Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Middle eastern Asian vibes
Cool takes, will listen again!
Super cool, has that proto-muzak world music vibe I dig on.
Usually on things so out of my style I Give a 3 and say that it is hard to rate. This one I very much enjoyed.
Apresentou uma novidade bem interessante com as versões com Sitar.
some pretty cool things in here!
Indian music is often reduced to some trip scenes in movies. We often don't know proper music. This album by Shankar is a good bridge into the genre with it's combination of western sounds, instruments and some covers. I prefer the last tracks though instead of some of the covers because it is more of the actual music we want to listen to.
Een sitar, loev het nu al. Dit is wel echt precies 1001 album you should listen to before you die, obscure shit die ik zelf echt nooit had opgezocht. Ik ben heel erg benieuwd! Jumpin' Jack Flash is een lekkere opener, maar niet echt representatief voor de 2e helft van het album. Ik weet niet waarom, maar ik waan me echt weer op Runescape ofzo, daar had je ook vaak van die Sitar tunes Light my fire is echt episch Mehtamorphosis is een slechte trip in een nummer, heel heftig, ook wel vet. Sagar (The Ocean) was juist een mooie meditatie terwijl ik op kantoor zat. Prachtig, kan ik echt van genieten. Dit album is sowieso echt heel verschillend van de voorgaande 1001 albums en daarom kan ik het alleen al waarderen. Ragupathi is een fijne afsluiter, maar ik denk dat Sagar (The Ocean) nog beter was geweest als afsluiter persoonlijk, omdat dat zo'n ontzettend episch en groots nummer is. Favo: Jumpin'Jack Flash, Light my Fire, Sagar(The OCean)
Zooo fijn na al die scheurende gitaren. Deze sitar was mij schoon van alle rock en verlicht mijn wereldse persoon. Ik vind de emotie die er uit dit instrument komt fantastisch. Van helemaal gek gaan, tot een rustig tokkeltje, het kan allemaal zonder dat de karakteristieke klanken verloren gaan. Een van de beste verrassingen tot nu toe. Favorieten: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Metamorphosis
like so many of these albums, i fell asleep a couple times and it took more than one try to make sure i heard it all but the fusion is outstanding and we love an instrumental moment
I much preferred the tracks that leaned more classical Indian, but I suppose the ridiculous "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "Light My Fire" were necessary to setup the fusion that he was going for here - and let's ask ourselves, would it even be on our list if it weren't for those two? But it was a bait and switch in the best way, quickly working in other sitar-based originals & traditionals, even getting fully meditative with the 13-minite track "Satar." It was a great experience after getting through the obligatory covers.
I'm sure some purists think this is sacrilege, but this funky-ass fusion works for me.
I really enjoyed this. At times kitschy, but at other times completely succeeding at the goal on its front cover. I realise the sitar is the main event here, but those keyboards sound a good decade ahead of their time too. A lovely surprise
One's first reaction was to roll one's eyes a the bad-Muzak energy, only to soon recognize the virtuosity and commitment and the simple fact that these songs sound cool with sitar and other Indo instrumentation. Surprisingly cool, which is often the best kinda cool. Yes, the songs sound odd at first, but they are so good, that one adjusts quickly, especially if one has Indophiliac tendencies. Microgenre or not, sitar rock works. One wishes there were more of it in the world.
The nephew of sitar legend Ravi Shankar puts his own poppy spin on the instrument. With a mixture of covers and ragas, Ananda proves what a versatile instrument the sitar truly is.
actually interesting
HL: "Metamorphosis", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Snow Flower" Kinda love this I'm sure this is on the list for side one, but there's something to be said about the looser interplay between the sitar & the Moog going on there; it's both very indicative of the era and also unlike anything else I listen to
Good! Beautiful instrumentals.
When I heard this in the 70s I thought it was awesome. By the 90s I thought it was a somewhat crass way of selling Indian music to the western market. Now I split the difference and think it was a fascination musical experience. The sitar playing is superb and when put on repeat I can listen to it all day long. That is saying something.
Música hindú. Alguna versión de canciones conocidas. Venga, un 4 por lo original.
Really fun album. Love the blend of Sitar and rock. Sitar in general is a great sound and I think this is my favorite example so far. 4/5
Have to say I have never experienced this kind of music before but I kind of enjoyed it. To be honest I think the rolling stones and doors covers were the worst parts of the albums with highlights being "metamorphosis", in general though a nice album to have on in the background whilst cooking or something.
I liked this psychedelic, world music 8nstrumental album abput 300% more than I ex0ected i would when the first track first started.
see this is why i love this website. would have never listened to something like this otherwise.
Love. It’s so psychedelic and with the sitar its Indian influence is clear. There’s a couple covers that are recognizable and the others are great as well. I only wish there were lyrics! The only singing is background. That makes this better as interesting background music though.
Nice.
Not only a really cool idea for an album, very impressive to pull it off the way he has. Everything sounded so clear and clean (except maybe the sitar at times) and the album as a whole felt so natural and almost familiar rather than an experiment of sorts. Dance Indra stood out as a favourite to me. Brave sticking his manifesto on the front because if he fucked it, it would've been embarrassing. But I think he's pulled it off perfectly.
Awesome listen! Wow. Everything from the guitar and sitar tones to the juicy Moog lines to the unexpected backbeat grooves. The mix is airtight; sitar can sound really pokey and bright but here it sounds warm and full. I love all of these songs, but "Mamata (Affection)" comes to mind as a favorite. The sitar tones sound really thick and rich, they play super well with electric guitar and I can't say I've heard a blend like that before. I get chills every time the sitar swells out over a simple backbeat pocket or flourishes out of the texture. It's such a simple recipe: Western rock guitar tones and harmonies, spacey Moog lines and textures, a rock solid battery of bass and drums bolstered by Indian drums, all as the perfect backdrop for the beautiful sitar lead.
Well this is the third Indian artist that I came across in this list and the third one that pleasantly surprised me. It’s surprisingly earnest and the songs pump through with very awesome renditions of Jumping Jack Flash and Light My Fire. It’s a tad tad longer than it feels like it should be - but otherwise a record i would return to.
Rips. In a good way. If I listen to this in the future I will update the ranking, but really had me grooving for most of the runtime
Classic jams
A lovely fusion between Indian music and western music. It gets very psychadelic and the sitar sounds great.
Very cool album. Both the covers and originals were equally impactful and showed the versatility of Indian music. Favorite track: Indra Dance
A lot of Indian covers of rock and roll tracks. Interesting, but nothing that's making me think anything over and above some good, if uninspired musicianship.
Great album. Deff glad listened to that experience
I love the combination of the sitar and the synthesizers! Favorite track: Metamorphosis.
Here we go!
