gumshuda 
Joined: December 2006
Posts: 143
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 Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Pakistan
Music | MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS | Ancient Pakistan's cultural heritage includes a large number of musical instruments: stringed (plucked or bowed), wind and percussion. Each instrument has its own peculiar structural and tonal characteristics, producing unique effects of pitch, loudness, thickness and intensity of tone that differentiate it from the rest. Plucked stringed instruments: Sitar, Rubab, Iktara, Soor Bahar, Sarod, Taanpura, Damboora, Soorsinghar, Banjo, Veena, Vichatra Santoor. Bowed stringed instruments: Sarangi, Sarinda, Taos, Siroz, Dilruba Wind instruments: Bansuri, Soornai, Been, Shehnai, Alghoza Percussion instruments: Tabla, Khunjari, Ghara, Dhol, Tanboor, Dholak, Naqarah, Chimta,Pikhavaj. A small number of stringed and percussion instruments, and a seven-key flute, have been unearthed from the ruins of Moenjodaro and Harappa, indicated their origin at an earlier stage. According to the Ramain, a Hindu holy book which gives information on primitive musical instruments, the oldest instrument is said to be the gatra veena, in which sound was produced by clapping, beating the thighs and chest with the hands, and stamping the feet on the ground. Bhoomi Dandobi was a primitive percussion instrument. A pit was covered with skin, and this was played with sticks. The Sarswati Veena was a zither with one hundred strings, and the mookha veena was another instrument of the same kind. The Sarasvati Veena and Vichatra Veena are still in use for both solo playing as an accompaniment to vocal music. The sound of the Veena is supposed to come closest to the human voice. Around eighteen types of veena have been described in different texts. A melody produced on a veena is really mellow and pleasing. | | Historical Hazrat Amir Khusro (1253-1325 AD), the great Muslim scholar, legendary poet and musicologist, mentioned 26 musical instruments of his time in the second volume of his book, Ejaz-e-Khusravi. The unknown author of Koonzaul-Tohaf (15th century AD) has mentioned nine more musical instruments of Central Asia. Abul Fazal, a great scholar, poet, historian, and senior minister of the Great Mughal Emperor Akbar, has mentioned 23 musical instruments of his time in Ain-e-Akbari. Approximately 80 musical instruments have been discovered so far in Pakistan. By the middle of the 19th century, much had been written about the names and structure of musical instruments, but little was known about their invention or inventors. Nor had anything been written to transfer the technique, tuning, or musical repertoire. This is because most books on music were written by historians, not by musicians or musicologists. The lack of documentation has left room for countless assumptions and contradictions about the authenticity and purity of Pakistan's musical heritage. It took almost 2,000 years to agree on a final grouping of classical melodies and ragas. | CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTS | Alghoza This instrument consists of a pair of flutes of nearly the same length and width. One flute is used for a continuous drone, while the other is played to produce a melody. The alghoza has six holes. The alghoza originated in Sindh, but its popularity has spread all over Pakistan. Many of the tunes presented on this instrument are composed in the raga Bheem Pilasi, which is sung soon after sunset. Bheem Pilasi emanates a romantic mood and is an intense expression of longing and waiting for the beloved. | | Bansuri The bansuri, or flute, is one of the most primitive instruments of Pakistan. It is played by holding it horizontally against the lips. It has six holes, which are closed and opened with the finger-pads in accordance with the melodic phrases. The thumb below supports the flute. The typical flute has a slanting mouthpiece that can easily rest between lips. The notes of the higher register are produced by accurately controlling the apertures and by contracting the lips to blow a narrow stream of air. Sain Allah Ditta Qadri is known for his flute playing, and Salamat Hussain is a meritorious flutist who has won the President's Pride of Performance medal. | | Chimta The chimta is a pair of fire-tongs still used in Pakistani homes. The chimta used by performers is approximately one metre long. It is played by hitting the tongs against each other and slapping a large iron ring at the bottom against the tongs. Popular in Punjab and Sindh, it is used mostly as an accompaniment to folk and mystic songs. | | Dhol The Dhol or drum, which means "lover" in some regional languages, is a rhythm instrument enjoying wide popularity in both town and countryside. The Dhol was originally used for communication over long distances for community announcements and to summon congregations. Today, the instrument is played on a variety of occasions, such as folk festivals, dances, horse and catel shows, rural sports, wrestling matches, weddings, etc. The Dhol is a two-headed, hollowed-out piece of wood covered with goat skin. It is beaten with wooden sticks and is certainly an instrument of great antiquity. | | Ghara The Ghara of Punjab (dilu or changer in Sindh, mangay in NWFP, and noot in Kashmir) is actually a baked clay pitcher normally used for storing drinking water. Used to produce a fast rhythm, it is one