Ananda Shankar

I feel like this guy just wanted to show off that he can absolutely fucking shred a sitar for 40 min

wtf?

Ananda Shankar – Ananda Shankar (1970) On Day 313, this album delivered one of the most distinctive and singular sonic profiles encountered in the challenge so far, serving as a fascinating early blueprint for cross-cultural psychedelic fusion. Blending traditional Indian classical sitar with squelchy analog Moog synthesizers and punchy Western drum breaks, the project excelled in its patient, meditative arrangements. Most tracks took their time to establish rich atmospheric foundations before steadily building momentum into infectious, low-key grooves—most notably on the ambitious, slow-burning reimagining of "Light My Fire" and the hypnotic percussion drive of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." While its instrumental explorations lean heavily toward atmospheric mood-setting rather than immediate pop payoff, it stands as a captivating, forward-thinking artifact of 1970s world-beat experimentation. A respectable, well-earned 3/5.

I would've LOVED this back in my sitar phase. Solid album

weird

I have always liked the sound of the sitar, and I really liked how it was used here. It mixed really well with the other instruments and never felt out of place. I enjoyed the music overall and thought the combination of sounds worked really well.

Pretty terrible actually but I’m not mad that I got this today or that it’s on the list? in fact it’s albums like this that are what this website is for…curiosities emblematic of a particular moment in music history that could never have been made at any other point in time and which I would never have listened to otherwise! having said that I did kind of enjoy Sagar and Raghupati 2.5/5

surprisingly enjoyable

7/10

This was actually a very interesting listen.

Finally, an album I really enjoyed. "Self-Titled" is instrumental, except for two songs. The covers of two famous songs were nice to hear. I just found out that Shankar has a famous cousin who's also on the list. Let me tell you that Anada's the best of the two. 4 stars for "Self-Titled".

It's ok I like the change of pace but to much 60s love for me

Come on... Seriously? Ok, the music is not bad, but honestly, I would never choose to listen to it again. 2,5/5.

Bijzondere instrumentale muziek. **

🤤😌🥹kinda epic ngl

The nephew of Beatles tutor, Ravi Shankar, decides to do some rock covers and some traditional Indian music. Both of which are good. I don't know how often I'll listen to this, but I have to admit I enjoyed this

the first rolling stone's cover song was amazing, from there it was downhill, like for example i couldnt tell if that was light my fire cover, sounded totally different, could have been better

I could have done without the covers. The end of the album is a solid 4 for me. But that beginning really hinders it. Still, I am going 4 since this was released in 1970. 4 Boolean: Um… true?

Not my vibe

This was great stuff, the sitar is an amazing instrument. However, I don't really know how to explain it but the sitar is kind of a lot to take in sonically, so it kinda tired me out near the end, especially with the 13 minute track. Album #149 Ananda Shankar album 1/1 Favorite Track: Raghupati

this is the debut album of ananda shankar, an indian sitar player who tried to make it big in the music world, playing with the likes of jimi hendrix before venturing out into a pretty substantial solo career. this album is a good example of raga rock, rockin' music which incorporates traditional indian instruments and musical techniques. ananda wanted to break cultural barriers with this album, wishing to blend his indian roots with psychedelic sounds and electronic devices. the album contains some covers of rock and folk songs, and a few original works too. the admittedly smooth sitar playing mixed in with the occasional tablas and weird moog synths make for a fascinating, spacey sound i've never heard before. the big track is sagar, which is a vast, desolate soundscape that makes you feel like you're lost in the ocean. i feel like depending on your mood, you could theoretically turn on this record and focus on work, or maybe just sit there and relax as it plays... it's cool, but there's not a lot here i'm afraid... really there's only so much i can say about a guy going ham on a sitar. another 3.5 on this list, take it or leave it.

Interesting listen, but some of the covers just don't land, and it gets a bit tired. The original compositions are the best.

4/5. This was dope and this is an example of exactly what I was hoping to get out of this list which is exposure to music I never would’ve found on my own.

AKA the sitar album. gets a bit bland towards the end

Good. Will listen again if I am ever in the mood for some particularly energetic sitar.

I don’t like sitar enough for this

2.5/5 Glad this was here, but there’s only so much sitar I can take at one time

Perfectly fine Indian music with some blues rock influences. Doesn't really do anything for me though.

Very cool and engaging raga rock album. The cover songs are fine, and the original songs do an interesting job of blending western & southeast Asian sounds together in a fun way, especially on the B side. Solid listen overall. Top tracks: Metamorphosis, Dance Indra, Raghupati

Hey, I do like sitar quite a lot, but I definitely prefer the great Ravi Shankar, the uncle of Ananada and especially his great soundtrack for Apu Trilogy. Now this is not as good, mainly because it's not really original but rather renditions of popular rock songs at the time played with sitar, max of 3 stars probably, maybe even 2 as it's a bit meh. It does get a bit better on the 2nd side once its all original tracks and some traditional arrangements however still a bit weak.

