The Sounds Of India

Instructive

I saw Ravi's tabla drummer live with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. It was a strange exercise, as is listening to this album. There's the music, then everything the music recalls from pop culture. I have to go back to basics - how much did I enjoy listening to it? Not all that much. I simply don't enjoy this sound.

soothing sounds of the sitar. interesting listen.

I like this music when I have dinner at an Indian place. Other than that, I’m good.

just not for me

Malgré son ton monocorde, j'ai trouvé l'idée d'inclure une pièce d'introduction à la musique indienne ingénieuse. Pour l'Occidentale que je suis, ce sont les classiques qui ont modelé ma perception de cette musique.

I can understanhd why this was a groundbreaking release in 1957. But it didn't really resonate with me.

Virtuosic sitar playing. I enjoyed the explanations on a first listen through, but imagine that on subsequent listens you'd want to skip them. The last minute of Bhimpalasi where the lower tones come in is amazing. Hypnotic stuff.

This was okay. It’s really not my type of music. It was fine for what it was.

Mad respect for the skill and craft and I learned a little too. Can’t see myself returning anytime soon, though…

Man is shredding so hard he’s gotta explain it to you so you can try to appreciate it.

This was okay, but not really my thing overall. I really liked the second track. It reminded me of bluegrass quite a bit in structure and rhythm. It is very intricate and layered though. I know nothing about playing a guitar, let alone a sitar, but this sounded like very painstakingly earned talent.

I’ve never heard an album that was also a music lesson so that was interesting. Apart from that this was indistinguishable from the other sitar music I’ve heard but sounded nice.

Interesting but not something I would choose to sit down and listen to. I wonder what caused George Harrison to become such a huge fan of this. I assume it is very difficult to play — maybe it was a challenge to his own musical talent?

Well I guess we know what George Harrison was listening to for inspiration. Its honestly strange for me to hear this kind of music with no Beatles voices entering at any point. I did honestly appreciate the explanation of the music by Shankar in the beginning as it made the music easier for me to approach. I can't say I'd really listen to this again but it was cool.

Very interesting. I really appreciate this.

Favorite Tracks: Dádrá

It's a shame I got this when I'm 28 weeks pregnant because I wasn't able to take some mushrooms or something and optimise my listening experience. I would probably only ever listen again on drugs, but I understand why it's made the list.

Love hearing something not British, this is why a list like this is cool. Getting to hear other countries music that I never would seek out is great

I enjoyed the tutorials before each track was performed. Very educational about the differences in approach between Western music and Indian music at the time of this album's release in 1957. I can hear how influential this album was to so many of the artists whose albums would come out in the late 60s and early 70s.

Great skills here (and education) from the sitar master. 3.5 stars.

I appreciate the instructional tidbits in this one. They made listening to a type of music I know little about much more enjoyable. Ravi was a clear talent and an influential artist - so he gets a bump.

Interesting, informative and OK as background music, but I much prefer Norah Jones!

Ravi explains Indian Musical Ragas (mode and rythym) for each improvisation. Very cool

Enquanto objeto de estudo é interessante, como álbum de música, não

I don’t specially like the explanation of Indian musical tradition to begin the album

Surprised how good it is.

Not for me, but I admire artistry and the explanation of the music is very educational.

I loved this! So great to get a window into how the music is arranged. His voice was so soothing and the grooves were fantastic.

Ravi Shankar’s The Sounds of India is a basic representation of the deep culture of Indian Music. That’s low-key pretty much it. With four tracks, each represents another element of the genre, which is cool. All in all, The Sounds of India is an alright album. Best Song: Dádrá Worst Song: Sindhi-Bhairavi

I doubt how important this album is but i can appreciate what its doing. interesting artifact, and bro shreds tho

Its cool, enjoyes this more than i thought i would. but a bit too long

Well, if I’m ever interested in listening to an hour long sitar solo I now know where to look. 2.0

There is no denying the talent and influence of Ravi Shankar. But personally, 50 minutes of this sound was a bit much. And since the tracks are so long I can’t even pinpoint which ones I liked or not even though there were great moments.

Sorry

Just a little too much sitar for my liking

"Yeah, I had a sitar-driven lesson about Indian music somewhere in my 1001 albums journey. It's pretty neat, though I zoned out in at least 50% of the time"

I can’t. I tried. How is even on the list.

Oof getting behind in my reviews! Just a couple notes about this interesting album: 1. Obviously influential, maybe not just Ravi Shankar but the whole Indian Classical genre, and obviously in Britain. 2. Culturally more important than musically, maybe? 3. Difficult to pay attention to continuously, but enjoyable in the background. 4. Get your mind somewhere else for a change, this kind of music is really healthy for the brain if nothing else because it is different from what you're used to. You don't have to like it, but do yourself a favor, and as he says, listen with an open mind and you will be rewarded. 5. Virtuosic. I wish I had more time to just let it wash over me(maybe I'll listen to it again today, since I don't have to listen to Kanye West).

Educational and interesting but not something that I’m going to crave. Still, you can’t front the impact that Shankar had on music.

Unique. Spiritual.

Educational selections demonstrating the complexities of playing the sitar. Shankar is masterful.

Music school for music nerds. But hey still fun to listen to.

What a glorious artifact! Probably deserves a 5 for historical impact purposes, but the talky bits disturb the flow of the music so that's a 4 on my personal scale. Pretty sure I saw Ravi Shankar (with his daughter) playing in Birmingham - the city's Asian population attended in full formal splendor so me and my slacker mates stood out as horribly under dressed! 😆 Fave track - "Dadra", let's say, but picking individual tracks out doesn't make much sense on this one...