of the most primitive percussion instruments known. The height of a ghara ranges form 30 to 35 centimeters, with a girth of 80 to 90 centimeters. The diameter of the mouth is 8 to 10 centimeters. A metallic ghara is known as a gagar or matki. The performer sits on floor, places the instrument in front of his knees or on his lap with its mouth up, and beats the side wall with the fingers of the right hand while the left hand strikes the mouth to produce a stronger ground beat. Ghara is also used by village people as a float for swimming. The swimmer holds the hollow pot under the belly, its mouth down, and swims across a river or stream. A popular folk song of Punjab takes its name from the ghara. It is associated with the romanctic folk tale of Sohni and Mahinwal. Sohni used a garha to swim across the river Chenab. | | Harmonium The harmonium is a keyboard instrument. Thin metal tongues vibrate to a steady current of air produced by pumping the bellows. The harmonium has a three-octave keyboard. This compact organ was introduced in the early 19th century by European missionaries to sing hymns in remote villages, where it was impossible to carry a heavy church organ. Later, it became a part of the music of the subcontinent. The harmonium in its present form has completely vanished from the musical scene in the western countries of its origin. In Pakistan, the harmonium is very popular as an accompaniment to solo singing and Qawwali singing. | | Iktara This ancient instrument consists of one (ik) wire (tar). It was originally a droning accompaniment to a sung melody, particularly religious songs. It is played by plucking the solitary string with a to and fro movement of the forefinger. The same hand holds the instrument. Its bowl is small and covered with skin. The stem is thin and long. It is played in a vertical position. The iktara was never meant for solo performance, but Saeen Marna of Balochistan was first artist to make the attempt, giving a new life to this tiny one-stringed instrument. | | Jal Tarang The jal tarang, a peculiar instrument, consists of 11 to 14 china bowls of varying thickness and height. Each bowl is tuned by pouring in a certain quantity of water. The cups are arranged in a semicircular position. Usually, the biggest bowl is tuned to the dominant or sub-dominant tone of the scale. The player sits in the middle of the semicircle and strikes the rims of the water-filled bowls with two small sticks to produce a melody. The jal tarang was first mentioned by Aahu Bal Pandit in Sangeet Parijat (17th century). | | Rubab The Rubab is a plucked string lute with frets on the upper end of the fingerboard. Its hollow body is made of wood, and the sound chamber is covered with goat skin. The melody is played upon strings made of gut, beneath which are a number of resonating metallic strings called tarab. This instrument is very popular throughout northwest Pakistan. Folk ballads, romantic songs and popular mystic poetry are sung to the accompaniment of the rubab. The music most frequently presented on this instrument is a Pashto folk form called lobha. The most famous instrumentalist of the Frontier, Taj Muhammad, is an acknowledged expert on the rubab. A more evolved form of this instrument is in use in Azad Kashmir. The Kashmiri rubab is more complex, having a larger number of strings and resonators. It is beautifully decorated by artisans with ivory or mother-of-pearl motifs. | | Sarangi The sarangi is a classical bow instrument made of wood, 65 to 70 centimeters in height, with about three dozen strings of gut, steel and brass. It is played with a horsehair bow held in the right hand. The richness and variety of sound produced by this instrument has given it its name, which means "the one with a hundred colours." Besides being used as an accompaniment, the instrument has an independent identity and can be played solo, accompanied by the tabla. The sarangi was chosen to present a famous classical raga, Mian Ki Malhar. This raga, created by the chief court musician of the Moghal Emperor Akbar, Mian Tan Sen, in the 16th century AD, is traditionally sung in the rainy season. In Pakistan, Ustad Bandu Khan was a consummate exponent of both the theory and practice of sarangi playing. Other performers of note include two brothers, Ustad Hamid Hussain and Ustad Zahid Hussain, who learned the art from their father, Ustad Abid Hussain, and their maternal grandfather, Ustad Haider Bukhsh. Their style of playing is famous for its purity of notes and delicate rendering of melody. | | Sarinda Sarinda is the name given to a stringed instrument with a hollow wooden body made from one piece of wood. The lower part is covered with a thin wooden strip which extends into a finger board, upon which seven to nine strings are tensioned. Sarinda comes from the Persian word surayinda, meaning "producer of tunes." The sarinda is usually accompanied by the rubab and tabla. The most famous tune presented on this instrument is a lilting melody from NWFP called hyberi, because of its origin in the Khyber Pass. The finest recorded performer on the sarinda was the late Munir Sarhadi, who was taught by his father, Ustad Pazir. Since his death, there has been no one to equal his skill and creativity. | | Shahnai The shahnai is a double-reed wind instrument consisting of a hollow tube between 35 to 47 centimeters in length, widened toward the lower end, to which a plate of bell metal is fitted. The shahnai