You know I love that sweet, sweet sitar. And sitar covers? Go on with ya bad self
I discovered Ananda Shankar sometime in the 80s courtesy of the used record market. I love remakes that really remake a song, and the groovy sitar versions of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire more than qualify! I also love Moog music, and there’s plenty of that here. It's great to have this album make the list! Some great sitar jams... and the go-go arrangements are icing on a delicious cake! Definitely worth a listen for its unique style.
3.5: some really awesome and fascinating tracks with some great sitar work, surprisingly very easy to get into. The jumping jack flash cover is a great highlight
Solid album of oriental, indian music. My favourite was Sagar (The Ocean)
Interesting album, enjoyed the music, would listen again
An album of two halves, the first to entice the Western audience - something familiar, with a mix of Indian culture... with the second half delving deeper in the raga psyche. Sagar (The Ocean) is magnificent - albeit only if you're in the right mind-space for it.
Well...whoa! Had nary a clue what to expect, who this is, what they would do, and...well, it is definitely interesting. As a Westerner who grew up on, and still mostly listens to, music made by Western musicians, I am always glad to be introduced to music outside my normal listening bubble. This album does, of course, have quite a lot of familiarly Western elements -- covers of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire (And that one is so fun! Like a hyper-psychedelic video game soundtrack) are on it -- but the elements and instruments they weave in from Indian traditions really work here. The percussion work in Metamorphosis is fantastic. Sometimes, in other settings, when I've heard Western musicians add Indian instruments to their music, it just stands out too differently for my ear in contrast to the musical context of the particular song, and at least for me I experience it as an afterthought or add on. Here, Ananda Shankar and the other musicians do a masterful job of not letting one style overpower the other. I'll admit it's opened my ear to this music in a very welcome way. I like the album. Very cool. Well done, 1001 Albums project!
Música hindú. Alguna versión de canciones conocidas. Venga, un 4 por lo original.
4/02/2022 Today's Album: "Ananda Shankar" by Ananda Shankar - This album starts off with a great song, Jumpin' Jack Flash, which has really elaborate production, with fuzzy synths, a grooving sitar, and some really colorful chorus vocals. The whole track feels really jamming and chill and generally colorful. Jumping to this next track, it's clear I am going to be listening to a lot of Indian inspired music infused with 70s psychedelic rock, with this one being an awesome sitar solo with some backing synth, bass, and bongos. I have given the rest of these tracks a listen and they are all just consistently amazing psychedelic sitar tracks with no vocals. Just a bunch of groovy and meditative instrumental tracks, with Sagar (The Ocean) being over 13 minutes long and fantastic from start to finish, shifting in tempo, style, and instrumentation throughout. Dance Indra sounds like a Mario Desert level backed up by these dark piano and synth chords and I really love it. The final track, Raghupati actually does have lyrics and I don't know how much I really dig it. There is a nice message about accepting each other despite our beliefs, but the singing in Indian just doesn't appeal to me due to the language barrier. The instrumentals go pretty wild, but I think it would honestly fit better somewhere in the middle of the track list and I can't really enjoy it casually like I have the rest of these tracks. I just can't really be blasting this Indian chanting in my car and expect to not get intentionally crashed into. Overall, this album has a ton of amazing psychedelic instrumental sitar tracks that are almost perfect in my opinion topped off by one track that is just kind of meh for me. If you like Indian or Psychedelic music, give this one a listen. P.S. I think if you listened to Raghupati and Dance Indra after Metamorphosis and then close it off with Sagar, it would be a really nice listening experience and would conclude more concisely. Score: 9/10 Really fun to listen to but feels a little out of order Highlights: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Snow Flower, Light My Fire, Mamata (Affection), Metamorphosis, Dance Indra, Sagar (The Ocean)
This was very good. It is different from the music I listen to, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Was good, good for the background
This was really good
Cool and good and fun :)
Gah!
I enjoyed this. Having a Moog as a foil to the sitar made it more interesting than the standard 60s trope of adding sitar to a guitar line up. I even enjoyed the covers! The extended drone of 'Sagar (The Ocean)' was the only down track for me.
Great listen. Very psychedelic, and I think this is the pinnacle of sitar on rock music.
4/5. Banging, love that sitar
Fun album. Love the covers on the album (light my fire and jumpi jack in particular). Overall really enjoyed
This was pretty cool! It's the reverse of the Beatles, etc. "borrowing" from Indian music.
Really cool stuff and some funky covers
Playing classic rock songs on the sitar? Sign me up. I can honestly say that I've never heard anything quite like this before.
Groovy. The couple of covers are good but just different enough where you don't immediately recognize them.
Opening with an awesome Sitar solo over a sample of the Stones doing Jumping Jack Flash is not what I expected when I saw this album cover. A few songs deep, looks like the whole (or most) of the album is going to be Sitar covers of Classic Rock hits. Really interesting take, I dig it.
Upphafslagið, Jumping Jack Flash, hef ég þekkt nokkuð lengi þökk sé Discover weekly. Algerlega frábær útgáfa. Restin nær ekki alveg sömu hæðum, en heilt á litið er þetta þó mjög skemmtileg plata og um margt töff.
Not quite what I'd listen to normally but very interesting psychedelic playing
Funky, cool, I really liked that
I've stated my dislike for Sitar as an instrument before but this thing was both good and very funny
Much more interesting than I anticipated. Sitar-remakes of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire? Awesome.
Ну так, музыканты играют хорошо, но слушать каверы на ситаре довольно утомительно. Фоновая музыка
This was great. I love hearing interesting takes on tracks I already know.
I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. Who knew sitar and synths would sound so good together?
Surprisingly easy to listen through, and the ending was great, both message-wise and just my musical enjoyment I guess.
Great version of Jumping Jack Flash! 3 1/2 stars
What a compelling blend of influences and styles! Jumpin' Jack Flash blew my socks off. I love the fusion of Indian, rock, and electronic elements. 3.5 rounded up.
No tengo muy claro que comentar porque es un disco que, aunque sí suena mucho a su época, no se parece tampoco a nada que haya escuchado. Pero está ok.
Trippy shit yo
Nice with something new. Pretty good mix of different genres. Ravis nephew!
Groovy, love a sitar. Maybe a 7?
7/10. Not quite my thing, but some cool sounds to be sure
Me gustó mucho, me imagino que innovador y emocionante para la época, una producción re buena, más psicodélico que el rock psicodélico. Siento que es algo asiático (XD XD XD) aquello de que hasta la fecha surgen de dicho continente músiques profesionales de un instrumento clásico que saltan a la fama mundial solo por interpretar los géneros populares de su época como Vanessa Mae con el violín y el pop/EDM en los 90-2000, los Yoshida Brothers con el shamisen y el rock alternativo en los 2000-2010 y más recientemente Henry Lau con el violín en el K-pop. Anyway, pasando las generalizaciones sobre Asia jaja, canción favorita: Metamorphosis porque es un viajesote y dan ganas de bailar drogado en un campo de flores. Mood: Yo soy paz, yo soy amor, yo soy luz, :VVV
Creo que no tengo mucho que decir porque soy más bien ignorante de la música india. Entonces, sólo comento que disfruté el disco, es como escuchar lo que conocemos como "música clásica", nada más que con otros instrumentos, la pista más larga, "Sagar (The Ocean)" tuvo un efecto tranquilizante y, en general, aprecié todas las canciones, quizá "Metamorphosis" un poco más y "Raghupati" por el uso de las voces. Me gustó sobre todo oír sonidos distintos. 8/10
A really good album. Recreating some classic rock hits("Jumping jack flash, and "light my fire") into more 'dream-like' ambient music, with the combination of synthetic and sitar blends well. I enjoyed the east v. west fusion.
