Call of the Valley

I can appreciate this album as something iconic from the 60’s. It does sound ahead of its time. I doubt I’ll listen again though

Herra 63098f7954f30e77d06924fd... sanoi pako... suomalainenko yhden virkkeen pyöräyttäjä... one word craziness suomi concept... ei.. ei.. takaloogista.. Ja sivveksi muuttuu sanoma.. kohtaa suomen ja takalokian.. kielet nimmäittäin takalokiaski annmetaan työväline ja suomeen kun käännetään löydetään sielu.. Takalookian herra 5 star... Tietenkin 1900 vuosisdan brittisaari new wawe ja objektia..........Huurre ja hamesuu.. halmeileva suu.. hhaaaltoja.. zormi keskelle..

"Call of the Valley," by Hariprasad Chaurasia, Brij Bhushan Kabra and Shivkumar Sharma, is a Hindustani classical album which redefined world music. Released in 1968, this instrumental album was well received by Western audiences and opened the door for Indian music worldwide. While the instrumentation and rhythms are interesting, this is not something this listener indulges in. It should be noted that the album on Spotify with the same name, by Rahul Sharma, the son of Shivkumar Sharma, Chintoo Singh and Paras Nath, is unfortunately not the same.

Very chilled and pleasant, although the spotify link is to a different album. YouTube one works though. Not an album I would ever have listened to without this project, but one I certainly enjoyed. I would probably like it even more after a few listens, but the next album is already waiting for me!

Relaxing and interesting! Glad to have heard this. Some of it and the more dissonant sections I didn't like quite as much but other aspects I loved

Took me a while to actually access the album, since it's not on Spotify, but "Call of the Valley" is a relaxing and sparse album. The whole album was instrumental and there was an assortment of instruments used that I'm not familiar with. Admittedly, the album was a bit experimental, and I found the sitar to be annoying. I wasn't sure where a song ended and another began either!

Relaxing

Had to dig a bit to find the actual album. Definitely not something I would listen to by choice…but for a once in a lifetime listen, it was ok.

Shivkumar Sharma - Call of the Valley Instrumental album that follows a day in the life of an Indian Shepard from Kashmir. It's soothing and melodic. I enjoyed it, but it's not something I'd come back to. 3/5

3+

En tiedä kuuntelinko vieläkään oikeata levyä, mutta molemmat tosi rentouttavaa. Intialaista klassista ilmeisesti. Hyvää instrumentaalista taustamusiikkia. Ei niin stereotyyppistä mitä olettaisi. Oli hyvää. Paras spotifyssä ainakin Nomads in the Valley

Not really my thing, but not bad

Very unique, chill in the background, almost 4 stars

interesting, somewhat traditional (I think) sounding Indian album. Very different in instrumentation, rhythm, and flow from Western music. I enjoyed listening, but think this one would take me repeated, deep listens to really fully grasp. Had some amazing moments and cool and trippy sounds, but didn’t fully hook me the whole time. Will probably revisit, but not a top standout for me immediately.

Meditation music. Very calming

Música tradicional hindú. Ni fu ni fa.

Really interesting, beautiful stuff. I need to be in the right mood for it, but when I am, it’s great. 3.5/5

The combination of drones, complex but lowkey & low tempo percussion, looping recursive melodies, and general spaciousness makes this a very relaxing meditative album. It remains very understated and doesn't work it's way up to an intense peak the way other Indian Classical Music I'v heard does.

Oulala c’est cool 10 minutes mais à la fin j’avais hâte que la sitar ferme sa gueule

Kinda hard to find. It was fine.

very atmospheric and quite enjoyable honestly. would be a good album to throw on in the background if I was still in school and studying for something.

There has been a fair amount of Indian music that I’ve really enjoyed. I liked Rahul Dev Burman, and Ravi Shankar was pretty chill too. I haven’t heard of Rahul Sharma before, so this is new to me today. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Ode To The Sun God This was a really tranquil, relaxing album to listen to. It got me into a zen state in the same way that IDM often does, despite sounding remarkably different. This is closer to an instrumental soundscape at times. I imagine if I was a hardcore Buddhist I’d have some pretty wild meditation sessions to this. As it stands, I liked it but it isn’t something I’m likely to return to.

Had a challenging time trying to listen to the complete album, but I got the gist of it. Beautiful music and if you enjoy Indian music this is a must hear. I'm not a big fan of sitars and Indian music in general, but I appreciate the musicianship and the influential musical styling of Sharma. It was challenging to listen to it all and I doubt I will again, but I'm happy I did.

Very nice Indian instrumental music

It was some nice easy listening. The only reason it doesn't stand out more to me is probably because the influences this album had on contemporary western artists at the time has resulted in the sound feeling less revolutionary to modern ears than it would've back then.

Good chill music. Didn't really stand out to me, but was enjoyable.

Heard the Whispering Winds.

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. It was OK.

I'm not sure i was listening to the real album on Spotify. Was nice, and I must track down the original. Didn't have time to absorb it in one day.

I like Nat Bhairav; I kind of like Rag Piloo and Rag Pahadi; I like the rhythm/percussive elements of Ghara Dadra and kind of like the middle and later parts of Dhun-Mishra Kirwani and the end of Bageshwari

Very chill

sparse and soothing

Nice background music

finally went back and listened to this one, it was nice

hermoso y apacible, cociné con esto y fue muy relajante. Aún así, y aunque los instrumentos son maravillosamente tocados, no me pareció un sonido fuera de lo habitual para lo que son este tipo de géneros.