Liked the educational bits and that he specifically called out the pitfalls of listening with a Western ear. As with India itself, there’s a healthy serving of controlled chaos. Listened to: hiking up Acatenango. Favorite track: Sindhi-Bhairavi

The Ravi Shankar material I've heard is all consistently great. I get the reasoning for putting in the introduction stuff here, especially considering that this released in 1957, but I do think that it detracts from this album as a listening experience so I doubt I'll listen to it again due to that.

Haven't heard these sounds in years, so it was refreshing to explore them again. These sounds are mesmerizing and relaxing, and played by the master of his instrument.

Listener beware, I’m pretty sure I was hypnotized by the last track, Sindhi-Bhairava. The educational pieces of this album were unexpected, the counts are fascinating. Maybe I’m a sucker for a sitar, but this album is great.

Interesting, and probably something I would never normally listen to. 5/10

Maybe this is what the Grateful Dead think they sound like? Shankar gives real lessons in the fundamentals of Indian music on this record. It is a wholly unique and highly influential work of art. He taught the entire world during the great cultural exchange of the mid-50s. This is the kind of project that should be put into outer space, for the aliens to find, to prove that humans occasionally did beautiful things. There’s just nothing quite like this.

Well, certainly educational. Definitely belongs on this list; definitely won’t listen again.

I was pretty indifferent to much of this album. I found it pretty repetitive and it blended into the background. But I do appreciate how it made the effort to at least explain traditional Indian music to western audiences. Even if I don’t revisit it, this was still a very valuable look into a culture that I as an American never really interacted with.

I kinda wish we got more albums like this and CLUBE DE ESQUINA more often. Not that I don't enjoy a good 60's folk album or... Random whatever from the 70's or 80's whose only legacy is being on this list, but I'd love to have more dives in foreign reigional music. I mean, it's just really interesting to get an earful of Hindustandi classical music—the really real stuff, too; not just what George Harrison was doing with The Beatles. And even if it turns out it's not your thing, I still think you're enriched by having heard this stuff. So, y'know, regardless of my feelings on it, I think it's worth your time.

This album just has an ethereal feeling to it thanks to the lovely Indian microtones present throughout.

That’s a really intriguing 3. There are lulls around the middle where the sound sorta loses its luster, but all 4 of the core styles here make for good listening. I enjoyed the first and last styles (Dádrá & Sindhi-Bhairavi) the most because they just sort of had a more natural and free-flowing vibe to them; you can feel these guys feeling the music come to them. It felt to me like that was a bit more deliberate in the Máru-Bihág and Bhimpalási styles, and that’s why I didn’t enjoy them as much, but they’re all good listens. The only knock I might have on these tracks are the runtimes? I feel like it could’ve been possible to trim this down a little bit, but that’s a knock against the sort of flow I was talking about earlier and I’d be kind of a hypocrite. I don’t think I can go up to a 4 or a 5 because it is kind of just the same throughout, but it’s a very enjoyable listen regardless, and I feel good with a 3.

Go fuck yourself 10001 albums.

maybe if i didn’t have the plague this would have done more for me could i write poetry to this? n

I liked the talk about microtones and the counting to like 15 or whatever, but to my western ears it all sounds the same.

A few 2-star reviews sum up my feelings for this. It's not bad, it's just not my thing.

It's very cool how accessible this album is- I love how he explains all about his kind of music before he plays it. It adds a lot more context than I would otherwise have. It's hard for me to really judge this without much of a frame of reference to put it in because this is the first time I've ever intentionally listened to Indian music rather than just hear it in the background of something so I feel I can only really judge it based on enjoyment and it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

3/10 Strange one this. Clearly excellent, maybe genius level, musicianship, but I didn’t like it very much. It’s barely an album - more an introduction to Indian music styles with some demonstrations Shankar (slightly dismissively) says that it might sound without melody and harmony to Western ears. Well I happen to like both of those… As a result I found it pretty boring although it had some moments and sections that were engaging and listenable Not for me

At first I thought that this would be the album I'd have to skip - I'm glad I didn't, even though it's not my type of music I kinda enjoyed it.

It’s brilliant playing and I appreciate the instructions.

Nice introduction to Indian music - in the context of when it came out it may have been groundbreaking, and it no doubt had an influence on western music in the wake in things like the Rolling Stones' Paint It Black, or any number of George's Harrison's contributions to the Beatles starting from Norweigian Wood to the Lady Madonna B-side The Inner Light. It just doesn't light me up.

Legendary sitar work, but its still a 2.

This was great! It starts with a really chill, simple introduction to ragas and instruments like the sitar and tabla, like a primary school music lesson, and then Ravi just fucking shreds for the better part of an hour

Good intro to the music; has ample explanation, especially with a music background. Feels greenish.

I usually like droney music, but this is too much for me.

Spicy

I've been giving too many amazing albums a 2 that this needs to go down to a 1. But I actually like it.

Unique sound

This is what I'm doing this challenge for. Some unique stuff I never would've found on my own.

One's an Indophile and enjoys this music quite a bit, but it’s dead strange to include a tutorial record instead of, say, Mantrams or Ragas in Minor Scale (with Philip Glass).

Another album that is all background for me. I can appreciate the significance, but for me this music cuts through in an unpleasant way.

Maybe the first overtly didactic album on the list. If nothing else, I've learned something. Nonetheless, my ears aren't sufficiently attuned to the art of the raga to truly appreciate the nuances nor, probably, the skill of the musicians. Shankar was doubtless an expert sitar player - I have little to compare him to as a yardstick. I was, however, quite taken by the rhythms of the tabla - there's some kind of roll played on it occasionally that makes it sound like it's collapsing in on itself. Perhaps more interesting, and worthy, than thrilling - but I'm glad I've listened.