This was lovely. Very relaxing.
That cover of Jumpin Jack was fantastic. A great mix of Indian beats with pop sensibilities
A really fun psychedelic, sitar driven trip.
this was great, love the mix of covers and originals. also love citar and moog, so this was a perfect match
Pretty groovy, many tracks sounds like they could’ve been lifted off an Austin Powers soundtrack.
Fun covers of contemporary pop mixed in with beautiful, engaging sitar. Good for a drive, also great background music to video games
soothing and a bop
An Indian sitar player.
Makes me want to join a cult
This was interesting. Good, even. Will I go back to it soon? Or often? Probably not.
Surprisingly not terrible. Weird gym music though
A fun cover album for sure, but most of the songs are losing what made them iconic, which are either their singer or their instrumental. Not bad either
I really like the last track. Too bad it took so long to get there.
Pretty okay background music.
3.25 - I really enjoy music with a sitar. I'm surprised that this makes the list with those two prominent covers, but maybe I need to read the history.
You know? I had a better time with this than I thought I would. The early cover songs were a lot of fun. Adding in the Moog synthesizers gave a lot of the music kind of a playful vibe that I really appreciated. The more traditional songs in the second half of the album were less interesting. Maybe there is such a thing as too much sitar?
I'll start this off by saying that I LOVE South Asian music and am pretty familiar with it: traditional music from various regions, Bollywood soundtracks, you name it. Unfortunately, the first couple of tracks started this off badly for me. It's not the European/American influences that bothered me, since the 60's/70's Bollywood music that I like best mixes 60's rock stuff with classical Indian instrumentation all the time. The problem I guess is that the pop music that Shankar leans into here isn't the kind of pop music that I like. For me the first four songs were too much like Indian-flavored easy-listening music, and I didn't enjoy them at all. But ending the first side, "Metamorphosis" was nice, and then all of the second side was lovely. "Sagar" is a gorgeous, 13-minute-long piece that seems to have a quiet little bass line in the background at times. "Dance Indra" felt fusion-y and interesting, and "Raghupati" was toe-tapping. If I were just reviewing the second side of this album I'd give it 4 stars, but my attitude about the first side brings it down to a 3.
I liked "Jumpin' Jack Flash" but not so much "Light My Fire." It seems like something that would be fun to add to playlist, but I haven't figured out what kind of playlist I'd put it on. The rest of it kinda faded into the background as I worked, enjoyable but not that engaging. Sometimes I thought the Moog synthesizers were excellent, but sometimes they dated the music. I enjoyed hearing the album and appreciated its inclusion on the list. 3.5/5
Pretty chill stuff. I liked the cover songs.
I was feeling a 4, but the last three songs dragged on. I didn't mind the rock covers, but that is moot because I could only point out 'Light My Fire.'
I do wish there were more oddball albums on this list like this one. That being said, there wasn't anything that super stood out to me on the album that would make me rate over 3 stars. track 5-6 is a lot of sitar to listen to.
This was a really nice change, I really enjoyed this one!
I haven't complained about genre classifications recently, so I will just say I find it really funny that the album cover talks about a "dream to try to combine Western and Indian music into a new form, a music which has no particular name..." and then Wikipedia just says "raga rock" and calls it a day. I really dug the traditionals and originals and detested the rock covers.
Interesting album, and I see why it is on this list. I enjoy the exposure to world music that I otherwise would never hear. I have found that I enjoy sitar music in small doses. I may have hit my limit by track 4.
Extraordinary. In a good way. Hadn’t looked at the track list before I started playing, so Jumping Jack Flash was an incredible surprise. Stonking final track too. Overall, this made me smile.
Not an album I’d ever find myself putting on again, which is not a bad thing, it’s just not my cup of tea; it was enjoyable nonetheless. It’s more like an instrumental cover album of rock and roll pieces, with Indian classical influences.
This was a fun one. The covers got my attention and just when I thought I was over the long “Sagar,” it ramped up and pulled me in further.
The vintage sitar cover versions of Western songs are good fun, reminding me what I enjoy about the originals while showing them off in a new flavour. The original compositions are more nourishing though - and left me relieved that it wasn’t 40 minutes of Doors and Rolling Stones covers. The whole album is an early successful example of fusing Indian and Western styles, with some elements of the final tracks almost sounding a bit like Primal Scream. Very cool.
Fun, funky, and good background noise
I enjoyed this album a lot. I do really like Indian Classical music and this was close I suppose. But I feel like the covers were kind of out of place and didn't really serve the rest of the album at all. I would have been interested to hear what this had turned into had it been a collaboration with Hendrix like Shankar originally wanted. That seems like it would have been legendary. Not much else to say about this one, but it's another that's hard to rate for me. Without the weird and out of place covers it would be approaching 4 but I just don't know if I can rate it that high as is. Maybe. I think I'm calling it 3.5 but I'm gonna round down.
#379/1001. This one is hard to rate as it is at the same awful, beautiful, weird, out of time and place, in a very certain time and place, cliché, kitsch, interesting, novelty, funky... Most of these comments (both positive and negative) typically mean a 5 in my rating system, but here that somehow doesn't seem appropriate.
Decent Indian instrumentals -nice background music but nothing stood out
A nice change from the norm on this list. A nice coincidence that this album appeared on the list on the same day as I was going on a date with an Indian woman. I'll give it a 3 and a 5 for Rupali
Well that was cool I guess, never thought I wanted to hear sitar covers of iconic songs but this album has proven me wrong. Definitely one I found more interesting than actually enjoyable (not to say I hated it), it just kinda made me go "huh, that's pretty cool" and then I got on with my day. I guess it's just more the novelty of hearing familiar songs done differently, so even though this album isn't actually all that impressive when it comes down to it, I still applaud it for bringing something new and genuinely cool and interesting to the table.
This was interesting and I’m always up for a good Rolling Stones cover. I feel like covers like these always do well in movies.
There are some gems on here (I particularly liked Raghupati for its style), but a lot of sitar music sounds pretty similar to me, so I didn't love it.
This was a bit of a surprise. Much better than I expected. I particularly enjoyed tracks "Mamata" and "Sagar". At least 3,5 stars for me.
hippie feeling. East vibes. Even some edm in there? It was good though.