Trapped. Not sure in what way

Very nice and chill and zen. It is a little garden-centrey though lol

I got into a real east meets west kick about a decade ago, was surprised at just how much western influence was evident here. Using ragas but sticking almost exclusively to western scales makes it super accessible, if a little less interesting than I was hoping for. There's virtually no dissonance to the western ear; I wanted to be challenged more. Just a little too easy listening to sustain my interest, verging on patronizing smooth jazz (or marvel movie takes brief detour to south asia) territory for an ostensibly classical album. Probably really out there for 1967 so its hard to judge the impact in its proper context, but yeah was overall surprised by how light it felt.

Perfectly pleasant and excellent production for the time. I do take issue with saying that an instrumental album is “about” anything. To the artist maybe, but how would I ever know this was about a shepherd’s day? Not compelling enough to get to a 4 but a high 3.

This was great to fall asleep to on my early morning train. I bet it would also be good for meditations and yoga classes. But to just listen to in it’s own? Idk. I think I just don’t know enough music like this to fairly evaluate it.

je me suis endormie

Not bad, not something I would normally listen to.

New age music.

Very pretty music, definitely a westernized version of Indian music which I think lets it sit better and not feel as grating as some can be. 6/10

It was good for a spa.

Pretty good actually. Nice Indian folk music

Not exactly my scene but honestly this is what I want to see a lot more of on this list. Music that is from all corners, hugely culturally significant or influential, niche genres, overlooked classics. Some passages of this one really got its hooks in me, others left me wanting more light and shade. Fave track: Ode to the Sun God

Big props to the people here who pointed me in the direction of the original and NOT the re-recording. This was an absolutely resplendent LP, rich in unfamiliar melody and excellent compositions. While my interest did gradually fade over the album’s runtime, I enjoyed the listen as a whole and was glad to get a great non-US/UK listen (something the project could use a whole lot more of).

Some of this rocks surprisingly hard. But some of it is droning and boring, with a weak finish.

I have been called by the valley. I'm going home! I didn't read up much on this album, so perhaps there's some historical significance to it, but as it stands, the sound is cool, but just cool. If you're looking for something to maybe get lost in, try this one out. It won't challenge any preconceived notions you have about Eastern music, but it will soothe the soul for a while.

Album 265 of 1001 Shivkumar Sharma - Call of the Valley Rating : 3 / 5 Not really sure what to do with this one. I did listen all the way through, so that says something. The instrumental album follows a day in the life of an Indian shepherd from Kashmir. I'm not familiar enough with Indian music to say I could follow that story. It is peaceful. Great meditation sounds, though. Very peaceful. Tranquil.

Decent but kind of repetitive. Could have been half the length with pretty much the exact same vibe

I actually have quite a bit of meditation music in my Apple Music library. This was just okay for me.

very relaxing. Nice background noise for a stressful day.

Not really anything that I would reach for again. Not bad, but this would definitely classify as background music. Fairly peaceful for working. I hear some similarities to American folk. I could envision a short film having this as the soundtrack. Something like Into the Wild.

This was the best Hindustani classical music album that I have ever listened to. I liked the part where it went from the strings into the whistle.

The real version from 1968 can be found on YouTube - the re-recording on Spotify is much more westernized and isn’t half bad. Good stuff.

There was a store in the mall when I was a kid called "Everything Natural" that might have played this on repeat for it's entire existence. Not bad, just not something I might ever be in the mood to listen to.

I couldn't find this on YouTube music, so I listened on YouTube, hope it was the right thing. It was whatever. Nothing upsetting, but also nothing particularly noticeable. The instruments sound kind of neat, and it was easy to listen to. But I also won't remember listening to it.

Not the biggest fan. Not the smallest one either. An important 60’s album showcasing Indian Music to the west however.

Peaceful

3.5

It took some hunting to find the correct recording on Apple Music. I found the one with the 3 bonus tracks so it's pretty close. Be careful of the modern re-recordings! Anyway, if you ever heard those Beatles excursions into Indian music, this is like that with all the Beatles bits removed! LOL. I'm definitely a foreigner to this stuff! Very enjoyable and I will listen again.

Really pleasant and beautiful music, just kind of difficult to listen to in one sitting. Enjoyed it, but it’s an album you need to be in the mood for. 3/5 Might listen again

Behagelig! Kommer nok til å høre dette igjen, når jeg leser

exotic and soothing.

I could really go for a nice schwarma or a vindaloo. Definitely some papadums.

I can’t say that I didn’t like this. I felt like I was in an Indian restaurant having a nice lunch.

Magnað sítarveisla

Intriguing ! It’s almost prog. Still very “exotic” for my taste but will listen again soon. 3 stars.

This was a little tricky to find online but this YouTube link has the remastered version with bonus tracks: https://youtu.be/dPBY3vBFWmA?si=Gxf76TwlvI5WisoO Beautiful music. I like how the solos are on top of this layer of soft, ambient sound. It creates a kind of tension in the music. But tension isn’t the right word because the effect is actually soothing and calming. Even when the drumming picks up, that layer of sound gives the music a peaceful tone.

I am not a big fan of instrumentals outside of a symphony or a live jazz performance. This album has a beautiful sound and is well produced. It's a western take on traditional eastern music which is a nice touch. Otherwise though, it's nice background music for the steam room.

Call of the Valley is an instrumental Hindustani classical album from 1968. It's a concept album following an Indian shepherd throughout his various daily activities. Interestingly, the melodic tone changes over the course of the album to denote the changing of time of day which is known as ragas within Indian classical music. This album did a wonderful job of introducing Indian music to Western audiences, and has since become the best-selling Indian music album worldwide. This album may be the best one around for classical Indian/Hindu music. Listening to this will immediately transport you to the calming countryside of India, and the music will soothe you for over an hour. I highly recommend this album for anyone interested in Indian music.