Interesting musical theory if you plan on learning how to play the sitar, but for a record I need to hear... I don't think I needed to hear this one. The music is ok in it, but not my favorite. Interestingly, I had his nephew, Ananda Shankar for an album a few days ago. Favourite songs: Dadra Least favourite songs: Maru-Bihag 2/5

I appreciate the talent, the historical significance, and the uniqueness. I appreciated the little lessons at the beginning and the music is genuinely good. I'd rather listen to the Beatles.

Glad I listened to this and I can appreciate how influential it must have been to every hippie 60s band, but it gets awfully repetitive, and I will probably never listen to it again. 3.5 stars

Too much sitar

Interesting but not for me

Interesting In terms of an album to listen to, it was a bit distracting with the spoken track

Always fun to hear another country’s music. Sad to say that it still didn’t resonate with me even with the instructions. Rating: 2.1

Good stuff

Dadra

A little bit hard to listen to as I'm not familiar with indian music, the songs all feel a bit long being an average of 10 minutes; that said I will give it a re-listen because I did enjoy it, just feel like I could enjoy it more if I put the effort in.

cOOOOOOOOL

Nope

Hard to rate this one. I found it really interesting and I learnt about Indian music, the explanations gave a lot of context and I found myself getting into it more. That said, it was long and I can't say I'd ever listen again. A great inclusion on this list but not personally a style of music I'd intentionally listen to. I'm going to say 3 but it's pretty arbitrary.

I found this overall a little irritating. Not my cup of tea unfortunately, but I do appreciate the musical talent on display.

An album with a tutorial, it's interesting but does that make it essential? I don't think so. In the background it was fairly nice to have on but its just 50 minutes of sitar and tabla.

A nice change to the usual Western sounds so thankful for that. I enjoyed it in the background largely. Not sure I really need a tutorial, but fair enough! I think 2 is fair

I don't love this, but I see the appeal. Ravi sounds like an extremely talented musician, and wants to share his love of his country's music. In the right setting this is great, but not something I'm going to seek out to listen to. However, I did find myself letting Spotify continue to play more Ravi, so I guess I enjoyed it more than I expected.

I recognize the musical talent but cannot listen for too long. Discordant. Twangy.

I mean it's not really for me but I can dig it. Kept waiting to hear Beatles vocals pop in, there's a reason Ravi is cited as a heavy influence for so many rockers. Prob won't be listening again but interesting for sure.

I can appreciate it, even if I don’t enjoy it. The teaching aspect was actually really interesting. I can see George Harrison hearing this and it blowing his mind.

Classic album.

Interesting as a lesson on Indian music, not interesting as an album

This guy is a wizard

I liked it more than I thought I would, but still not a huge fan of the genre. An entire album is a lot.

Ravi Shankar is like the Hendrix of sitar. He’s had a pretty big influence on rock music as well. He taught George Harrison how to play sitar and became very popular during the hippie movement. This album showcases his improvisational chops and I also enjoyed some of the explanations he gives for the different ragas.

Well titled

Different kind of music than I usually listen to, but not bad.

60 years ago I could see where this was mind blowing but now it just feels hallow

Interesting listen into the musical scales or indian music. Not sure i'll listen to this more often but it is an interesting listen.

not a fan of the instructional (spoken word) stuff, but knowing the influence on the beatles, i know it's important to its time. 2.6 listened 2x

This a historically interesting album because it was the impetus for western music's fascination with Hindustani Classical Music. Ravi Shankar gives spoken introductions to explain how the music works before the songs begin. This album in particular, and Ravi Shankar in general proved to be a huge influence on the late 60s musical scene and can be heard in artists such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Byrds, Velvet Underground etc. I've had this album since I was in high school and still enjoy it very much. It's important to listen to this album if you want to understand the late 60s.

Kept waiting for this 53 minute intro to drop into Love You Too.

Nice, his later stuff is way cooler

A very straightforward and guided introduction to different acoustic song types generating from India.

Not my cup of tea. Found it quite tedious

Ah now.

If you’re ready to learn something about eastern music theory, this album is for you. In terms of a memorable record for the actual music it’s bringing, it falls a little flat for me. It feels like an unfair criticism because the main intent of this is to literally teach the listener something. It’s a music lesson, and if you don’t know that before going into it, you could very well leave disappointed. But for 57’, making an album with an attempt to appeal to western audiences and open them up to new worlds of music was pretty bold. Points for that.

A fascinating educational exploration into Hindustani classical music from a supremely qualified teacher.

very relaxing and cool to listen to!

not as bad as I was thinking. never have to listen to this much all together again....instrumental stuff better than words

I liked the explain how it's different from western music

It’s of interest, and of course of note for his influence. Fair play to him he starts off by saying it’s not actually musical or melodic or structured. It’s honest at least.

It would be 100% without the spoken explanation. Loved the tunes when he was playing but the spoken word messed with the overall flow of the album. Would be 5/5 without it

Different, interesting. Not my thing

Lessons included, Ravi Shankar was the person to internationalize Indian music. The different scales and microtones used make the music feel more conversational than typical western music with lyrics. I doubt I'll regularly be putting on any of these songs but am very reverent of their impact

This was great. I like Indian music anyway, but this taught me a bit about how to enjoy it more.

It's probably the drugs but I like this.

I liked this. Aside from the instructional bits, I found the music interesting enough to want it to go on, but not so intrusive that it distracted me from my work. I would definitely listen to more.

Sparse. I had a hard getting used to it. Felt more like a music lesson then an album.

No and nope. Boring and repetitive. And 1000% not for me.

It was chill

nije mi ovo slusljivo bas

Nije loše, zanimljivo i edukativno svakako!! Ali nije da bi si baš to inače upalila…

A foundational work that introduced foreign audiences to the essential sounds of the Indian subcontinent.

File this one away in the historical cabinet of curiosities.

I enjoyed the education

So so good!

eh?

This was very pretty and informative! The long form songs made it more digestible actually.

Honestly even though it was a lesson I really enjoyed it.