What a solid album. I am all in for the eastern music. Definitely will relisten.

p208. 1970. 1 star. Redundant covers and excessive early 70s wankage in the form of a 13+ minute monstrosity do not make for easy listening. Decent playing but I am still waiting on my Chicken Korma.

The cover songs were really well done. And the original work was interesting. Not really something I would listen to regularly though. Just an average listen.

A decent listen. Sitar is a fascinating sound and in this context it's easily digestible. Worth a relisten.

It's interesting as an artifact but there's too much pop and not enough raga here to be deeply affecting. It's perfectly fine but a little forgettable in parts, although a couple standout tracks really hit the groove.

That's the shit I'm here for!

4/10… india / psychedelic / *1970

Such an odd album. A bunch of covers done in the style on indian music. It's honestly pretty fun and very unique, with some weird moments thrown in like the 13 minute long minimal, drone'y meditation on Sagar. The atmosphere is strong and the weird, psychedelic guitars make it very one of a kind. I did not love it front to back but it was a very interesting listen.

Not bad if you like covers with a sitar twist

Probably excellent on release but now feels like a fever dream in a gaudy restaurant.

So many western artists were borrowing from Indian music in the late 1960s, it’s only fair an Indian artist got to return the favour.

My knowledge of Indian music is still in the baby stages, and what I appreciate about it is largely down to unfamiliar pathways, different scales and chord progressions, which are ages old but sound fresh to my ears. The interplay and improvisation is reminiscent of jazz, within a steadfast structure where you won't necessarily know what's coming but you have a fairly good idea of what isn't, and that's an interesting line to straddle. This album is less interesting in that regard, as Shankar and company spend a lot of time with Western scales and chord progressions, and aside from sitar and tabla, it's your standard rock instruments all the way down, so it's more familiar. I also feel like they're cheating a bit. The cover of "Jumping Jack Flash" is fun, but mainly because that's a good song already. I am now on my second cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire" in this exercise, although thankfully it's not a waste of time the way Massive Attack's was. The rest of the album is more traditional but definitely fusion-y, with a pleasant 1970s rock psychedelia vibe that the sitar and tabla only enhance, and all the instrumentalists can cook. This might be Hindustani making too many concessions for Western fans, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Excelente

The other side of the Beatles getting into Indian music. Love it.

There is a novelty to this album that wears off pretty quickly. It was mostly interesting I guess

Interesting

Quite unique and rather fun, however loses the mandatory mark for the sudden veer towards religion.

This bangs. A couple of interesting covers and then some straight-up shredding (“Metamorphosis” in particular goes crazy). The statement of intent on the album cover is an appropriate synopsis of what this record does, and I think Shankar succeeded in his mission. Warm and stirring; a lot of fun to listen to.

2/10

Det var lite skönt, soft och annorlunda till en början, men efter ett tag blev det bra jäkla tjatigt. Instrumental strängsymfony från Indien. Kan kvitta

I know he influenced so many and that is why he is include. I just do not dig this instrument in large doses.

El cover de Light My Fire está muy locochón. La última rola esta bien chida!

Very nice.

Everything about this is hideous. If this has to be in the 1001, I might give up now after 250.

Bayeux

Well that was weird. Better then another synth pop or post punk album. I did not mind the album, but I will not seek it out to listen again.

Nothing special but interesting

The two covers were actually kind of cool and mixed bleeps and bloops a bit. Faded off some after that but I've never really found sitar that interesting.

A bit dated in some ways but still the best Carnatic rock fusion album I’ve heard.

++: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Light My Fire, Mamata (Affection), Sagar (The Ocean), Raghupati +: Metamorphosis, Dance Indra +-: Snow Flower 7,9/10

I wouldn't say I particularly liked this album or have any desire to revisit it. I would say that it's pleasant enough and easy to listen to while also being instrumentally very different from other music I listen to. I like the sitar, and I think I like this genre. I just wish this album did more with it. I felt like there wasn't enough variety, and I wasn't that captivated by the songs.

Love it!

Actually pretty interesting. I like folk music!

Not my thing. At all.

Didn’t mind this…not sure I would listen to again so 2 rather than 3..it was a lot less painful than some of the stuff on this list

This is a thing I didn't know I needed.

It was interesting and pleasant, but probably not anything that I will remember or listen to regularly.

Very cool album. A noble endeavour to fuse Eastern/Western music. Personally I could do with more focus on the Eastern side of things.