Yay, something eclectic. Not my thing but nice to get some different sounds. Would be lovely playing in the background whilst receiving a massage.

I kept expecting strings to break. Very mellow. Can take or leave most of it to be brutally honest.

Pidin tästä, koska huilu ei ollut ärsyttävä! Erinomaista taustamusiikkia hyvässä mielessä, kyllä välillä vaati nimittäin kuuntelemaan.

Soothing instrumental album. Not something I’d listen to again, but appreciated it for a relaxing focus at work.

I think it is outrageous that Spotify has a poxy-new age imposter pretending to be the original album. On the other hand, the original - a crackly version on YouTube is pretty good.

Fint album lidt passivt og roligt dog

Couldn't find this on Apple Music. There is one there with the same title and artwork, but the artist and track names are different. I found what I think is the original version on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zzVqrCEeU) and that's what I listened to. As an American, I have no connection to this type of music, so I can't really appreciate it as much as many others can. For what it is, it's fine, peaceful, exotic sounding background music. No annoying buzzing sitar of an earlier one from this list (Ananda Shankar).

An interesting look into the sounds of the life of an Indian shepherd. It was quite a relaxing listen and a decent background music to help focus on tasks. Best: Ode To The Sun God Worst: The Shepherd Girl

Interesting. Good Sunday morning record, which was exactly when I got it.

This one is hard to rate as I have zero meaningful experience or input on this genre of music. Will I put it on to jam out while on a long road trip? No. Is it pleasant as background music while finishing some work in my office? Yes. Is it better than the average music played when you're stuck on hold for a long time? Definitely. The musicians are clearly very talented, and they put out some happy and relaxing vibes.

"Classical music is not for entertainment. It is to take you on a meditative journey, ye toh mehsoos karne ki cheez hai (This has to be experienced)." Shivkumar Sharma Truth.

I'm not sure what to rate this album so I gave it three stars. In a massage, this would be 5 stars. While swimming laps or running sprints, I give it 2 stars. While trying not to grow impatient with someone, I rate this one transcended spiritual plane. Averages out to about 3 stars.

Calm album. Some really nice diddies in there. Could’ve used more sitar!

On devine l'influence de l'album sur le mouvement de musique nouvel âge, qui l'a sûrement galvaudé. À écouter au moment propice pour en saisir le dépouillement.

Interesting stuff! Wish the list had more of this since it's a new experience I didn't think I would listen to normally. Gets a little samey after the while but it's different and I appreciate that.

Sounded like I thought it would

At first I couldn’t help thinking it sounds like a music from a random joga YouTube video. But this music has a peculiar structure and holds your attention. High quality!

My first though was, "Oh, boy! Here comes an hour of sitar solos!". But it was actually lovely. If anything, it was TOO ambient.

Wonderful album to put on in the background or sleep to - nothing remarkable stood out to me though

Good gor background music

Made for a peaceful evening deck sit

This sounds like something that would play in a cafe or some niche store. Could be a part of a movie soundtrack too. This is just a sort of run-of-the-mill type instrumental album. Not bad, but not anything to write home about. It's ok. Just kinda background music and that's about it. A 3/5

Una colección de sonidos clásicos de la india. Interpretación de músicos expertos en su oficio y composiciones atmosféricas y reflexivas. Una buena introducción al ethos de la música india.

Very relaxing album. Not my usual cup of tea, but I certainly appreciate the composition and overall flow of the album.

Pretty but can’t see myself returning to it

Yeah, I mean - this is fine. Very chill background if you're in a certain mood. Sort of like if there was a direct-to-video sequel to Titanic, this would be the soundtrack. And it would be a movie like what used to be on late-night Cinemax, where the entire plot suggests that there will be LOTS of nudity at some point but then what you get is surrounded by terrible lighting and gauzy curtains blowing in an unmotivated way. Some candles. Then it's over. And this soundtrack doesn't actually match the movie at all, but it's what they could use so, there it is.

Good call on the Skinemax vibes, Craig. I was thinking more that if I had a candle shop, or like a tea and spice shop, or basically any type of store in downtown Asheville… this album would be on heavy rotation for the house speakers. Which is not to say I didn’t like it. I found it very pleasant and thought it sounded great and super clean. “Stars Twinkling Within” was a standout and just a uggh, isn’t it? We’re all made of twinkling shiny stars, you guys!

As an instrumental album I thought this was really good , had a really nice feel to the album

God bless you. I feel rather numb around my bum hole after opening my ears to this sexy beast. Strumming one out in the garden whilst humming along. A dirty little slut of a record that made me gush in seconds.

I'm not arsed, Shivkumar. Sorry mate

A respectable, albeit monotonous and at times indistinguishable from one track to the other, collection of ragas that, apparently, had the thumbs up treatment from the 60s biggest rock stars. Which is news to me because, unlike Ravi Shankar, this has fallen completely by the wayside and forgotten about completely. The strange album cover probably didn't help matters with perception either, regardless of interest. Still, this is pretty decent with bright spots towards the end. Favorites: Ode to the Sun God, The Shepherd Girl, The Prophet in the Mountain, Stars Twinkling Within.