Great background music; very relaxing and trance-inducing. Not anything that I would listen to casually, but still good.

I can’t say this was for me. Musically it is clearly a phenomenally played and nicely produced piece but this isn’t something I’ll go back to. That said looking at the album in parts it comes down to Shankar just being a get composer. Clearly he is. Even if his composition don’t make me feel anything.

I’d listen to it in the background as I study but other than that useless to my life (1.5)

Better than expected. Quite interesting.

Better than expected but don't see myself listening to this type of music at all

Feel inspired, now going to listen to Sounds of Kazakhstan by Borat Sagdiyev

Interesting in small doses but a full album is too much for me

I understand the importance of this album, but, boy was this challenging to listen to. It was more of an educational piece rather than an album you can just put on and listen to in the background.

Not for me. I went in with an open mind but I think this music is too different from western music for me to find enjoyment listening to it. Nothing wrong with the music itself it's just not my thing.

I know that Ravi Shankar influenced the Beatles but this album is a snoozefest. It's more of a recorded sitar lesson than an album. If you want to take a nap though, it's good for that.

A little too hectic for me

Not into this

I really enjoyed the tutorials. Always been a fan of the tabla, but I really tuned into how it transformed the music from formless (to my ears) to structured. Ravi is obviously a sitar icon. I appreciate him making this album to help westerners appreciate eastern sounds. 4.2

The introductions about the musical form were helpful. I generally like indian ragas though my western ears don't fully understand it. It's good, but makes me sleepy sometimes. 3.4

I think this is new to me. Might have heard him in the concert for Bangladesh? Loved the introduction to indian music, otherwise fairly decent soundtrack to my day. Not mind-blowing to me, but given the impact on 60s western music a 2.5

I appreciated the introduction that orients the listener (particularly the Western listener like myself) to the music. While it was interesting to hear about the music, I can't say it actually changed my listening expiernce greatly. This album was simulantiously fun and anxiety inducing for me. Can't say I will ever listen to it again but who knows!

Nice! Aber bitte in Dosen ;-)

Super cool to hear classic Indian music!

An awesome introduction to the sitar by the Maestro himself.

This album had an important purpose but it's difficult to listen and enjoy because of the instructional elements. Not the sort of album you can put on in the background. A difficult one to rate because it's more of an educational experience than an album you can vibe to. Some parts of the songs were enjoyable, but swiftly interrupted but further instructional segments.

Very nice and suitable introduction to the music of India.

Ravi teaches sitar

Not my vibe

I was surprised how much I enjoyed all of the other songs on the album. That were not on the Blue Album of the Beatles. I enjoy a deeper dive into the Beatles archive and understand why this one is so popular. I could listen through this album again and enjoy it just as much.

It was something. This is on the top of my list for reconsideration for being on this list. He is a talented musician though.

This was a very interesting album. And it properly represents one of the reasons I’m doing this project, that is to be exposed to things I never would otherwise listen to. I appreciate how this album is an educational experience, with aspects of Indian music being explained before it is played. Although I wouldn’t say it makes me want to listen to more, I appreciate the album nonetheless

I just downloaded this album a couple weeks ago and have been listening to it quite a bit so it's funny that this came up today.

- The spoken introduction was very helpful - Definition of not my thing but I can appreciate the talent

- well this certainly introduced me to Indian music - feels a lot like jazz

interesting as a historical document but really not for me

Impossible to rate really as a Western casual listener but the spoken word intros are great and as a soundscape its great working music.

Interessant mal etwas Musik vom anderen Ende der Welt zu hören. Die Erklärungen zu Beginn der Stücke war 1957 erforderlich. Nicht meins.

Masterfully talented and I'm really glad I listened to this. It really belongs on a list like this and is a great introduction to traditional Indian music. But on the other hand, it's really just that. An introduction to the Raga.

Lessons about how India sounds.

Interesting album. It’s more of a study in how Indian music/scales patterns work in eastern music. There’s a basic explanation at the beginning of some songs, followed by the demonstration. Fun listen but probably wont listen again cause it’s not my style. 3/5

Отлично. В плейлист ничего не занесу, но отлично

interesting India music, 3 stars

Interesting.

I appreciate mr. Shankar teaching me about the songs that he subsequently played for 10 minutes. However the sitar solos are not as enjoyable for me as they were for George Harrison. I made it through some of the songs but having 5 iterations of the same general style was pretty tough. But I’m sure someone out there likes it. 2.2/10

He's pretty good but I've heard classical Indian music before. It was pretty boring as a kid tbh but this was okay. - 6/10

Not the worst thing to listen to while I was at work. Could’ve done without the talking. Low 3.

Grew up listening to lots of classical indian music and hear this guys name all the time n he lived in San Diego before he died so aunties would also talk ab seeing him live. He’s a super adulterous man super funny how the aunties never feel the need to talk ab that 😒. But yeah I just don’t love sitar on his own and enjoy traditional music best when it’s accompanied by dance bc I really enjoy watching barthanatyam. Also lack of lyrics made it a bit boring. I also don’t know how I feel ab the fact that this guys main goal(I think )was to get ppl who aren’t Indian to be educated ab our music. 6.5/10

Pretty cool! It’s fun to listen to a master demonstrating his craft. It reminds me of high school when Mr. Lopez brought a pro bass player into jazz band, and we were all floored by his deep understanding of his art (effortless groove, fluidly starting and stopping the music to explain things to the class). 8.5/10

6/10 - I liked how he explained the way that the pieces worked and how the were supposed to be felt and counted. Through the pieces you can easily see his talent however it is not my cup of tea.

I'm not sure if I'm just not used to listening to similar music to this but I was not vibing 3/10

This guy was fuckin it up on that sitar, but I’m not gonna rate it that high just because I don’t think it’s something I’d listen to again 6/10

Interesting.