is an instrument for occasions of joy and festivity. A shahnai player typically belongs to a professional group of musicians and performers traditionally called mirasi. | | Siroze The siroze is the medium-size local fiddle of northwest Balochistan. This stringed instrument is also popular in Sindh and NWFP, where it is known as sorendo and sarinda respectively. Sachoo Khan is considered to be the finest exponent of the siroze. He studied under his maternal uncle. | | Sitar Playing this complex instrument demands great skill and ability. It consists of a hollow wooden fingerboard almost four feet long and three to four inches wide, called dand. This is attached to a half-round ball called tunba (gourd). The face of the gourd is a polished wooden plate called tabli, decorated with ivory work. Along the fingerboard, two ivory bridges are placed one after another. The face of the bridge is slanting to keep the instrument's six strings from touching the moveable brass or steel frets. The sitar was invented by Hazrat Amir Khusro (1253-1325 AD). It is said that he derived the idea from the veena. The instrument is played by using the right hand to pluck the strings with the mizrab, a sort of triangular plectum made of hard steel. The left hand moves up and down the frets to produce the melody. Many Pakistani musicians have became internationally known for their artisty on the sitar, among them Ustad Rashid Ali Khan Beenkar and Ustad Sharif Khan of Poonch. | | Tabla The tabla is a set of twin drums. While occasionally played solo, it is an indispensible accompaniment for all types of music in Pakistan. The drum played by the right hand is the main drum, called the the dayan, while the one played by the left hand is known as the bayan or dugga/duggi. Both drums are covered with goat skin. In the centre is a black circle, the siyahi, about 5 centimeters in diameter, which is made by pasting iron slag powder on the skin surface. Its purpose is to tune the drum to the correct pitch. | | | Classical Music The classical music of Pakistan follows melodic modes called ragas and rhythmic modes called talas. In instrumental music it is customary to start with a long alap in free rhythm where the soloist improvises in exploration of the chosen raga and expresses its particular mood. Then the drum begins, and the soloist presents a fixed composition (gat), to which he returns quite frequently, in between allowing his imagination to develop such improvisation as his mood and the parameters of music permit. | | An Historical Perspective The classical discipline of Pakistani music is a continuation of the Indo-Muslim musical tradition, which evolved as a result of centuries of Hindu-Muslim cultural interaction. Hindus possessed a rich tradition of music, but unfortunately, its history is obscure. Books on ancient Indian music such as Bharta (300 BC), Bhretdari (400 AD) and Sarangadeva (13 century AD) are so incomprehensible, and at places so contradictory, that it is impossible to discern a single comprehensible theory. However, there is a consensus among scholars that ancient Indian music began with the religious life of the Aryans, who chanted verses (ashlokas and mantras) from the Sama Veda, which the Hindus believe to be the source of all music. Religious music in the form of chanting mantras, called Dhurpad, was the monopoly of high-caste Brahmins, who performed their religious rituals in the temples and refused to allow low-caste Hindus or Muslims to enter the temple and listen to religious music, believing this to be an act of blasphemy. Radical change Since the music sacred to Brahmins was kept secret, Muslims and low-caste Hindus created folk music which was different from the temple music. This music evolved some extra notes in comparison with shuddha, or pure music practices. These folk melodies caught the fancy of Muslim Sufis, who learned local languages, dialects, and melodies to communicate their teachings more effectively. They composed their mystic songs using local tunes and local diction. Since these Sufis were already schooled in Persian and Arabian music, a new fusion arose, and new forms of music evolved. Over a period of almost eight hundred years, the emerging forms were classified on the basis of their qualitative differences in tonality and assumed names which are still familiar today: Tarana, Kheyal, Thumri, Dadra, Qawwali and Ghazal. Hazrat Amir Khusrao is credited with starting to reclassify these melodies according to the Persian muqqam system. Later, this work was continued by Sultan Hussain Sharqi of Jaunpur. Muslim musicians were the torchbearers of high-quality creative music and often received generous patronage at the courts of both Muslim rulers and Hindu Rajas. During the reign of Sultan Muhammad Bin Toughlak (1325-1351 AD), music was patronized on a grand scale. The Sultan is reported to have kept 1,200 musicians in his service. Others renowned for their patronage of music were Ibrahim Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur (1401-1440) and Sultan Zainul Abedin of Kashmir (1416-1467 AD). The glory of music reached its zenith during the Mughal reign of Akbar, Jehangir, Shahjehan, and their successors. Mian Tansen, Baz Bahadur, Meera Bai, and many other famous musicians of Akbar's period made their mark on history. The unhindered flowering of music in Muslim India, and the involvement of a large number of Muslims in the evolution of music, culminated