Bollywood Disco is a tad misleading since the album includes
songs inspired by Chubby Checker to disco to unidentifiable modern
musical influences. Sprinkled in-between are traditional Bollywood tracks
from 1980s & early 1990s, which were a couple of bad decades musically
speaking.

This is not an easy album to review given the wide range of songs that
defy any neat categorization.Super-hit & hit are traditional terms used when
describing Bollywood songs, & I have faithfully used those terms here.

A quick word on some of the singers.

Usha Uthap is a well-known singer, who is largely identified with any
western songs from Hindi/Bollywood cinema including disco.
Most of her songs were either hits or super hits.

Music composer & singer Bappi Lahiri is a big fan of disco. He had a couple
of big hits that are included in this album.

Classically trained singer Mohammed Rafi could carry any tune and the song
included in this album does not do him complete justice.

UK-based singer Nazia Hasan was the disco queen of the 1980s & the tracks
in this album were some of her well-known ones. Boom Boom was kind of a
super hit number.

Kishore Kumar was an actor turned singer with no formal music education.
He is one of the best-known singers from Bollywood & was known for including
all sorts of western influences.Yodeling was a trademark signature of his songs.
Most of his songs were runaway hits or super hits.

Classically trained Manna Dey would probably raise his eyebrows on being included
in this album.The track in this album is more of an exception & is inspired by
Chubby Checkers.

Asha Bhosle is a versatile singer, who can carry any tune. Sadly, the ones in this
album are not her best.


Try 1, 4, 5, 8, 13, 15,

1. Over-the top song that was a big hit. Usha Uthup is known for
her western inspired songs and music composer & singer Bappi
Lahiri is a big fan of disco. Have fun playing this.
2. A classically trained singer Mohammed Rafi sings this modern sounding
song that has that 80's sound, which was a big part of Hindi cinema aka Bollywood.
This was a big hit during its time. Play this if you are in a Retro Bollywood mood.
3. Boom Boom was one of Nazia's hit songs. Kinda disco-ey.
4. Disco Deewane (Disco Lover or Disco fan). Kind of a mellow number
when you actually listen to it.
5. Track inspired by the hippie culture. Trippy kind of a track.
Was a hit back in the days when it was first released. Try it.
6. Hot-potch of a track with African influences. Sadly Asha Bhosle's voice
is wasted in this track.
7. This ain't a disco track. Forgettable tune with not so good music.
8. A great track that is inspired by Chubby Checker's Come On Baby Let's Twist.
Beautiful track. (DEFINITELY PLAY THIS).
9. This is by no stretch of imagination a Bollywood disco song.
This is a traditional song from the heart of India. This was a super
hit song in the 1980s, when it first came out.
10. UK-based Salma Agha sings a track & doffs her hat at all that was modern
in the 1980s in the West. Forgettable track.
11. Gosh! This is a well-known song & they have added a sound bed &
re-imagined it in a horrid kind of a way.
12.This was a hit song in its time that doffs its hat to Travolta and Saturday
Night Fever.You don't hear the disco sound here in this track. Well if you really
push it maybe.You can see the John Travolta bit when you watch the song though.
13. Super-hit song as they'd say in Bollywood. Loud, over-the-top fun, carnival
inspired track with Amitabh Bachchan (the most popular Bollywood actor in the word)
throwing in his weight in this number.
14. Dunno how this is termed as a Bollywood number. This was one
of the forgettable songs from the 1980s.
15. Now, "I am A Disco Dancer," is a number that belongs to this album.
This is a Bollywoodized disco number that captures that late 1970s & 1980s
with it over-the-top music from Bappi Lahiri. Play this loud, ok.

Kamla Sept 2013