I’ve had to listen to Light My Fire two albums in a row. A lot of this album sounds good but doesn’t do much for me emotionally. It’s just there. The highlight for me was the ending portion of the thirteen minute long track, although it took a while to get there. I didn’t care much for the covers.
Sitar music. Chill vibe
Wasn’t familiar at all. Fascinating little record.
Not into the cover songs but it’s cool
wow!!! raga rock. so funny... it totally doesn't work but I like it!!
Covers of rock songs in a raga format is such a good idea. And the other songs aren’t too bad either.
Love the concept, but I got tired of the same-ness of it all.
This was unexpected. His take on a few rock classics was actually pretty good, and a cool way to kick off this album. Personally, it had me interested, and that led to me listening with more of an open ear for the rest of the record. Snow Flower and Mamata were both cool tracks, and Metamorphosis had it's moments. I would say that later stuff in the record wasn't as great for me. All the same, a decent listen. 3 stars.
It is an interesting album. Bridging east and west with some covers and some really beautiful playing of his instrument. I feel like towards the end I was ready for it to be over. 2.5/5 Might listen again
The covers were heinous, the synths were also heinous, but Shankar plays the hell out of that sitar, Metamorphosis and Sagar RULED
09/05/2026 I can't hate it, but I sure as hell don't love it. Spotify listeners: 48.4k
Another one where "pleasant" feels like the best descriptor. Especially considering when it was released, it's good all the way through and especially interesting to me as someone already into east-west fusion through groups like Kula Shaker. Never quite rises to great, although the covers are nice and Sagar is a highlight that flies by despite the runtime.
The sitar has a very pretty sound.
Mamata (Affection) and Raghupati were the most enjoyable for me in this album.
groovy baybeee ✌️✌️
feel like austin powers woulda gone crazy for this one tbh. fav: metamorphosis
Jumpin' jack flash - 4 Snow flower - 4 Light my fire - 3 Mamata (affection) - 2 Metamorphosis - 3 Sagar (the ocean) - 2 Dance indra - 2 Raghupati - 3
Nice!
it was great but it was kind of boring
It's a pretty good album, I thought the cover songs were interesting but not necessarily an improvement. The later songs on the album that had their own Indian and western synth sound were really solid.
The covers that presumably provided the headlines and brought commercial success to this album in 1970 are its ruin for me in the 21st Century. I am basically ignorant of Indian music, all my encounters with it having been through fairly typical western routes or lenses, but I do understand that even the material here that sounds most traditional to me, is probably quite westernised. Nevertheless, the 13min+ “Sagar (The Ocean)” is something I can get on board with much more easily than a Doors or Stones song that, out of context, comes across as kitsch muzak no matter how well it is recorded and produced. From the little bits I’ve read, it seems my feelings are in line with Shankar who, while keen to experiment blending the traditional with the western, considered the covers a compromise to his vision. Quality artists have good instincts about these things, though I guess without the inclusion of the covers, there’s little chance I’d be listening to this at all today.
It was an interesting way to blend Indian classical music with western sounds. I was intrigued and entertained the entire time. Not something that I would go back and seek out to listen to again but I do think that this is an album that is worth listening to.
I’m kinda conflicted on this one. The rhythms are good, my toe was tapping, but the sitar kinda sounds like a whiny cat, ya know? I think I would normally give it a 2.5, gotta decide which way to round. Likely up, to repent for my cultural bias.
Best Song: Metamorphosis. This had an intoxicating, rollicking rhythm to it that I really liked. Worst Song: Sagar (The Ocean). The last thing this album needed (indeed, the last thing most albums need) was a 13 minute sprawling epic. Overall: Kind of a weird album, given how much is (significantly reimagined) covers. Still, pleasant enough to listen to, as it was totally outside my normal musical exposure.
That was nice. Not super amazing, but an enjoyable album for sure. I feel like I struggle more to talk about albums from quote-unquote "world music" than I do from your more established genres like rock and pop. It's probably a culture thing. I don't know. But I do know that I always enjoy trying to break the culture barrier and enjoy music from cultures of countries that don't primarily speak English, although India is a country that I've gotten plenty of chances to experience the music of compared to most other countries. Of all the non-English countries, India is probably the most heavily represented country on this list, which I'm not entirely against. I wish we could get some albums from other countries like Japan for once but I do quite enjoy the things that Indian music often brings to the table, like the sitar! Ananda Shankar is a pretty solid sitar player it seems. Is he as important as his uncle, Ravi Shankar? Perhaps not, but I'd say this album and the album I've heard of Ravi's are about on the same level for me personally. Though, of course, Ananda Shankar's self-titled album has some unique things that make it stand out, namely the influences that the album takes from other genres like rock music. Honestly, I like it. I think the covers of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the Doors' "Light My Fire" are pretty good, but not as good as the originals. I think my biggest issue with the album is the pacing. The first few songs go by pretty quickly, but then "Sagar (The Ocean)" just goes on and on. It sounds nice, but it feels weird to have short songs, then one really long song, and then two more short songs. Uh... I don't have much more to say. This is a nice look into a different side of Indian music. High 3/5.
first time listen. this was fun! I enjoyed the "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Light My Fire" covers, and then the closing 3 tracks on the album were excellent escapades, especially the darker, swirling "Sagar (The Ocean)". 3.5 stars.
Not really sure how to rate this one. I kept thinking of a Monty Python sketch where a guy wouldn’t stop listening to Indian music, so his friends get mad and he puts on The Beatles but it’s Within You Without You, then he asks if they want The Doors, so he puts on Light My Fire from this album. 3.5
Not too into this type of music but I definitely have high respect for this.
I'm glad it happened and helped usher in a new age of musical crossover, but it's very cheesy. Hippy cheese.
This album fuses Indian music with (Western) rock and some electrónica. This album was fine enough, though I did have to turn it off in the car, however, as it was really making me sleepy. Album 34, March 1, 2026
Sitar music, pleasantly surprised. Unlikely to seek out tracks to relisten but nice at the time
fucker hammin on the little doot doot dooter
deciding to go your own way instead of make an album with Jimi Hendrix is a bold move. I liked this ok, enjoyed it from the angle of a traditionally skilled sitarist wanting to explore Westernized music. the other way only worked out for the Beatles.