in the emergence of several gharanas (schools or families) of music which are still in existence. | | Evolution Of Gharanas A gharana is a school of thought in subcontinental classical music. The emergence of the gharana system has its roots in the ustad-shagird (teacher-student) relationship which is the hallmark of this musical tradition, shaping the personality and character of future generations of musician and ensuring continuity of the musical tradition. The main feature of this highly personalized system is that an accomplished musician takes on the responsibility of training one student at a time. This person is often a son or daughter, or a very close relative. The teacher imparts musical knowledge and assists in the culturing of the disciple's voice with meticulous care and unwavering patience. This long process of talim (training) goes on for many years until the teacher is completely satisfied. There are nine authentic gharanas acknowledged in the world of music. They are: Dehli, Agra, Kirana, Gwalior, Patiala, Talwandi, Qawwal Bachon Ka, Kapoor Thala, and Sham Chorasi. These gharanas evolved during the period of Muslim rule in India, when most of the court musicians were followers of the Islamic faith. These gharanas continued to flourish even under the patronage of Hindu princes, producing musicians of such great fame and calibre as Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan (Kirana), Fateh Ali Khan and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (Patiala), Amir Khan (Indore), and Fayyaz Khan (Agra). Each gharana has its own way of presenting a raga, called gharana gaiki (the family style of singing). Different ways of voice production also separate one gharana from another. | | CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSICAL MUSIC In the 16th century, Mian Tansen, an outstanding and vital figure in music, discovered that there were nearly 4,000 ragas. He analyzed each and every one and discarded those which were spurious or repetitious creations, thus reducing the number of melodies to some 400. Scholars generally agree that it was Tansen who perfected the Indo-Muslim style of singing which later became known as dhurpad. The scientific classification of classical music comprises a number of thaths (scales), under which fall the various ragas or tunes. Different styles of singing prevail in different parts of the subcontinent: the South Indian style, the Maharashtrian style, the Patiala style, and others. In Pakistan today, the Patiala style is the most prevalent. During the Mughal period, a great deal of Persian and Arabian music was incorporated into the subcontinent's classical music system, improving the quality of Indian music. Today, the favorite ragas in Indian subcontinent are the ones invented by Muslims, such as Darbari, Mian Ki Malhar, and Mian Ki Todi. These ragas express the mood of different times of the day and different seasons, and are thus sung at specific times. For example, Bahar is sung in the spring, while Malhar is sung during the monsoon season. | CLASSICAL MUSIC GENRES | Kheyal The kheyal style of singing, which has reigned supreme in the domain of classical music in the subcontinent since the 18th century, is the most important form of musical composition. Deeply steeped in Muslim traditions, it took almost 500 years for this genre to reach its pinnacle of success and glory. It grew side by side with dhurpad, but ultimately eclipsed it. Like several other musical genres (qawwali, kafi, ghazal), kheyal is unquestionably a Muslim innovation which has completely revolutionized the music of this part of the world. Hazrat Amir Khusrao's reclassification of subcontinental ragas according to the Persian muqqam system served as the natural womb out of which kheyal was born. Sultan Hussain (1451-1500), the king of Jaunpur, made invaluable contributions to its nourishment, Sultan Hussain's study of music was deep. Like a professional singer, he underwent rigorous training for many years. He made his mark in the world of music, composing several new ragas and earning recognition as one of the pioneers of the kheyal form of musical expression. However, it is generally agreed that this supreme expression of Muslim musical genius reached its acme during the period of Muhammad Shah Rangeela (1719-1748). Credit for perfecting the style goes to Naimat Khan Sadarang, the court musician of Muhammad Shah Rangeela. Kheyal literally means fancy or imagination, to visualize a thing in respect of its structural and emotional aspects. This form of music is so named because it is inherently imaginative in its subject matter, interpretation, and treatment. The musical composition of kheyal is full of grace. Simple, straight notes are rarely used; some form of modulation enters into every melodic phrase. This style of singing predominates in Pakistan, northern India, and Bangladesh. Some vocalists in Afghanistan have also adopted it. There are several schools (gharanas) of kheyal exponents which are known for their distinct styles of singing, aesthetic approach, and methods of voice production. Prominent among them are Patiala, Talwandi, Gwalior, Delhi, Agra, Kirana and Jaipur. Some of the greatest kheyal singers of the 20th century have been Abdul Karim Khan (Kirana), Amir Khan (Indore), and Bari Ghulam Ali Khan (Patiala). | | Dhurpad Music has always occupied a very high place in Hindu worship. All forms of classical music were used as