We’re being exposed to these Indian artists from the 60s, primarily for the influence they had on George Harrison/The Beatles, but in truth I can only think of a couple of Beatles songs where Indian music had an influence and they moved on quickly to other ideas, and that influence didn’t reappear later in the solo work of any of the Fab 4. This is harmless enough and maybe the start of ambient music, but…

Lovely but a little classic rock

Beautiful and interesting for sure. I just wish I could've enjoyed it in a better setting. Had to listen on YouTube with ads, which is an awful experience. If I find this one vinyl, I'll definitely grab it to give it the fair chance it deserves.

Mucho ritmo, pero me gusto

I had a hard time listening to this in one sitting. I've heard this type of music before and appreciate the talent that goes into it, but just couldn't quite get into it.

Fine for background but not something I would seek out

This was ok. The spotify link actually takes you to a remake or something from 2012, and I liked that more. This was still decent though. 3/5

Really pretty but also kind of samey to my white ears. I can understand the appeal and it’s great background music, but maybe not totally my thing. C

Interesting sound. Enjoy the Indian classical vibe. 3/5

it was nice but it felt like there was an excess of things happening at times

what⁉️

Relaxing Indian instrumentals. No more no less

I can't dislike this. Great instrumentals. Very unique.

Verstehe die künstlerische Idee dahinter und dass es ein call of the valley ist kommt gut rüber aber ist jetzt nichts wozu man vibed

Als je weet wat je krijgt is het opzich prima. Her en der wel mooi. Toch heb ik meer met Europese / Russische klassieke muziek, dat is toch bekender en daardoor vaak toegankelijker. Dit ken ik vooral door de invloed die het op de Beatles gehad heeft. Wel mooi dus, maar niet iets wat ik veel verder ga proberen te ontdekken.

Finding albums like this-which I likely never would have discovered on my own-is exactly why I am doing this.

Expected to hate it but it was actually quite average

Very background listening album. Light sounds. I didn't even realize when it ended and started looking over. Made me realize how bright the highs and mids are on my headphones

Sheet memories

As an example of classical Indian music, this album is great. It's nice to listen to, the sitar is played well, the flutes and the tabla make everything come together. Listening to this I can hear why the Beatles were so enamored with Indian music.

Authentic and relaxing sound, not for too long though.

Pretty solid stuff.

Good background music to work to!

This was fine, I guess. Hard to see why it's an album I had to listen to before I die, but whatever

Found this quite relaxing...or at least I would have if the version on YouTube wasn't interrupted every 5 mins by ads. The versions on Spotify and Tidal seem to be a modern re-recording with different artists done in 2012. I'd like to find a better quality version and listen again. I enjoyed it, but on the other hand I don't really have much knowledge of Indian music to compare it to!

Nice little instrumental album. Probably won’t return to it without specific circumstances. Specific circumstances being drugs.

Very calming but weird

Great for a massage or when you are doing other stuff, definitely not traditional western music. Liked it, but its basically background elevator music, lobbies, etc.

I'm gonna pass on this.

Decent instrumental music

Pleasant new Agey background music

It's interesting and pretty much sounds like the stock music to every movie set in India. Not something I would listen to on a regular basis.

3.0/5 I don't really know how to feel about this album. It wasn't really to my tastes, but after learning how influential it was in both India and Western audiences, I can definitely understand why it might be highly regarded. The sounds are amazing, but also foreign to my frame of reference. I will listen to this more, because I am intrigued!

I put this on while working and the 10 min songs flew by. The album definitely feels cohesive (as in, I wasn't aware necessarily when one song ended and a new one began, unless I checked Spotify). If I focused on the music, I felt like I was in a facial/massage experience and this was the music playing over the loud speakers, washing over me. God that sounds worse than I mean it. I didn't like The Shepherd Girl. I really liked the Glacier Waters. Honestly, this music is such a different animal from what we've listened to before this that it feels hard to rate it. Overall, found it a relaxing listen. As it went on, I was particularly impressed with how clearly I could hear the detailed contributions of each instrument -- the individual strums, and yet the overall effect blended and balanced well together. I don't have the words for what I mean but maybe you get it.

Wasn't sure what to expect, but I liked it. Maddy brought up the good point that "I do feel like I should be lying on a massage table and this is playing softly through the speakers," which I think is mostly a good thing because, given the title, the album does a good job at evoking a certain kind of scenery. Limited application for this music in my life, but it was definitely enjoyable, and nice to get out of the western music sphere for a day! Standouts: Nomads in the Valley, The Prophet in the Mountain

Call of the Valley was new to me, and I don't remember ever hearing of the artist Shivkumar Sharma before. I generally like instrumentals, and songs that extend longer than "typical" playing times. This album is completely composed of tracks that have both traits. The music sounds like it is from India, but this is an opinion from someone largely ignorant of that region's musical history. A few elements reminded me of Dead Can Dance, who liberally borrow musical elements from around the world. I liked the album enough to listen to an additional 30 minutes of bonus tracks from the remastered album.

It's Definitely gorgeous and different. But just because it was listened to by The Beatles doesn't really make it a rock and pop album. This is classical music. Just because Berlioz and Stockhausen are big influences on Radiohead and Kraftwerk doesn't get them included, so its inclusion appears to be out of a deep cultural stupidity of what this actually is. I'd much rather have some Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or some bhangra in here, both of which would feel more reflective of India's influence on Rock and pop, rather than this misguided attempt at cultural showoffery by a journo. 4/5 for the music, 1/5 for somebody not understanding the damn brief.

This was very pleasant to listen to. Can't pick a favorite track because I had to listen to the album straight through without time markers

Musica indiana classica e strumentale, what could go wrong? Rilassante, non particolarmente 'strana'

A peaceful serene trip through a valley. The fusion between western guitar and traditional northern Indian is seamless here. That's a pretty amazing feat.

