistanis:

Please dont try and do bhangra music. Leave it to the Indians.

Thanks

hmmm..interestin..but IRTIQA deserves to be a lil bit down da numbers
nut becuz my nicks says it but cuz DA ALBUM is a truly DIFF style frm da rest...Unique
Fuzon at 2 :O:O:O:O:O

Hummm, NFP creates controversy again. Wonder why he left out Alamgir, even though he does mention him in Ali In Action. Happy to see Dr. Aur Billa up there. Well that`s that then.

where is Alamgir in there....?

I do agree with most stuff even though never heard Ali in action & Milestones. Agree with trashman on style thing.

I`m sure this one was a bit tricky to do. Not everything is according to my liking but as usual very informative and irreverntly written in typical Paracha style.