First few songs you wonder why we dont hear more sitar? Interesting and unique. A few songs later, you realize why when you've had enough sitar. I appreciated thr originals more than the cover songs. Too bad it only worked out for The Beatles with the sitar.
one of the most valid critiques against the hippie movement and the psychedelic music that rose out of it targets the orientalist approach to Indian music. the way that The Beatles used the sitar on Norwegian Wood, influenced by the recordings of Ravi Shankar making waves in the west, certainly indicates westernization of the instrument and style. this is a major point of criticism among a lot of Indian academics especially. what happens, then, when Ravi's nephew takes rock influence and makes an album that blends Bengali classical music with Western rock and roll? kitsch. not uncompelling kitsch, however. the cover of Light My Fire especially has a very interesting sonic palette. i'm reminded of the Malaysian disco dangdut covers of 90s europop cheese i'll occasionally listen to. (Adeq- Siapa Pilihanmu. check it out!). cool moogs. pretty well executed too. i ain't above a good blend between highbrow and lowbrow. i definitely feel like the target audience was Westerners that didn't really think of this that way, however. a few decades later Ananda Shankar would also become a major player in the UK Asian Underground scene, which is pretty heavily represented on this list relative to its profile in America. there's something compelling about the blend of Eastern traditions with Western pop culture. I can totally understand why a lot of people in the South Asian diaspora sing a different tune than those from back east. and who am I as a White West Virginian to say what is and isn't a valid use of a sitar? i can only really judge the music, and i think it's decent enough at the end of the day. deserves to be one of the 1001? no. the fact that it is implies disregard to the rich musical traditions of South Asia at best, and tokenism at worst. granted, i think including Ravi Shankar's ragas would also be a bad move because that violates the "no classical" rule (which, granted, is violated anyways because i suppose to the Western cultural establishment only European formal music can be considered 'classical'). BUT I DIGRESS!!!
Cool fusion concept that doesn’t always hold together, but when it clicks it’s genuinely unique.
It's cool and interesting but it's too much sitar honestly for a whole album. I get it, but yeah.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ i mean, the sitar covers on the 1st and 3rd track was pretty interesting to listen to. never thought one could shred on a sitar. otherwise, i found the rest of the album to be standard at best in terms of enjoyment. it's got a trippy/psychedelic vibe throughout that i can appreciate, but it's kinda hard to top the covers. i lost interest by the last 1/3 of the album or so Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire are certainly worth hearing at least once. i suppose the rest of the album could be too if you're curious and/or a huge fan of South Asian music
46# I'm so into it, i love the sound of this weird indian instrument. But if it was just that throughout the project it would get boring. The layers that this has make for a good trip and psychedelic experience.
Not gonna lie, the sitar is not *exactly* my favorite musical instrument and the tracks on this mostly-instrumental album where the sitar was predominant were the least appealing. Better yet were those that mixed that instrument with the Moog synthesizer in equal measure - the interplay between the two made for interesting listening.
Fine. Too much sitar.
Interesting enough to be included on the list, I just find the sitar annoying after a while. Favourite song was Raghupati at the end.
very fun, unique sound
The sitar was obviously the main focus but there were some really cool instrumentals throughout this. Can’t even pretend that I’m gonna listen again but I enjoyed the experience overall. I do think it tapered off on the last few songs but still good enough overall.
Enjoyable but faded to background music pretty quickly. Would throw on again and give more time to.
I didn't need a sitar cover of the stones but the original songs were enjoyable
this was an interesting album. very vibey with no lyrics until the last song, which was very religious, but in the "i hope all relgions can live in peace" kinda way. overall very good, but not my prefered style, 3.5/5 if i could, but bc i cant, 3/5. I liked it.
had a theme and stuck to it
I mean…it was fine, I guess? I liked the idea of combining Western and Indian music and traditional and electronic elements, but the execution wasn’t especially interesting to me. “Sagar (The Ocean)” was rough due to the length and repetition, although it came back around for me at the end.
Refreshingly different entry for this list.
This is an album that makes sense for thr time. Im sure with the beatles doing the India thing around here there was more interest than ever. Not that im saying this is opertunistic. This guy is all about this sound and life. It just lined up perfectly. And throwing multiple covers of other popular songs here was enough to get people in the door. They stuck around for the actual Hindu stylings that come later. I know very little about this music but I know this is nice and enjoyable. Throwing modern recording techs at it as well helps give it an edge too. Its just a nice little batch of tracks. I dont love it hut I can't fault it for swinging for the fences on what it is
Hey now you’re an all sitar
Indifferent
Funky covers in a global scenic scenario.
Un concepto muy original (para los 70's) y creo que esta muy bien el disco. Me gusto porque esta diseñado para eso, literalmente lo dice la portada, música microtonal para occidentales, orale para que no te quejes. Tiene muchas virtudes el disco, desde la manera virtuosa, vaya la redundancia, del sitarista Ananda Shankar hasta la forma de involucrar o de combinar la forma musical india con elementos de la música occidental como son las progresiones, los solos, los riffs y la interpretación. Canción más destacada para mi Raghupati (todo el disco me falto el elemento coral y al final llego y con un trabajo de ensamblaje muy bueno) y Light My Fire, por supuesto. Buen disco.
Very interesting and the arrangements are great. The in-your-face sitar gets repetative after a couple of songs. Mamata was great.
I was hoping that this list would include music from all around the world. What a wonderful introduction to Ananda Shankar. I enjoyed listening to this. The album is definitely a vibe. It's being added to my rotation.
It was cool at first, but ended up losing its novelty. I think the 13 minute song really put a damper on it. Decent showing though.
This album was likely selected for this list because it was a pioneer in fusing Indian music with Western rock, but I didn't find the music itself particularly appealing. All I gathered was that it covered famous rock songs using a sitar and placed them alongside original compositions.
77. nice
One of those rare, pop-up surprise gift albums. Accessible Sitar much with 70;s covers. I enjoyed!
First Listen; 3.5; Well there's a lot of sitar in this. I thought it would get boring after a while, but I actually enjoyed it. It's not like I get a whole lot of sitar in other music I listen to. Fun when mixed with the psychedelic elements. Favorite Track: Metamorphosis
It was good but it didn’t knock my socks off
I appreciate the skill of the sitar playing but I wish it wasn’t dumbed down to playing hippie cover songs
A relief to hear someone that actually knows how to play the sitar instead of a band of white hippies just plucking away at it
Pretty cool just not my vibe really
This is genuinely what the Beatles thought they sounded like on magical mystery tour
Sitar and Moog! Found this album very pleasant.
Interesting, want to hear more
Interesting version but not for me.
It's a rock-Indian blend with lots of sitar. The top played tracks are covers of Jumpin Jack Flash and Light My Fire, which I guess is not surprising. Interesting he chose those tracks to cover. The Stones are not especially psychedelic, but The Doors definitely are. Also interesting that it was originally supposed to be a collab with Jimi Hendrix but that never happened (I wonder how that would have sounded!).
Nice vibe. Won’t be a frequent listen.