I was a little confused over what version to listen to because all I could find on my music app was the version by Rahul Sharma, which is MILES different than the version I found on YouTube. From what little I heard of Rahul's, I liked it a lot, but Shivkumar's was another experience entirely. I actually wished that I liked the album more than I did. It was a unique listening experience, but that's all I really got from it. It got a little tiresome after a while just listening to the same instruments over and over. It just began to sound samey. I think I prefer Rahul's version.

Clásica. Indú. Se hace un poco aburrido.

Took a while to get into. It grew on me over time and I can see how it influenced others. Especially when the guitar kicks in later.

Cooking up Himalayan beats like a lovely tall chef. Pretty cool, but always hard to rate these

Pleasant. I particularly enjoyed the opening track "Ode to the Sun God" Some of the rest of the album felt a touch elevatory

Cest tres spirituelle ca secoute en trame de fond pas plus 3

I wanted to like it but not for me

I really like when the generator throws me a curveball of an album like this - something obscure from a genre I barely even know exists. Even if I don't necessarily love it, it's always a treat to explore musical depths. Spotify has the wrong album, but the version on Youtube I listened to was fantastic. The vinyl crackling really added to the mystical atmosphere. Like I just uncovered some lost buried disc in the middle of the Kashmir mountains. Atmospherically a 5/5, current enjoyment-wise a strong 3/5 but I'm definitely listening to some of this again once I'm in the right mood (probably not the full 40 minutes though, not counting bonus tracks).

meditation with good production values but a little on the jingly sparkle and birdsong side to go with my dulcimers

Enjoyable and interesting music, definitely worthy of the list.

This was pretty good background music for the work day. I have nothing really to compare it to.

Quality of the playing and composition really not fit to judge. But it's a very enjoyable listen and good working music.

This is difficult. The album can be very relaxing, but I found myself to be annoyed a couple of times. This is probably a function of listening to it for too long. This is probably the only Indian folk album I have ever heard. It was a great influence on contemporaries like Paul McCartney and George Herrison, an influence that can be clearly heard on The Beatles' later albums. As the album is so mixed, I'll go with the middle of the road. 2.5/5

first listen I love Hindustani classical music but this is just boring

This was honestly pretty relaxing to listen through. All of the instruments compliment each other well, and the progressions of each song is nice and easy to listen to. It does tend to feel like you’re transported to some serene valley. Although it feels great to listen to, it’s not my personal kind of music. I enjoy the time spent with this album, but it won’t go on any playlists. Favorite track: Nomads in the Valley

Very pleasant as background music.

Very nice to hear something quite different from the music to which I normally listen. It's super cool to pay attention to how this style creates melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. From my very limited understanding of traditional and classical Indian music, it is comprised of a system of tuning and scales that is very different from the 12-tone equal temperament system to which my "Western" ear is accustomed. I'd love to learn more about that. Really draws me in because it's so unlike the music I listen to and study. This album is lovely.

Peaceful, relaxing, meditative. Can't say I'm super familiar with this form of classical music, so I don't feel I can fairly critique it, but I enjoyed listening to it while it was on. Favorite track: "Bhoop"

Pretty chill actually, although 70 minutes is a lot

I don't feel totally comfortable attempting a critical assessment of "Call of the Valley". Even for an album designed to make Hindustani classical music appeal to Western audiences, it's so far outside of anything my tiny ears have heard before that I'll only embarrass myself trying to appraise it. What I know is that Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Brij Bhushan Kabra succeeded in creating an accomplished and serene instrumental album. From reading about "Call of the Valley" online, I've learned it was framed around the idea of a single day in the life of a shepherd, told through different variations of raga. Shivkumar Sharma plays the santoor (an Asian dulcimer-like instrument) with accompaniment from slide-guitar (hence the Western crossover aspect) bansuri (an Indian flute) and tabla. Every now and then songs rise in intensity, marked by rapid tabla rhythms rising in volume: see the end of "Rag Piloo", or much of "Nat Bhairav". Generally though, this album is one of a singular mood. The second half in particular is much more mellow and relaxed, with fewer interjections from the santoor and more sparse instrumentation in general. It guides us gently to a calming end (presumably to coincide with the sun going down and the end of the shepherd's day's work in Kashmir). I really enjoyed having the chance to listen to a Hindustani album, even if it were designed for Western appeal. The instrumentalists are all clearly skilled and create a sonic palette to get lost in and drift away to. Even if I can't pick out any more specific highlights and won't necessarily listen again, I can't fault the quality.

Creo que está muy interesante conocer música tan diferente pero hacerlo con una hora y diez minutos de instrumental india en una sola toma es bastante ambicioso. Me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba sin llegar a generarme curiosidad en el género. 2.5 que subiré a 3 porque si puedo volver a poner este disco de fondo para leer.

Hay momentos en los que se pone un poquito interesante, aunque quizá también son los momentos en los que suena más occidental y "normal" para mis oídos, así que creo que apenas cuenta. Lo que sí es que me gustó mucho el sonido de guitarra y algunas de sus partes, pero me hartó ese sonido que suena como un salterio en el que dejan rebotar la baqueta…

It's not the instrumentation that's lacking; Not exactly. The compositions just move slowly, which is hardly a bad thing. Lots of interesting moments, easy easy easy to listen to. But the texture is thinner than my ear thinks it should be. Was not motivated to hear the bonus tracks after hunting down a recording.

Música tradicional hindú. Ni fu ni fa.

