Call of the Valley is a 1967 light-classical album by Hariprasad Chaurasia, Brij Bhushan Kabra, and Shivkumar Sharma. It was recorded for the label EMI. The instrumental album follows a day in the life of an Indian shepherd from Kashmir. It is one of the most successful Indian albums and one that became popular with an international audience. It was very important in introducing Indian music to Western ears and internationally the best selling Indian music record. George Harrison, David Crosby, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn are fans of the album.The atmospheric music is traditional, but the innovative use of guitar and flute make the sound more acceptable for Western audiences. Kabra plays slide guitar, Sharma santoor, Chaurasia bansuri and Tabla was played by Manikrao Popatkar. The artists became well known musicians as a result of this album. Today Call of the Valley is considered a classic and a milestone in world music. Shivkumar Sharma, the guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra, and flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia were all aged about 30 when they made Call of the Valley. Conceived as a suite, they used their instruments to tell the story of a day in the life of a shepherd in Kashmir using ragas associated with various times of the day to advance the dramatic narrative. Allmusic advises: "If the newcomer buys only one Indian classical recording, it should be "Call of the Valley"."The remastered edition on hEMIsphere has three bonus tracks. It is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery and Michael Lydon.
Apparently, you can't actually listen to the original album on Spotify. What the site links to is a some sort of re-recorded version by Shivkumar Sharma's son? I was able to find a version on Youtube, though. Which is great because the version on Spotify (apparently a remake by his son) was trash. The ACTUAL album is hauntingly beautiful. I can see how this inspired a generation of musicians.
Really beautiful music, pastoral, relaxing. Note that the version on Spotify is a re-recording and not worth your time. You need to go to YouTube to hear the original. I wasted half an hour listening to the wrong thing on Spotify before figuring that out. Fave Songs: Bhoop, Ahir Bhairav/Nat Bhairav, Rag Piloo
I’m into this WAY more than I thought I’d be. It’s so calming and the music is so complex and intricate.
This album of stunning Indian instrumental music was absolutely gorgeous. Lush soundscapes often evoke mountain valleys, small villages, serenity. Sonically quite unique compared to what I've heard from this list so far made this more than just beautiful relaxing music; it was as refreshing as it was peaceful.
Beautiful piece of work. I think the blend of western classical music and North Indian classical music lends itself well to being more accessible while preserving the integrity of both genres. Full of peace and serenity, this body of work is best for relaxation. I appreciate being introduced to this album, as it also lays groundwork for later psychedelic influence from the likes of The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and many others I'm sure. Love this album.
I really enjoyed this peaceful, pastoral record. The narrative of a day in the life of a farmer is so gentle, but compelling. It's also pretty much perfectly produced, each instrument has incredible clarity while still fitting into the whole. Hard to believe it was recorded in 1967! Favourite tracks: The Shepherd Girl, Stars Twinkling Within, and Glacier Waters
The guitar work on Call of the Valley, whether it's slide, dulcimer, sitar, etc. is so wonderful and innovative. Everything felt very organic, as the songs flowed into one another with this kind of ambient droning that has influenced so many other genres (psychedelic, shoegaze, experimental). The flute and percussion also add layers to this sonically simplistic but intoxicating instrumental album. Fav Tracks: Piloo-Teen Tala and Des-Dadra Tala
I really enjoyed this album and can see why it is worthy of this list. Considering it was recorded in 1967 it would be considered an early introduction to the successfully marriage of Eastern and Western music and an introduction to the popularity of World Music. Interweaving the guitar and flute with traditional Indian music makes an easy transition for most Western listeners to this great traditional music. The atmospheric music that results is wonderful to listen to. I have no specific favorite as I prefer to consider this a single suite of music and enjoy it in its entirety. 4 stars
Genre: Hindustani Classical Music 5/5 In 1968, 4 Indian musicians got together and recorded some of the most influential Eastern music in modern history. While Eastern influences had already been felt throughout rock and pop music, it was this album in particular that truly transcended the standard market for this style of music. It hit with everybody, including the artists who were making their own sounds around that time, injecting lifelong gems with twists of Indian/Asian flair. The playing, the mood, and the production on this thing is top notch. The stereo dulcimer and slide guitar dueling (NOT sitar, which is CRAZY) is tremendous, but it's when the tabla kicks in when the fun truly begins. Add in some wood flute and you've got yourself a recipe for success, driven by the same classic melodies these cultures have been playing for ages. If you don't take the time to enjoy this one, or if you find it uninteresting and boring, then your opinion is invalid and you're probably racist.
I'll add to the list of people who say DON'T LISTEN TO THIS ON SPOTIFY THE ALBUM THAT COMES UP IS NOT THE RIGHT ALBUM. Listened on Youtube and it was so enjoyable that I listened to it immediately a second time after.