First off, I feel like I have to say I appreciate this type of music because it seems culturally important to a huge group of people. Now, that I got that off my chest, this was absolutely exhausting to listen to. It was just straight constant noise being finger blasted into my ears. 2/10

Ravi did a good job of explaining in the intro not to expect harmony in the music. I now know for sure I like harmony in my music. This felt like randomness. As soon as I started to like a cord progression it was gone. Never to be heard again. It just sounds like someone plucking at strings with sometimes aggressive speed. The sitar isn't a pleasing instrument for my unfamiliar ears. It doesn’t work for me. I’m really trying hard to give it a chance but It’s actually aggravating the longer I listen. I want it to be over so bad. That was torture. That was the worst music I’ve heard so far on this list. 1/10

Very interesting sound. I really enjoyed the explanation of his music, really feels like he's trying to cater to a broader audience while still playing his native style. Extremely skilled instrumentals but it's still not my kind of music and didn't convince me after listening. 4/10

Please fucking kill me. 1/10

The explanation of the music and themes in the album actually upped the rating for me

uncle George was good friends with him

Super good. This is definitely one of those "important" albums that contemporary artists reference as their intro to Eastern Music. Its super cool, and really interesting. I love the microtonal sounds and finger picking. Its wild how the music sounds so complex, when in reality, it's quite simple. Basically, a Sitar and a Drum for most songs.

The sitar is such a unique sounding instrument. Didn’t hate this didn’t love it

Even though I can't say this album has made me a fan of Indian music, nor do I think that this is the best India has to offer, I do like that this is in the list. Please give more albums showing the wonderful diversity of music across the world instead of 100 albums of generic UK indie/pop rock bands.

I can't think of any non-western musical instrument that had as such a pronounced 15 minutes of fame as the sitar, and particularly as performed by Ravi Shankar. It's interesting Shankar himself was so disillusioned with the 1960s rock and roll scene and the hippie movement, both of which had embraced him. He had so much love and respect for music that anything getting in the way of it (drug use, Hendrix setting fire to his guitar, etc) was blaspemy. That reverence for beautiful music certainly comes through here. Indian classical music might strike some as just a brief (and possibly tedious) additional to Western music, but you can't deny what an amazing musician he was.

I loved the little lessons before each song even if I didn't always understand them very well. (I never thought classical Indian music was kind of like jazz until he told me it wasn't.) I like his willingness to teach to help others appreciate it more. And it's wonderful, timeless music. (It also benefited from being on Apple Music so that I could listen to it more easily and closely than our other recent classical Indian album.)

This was worth the time and I am glad to have had the experience and education.

Interesting to hear some of the Beatles' bits straight from the source. Learning is fun!

I’m enjoying learning about Hindustani classical music on this project, and appreciate the tinges of education offered on this album. Still necessary to teach us Westerners even some 66 years later… I enjoyed a lot of this. As a whole it was a tad more than sufficient and was a little educational.

Interesting - but I don't think I'll be listening again...

Don't mind this for a bit of cultural experience, taking me to another time and place. Worth the experience 👌🏾

For a list which seems a bit over full of white guy rock, this was a very happy change of gear.

This album was interesting, before the beginning of each song Ravi explains the particular raga that he is going to play, to teach the listener about the music before playing it so you know what to expect. I've never heard an album like this, where you're meant to learn about the subject. Overall it was alright to listen to, but points for trying to teach while entertaining

I think I need to be in the right atmosphere to really enjoy this, a bit hit or miss

The godfather of world music. Respect. Sounds very Indian, that's a fact. Not for me.

Deffinetly wish I had consumed drugs before listening but overall a very interesting record. I especially like the fact that Ravi comments and helps break down the core tenants of the style he is about to play. Very cool listen.

How cool is this, an intro to Indian music. Love that he takes a whole track to explain things too. And in 1957 this was huge. Even going so far as to explain that it is very similar to Jazz. Must be why I'm a big fan.

The King! Or is he? Ravi Shankar is, at least to the western world, the most well-known name in North Indian/Hindustani music. He influenced the Beatles, that alone was enough to put him on our map. I have one of his albums on vinyl, though I think it's a live performance one, definitely not this. This one is a cool intro to Indian music, and given the '50s release it was certainly necessary for listeners like me. I recall when we got that "Call of the Valley" album that I wrote in my review I don't think I have the palate to distinguish artists in this space, but actually I can say confidently that I liked that album more. This one had a different energy, more lively and expressive while Call of the Valley was meditative. Still, a great album, and the explanatory dialogue is pretty cool. Ravi is a legend, but I wonder if he's really the best, or if that's primacy bias from the western world who heard him first? Favorite tracks: Dadra, Maru-Bihag. Album art: Nothing too crazy, a picture of Ravi on the sitar, with some pretty cool, ornate bordering. It's definitely from the '50s, but it's solid. 4/5

Interesting I guess. With the long songs it does get kinda boring after a while. Neat to hear the explanations though. 2.5/5

Yea no

Not for me

What I can say about this is that I did listen to it.

I thought the different time signatures were really neat. I think the music was interesting, but I wish it didn't include the lecture beforehand. Maybe as separate tracks?

Ravi’s music is mesmerizing, intricate, soul-stirring, and, for those of us in the western hemisphere, so incredibly unique. Forget 4/4. How about 14? How about 16? In his intros, Ravi tells you he’s going to come at you with some wild stuff. And then he does. Effortlessly. I only only wish I could hear this sound in person.

The whole thing sounded like a tutorial. The first track is Shankar explaining different techniques in Indian music. Then it goes on to have very melodic music but in a way that is for the listener to learn more than enjoy. Good concept for an Eastern musician in the last 50s...kinda odd to listen to.

A pretty amazing album. The explanatory intro track really prepares you to listen actively.

Amazing - ahead of its time.