First time of listening to this artist, never crossed my musical path before. Apparently an influential album to the hippy elite in the late 60's. A musical story of a Shepherd's day in Kashmir. Nice relaxing album with, musically, a fusion approach. I like it but not to the extent of buying it.

Rating: 6/10

interesting but didn't blow me away.

Interesting diversion to the usual stuff I listen to

Never heard this before - good listen. Can’t believe it is 1967.

“Call of the Valley” by Shivkumar Sharma (1967) Here’s a way to expand your world musical horizons and have instrumental background music while you work, both at the same time. For Western ears, it’s helpful to know that this is basically a quartet of guitar, hand drums (Indian tabla) flute (Indian bansuri), and santoor (an Indian instrument like a dulcimer, played by striking the strings with light mallets [Wikipedia]), all colored with occasional atmospheric vocals and simple string/electronic backgrounds and some nature sounds thrown in. With sometimes humorous pop chord structures and jazz stylings (e.g., “Nomads in the Valley”), these fusion compositions are engaging without being gripping. They are eclectic, and not classical Indian (all mostly Western jazz, folk, and even Celtic chord structures and melodies), but they helpfully introduce to the West instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Supposedly a concept album (a day in the life of a Kashmiri shepherd), I’m sorry to say that the concept eludes me. I would rather have guessed a long elevator ride by a Delhi marketing executive. But I’m ignorant. It’s not exactly dance music, but I could imagine swaying hips from time to time. Syncopated tabla has a bit of swing to it. The instruments are well recorded and mixed, especially for the ‘pre-digital’ age. No tracks really ‘stand out’ here. There’s little variation in tempo or dynamics, and little movement track to track. So it’s ornamental rather than dramatic. A cool experience, sort of like a Kashmiri Gipsy Kings, but not life-transforming. 3/5

the musicianship is top-notch here. very beautiful sounding album.

This was interesting, just not something I would ever listen to on purpose.

Decent instrumental album, would have liked some more diversity in sound and melodies

Exact wat ik er van verwachtte als ik de wiki las. Erg rustgevend, maar niet erg uitzonderlijk speciaal

Always cool to see unique foreign music on here. This was very enjoyable to listen to while doing work, especially liked the various nature sounds in the background. Not something I'd necessarily seek out, but fun nonetheless

The instrumentals were great, branching out into a new style for me. Had great feeling.

Not available

hard to find this album online according to the wikipedia traclist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPBY3vBFWmA 5 tracks can see why this was influential to the Beatles byrds Dylan etc good background music 3 - decent, could stick on again

This album was better than expected. For an instrumental it was very soothing. The music was vivid and it was easy to create imagery while listening. This is a good album for getting away from the complexity of life. 7.4/10

Ambient and nice.

meh

Nice and pleasant album, but nothing immensely profound to me. 7.0/10

Not what I'd typically listen to, but I really enjoy the sound of the hammered dulcimer.

Ty shivkumar, very cool

That album is a combination of instrumental music and nature sounds. However, all tracks too same and the album hear likes one composition.

Not something I would listen to if not for this program, and pretty happy that I did. It definitely expanded my horizon... enjoyable textured sounds that somehow sound ancient and modern at the same time. This also made me very hungry for the Himalayan restaurant on the downtown mall in Cville.

Spicy👌

A massive surprise, beautiful guitar work throughout and thoroughly enjoyable to listen to - can’t quite stretch to a four though ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nice, if repetitive

Didn't know what to expect, didn't understand much of it but it was pleasing to my ear holes nevertheless.

Calming and relaxing tunes for the soul

Bizarre, but strangely soothing

Nice. Not what I was expecting. Like New Age jazz on Indian instruments, along with flute and guitar

Looks like Martyn Poliakoff

Lo más "original" que he escuchado hasta ahora. Poca música no occidental en lo mainstream, y aunque no sea yo muy dada a lo instrumental pues se agradece.

Traditional Indian music. Not like any album I've listened to before. Difficult to analyse given how alien it is to me culturally, but a pleasant and relaxed listen. The version on Spotify has different (translated?) song titles and number & length of tracks to the version released in 1967 (as listed on Wikipedia), so not certain I've listened as it was originally meant to be heard. The final track on the Spoitfy version, 'Glacial Waters', has an something of 'Ring of Fire' about it. Is that a thing (Water vs Fire)? Probably not, but I've written it now. 2.5/5.

The was a very different experience that I don't know how to evaluate, but the album contains some good instrumental songs to keep focus during the workday. The Wikipedia page is simple but it looks like this album influenced great songwriter that I admire, so 3 stars is fine to me.

Whoa- I was not expecting anything like Call of the Valley to even be on this list- shows you what I know! This isn't an album I'd listen to on the regular, but a good one for meditation and calming.

Well, context is missing here. But it sounded awfully advanced for 1967

The jazz problem again: I don't feel qualified to critique this. I liked it, I enjoyed listening to it, the musicians' skill was evident. My ratings are subjective and entirely meaningless.

Hope you ended up listening on YouTube cause the Spotify link was not the right album. I don't really have much to say other than this is obviously one the seed crystals for the eastern influence on rock music in the late 60s besides Ravi Shankar.

Relaxing. I can see how a lot of famous musicians around the time were influenced by this, probably their gateway into music from India and those Indian instruments.

Enjoyable vibes, especially all the flutes!! Glad it's on the list. Very peaceful

Ummm wasn't expecting this type of album in this list. Just simply string instruments, maracas, drums, kind of what you'd imagine being played in a valley.