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Very peaceful and melodic without being overwhelming. "Stars Twinkling Within" is ethereal and I would like to live in that track if possible.
This really isn't my kind of thing, I was dreading listening to it. However, this album is beautiful from start to finish. Like work of art type beautiful. It's so relaxing, it makes me feel a little stoned. It's unassuming, uplifting, and probably good for the soul. I feel as though it's cleansed me, flushing away the bad music that came before. I'm a fan.
Them Eastern sounds. Them West Coast vibes. These jams will sure straighten out your chakras. Fantastic use of the Santoor. As the great MC would say, hammer time! Once you are all loosey goosey, float away on the bamboo flute sounds. It's pretty far out man.
First off, go to YouTube. Ignore the Spotify version which is not good. This is pretty magical, all told. The last track is gorgeous. It's a shame you have to faff with YouTube and VLC and whatnot as otherwise I can see me sticking this on more often.
I really dig this. It's a shame it's not available on Spotify - as another reviewer pointed out, the version you might find on Spotify is NOT the original - apparently it's the original artist's son trying to cash in or something. Find it on youtube here, complete with vinyl popping sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFWfF3Zow74 Just beautiful. 4 stars.
This isn't the 1967 album pictured. This is a very different album from 2012. However, it's a well-needed sorbet to cleanse the palate. Optimistic, new age-y guitar and woodwind based instrumentals, the kind of thing Windham Hill Records used to publish. Relaxing albeit a bit too plinky-plonk to really let yourself go.
Firstly, thanks to those people who flagged that the Spotify version of this album is not the original. I ended up listening to both and the original is much better. I can hear how and why this was so inspirational to so many artists on release. I would definitely listen to this again.
2.5/5 First of all, the Spotify version (from his son) is way different than the original which you can find on YouTube. The original is quitte nice. It has this calm over it that is very relaxing. Not something I will listen to a lot, but for one time it was good.
Heralded as a "world music classic", *Call Of The Valley* is actually so obscure for Western pedestrian audiences that even the folks responsible for this app got confused. The links they put up here indeed point to different recordings. The Spotify link is a "modern" reenactment with all sorts of new age shenanigans going on in the background. And the You Tube version is the 1967 original version played on vinyl, complete with charming crackling sounds. As for Ravi Shankar, I'd say that my ears are not trained enough to properly "judge" this sort of (admittedly influential) work. It would still do as nice background music if I suddenly had the strange idea to perfume my home with patchouli and incense, I imagine. But to be honest, I would feel a tad bit hypocritical if I raved and ranted about this album. No matter how many so-called "objective" rankings and podiums you can establish out there, listening to music is still a subjective affair after all. And cultural "blind spots" play their parts there, too, obviously... Number of albums left to review: 640 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 181 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 84 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 102 (including this one)
Putting on this record, while laying on the couch after a massive Mother’s Day breakfast, I was able to shut off my mind for a good 40 minutes. No thoughts about work or worries about things I have to take care of this week. Just this record and nothing else. I shut out the world for a little bit, and at the end, my stress and anxiety levels had receded. I found it to be immensely calming and a great escape.
Five minutes into listening to this and I had to go book a massage. The back massage was excellent and the price was right. Gotta love the $60 per hour Chinatown rate. On the negative side, I had a had time getting her to zero in where I needed it most. I really don't think Google Translate got the translation of "second vertebrae" right since when I showed her the Chinese translation she motioned for me to turn over and asked for a $50 tip. Funny how good her English was when it came to numbers. Who knew? I'll have to get a Chinese friend to help with the translation and get my neck taken care of next time. I was able to get her to play Call of the Valley over the parlour's speakers during the massage. Fortunately, Google Translate nailed that one.
tabla sound cool any time any place however you really have to be in the mood for an album of sitar, either that or fucking baked.
Traditional Indian flute and sitar
Índia mano...
love it
absolutely delightful would listen again and again
Really good indian sitar music, with western influences
Took a nap to this and it was the most peaceful 55 mins of my life
A wonderful piece of art that shows how music is the best way to explore the world.
BEST FOR CODING
nice album
I'm guessing there probably wasn't much like this when it came out, and it still sounds fresh and vibrant. Occasionally gets a bit Muzaky, but I don't think this detracts from the album overall.
Amazing instrumental world album
Very good work music. Refreshing but not too distracting
9/10. Really quite good, and very palatable to my Western tastes. Just like it says on the box.
really had me feeling like a shepherd in a himalayan valley. 9/10. i especially liked Ode to the Sun God and The Shepherd Girl
One of very few albums that I can call lush without also calling it dense. The instrumentals feel very full and complete, but there aren't an excessive amount of layers. I think the front half is more captivating than the back due to its construction and its more serene ambiance and inclusion of nature sounds. This is one of the more niche albums on this list, but I thoroughly enjoy its inclusion. I am not sure that it is a must listen for everyone, but for anyone that likes instrumental songs or ambient music in general, I think this is a must listen. I am also not usually partial to the flute, but I really do like it in this. I wrote some of this review while listening, but now that I am nearing its end, I think I will give it a five. The back half, while less good, is still pretty great. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, and 5.