This album is boring as shit and dull so ill be boring as shit and dull too. Heres a copy paste from the wikipedia article : Ananda Shankar is the debut album by Indian musician Ananda Shankar, the son of dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar and the nephew of Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar. It was released in 1970 on the Reprise record label. The album fuses Indian music with Western rock and electronic music, and was among the first works in the rock genre by an Indian musician. Consisting mainly of instrumental recordings featuring sitar and Moog synthesizer, it includes a cover version of the Rolling Stones' 1968 hit song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and a thirteen-minute Indian-style piece titled "Sagar (The Ocean)". Ananda Shankar followed a series of sitar-based releases by artists hoping to capitalise on the mid-1960s raga rock trend. Initially conceived as a collaboration with guitarist Jimi Hendrix, it was instead recorded in Los Angeles by Shankar with contributors such as synthesizer exponent Paul Lewinson. In the decades since the LP's release, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" became a popular club hit, while the album has been recognised for its influence on world music fusion, particularly the East–West styles developed in the UK. It is one of the albums featured in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

2/5

Indian vibe covering some Stones and Doors

Are we sure this was Ananda Shankar? Sounded more like the stones and doors.

alles was die beatles in deren experimental shi sein wollten - ne fr liebe sitar! richtig geil zum nebenbei hören oder drin versinken

I appreciate the authors push to include global music on the list. I really did enjoy the Jumpin Jack Flash and Light My Fire covers. Lots of fun. Outside that - limited lyrics and instrumentation I’m not super familiar with held it back.

I’m a sucker for this stuff

Nice

that was fun

super cool album. would probably give it a 3.5 ultimately. love the concept and the overall idea behind it. i do think that the second half, getting past the covers (which im sure helped this album gain recognition initially) was much better, i loved the sitar in its natural state, rather than just covering vocals on already known tracks. thats fun for a bit, but can get old pretty quick in my opinion.

A really interesting clash of cultures that had covers to draw you in and let you vibe in the second half. I had no idea what to expect but I really enjoyed it.

What a cool experience. I loved the Indian western fusion, and I loved the cover songs. I wish the whole album was covers! I want more classic songs with this twist on them. Overall really cool to listen to, but Sagar could have been shorter.

This was a neat album, lots of Sitar but Western music themes.

Didn't need the Doors cover. Some interesting sitar led psych. Not my thing, but interesting

Типичное индийское бренчание, которое неиндийцам сложно переварить

Not what I expected, but still good.

I appreciate the list giving us multiple different cultures and countries. I didn’t appreciate listening to this one though.

No sitar based album deserves a spot in the Top 2002. I will say "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was interesting, then you hit that 2 minute mark and realize that sitar flat out sucks. I like the effort but this is by no means a must-hear album. It has no listens on Spotify, no hits, no staying power, no influence (it's shocking sitar has never made it huge in the US, right?!) and it's not a relaxing listening experience. 2 stars, maybe he's a badass sitar player, but he's still a sitar player. I won't ever dust this one off again. Remove from the Top 1001, please.

Ananda Shankar is the nephew of Ravi Shankar, who was an Indian classical musician who really helped introduce traditional Indian music to the Western world. During the late 60s, a lot of psychedelic bands were experimenting with traditional Indian music to add more color and texture to the psychedelic scene of the time. Well, this album kind of flips the script. Instead, Ananda Shankar used Western psychedelic music as an influence and mixed it with his sitar and Indian musical background. Ananda Shankar also incorporated a Moog synthesizer, which was still very new, modern, and futuristic at the time, so you also get some early traces of electronic music as well.

Never could get into sitar music. It's telling that the track I enjoyed the most wasn't written by this artist. Favorite track: Jumpin' Jack Flash

Sitar covers. Sounds a bit like karaoke versions of songs. Raghupati is the best God rock that comes to mind. A lot of sitar. 2-3 rats

Diverges from the traditional sitar I've more familiar with. But man, those covers are wedding-band corny.

I wouldn't say I hated it...

Really fun. Kind of acid trippy

Not for me, but thanks.

Good

Pretty good! First half is better and had a lot more interesting musical flourishes, then it kinda petered out in generic 'World' music.

The first few songs positively impressed me. Up until now my experience with the sitar was when some british band drags the instrument in for an "exotic touch". Now I realize that some brit picking up the instrument for a couple months doesn't do it justice. Shankar does. Ocean is a bit too long though.

not what I expected. I bet it influenced the Tea Party

Interesting as a curiosity, but too much sitar in the end.

meh

This fruitful blend of two cultures is more than uncommon for most listeners and "The best..." lists. Ananda Shankar's self-titled album does this task brilliantly, with Western rock stars involved in the creation of some of the tracks. The opener "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is arguably the highest achievement here, offering such pleasure to the ear as not a lot of renowned songs can. Apart from the collaboration tracks, the album offers some more meditative and seemingly traditional compositions. The song in the end, "Raghupati", is another perfect blend featuring an Indian spiritual song using tempo and certain elements of Western music. This is a marvellous listening experience, and much more outstanding than all those neverending rock albums. A rightfully deserved A here. P.S. Good album artwork, the inscription reminded me of the back cover blurbs that they put on books. Also correcting myself: there were no collabs with the Stones or the Doors, the tracks are covers. P.P.S. Hello from 2026, the year of release of The Mountain by Gorillaz, another great album featuring Ananda's relative Anoushka Shankar.