This album was a change of pace. Beautiful instrumentation.

Yeah not bad... very chillaxing. Can see where four tet got some inspiration

Yeah this isn't for me. The music is made well enough, but I'm not connecting with it at all, sorry.

Very peaceful. Not something I would seek out or listen to again. Sounded nice. Could work really well as a soundtrack/score.

06/20 Boring

It reminds me of something that would be on one of those listening stations in the 90s, or something that pier one imports would play.

Nat is a zen experience. The flutes reminded me of a sunrise. What an experience to also listen to it as I was ascending on a flight.

Yep

Cool for some, just not cool for me.

Don't really see what other people see in this one. It's hypnotic for sure and really novel for the time, but it doesn't really differ that much from other Classical Hindi albums and I find it kind of boring. The entire piece gets to be a bit weary and tiresome. Ravi Shankar does more interesting stuff on his albums and preceeded this album by a decade or so. The fake out with the streaming version of this album done by other people is a big fuck you move as well.

Så bara för att Harrison och McCartney gillade att knarka måste jag lyssna på det här. Nåja, det finns någonting här av värde. Inte minst som inspiration till spiritual jazz från Alice Coltrane till dagens favoriter i Work money death. Problemet är väl att det bara blir ande och ingen jazz på Call of the valley.

Alla låtar lät typ lika. Hyfsat coolt men inget jag lyssnar på frivilligt 2/5

Pleasant. Good for a mellow Sunday morning. (2.1*s) The 1001 Must Hear List expanding our world music horizon.

Correcto

Soothing Indian music

Yanno, this isn't something I may ever listen to again, but thank God albums like these are on this list. I have zero fucking clue how to rate this. Is this...good Eastern music? Average? Bad? I am clueless. But it was peaceful and enjoyable, and I never (EVER) would have found this on my own. Three stars. Edit: At the end of the day, I am but a white boi from Greeley and I am never listening to this again. Two stars. But two really big, loving, stars.

Trying to track this thing down, I noticed this artist just pumps this shit out constantly. Worse, he now uses AI for his albums, which is insane, given this album cover's beauty.

This is ok.

definitely my goto soundtrack if i'm ever charming snakes

1.5

After eventually finding what i think is the right album on Youtube, this all felt a bit background music for me. The exception was track 3 which had a bit more energy and grabbed the attention more. Track 4’s percussion reminded me of the Beatles Within You Without You, but not in a positive way

This sounded like the kind of music I put on to go to sleep to. Which is fine, but I’m not sure I want to listen to it when I’m staying awake. I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t understand why it’s on the generator. I feel a bit miserly giving it a 1* because it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard - but it really is only 2* because there’s no 1.5*.

An extremely pleasant listening experience, great for just having it on in the background, that's it really.

Day 250 Glad I heard it, will almost certainly never hear it again Highlight Ode to the Sun God

Nice!

I mean, look, this is probably best in class in what it is, but it is what it is. Compared to other styles of music, this just seems borderline unlistenable. It is not offensive and it doesn't make me angry, so I won't give it one star.

if i ever wanted to throw an india themed party i know now what music to play...

Definitely wouldn't have listened to this under any normal circumstances. Almost certainly won't be coming back to it. Clearly it was a groundbreaking record, however I think that's more about its significance as a cultural piece rather than extraordinary musicality. Not horrible to listen to, but to my ears not particularly interesting either.

Boring. I tried to let it fade into the background, but even then I was tempted to not finish the album. Maybe I'm not enough of a musician to appreciate the complexities of whatever.

Totally tuned out the record in the background. I guess it’s great background music? It can definitely set a mood into the room if playing this on speakers. But then again it sounds like music I’d hear in a restaurant. Record did drag on at the end. As someone said to my band once “they just want to solo until the cows come home”.

Not for me.

Okay if it’s your thing.

se me hizo muy largo...

Cool to hear stuff i usually wouldnt listen to, still not really my thing. Fav song: Ode to the Sun God

Ok now! Meh

Not huge. Felt like the one expiremental song on revolver that I like but more Indian and an hour long instead of like 5 mins tops

Hay música de India mucho más interesante que esto, desconozco su origen pero ps está mega entry level jajaja

Sitar and flute

My ears were not nurtured by this music in my culture, so the vibrations do not resonate for me. It may be beautiful. It may be list worthy. But I find it discordant with what envigorates my music brain.

This is #day582 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… that's definitely something I haven't heard before. I kind of understand the record's inclusion on the list, though. I like the sheep on the cover. Still, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day583.

I don’t know to what extent this is the best Indian music, but I guess it was among the first to be publicized in the West (although apparently only on YouTube nowadays). I love the microtonal or half-tone notes, but of course they sound “weird” to my Western ears. It was good though.

06/03/2026 I unfortunately listened to the Spotify version, which was ass. So I'm gonna have to give it another go. Spotify listeners: 42.7k

Album No. 0174 on my list. Having never heard of “Call of the Valley” and not knowing any of the contributors to this, O had no idea about what I was getting into. I’ve learned though that this is a milestone record for the world music genre and has influenced a number of Western musicians, i.e. key figures of the 1960s and 70s musical landscape. I completely get why it appealed to many people at the time. To my limited understanding, it seems to entail a lot of classic Indian music, but one can clearly discern th Western twist in the whole album, making it more accessible to people rather accustomed to Western musical traditions. I’m afraid I have to say that I’m personally not the biggest fan of the tracks, because they are too boring for “foreground music”, but not relaxed a comfortable enough for background music. Maybe the reason is that I’m just not accustomed fo the music and that it may feel better once I’m more used to it. Anyway, not a bad thing an okay-ish overall. I’ll add “Rafa (Pilu)(Teentaal)”, and “Ahir Bhairav (Teeentaal)” plus “Nat Bhairav (Ektaal)” to my playlist. 2/5 stars.