I enjoyed it for the most part. Because my ears are not trained for the sound of Indian music, I have to take it a little at a time. Clearly, Ravi Shankar was (is?) a talented musician, and I plan to revisit this album.

An interesting dive into Indian music with the odd time signatures, but I enjoyed myself in just letting it flow over me, groovy baby.

Honestly I tried to have an open mind about this album but there’s not much going on in it to keep it interesting. I got an introduction to something I didn’t care much about then had to listen to it for an hour. I can see why it is considered influential but just not something I like at all.

Next up on the 1001-list: a 1985 instructional VHS tape by Yngwie J Malmsteen on the emerging classical movement in metal guitar and how the Phrygian scale is the most-interesting mode to solo in. And how everyone else sucks, including you the viewer. I digress. ... No disrespect intended but after that hilarious "how-to" track 1 I got as much out of this in terms of music as I did from Yngwie back in the day. At first legitimately mesmerized by the very different sound/s then never wanting to listen again. 3/10 2 stars. barely.

Appreciate the lesson on what you are hearing. The album becomes too long and chaotic for my tastes.

Plus l'impression de suivre un tutoriel que d'écouter un album

J’ai écouté la première minute de la première chanson, pis j’en avais assez pour savoir que ça ne me tentait pas d’écouter le reste

I enjoy the textures of the music. I enjoy Shankar’s explanations of the music. I’m just not sure listening to an album of ragas makes sense to me. 2.4

Best Song: Dádrá. The highest tempo track on the album. Worst Song: Bhimpalasi. Can't say exactly why... Maybe it was just too slow for me? Overall: Music that I am not well versed in, although I did appreciate the brief explanatory notes at the beginning of each track. Not unpleasant, but also can't imagine I'll be returning to this.

Un attrape-touriste.

Absolument atroce, pauvre peuple indien représenté par un tel assassin.

When I saw this come up, I very nearly refused to listen to it, because all the people I have ever known who owned it, mostly in the 70s, esteemed themselves to be a higher form of human being. In reality, they were selfish, inept onanists. All of which made me want to disregard this before I started. But I didn’t. Fortuitously, it seemed to go past very quickly. There is nothing to delight to me, no hooks, or catches or tunes to hum along to. But I listened, I remembered the tosspots and and I feel I’ve moved on. Perfect background movie music.

I didn’t find the tutorial bits very helpful, but I enjoyed the music.

Having the brief tutorial at the beginning of the program was helpful, though it more or less reinforced my basic understanding of how Indian music is structured. I think the thing that helped most was the advice not to try to contextualize the music and just let it flow. And the idea that the tabla is really setting the entire thing up was useful, and whenever I get lost or not sure what to make of the sounds I'm hearing, I key on the tabla. I was in a play in college that featured a live Indian ensemble, and the tabla player had me mesmerized. I was working while listening to this, and I found it put me in a meditative space. But then there's the rating of the record. If I were to actively listen to this album, I'm not sure what I'd have to say. As a mood setter, there are occasions I can foresee when I might turn to more of Shankar's music. But rating this seems like folly. What do I know?

This was cool. I thought I was going to be annoyed by the intros, but they deepened my ability to appreciate the music. Is this the kind of thing I would listen to on the reg? No. But it was chill and often exhilarating.

I dig all these instruments, sounds, and vibe. A friend of George is a friend of mine.

I enjoyed this -- beautiful music. And hearing Ravi Shankar's quick introductions to the different structures was interesting. They gave me a little more appreciation for what was happening in the songs. I think it's interesting too that he says there is improvisation but that this isn't jazz. There's a different kind of solo-ing happening within the form. This made for a good background soundtrack today while I was adjusting my fantasy football teams 😆

Really nice album. I know that Ravi has a crazy big following and some of the biggest modern musicians of all time have said that they looked up to him (even the Beatles), but I haven't done a ton of listening (despite really enjoying Indian music lately). This was a great listen. Honestly I think my favorite thing about it was that intro song that introduced how Indian music works in a really basic manner. This style of music is incredibly complex and the instruments involved are super hard to play at a proficient level, so this intro was really a simplified explanation. Having this track was such a funny little experience enhancer though and I enjoyed how straightforward it was.

Not bad. But unlikely to listen to again

5 star musicality Awesome explanations of songs Very unlikely I will listen again

I love drone music. One of my favourite albums of all time is Spacemen 3 performing "an evening of contemporary sitar music" (Dreamweapon). I also like the drone/ rock crossover sound the Velvet Underground perfected. However, I've never actually listened to Hindustan classical sitar music, so this album piqued my interest. Turns out I liked it quite a bit. It's excellent background music and the minimalist, three instruments sound sent me on a relaxing and pleasant musical journey for almost an hour. I can't give this a full 5 stars, as it doesn't quite hit perfection. I actually didn't like the explanations being given, finding they distracted a little from the music, probably due to me having pretty much zero interest in the technicalities of playing a sitar.

As an avid 60s psych music fan, I love the sound of a sitar and Indian instrumentation but if truth be told (and no disrespect to the master himself), this works better as background music. I had to dig out my 'Electric Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers' boxset afterwards. Now that is an amazing listen!

Hard

Not sure that the explanatory notes added much to my understanding or enjoyment; if anything, they got in the way. Enjoyable, but a bit long for what was essentially a sitar solo (with some bonus awesome tabla accompaniment).

I kept getting interrupted and when I went back to listening, I had no idea which track I was up to as they all sounded the same to my untrained ear. I like Ravi's explanations (although they clearly didn't go in) and I was enjoying the music.

The opening track is interesting; makes me wish Metallica would do similar for Metal music. This album is definitely worth a listen, at least once. Educational and inspirational. That said, I did zone out as it faded to pleasant background music.

