Lata Mangeshkar Sings For R.D. Burman

this article is from 2002 where legendary composer Naushad Sahab commented....

Lata Mangeshkar Sings For R.D. Burman
Times Nework

You can’t help but agree with O.P. Nayyar’s statement that “R.D. Burman reserved some of his best compositions for Lata Mangeshkar’’. As the CD unspools, you are transported to the halcyon past of Aaja piya tohe pyar doon (Baharon Ke Sapne). To a time when life was unhurried and minus the scourge of remixes, a time when cyclo-styled tunes didn’t scar the souls forever. The special R.D.-Lata chemistry lends itself to a heady potion.

Savour the eddies and currents Lata whips up in the Baahon mein chale aao (Anamika) ditty, which is so unlike the bowdlerised new versions of circa 2002.

The Pancham-Lata jugalbandi is best encapsulated in Mere naina saawan bhaadon (Mehbooba), where the songstress brings glorious light and delicate shadings to even the simplest of tunes. Hear Kishore Kumar and her swing through the notes of Bheegi bheegi raaton mein (Ajnabee).

Neophyte music directors would be well advised to snag a few tips from R.D.’s lush arrangements on Tune o rangeele (Kudrat). Armed with word power and an aching voice, the Anmol Ratan series creates an album which is laidback, yet excites at the same time.

The album keeps its eye on the main aim: a good tune. Ergo, you have Bahut door mujhe (Heera Panna), Dev Anand’s utterly forgettable movie made memorable by its music and the swinging Zeenat Aman.
The nearly forgotten Ae ri pawan (Bemisaal) shows up in the compilation. Anand Bakshi’s lyrics: Badal se tera kya hain kuch naata...baawri si tu phire, kaun hai tera sajan, make you wistful. The album is rounded off with Gulzar’s Tujhse naaraz nahin zindagi (Masoom). When Lata croons Jeene ke liye socha hi nahin dard sambhaalne honge, time stops for a generous bout of gooseflesh.

The inclusion of Sharm aati hai (Padosan) is a bit of a downer. Also, you wonder why the company chose Lata’s Paas nahin aana (Aap Ki Kasam) duet with Kishore Kumar, when the Karvatein badalte rahe number from the same film is far more fetching.

And as far as definitive duets go, why didn’t they include Tum aa gaye ho (Aandhi) or Tere bina (Ghar)? Also, songs like Jaane kya baat hai (Sunny), Do nainon mein (Khushboo), Thodisi zameen (Sitara) Sili hawa (Libaas) and Kuch na kaho (1942-A Love Story) would have added sparkle to this compilation. But these are minor warts in an otherwise flawless album.