Favorite Tracks: Jumpin' Jack Flash (kinda maybe?) / Mamata / Metamorphosis Rating: 3.2 I honestly can't say I've ever sat down and listened to much sitar music, rock or otherwise. I found this mostly enjoyable; I put it on while sending some work emails and nodded along. I was able to apprecate the covers for what they are, no sacrilege there in my book. Sagar (The Ocean) really dragged on...I skipped ahead through it multiple times and never really caught a groove I liked. Production-wise I thought it was fantastic, great clarity & dynamism, interesting different drums throughout, cool stereo effects esp on a few tracks liek Metamorphosis. This sent me down the rabbit hole a bit and I also listened to Walking On from 1999 with State Of Bengal....if you liked the vibes of this but though "why can't it be trip-hop," well, you're in luck!
This was fine. Not amazing by any standards. Maybe it was more groundbreaking at it's release?
I don't even have anything clever to say with this one. It's just sitar music.
Het lijkt wel een stuk uit de quiz van de Top 2000 à gogo. Raad welke hit er hier op de sitar gespeeld wordt. Dus ja, wat moet je met covers van de Stones en de Doors? Het is nauwelijks serieus te nemen. Wat komt hierna, de Beatles op een panfluit? Gelukkig is kant 2 gevuld met meer traditioneler klinkend spul. Kijk, ik snap dat het 1001-boek gaat over de geschiedenis van de popmuziek van het westen, vanaf pakweg 1950. En dat we die meneer Shankar in dat licht moeten zien, men pretendeert hier niet de muziekgeschiedenis van de hele wereld te presenteren (immers, waar is anders Mannenkoor Karrespoor?). En kennelijk heeft onze Ananda invloed gehad in onze streken? Nee, dat was zijn vader Ravi Shankar. Dat was degene die beste matties was met George Harrison. Dus waarom we naar z'n zoon moeten luisteren is me niet helemaal dudelijk. Puntjes voor de afwisseling, minpuntjes voor de knullige covers.
De hoes vertelt precies wat je kan verwachten. Ook wel fijn. Het album is in elk geval een aanvulling aan de lijst. Soms is het ook wel fijn, die blend tussen de sitar en 'moderne elektronica'. Eigenlijk komen vooral de covers naar voren. De andere nummers zijn vervallen vaak in wat gepingel. Wat lijkt te zeggen dat Ananda niet perse goed is in westers componeren. Maar als iemand anders de westerse basis levert, wel in de vertaling naar een oosterse uitvoering.
Als je de sitar onder de aandacht wil brengen, dan kun je heel traditioneel beginnen. Maar ik denk dat het heel verstandig was, om juist te starten met een cover van Jumpin Jack Flash. De eerste barriere is geslecht en ik sta gelijk meer open voor het geluid van de sitar, ook bij de traditionelere sound in de nummers die er na komen. Daardoor vind ik het best tof om te luisteren. Sowieso kan ik het meestal wel waarderen als er wordt gepield op gitaarinstrumenten. Een (goed gebruikte) steel guitar is doorgaans bonuspunten waard. De sitar in popmuziek associeer ik meestal met vage LSD-periodes van de Beatles en soortgelijke bands, het is blijkbaar een fase waar sommige artiesten doorheen gaan. Het gaafste blijven de covers die op dit album staan. Het geheel is aardig te pruimen, het luistert als een soort maffe psychedelische trip in een shisha lounge. Verder valt dit natuurlijk in de categorie "leuk om een keer gehoord te hebben, maar ik ga dit nooit meer uit mezelf zomaar opzetten". Met name side two is nogal een uitdaging. Ik ga het een krappe 3 geven, maar dat is voornamelijk vanwege het onderhoudende eerste gedeelte.
Feels a bit dated, but still kind of fun. A few contemporary covers are added to otherwise original music.
Hat tip to the Beatles, and particularly George Harrison, for opening a lane for a commercial Indian/Rock fusion album. Also hat tip to them for everything else, but that’s for another time… For something this foreign (figuratively, but also literally I guess) I have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. Shankar makes it easier by fusing Indian sounds with quite familiar rock tunes such as “Jumpin Jack Flash” and “Light My Fire.” On a good day I can play this in the background and find myself lost in its groove.
In an odd move, Shankar decides to cover many of the hits of the west. It’s actually not bad, but it just felt weird to have a great eastern artists giving a take on pop/rock hits. I often don’t have the understanding to evaluate world music, but here I didn’t know how to evaluate their take on the west. Pleasant, but I’d rather work through their art than listen to them dabble in the charts.
Interesting, a nice introduction to the sitar sound. 3.0
I’ve never heard a sitar slap so hard!
This is probably one of George Harrison's favorite albums of all time. I like it at points, with their covers of hit rock songs and raga rock with flourishes of psychedelia. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.
Honestly I’m a fan
It's nice to hear albums like this that tried to fuse different styles of music, and that goal works very well on "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and somewhat less successfully on "Light My Fire." Otherwise, long sitar jams aren't really my jam.
This was interesting listen. The covers are interesting, but it’s hard for me to give this a higher rating when it’s so dependent on them. Favourite track: Sagar (The Ocean)
jazzy - 3
Yeah go on sure let’s have some sitar shredding
fun!
All sitar
For this one, I really tried to put myself in the mindset of an American hearing this music for the first time in 1970. People of Indian heritage and descent are very familiar to many of us now, but I assume the sounds of the sitar would still have seemed very exotic at the time. If I had been listening to Ananda Shankar at the time, I guess I might have heard some sitar in "Tomorrow Never Knows," but that would probably have been about it. I failed to put myself in this mindset. I've been listening to raga and raga-inspired music since the '90s, and it's definitely represented in my record collection, from Ravi Shankar (Ananda's uncle) to John McLaughlin. Ananda Shankar wrote a pretty sweet note about his desire to combine Western and Indian music, but when I saw covers of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire on this record, I immediately assumed they would be very corny. They definitely sounded like something out of an Austin Powers scene transition, but they weren't as corny as I was expecting. The original compositions here were pretty great at times. The second song, "Snow Flower," resonated with me immediately. Another track, "Metamorphosis," started out a bit cheesy, but I couldn't help bobbing my head when the percussion kicked in. The final song, "Raghupati," was very pretty with its choral chants, but it still sounded like the soundtrack to a white suburbanite's "mystical" journey from the early '70s. That's probably my prejudice against white, new age orientalism talking, but I couldn't shake the impression. This is a cool album, and I really enjoyed parts of it, but it feels pretty dated now. I get a lot more out of listening to Ravi's straightforward, masterful readings of the raga forms, or McLaughlin's respectful integration of Indian musical elements, though I still cringe at the writing in Love, Devotion, Surrender. Three stars.
Pretty solid. The combination of sitar and Moog is really cool and probably the first album to do that(?) The breakdown at the end of Metamorphosis is godly. Might revisit and boost the score.
3,13 - Auf jeden Fall was eigenes und kreatives. Aber leider gefällt mir der Ton der Sitar nicht wirklich, was einen Großteil des Albums ausmacht. Highlights: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Metamorphosis
2.5
It's... fine. This album right here is why we need to be able to give half stars
Not something I’d ever seek out on my own but glad I listened to it. Kind of what this whole project is about…
Certainly better than the album of bongo covers. (Go back and look at the list). I enjoyed it but it's background music.