Listened to this while playing Pax Pamir solo. I lost in a spectacular finish. I had a roommate in college who really liked Ravi Shankar, but I never really got into it at the time. I also didn't smoke weed at that point in my life. The album was surprisingly educational, which I definitely appreciated as a musician with a degree in music composition and theory! Ravi Shankar is definitely an extremely talented musician with a crazy understanding of theory, polyrhythms, and microtonality. I feel like I should be rating this higher than I am...but it felt more like sitting in on a class, rather than really getting a solidly constructed album. I feel like I would have appreciated a different album more than this, although it does provide some very informative material in how to listen to Indian music.

Åh vad det piper och och har sig

india brothers musical superpower since 1957... vitsi vitsi...kauan ennen on intia great i dian musiikki johtanut maailmaa.. länsimaisseen tajuun ei nämä rytmit mene. imp to understand..mutta onneksi selittää miten toimii...parantaa albymia ... dadra

4. Teaching us what was being played was awesome to hear. The music was also very beautiful

I know Ravi Shankar influenced The Beatles, but beyond that I'm ignorant. So I enjoyed hearing his music, although it's not something I would listen to on repeat.

4/5. A love the introduction of this album, and before each song, as if guiding me through a new experience and letting me know that everything will be okay. This is at the end of the day a jam album and I'm all for it. Shankar is having a great time flexing on his instrument and the backing instrumentation is well done. There is a beautiful sense of control yet letting go, and just a wonderful album in general. Although not all the time, I'd put this on as background music or even as meditation easily.

SICKKKKK: Honestly this "album" has made me fall in love with the sitar and the sound of Indian music. It's just so unique and I love that. My only issue with this record is the fact it sounds very much like a demo instead of an album. In my mind this the 1957 equivalent of a youtube video showcasing an instrument. Not bad by any means BUT not an album.

Very good explanations and demonstrations before playing.

Not my cuppa tea

"The Sounds of India" is an album by Indian sitarist, composer and North Indian classical music expert Ravi Shankar. The intent of the album was to explain Hindustani classical music to Western audiences. It was influenced by Ali Akbar Khan's "The Sounds of India" and recorded and produced by George Avakian at Columbia's New York Studio. The band is composed of Shankar-sitar, Chatur Lal-tabla and N.C. Mullick-tambura. The album begins with "An Introduction to Indian Music" which is Shankar explaining Indian classical music in four minutes: the instruments, instrument sounds, definition of ragas and the differences from Western music. The first actual song is "Dádrá." A sitar opens with the tambura in the background. The tabla comes in and we have all three instruments. This is soothing. Speed changes throughout. It's pretty much a 10-minute sitar jam. "Máru-bihág" has a much faster rhythm from the tabla. At the beginning of each of these songs, Shankar explains the ascending and descending scales he will be using. "Bhimpalási" has fast and slow parts. There are lengths of time without the tabla. Shankar really starts to stretch his sitar (at least it sound like it). This is my favorite song. I really found this fascinating. It's educational, relaxing and soothing. I admit that it will take me some time to really notice and appreciate the intricacies of this music. I would say that this is probably a good place to start with Ravi Shankar and Indian classical music in general.

I know Ravi is revered and respected, an influential musician who had a profound impact on some of the most important popular artists of all time (hello, Beatles!) It was fine, not my cup of tea, but pleasant enough. I just don’t have a keen enough musical ear to appreciate the work for what it really is. Acknowledging that, I think it was fine, but it didn’t blast my tits off with awesomeness, so I will rate accordingly.

Loved the Ravi Shankar restaurant on Drummond Street in my student days. This transported me there all of a sudden!

started listening and then some guy started talking soooo

J'ai trouvé cela très intéressant comme album. C'est sûr c'est un style différent de ce que je suis habitué donc il y a une petite adaptation. Mais j'aimais vraiment l'aspect atmosphérique que le style et l'instrument amenait. Il y a aussi un son qui a clairement été une influence pour l'arrivée du jazz et du rock avec tendances plus progressives. Définitivement à réécouter. 8/10

Gonna set this one aside for the right time to give it a proper listen

Interesting format and potentially educational (not sure I can get my Western brain round understanding the lesson). Could listen to the music all day because of its pleasant fluid forms.

I thought that everybody had heard of Ravi Shankar, but when I mentioned this album to my stinky other half, she said she’d never heard of him. That’s wild to me. I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to his music before, but everybody has at least come across his name before, right? Right?! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Sindhi-Bhairavi This was really quite a nice album. It’s certainly the only album I’ve come across where the first track is a tutorial on how to effectively listen to it. It sounds silly, but it was actually quite charming and served as an introduction for the western listener who may be less familiar with Indian music. The music was pleasant, and there was some pretty wild shredding on the sitar which I could certainly appreciate. Overall, this may not be an album that I’ll return to frequently, but I did genuinely enjoy it a fair bit.

Música instrumental india. Sitar. Rayante.

I love the approach, the introduction before each song, explaining the concept and all is really awesome, also a great piece of work to help put other music in context (like the beatles or king gizz for example, cool to know where they get some of their inspiration from)

C’est un album de sotar. Le feeling est bon et sa passe vite mais c’est un peu epuisant. 3.25

Good album, though not having an ear that's familiar with the different raags and taals, all the songs kind of end up sounding the same on a single playthrough, especially when it's just sitar, tabla and drone. But still, it was enjoyable and I'd listen to it again. 3.4/5

This was decent to good. It was nothing amazing, but I'll bet it did its job well of introducing western audiences to Indian music. 2.75/5

Cool but pretty samey. Makes for nice background noise. C

Let me start by giving credit to Ravi, because he is an incredibly skilled sitar player, and whatever he set out to do on this record, he accomplished. But this is kind of categorized as "educational music". And it is in a way. This is meant as a way to introduce western audiences to the most basic and traditional form of Hindustani classical music. And it does that very well. but that doesn't mean I really enjoy it. I mean, on the first song, even he makes it clear that this album doesn't contain any normal melodies or chord progressions we are used to. So I don't feel like I am missing out on something by not absolutely loving this. Rating: 3/10