No one told me teleportation existed, and then I just happened to be transported to a beautiful river valley in a fantasy setting.
Peace.
Pako.
Very captivating record, and (speaking for myself) a great introduction into a genre of cultural music that may have gone unappreciated otherwise. This may be my ignorance speaking since, as stated above, I've never attentively listened to Indian classical, but I caught hints of international influence throughout the album that made the listening experience engaging.
Awesome album, regarded by many as the best classical Indian album made. A little confusing as it's not the same Call of the Valley as is on Spotify (although the cover is the same) but I found it on YouTube easily enough.
i didnt know i needed to hear this but i did, i really really really did...thanks🫣😭😭😭😭😅
10/10
Really enjoyed this one. Beautiful soundscapes with unique instruments blended together perfectly. Reminds me of a video game soundtrack
Whilst I dont particularly enjoy instrumentals this was very soothing and relaxing to listen to
Great Indian instrumentals
Really enjoyed this
This album is great, I just wish it weren’t so relaxing as I listen to these at work and this made me want to lay down in a field somewhere.
Holy cow. I knew there was some Hindustani music on here, I believe we'll be getting Ravi Shankar at some point. I've never heard of this one but it seems to be legendary, and the root of a lot of big artists getting interested in traditional Indian folk music and sounds. I can see why, good lord. First of all, this album is not available on Apple Music; there's a "reimagined" thing made by his son on there, it seems fine but it's not even close to the traditional Hindustani stuff. I had to listen on youtube, and then scour the internet further to see if I could download this album somewhere because it's incredible. I'm a sucker for Hindustani/raga stuff, it's just so transportive and meditative and relaxes me like nothing else. I'm not someone who has the palate to tell you "good" from "bad" in this genre, or to even distinguish artists from one another, but jeez louise this is an amazing listen, and it has to get a five star from me in the hopes we get more, and to let everyone know that this shit rocks. Favorite tracks: Every single one. There's even an extended reissue, even more of a good thing. Album art: Amazing, amazing. Perfect art for this. Warm painting of shepherds herding their sheep. I forget sometimes that this was often the music of sherpas and farmers. 5/5
This is really incredible. The flute and guitar sound really great. The atmospheric and traditional Indian sound is extremely cool.
Lovely instrumentals! Something different is always nice. Would be right at home on the DAK soundtrack.
Really really nice to listen to
Love the sound of that santoor. Hard to know what to think about this in the context of the other albums, it is so different. I enjoyed it, and may come back to it.
The best background music, The Shepard Girl is everything
Gorgeous Indian classical music. This was apparently one of the key factors in sitar appearing in everything around this time? Understandable! Fave track - "Ahir Bhairav/Nat Bhairav" for the lovely gradual build up.
Loved this. Peaceful, warm, not what I was expecting. I can see how it is influential. I will gladly play this again.
I really enjoyed it, was the kind of album I was looking to hear more of with this generator thing. Sometime outside of my normal stuff.
Pretty enjoyable intro into Indian music.
Nice and relaxing.
digg, 4,5
It is quite relaxing.
Right up my street! Ambient, chilled, relaxing! The musicality is second to none! Will be purchased following this listen! Pro tip - The LOUDER, the BETTER! Tremendous!
Tribal vibes, to me it feels like I’m traveling with a group of nomads exploring the world
Dr Koothrappali's culture
I really don't know how I would have ever found this album naturally lol. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but it was really great honestly. A really solid atmospheric ambient album with some very impressive instrumentation. I hope more people find this album for sure. And I am going to have to explore this side of sound more often was really neat. Felt like I was living in a small village herding sheep and chilling out. It's a simple yet unbelievably complex album. So fucking cool yo.
Ambiente agradável com a melodia que envolve a espiritualidade
Great music for working or concentrating
Loved it! Beautiful.
i liked this a lot more than i thought i would
No lyrics for me to alter in my review for this one. Love a bit of Indian classical music - very peaceful, pensive, and emotional. And nice to have something that isn't a western rock band!
// Favs: – Score: Light to Decent 4
This fuckin rules. This is the sort of album I wanted on this, not 100 Beatles albums. 4/5.
New to me. I would never have heard this outside of this project I’m sure, but glad I did. Lovely, peaceful album. Will continue to listen.
Mjög falleg, þægileg í hlustun. Mun hlusta aftur
Muy linda musica para dormir.