A very interesting album. The interweaving of several vastly different genres was not at all jarring, which surprised me. The versions of Jumpin' Jack Flash and Light My Fire were really good interpretations. The rest of the album was also heavily influenced by western musical themes, you could hear it coming through. That being said, I wouldn't seek it out for a second listening. I do feel it was worth listening to though. I think 3 stars feels about right.
hearing the doors on a sitar alone was worth the price of admission
omg this was a vibe!!!!!! i had fun listening to it but i also can't tell you the name so maybe it wasn't that impactful LMFAO
Kooky sitar based covers and other stuff from the early 70's. Gets a couple of stars for the excellent cover of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' to start with. The cover of 'Light My Fire' is less compelling, but still cool. The epic Sagar (The Ocean) is the centrepiece of this album, which for a long time seems like endless sitar noodling, but towards the end it gets some more groove.
6.5/10 Not something Id usually listen to but I enjoyed it and I think the list should have more stuff like this. Highlight: Snow Flower
Zoned out listening but maybe that's the point
This one grew on me a little bit after a couple of listens but I'll never be a sitar guy. I can appreciate the relevance at the time but it doesn't really hold up.
First half rips, meanders way too long in the second but I enjoyed most of it.
I don't mind it, for the most part. 13 minutes for The Ocean is too goddamned long, and makes the whole thing start to feel very repetitive. I think it's interesting, but I also think that there's one sound - you know the one - that is just so prominent in every song that it starts to get old. I'd give it 2.5 if I could. I'm going to give it 3 stars because I don't think it's *bad* per se, but I don't really ever want to listen to it again.
Pretty incredible amalgamation that shows what’s possible in integrating across different cultures and making the sitar into a rock instrument, w a couple of amazing songs of “cultural appropriation” by Shankar that open your ears
This album was an interesting one since it’s out of my wheelhouse musically, but the opening track was so good. The cover of Jumpin Jack Flash engaged me from the start and it felt like it could be used in a movie score somehow. I can’t explain it. The rest of the album didn’t grab me as much. Biggest Hit - Jumpin Jack Flash Biggest Miss (if I had to choose - Sagar Biggest Surprise - Snow Flower
I seem to enjoy all of these unique foreign albums and this was no exception. 3.5/5
Album 11 Top 3 favorites off the album: Dance Indra, Light My Fire, Metamorphosis Fusion for the win! I'm a fan of the sitar, so this was a treat. The mixture of original music and covers made the album an interesting listen. Not necessarily an album I'm always in the mood to listen to, but it was not unpleasant. I'm on the more neutral end of positive, if that makes sense. I like the pieces individually, and the album is good, but the pieces that make up the whole are better than the whole. That sounds like nonsense. I'm slacking today. I have little else to say. Sitar fusion, yum. Good listen. I wish I could go back to my world music class and write another paper about musical fusion. Manifesting acceptance into the master's program I applied for + funding so I can snatch an ethnomusicology degree.
I like the funky psychedelic sound to this but that’s about it.
Fun!
Overall: 5/10 While this wasn't amazing, I really love the sitar as an instrument and I found so much of this album to be incredibly relaxing. The covers are pretty weird, and they sadly add nothing to the originals. It's cool that Ananda tried to bring more indian music to the west, as it's pretty underrated over here. Fav Song: Metamorphosis
Covers were fun, enjoyed the variety of the 8 tracks. 2.5 rounded up.
Really liked the long song, the rest was just okay
an interesting fusion album. i'm a fan of plucked string instruments and a fan of the moog synthesizer, so i was immediately intrigued. if anything i think it could've leaned harder on the moog, but also harder on the sitar for what it is. many of these tracks sound like tracks written in a typical western guitar style, yet played with the sitar instead. the second half of "the ocean" is a highlight for me as once it starts going it starts GOING which kinda gave me a feeling of like, damn you could've been given me that the whole time!? so it's a mixed bag. not quite consistent enough for me to say that i enjoyed all of it, but it's cool for what it is.
I like the sound of the sitar but come from the generation that think of the closing credits to It Ain’t Half Hot Mum every time I hear it! The covers are a bit lame but it’s still pretty enjoyable.
I’m just not a fan of cover albums being on this list. Is it cool? Sure! Is it something you must hear before you die? Hell no! Bring original shit to this list
ok
Interesting blend of Indian and western music. Mostly instrumental sitar which kind of droned on a bit, but was never really annoying. 3.5/5
I’ve listened to other sitar music and enjoyed it. This album on the other hand was… well a bit odd. The songs that were more straight forward and traditional were pretty good. The ones that tried fusing Indian music with rock were clumsy. I’m all for experimenting and trying new things, but you have to accept that not all experiments will work
Good album
I don't dislike this, and it's not *bad*, but there are so many great non-western albums that should have made this list over this, an album that deliberately waters down the greatness, intention, and spirit of Indian music just to appeal to western audiences. 3/5
I like the sitar, but it started to get old towards the end. Appreciated the random Doors cover though
Revisit this
Odd. The pop music covers feel trite and unnecessary, kind of kitsch. Once past that, the longer more droning pieces were actually quite interesting. Not feeling any desire to go back to this album, but would like to explore more of his work.
meh sitar sounds is very good good fusion but thats all
Mainly a sitar cover album, which is nice. “Ocean” was really cool and my biggest takeaway.
I liked the non covers better! Not an album I would gravitate to but a fun listen - between 3 and 4
You can practically smell the incense coming off the production here. It’s got this swirling, hypnotic quality that feels made for a very specific, chemically altered state of mind. Since I’m listening sober, I can appreciate the cool textures, but I can't quite dissolve into them. Shame. It becomes a bit of a wash into background music territory. It’s like staring at a lava lamp for forty minutes. Cool to look at, but nothing really happens. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Jumpin' Jack Flash - Light My Fire - Mamata (Affection)
The covers made me appreciate the originals more. The sitar on the covers was very simple but it made me realize how complex the playing was on the original songs. Sagar was the stand out track.
This actually rocks, an actual interesting album
Cool
Surprisingly enjjoyable. The name.Shankar is permanently tied.to.the sitar after Ravi. I had not heard Ananda before. Not the sort of thing I normally listen to. The covers at the start were a bit of fun but after them it shifted gear. I like that it included sitar, and didn't just feature it.
While this was interesting to start, it made it very difficult to concentrate while at work. Regardless, I appreciate the uniqueness of it.
Interesting concept, rock music played with a Sitar. It's definitely a fun album, but I'm not sure that it's much more than a novelty. I don't think there's enough here to put it back on my to be played list.
I like the rock + sitar fusion. It was unique and my ears were pleased.