I like to listen to this guy talk about the musicality of classical Hindustani music. I think that was the most interesting part of the album, but the instrumentals are pretty cool too. 3.5/5

Interesting and different album, deserves to be on the list, would I come back to it, probably not

I've long enjoyed all of George Harrison's Beatles songs that were inspired by Shankar. So I was looking forward to finally listening to this. I like the spoken word bits. Ravi was clearly into the idea of teaching Westerners about Indian music. I can only imagine that listening to this in the late 50s would have been very eye-opening. The music itself is good and Ravi is very talented. That said, songs that are 10+ minutes need to change things up to keep me interested. This started to feel samey to me. Ultimately this is more of a curiosity for me. I doubt I'll ever listen to it again. But I respect its place in history. If nothing else, I'm glad this came out so that it could inspire George Harrison several years later. I guess at the end of the day I often enjoy the skilled fusion of styles more than the "source material".

A fun curiosity. It's a bit hard to imagine a time when the sitar was unknown to Western music.

2.9 i'm not a big fan of old classical music from any country but i do love fusions of old classical styles a new instruments/new genres so it's interesting to hear the root of a lot of 60s musicians' inspiration on this album. (also gave me war flashbacks to GCSE music.) fave songs: dadra

I can see why this album is on the list, and I'm glad that it is since it looks like Asian music is almost nonexistent here. Unfortunately it's also really, really boring. I could listen to Mr. Shankar lessons about Indian music all day, they're actually interesting even if I don't actually understand it, but I could live the rest of my years without listening to another 50-minute sitar solo.

High art vaikka pikku intiamies vanha taivaltaja kadulle päästelee.. Low elämä.. Ruskeat kadut mutta musiikki viisasta.. Soundi liian länsimaistunut tässä.. huomaa erilaista kun englantia kaveri veisaa.. Ei ihan huippuunsa pääse siis.. Kuitenkin onko utopistista aito intia kaveri.. tämän lähemmäksi ei pääse..kö....?

Un tostón. Un 2.

Bastante rollo. Aunque me hacen gracias las canciones en las que cuenta.

Sadly didn’t like this

It's very pleasant. I can't pretend to know about Ragas and such, but it was pleasant to listen to, and I can see why the Beatles got obsessed!

Cool but not my thing

India’s most celebrated sitar player (a teacher and lifelong friend to George Harrison) gives the listener a brief overview of Indian music before playing several ragas. Absolutely astonishing work.

I love how Indian music influenced bands like the Beatles, but to listen to it like this...nah. 2

There's something so sweet and uncynical and almost naive about this, it's like a music lesson and an album in one.

I choć rozumiem dlaczego, to nie rozumiem dlaczego

It's clearly very good for what it is but I just don't really enjoy this kinda thing. It feels like it should be on the background when I'm a bit stoned but it's not really one to sit and listen intently to. And the talking bits make me feel like I'm at some kind of lecture.

Quite enjoyed this but can't imagine playing it on rotation. It's so far from my previous musical experience that I couldn't really find a way into it, other than some of the 60s stuff it influenced (such as Harrison's Beatles work). I'd best describe it as 'interesting'.

I enjoyed the music, but not the commentary. It got right on my tits after the first five minutes. This felt like a history lesson. Bailed.

I feel about Indian music very similarly to how I feel about Indian food. I don't have it often, but when I do I really like it. It's complex and different from any other food/music I've tried. It's nuanced and full of flavor, and yet each flavor/instrument can be tasted/heard on its own. I really enjoyed this a lot. If you liked this, check out the video of Ravi Shankar at the Monterey Pop Festival from 1967, it will blow you away. 4 stars.

I 100% know why this is here and I enjoyed the music.

Nope

Difficult really. My ear is not tuned enough to appreciate this really si I'm not going to fawn or be negative. More than 15 mins is a difficult unless its subliminal in the background. Skillful though.

Is it just me, or was this really good? In stark contrast to the effort of Ananda Shankar, The Sounds of India guided me into a flow where the instrumentation suddenly seemed very familiar. Oh, and all albums should start with an explanation of the musical theory behind the compositions - just as a service to the listener.

An excellent glimpse into the vast world of Hindustani music. Ravi Shankar is the definition of a legendary musician and proves why he became an inspiration to so many beyond the borders of his home country.

Bastante rollo. Aunque me hacen gracias las canciones en las que cuenta.

such a great introduction to Indian music for a western listener like me while it was a little repetitive at times, I genuinely appreciate this album’s existence and think it’s good to have in this book 8/10

It's probably my western biases, but I can't really differentiate between all the songs on this album and when I say songs, I mean 10+ minute solos. I thought it was very cool how he explains the differences between western music and the Hindustani that he was playing. I'll listen to this again, for sure.

Well, this was different. I appreciated the intros to each song, but even with that, I still wouldn't have been able to differentiate between each song. Overall, it was pleasant and I don't mind the sitar in other songs ("The Inner Light" by The Beatles comes to mind), but I can't see myself seeking this out again. Nice to listen to something than bog standard rock, though!

If you follow his instructions, this is a very relaxing, and enjoyable experience.

Wow this is excellent- will be listening to this a lot

Wel interessant met de stukjes uitleg, om de verschillende ritmes te leren kennen en appreciëren

du sitar pendant 55 min. just a no no for me 2.5/10

Has a great sound, gets repetitive after a while for me though

I love the sitar, but, the explanations really took me out of the listening experience.

Being an Indophile, one can listen to this all day. However, there are far better Shankar albums than this Bernstein-esque "guide."