Didn’t think I’d like it, pleasantly surprised. Listened to it twice
This is AMAZING music with which to get high. Like, better than anything.
Bonne musique de fond, un peu atmosphérique. Très bonne musique pour travailler
Lovely and soothing
Delightful listen all the way through.
Glad I listened to it. 7/10
A beautiful album that I had never heard of previously. I will be listening to this again. 4 🌟
Very easy listening... One of the best albums of all time??
Good stuff!
More of the sort of alternative music that I was hoping to hear more of. This is lovely relaxing music and the sort of thing my wife likes. As expected, when listening to this she asked me who it was.
Well, isn't this wonderful? Peaceful. Blissed out. Smoke some hash and let it rip... My uneducated analysis of this is that it brings together familiar (by now) elements of Eastern music with contemporary instruments and production. I really like it but have no context for evaluating it further. I will definitely return to this for future listens. Saturday and Sunday morning coffee time.
Very chill music
What an interesting, calming journey. Great focus music.
I disagree with people bragging about how this was so influential to psychedelic music, as this was (probably) released in the west in 1968, and the only one still taking notes from ICM (Indian Classical Music) was George Harrison, regardless of who was a fan. Nevertheless, this was a commercial hit in the west and you can hear why. It's a concept album of fast-paced lush and exotic instrumentation unlike much else at the time. Other ICM albums of the 50s and 60s were by geniuses like Ravi Shankar, but they always seemed more of an academic study of a genius, or perhaps a gimmick as in the case of Ananda Shankar. But here, we have an example of what ICM is capable of. It paints a beautiful, serene image of a pastoral lifestyle, with only brief moments of spiritual intensity interluded. The instruments have their own personality and compliment each other nicely, from the playful flute to the inviting slide guitar. They even seem to be communicating with each other at times. The production is really well done, by creating these effects that come in and out of the music that add to the overall atmosphere without distracting the other instruments or overwhelming us. The lengths of the songs give us plenty of time to explore the setting, but not long enough to tire us of a given concept. Enjoyed the whole album.
Pretty wonderful, reminds me a bit of Peter and the Wolf.
A very pleasant listen, fades easily into the background but also impresses with nice riffs. Surprised to see the roots of this kind of "world new age" on a record from the late '60s.
p126. 1967. 4 stars. Ethereal mood music with an Indian vibe. Had low expectations of this and was pleasantly surprised - excellent production and musicianship. Not sure I will listen to it again, but glad I did.
I know nothing about this genre so it's hard to make comparisons and have a reasoned point of view, but it surely was beautiful
Hypnotizing.
Chyba nie zdarzylo mi sie wczesniej zeby napisac podsumowanie albumu podczas snu, czy raczej wysnic spisywanie podsumowania, co jak dla mnie i tak jest rzadkoscia pamietac cokolwiek z nocy, a tak wlasnie bylo z call of the valley, ktory jest prawdziwym rodzynkiem na liscie, bo jest to muzyka klasyczna zagrana dla wspolczesnego czleka, ale klasyka prosto z kaszmiru, wiec dochodzi tutaj jeszcze nutka egzotyki, plyta z 67 bedaca dzielem trio w skladzie Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Brij Bhushan Kabra, pomimo tego, ze wiekszosc instrumentali to tradycyjne instrumenty indyjskie, to jednak jest to przystepne dla ucha bialego czleka, co tez zreszta widac po tym, ze album znalazl sie na takiej liscie i dostawal on rekomendacje od pro wschodnich muzyczych glow owczesnych czasow, jak chocby od pana Harrisona, wiec influencyjny material, ktory moze byc jednym z powodow takiego czerpania z wschodnich materialow w psychodelii i folku, 70 minutowy krazek opowiada historie dnia pasterza w kaszmirskich gorach, wiec od rana do nocy mozna byc towarzyszem stada i chlonac z lodowcowych zrodel, dobry material na powrot do listowania, bo ciezko o tak relaksujace albumy podczas przemierzania generatora, zapamietam go jako swietne wprowadzenie do indyjskiej muzyki i brzmien tamtniejszych instrumentow, w tej edycji listowania za cel obieram dobic do 600 pozycji do konca roku i nie rozpisywac sie nad kazdym tytulem, a jedynie punktowac mocne i slabe strony sluchanych albumow i tworzenie jak najmocniejszych skojarzen z nimi, bo to jest glownym celem pisania czegokolwiek
Well, at least they can't accuse the 1001 exec of being closed-minded. Indian raag music? This is basically Classical? Or is it 'World music'? Still, it's pretty chill and well played and produced. Considering this is 1967 it's pretty contemporary so who am I to judge?
Pleasant listen
Beautiful.
Very tranquil and beautiful, I enjoyed this a lot