I can appreciate the craft but the only time I'll listen to this again is if I somehow end up on a yoga retreat. That is to say, I guess, that in context, this would be fine, but listening to this whilst writing a handover document is perhaps not going to highlight the best of it.

Kind of enjoyed this as background music for walks, but got pretty frustrated at the lack of structure. Maybe that’s a me problem and life is too structured, but if I’m giving you my attention for an hour plus I need some kind of progress.

Needs more cowbell.

Himalayan salt cave massage music with flute.

Sounded fine, not for me.

Hello, yes it is I, the uncultured swine. This is difficult to rate. It wasn't "bad", but I'm not rushing back to listen to it again. I also have no idea if I listened to the intended version of this album.

Far be it from me to disagree with George Harrison, David Crosby, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn who according to wikipedia were evidently "fans of the album," but I wasn't. Maybe I'm too accustomed to Western scales and harmonies, but I found it grating and I came away feeling quite tense after it was done.

A chill vibe, with all the instruments coming together to create a nice texture. But ever song sounds the same, and they are all too long.

It's fine. Kind of a Southeast Asian Phish vibe.

Ah, I've no idea. Didn't enjoy it but I don't have a clue what I'm listening to. Didn't make it all the way through.

Meh. Just not really into it.

Bird Chirping gets a bit annoying at the start. Takes a while to get to the main theme, always starts as a bit of a ramble.

No. 99 It's okay. Seems like it would be good elevator or mediation music.

While this was interesting and enjoyable for it’s influence on lots of performers and artists I wasn’t fully engaged.

I liked some of the sounds/vibes though was annoying at times. At the end of a Beatles or Tool song is all you probably need. Also, invent some more percussion! A bastard snare or some cymbals wouldn’t go a miss. Fucking bongos…

Think i had this on while getting a massage one time

Dunno if it was the right one but was nice background music. Made me feel like I was in an actual valley

Really toes the line between peaceful and irritating.

Found this very soothing to have on in the background while working. The artistry is apparent and the scales used are exotic and interesting. But I don’t imagine myself needing to revisit it as I would a great album.

This isn’t a bad album. In fact, the music is fascinating, the performances are impressive, and I love me some Indian percussion. While I enjoyed listening to it, it’s not something I’ll probably listen to again. Also, it’s a little on the long side for an album recorded in 1968.

Ich bin ehrlich es ist absolut nicht meine Musik. Aber ich erkenne auch an, dass das wirklich schön ist und als Hintergrundmusik in einem Spiel oder P&P würde das für mich auch gut funktionieren. So kann ich leider nicht mehr als 2 Punkte geben

Ahir Bhairav

The melodies on this are often very nice, but I am not a fan of the instrumentation - the sounds of tabla drums, sitar, pipes. Not for me - good in a shop with incense or background for a mahjong game.

Imagine sitting at a luxurious Indian restaurant, while on a date. This album would be the ideal playlist while enjoying your time. The problem is, it sounds like one very long song, so it's not an album you pop on at any other time. Favorite Track: "Bhoop".

An interesting change from the recent albums. But because I'm not used to this kind of music it don't hooks me at all. And so it becomes more or less background music for me.

I enjoy hearing music from different cultures and it was nice to listen to while I worked. Not my cup of tea.

This, however, was not good workout music. I guess I’m not very worldly but this just isn’t my favorite sound. Was that a recorder?

It was neat. Love the interplay between the stringed instruments and the flute. still probably never going to listen to it again. 2.5

Felt like you were in the room with the instruments with headphones on.

Probs a 1.5 but showed some skill

Normally I like this style of music but there was something about this one that didn’t do it for me.

Not for me. 2*

First time listening to an album of Indian music. My only previous exposure would be second hand through the Beatles. It was cool to hear what influenced their later work and I can respect the talent being captured on this album. But, it’s not something I would listen to again

This was mildly interesting, but mainly because it so far from my normal listening.

This was innocuous background music but nothing special

Not a bad album if you like sitar music. I enjoyed the listen but probably won’t revisit. I appreciate the composition and musicianship, but not something I’m going to drive down the road listening to.

As cultural experiences go, this was somewhere between “enlightening,” and, “Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch.” (I know it wasn’t a kabuki on this album, but those who know will take my point.)

Vibe yoga, on se fait chier mais c'était pas trop mal pendant que je faisais mon recueil de données

J’ai pu lire mon livre en même temps. Comme Aurélia : yoga vibe

Oui c'est joli mais on se fait chieeeeer

Another album in the "why is it on this list?" category.

I put on my loose fitting draw string pants. I roll out my yoga mat. I initiate shavasana and the world melts away. I fall asleep and dream about eating cheese burgers

Got a bit same-y after a while. I don't know the genre at all. There were definitely interesting sounds and instrumentation. Was fine as background music?

This is a good album if you are relaxing or want to meditate.

Not my cup of tram, maybe good for background music

2.0

It was cool but to truly enjoy this I need more weed.

While I appreciate the artistry, it’s the same song over and over again.

- Full-on instrumental Indian raga. - Interesting but just very very repetitive and, to my untrained ears, one-dimensional. I couldn't distinguish one track from the next. - Glad it influenced so many artists but I just don't have the bandwidth to make this a part of my life beyond the hour it took today.