This is supposed to be a mixture of east Indian and rock and roll music. But the only song that fits that category is their cover of Jumping Jack Flash. I would have loved to have heard more rock and roll covers. But, you cannot deny the talent of the musicians on this album. It's just not my thing.
I like how he just layed out his entire idea for the album on the cover. The sitar is interesting, I can't tell if it's soothing and smooth or kind of whiny. I appreciate that Ananda came in with an idea of what he wanted to do and I think he accomplished that. It does have a western feel with the sitar infused. The covers were funny
Yeah this was interesting. I was quite the fan of this album due to its difference from the vast majority of other material here, although I wouldn’t necessarily rank it as a favourite… there’s only so much Moog/sitar a bloke can handle. I enjoyed Light My Fire the most and added it to my playlist. Overall a high 3.
It wasn't bad but it took me several attempts to listen to it fully since it was kinda boring
Perfectly fine in the background although the covers were pointless. Also, not see why it’s on the list but it’s not horrible.
The covers didn't do much for me, but the originals were kind of cool. I really liked the last tune. Kind of reminds me a bit of the Indian version of Enoch Light. Easy listening. Not sure it's anything revolutionary, and I don't know that it needs to be on the list, but I've certainly heard worse albums on here, and it's pretty cool background music.
A lot more accessible than the last sitar album.
Overall I enjoyed this album quite a bit but I found I enjoyed the original tracks more than the covers. I have always liked the sound a sitar makes but have only really heard it in the tracks the Beatles used it in so listening to a whole album was really interesting.
Really liked the psychedelic vibe of the sitar and loved the Moog. Probably not an album I’d listen to too much (and I find the Jumping Jack Flash cover a bit kitsch), but enjoyed listening to it.
Jumping Jack Flash produced a wow, I liked most of side one. Side two was a bit middling
Unique sound. Very creative.
Sitar and tabla covers of The Doors are much better than The Doors, as it turns out.
Fun blend of east meets west. Soothing and enjoyable.
This is fun and good. Makes me think about my parents getting high.
didn’t vibe with this but dick cheney died today so who really cares
At first I was really excited about this album and enjoyed its uniqueness. But it wore on me quickly.
some nice eastern arrangements and origal tunes
I appreciate the Shankar spin on the covers. 3/5
Nice
Este disco trás dois elementos que me incomodam: notas "esticadas" dadas por instrumentos como cítara e slide guitar; e música instrumental onde as letras dos temas são tocadas pelos instrumentos replicando a parte vocal do tema original. Faixa de destaque: "Metamorphosis".
I like the last track a lot. I like the singing! Wish the album was filled with more of that. I found the beginning pretty bland and generic. THREE!
First time listening to this. I am not an avid sitar listener, so this album isn't like anything I've heard. Some good jams on this. Light My Fire cover is the peak, the breakdown on The Oxean was great too. Slows down on side 2, side one was really solid. I'll check this out again, and more of this dude's catalog.
I enjoyed this album, Its great to hear different interpretations of familiar music. Loved it!
This is kind of good but hits like an Austin Power’s novelty album
Definitely not what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised once the album got going. I didn’t realize it was gonna be instrumental, but I didn’t mind it at all. Favorites: Snow Flower, Metamorphosis, Sagar (The Ocean)
Mom, can I skip today’s album please? Son, it‘s only 40m and it’s good for you to listen to other instruments for a change Mom, please? 🥺 (After the last track) Mom, last song is a killer track! Son, you see. It’s good to obey your mommy!
Would be awesome if I was tripping on acid.
I just have to take a second to appreciate the all-time burn dropped by a critic of this album, calling it "'touching' – but in a way that would put an old man in a children's park away in jail for life." Just wow. While I might agree that I didn't find this album all that moving, there is something really interesting about it. At least a part of it is just that it's so different from all the rock/pop, US/British albums that come up on here, at least in terms of instrumentation/arrangement. Beyond that, the mixture of rock and traditional Indian music was engaging and kept my attention. The cover tracks on this album aren't all that great, but the original songs were mostly strong efforts. I did get a bit weary listening to the 13-minute Sagar, though. I didn't love this album, but I enjoyed it enough to say it's a solidly good listen. Overall: 3.1/5
Interesting and atmospheric but not something i'd listen to on the regular.
This is a really fun and interesting fusion of traditional Indian sitar and western psychedelic music that set the stage for a lot of eastern/psychedelic crossover music that would come in future decades.
Wow this was so good. I'm not sure what I was expecting but this was really cool.
OoOooOo cousin to Norah Jones. Groovy twang. Coincidentally the covers are my favourite tracks. The cascading waterfall of runs in Light My Fire are serious ear ticklers. The bro was not here to fuck spiders.
Kind of cool!
äh ändå ganska gött. lite långt kanske med tanke på att det rör sig om ett instrumentalt album med sitar som huvudinstrument. men rätt trevligt att sitta och programmera till. en svag trea.
I mean its pretty interesting and also well recorded. But you know most of the songs are covers thats mainly why they sound so good, so I dont think I can give it too high of a rating. This was fun, would love to listen again, but its a high 3
I'm a bit torn on this, since the covers come off as quite gimmicky, yet they are technically well done. I just feel that "Jumpin Jack Flash" especially is just the original song, with a sitar as Jagger and some extra cosmic synth added. It's not bad, but I don't feel like it's adding anything to the discussion except check-out-how-good-of-a-sitar-player-I-am. I just feel like the Stones and Doors covers here are cashing in on a trend, and the soul isn't there. Then again, I can understand that these are here to attract Western pop/rock listeners. Again, I'm torn. I enjoyed the original compositions and traditional arrangements more. I thought "Metamorphosis" was the highlight of the first side. "Sagar (The Ocean)" dominates the second side with its length and seems pretty simple at its core, but actually has some breathing room and takes its time while most of the other tracks don't. My favorite track was actually the last, "Raghupati" with its catchy and beautiful chant and fade out. I would've liked to see this lengthened to close out the album.
Good.
Right off the bat, we've got a sitar cover of "Jumpin' Jack Flash". Plus a cover of "Light My Fire" not much later! Hearing classic rock songs such as those in a new light was interesting. There is enough original content here for the album to hold its own too. There was a clear intention to fuse traditional Indian music with Western rock here and it's effective. The sitar has always been associated with psychedelic rock in the West, thanks to groups such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones incorporating it into their music, but Ananda Shankar reminds the rest of the world what the sitar can offer on its own. Too much of the sitar might not be for everyone, however.
1969. I kinda enjoyed this psychedelic Indian cover album. Whacky and fun
I can take it or leave it. I guess I'll leave it.
This would likely be incredible live. Raghupati was my favorite for the group singing and funky rhythms.
Let us sing in praise of Rama who is the eternal one. I would dance a manic sweaty dance to this song. Fav songs: Raghupati, Light My Fire
Fun listen. Not sure I'd revisit.
This was pretty cool. I liked the last track a lot.
Good album