adjuncts in the performance of religious rites. Raja Maan Singh Tomaar of Gwalior (1486-1526), with the help of his court musicians, took upon himself the task of establishing some order in the jungle of music. He changed the style of devotional music by injecting it with such mundane subjects as human love. Until then, only spiritual topics had been addressed. This new style became known as dhurpad. Of all the styles of singing, dhurpad is considered the most manly, arduous, and effective in communicating deep emotions and pathos. Like any other genre of music, dhurpad has strengths and weaknesses. Its strongest feature is the strict adherence of its exponents to the two basic principles of rhythmic advance and progression by determinate degrees. The constant aim of the performer is to create the maximum possible effect with a few simple, clean notes unaccompanied by any flourishes, shakes, or similar touches of grace. Its main weakness, however, is the monotonous repetition of notes and strict avoidance of the use of ornamentation. The past 800 years have produced great dhurpad singers who were honoured and rewarded lavishly by the royal courts. The legendary Mian Tansen was one of the most popular exponents of this genre. However, this style of singing is swiftly vanishing from the musical ethos. | CLASSICAL SINGERS | Amanat Ali Khan Although two decades have passed since his demise, the captivating melodies of classical vocalist Ustad Amanat Ali Khan are still fresh and fragrant. His recordings are appreciated by listeners of all ages. Amanat Ali was tutored under the keen eye of his father, Ustad Akhtar Ali Khan, a noted musician of the Patiala gharana. Amanat Ali was a master of three musical forms: the raga, the thumri, and the ghazal. Classical music was at its peak when Amanat Ali and his younger brother, Fateh Ali, began their career. Amanat Ali was immediately noticed for his remarkable talent. He created a unique and innovative style of performing music which helped those not initiated in this art to understand and appreciate traditional music. He simplified the structures of ragas, sang thumris more softly and smoothly than any of his contemporaries, and innovated a novel style of ghazal singing during the last days of his life. His death proved to be an irreplaceable loss to the music of the subcontinent. In recognition of his remarkable services, the Pride of Performance Award was conferred upon him in 1969. | | Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who established himself as a master vocalist and exponent of the Patiala gharana, began his career as a sarangi player. He was a man of unparalleled and inimitable virtuosity. Born in Kasur, he was initiated into instrumental music by his father, Ustad Ali Bakhsh Khan. He played the sarangi for fifteen years before he started singing. During his youth, he spent some time with another competent musician, his uncle, Ustad Kaley Khan. The family moved to Lahore, where young Ghulam Ali lived with his elders in Haveli Mian. He had already established his melodic credentials and made his presence felt in the musical world of the Punjab. Like other musicians of that period, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan also took part in theatrical activities. His younger brothers, Barkat Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan, also earned fame. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was at ease with almost all forms of vocal music; khayal, tarana, thumri, dadra, and kafi. His close associates remember that he also sang Punjabi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Purabi, Bengali, and even Nepali folk songs with much gusto. After independence he left Bombay and settled down in Karachi. Unfortunately, he was alienated by the "supercilious attitude" of the head of Karachi radio station at a social gathering in Lahore. He returned to India in 1950, where he was warmly welcomed and eventually honored with the highest award given to an individual for artistic excellence. Unquestionably one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of contemporary practitioners of classical singing, Bade Ghu
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#1 15 Jan 2007 22:40
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gumshuda
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Re: Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Paki
Socio-political History of Modern Pop Music in Pakistan
Nadeem F. Paracha
December 13, 2004 | |
| | | | A Chronology | | | 60’s and 70’s: Humble, filmi beginnings
1966
Arman, starring Waheed Murad, is released. It is the first Pakistani film to address the romantic escapades and sociology of a changing Pakistani urban youth culture. Boasts of what can also be called the first ever modern Pakistani pop song, “Cococoreena...” Sung by Ahmed Rushdi and composed by Sohail Rana, it’s a dynamic blend of ‘60s bubblegum pop, early ‘60s twist music and Pakistani filmi music. It also gives birth to the “filmi-pop” genre.
1967-68-69
Left-wing student parties supporting Z A. Bhutto’s Socialist Pakistan Peoples Party start countrywide movement against Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s ten-year dictatorship. Many are shot and injured in clashes with police. Ayub resigns and hands over power to General Yahya Khan. Christian bands specializing in jazz start to spring up in night clubs and hotel lobbies. Waheed Murad’s “chocolate hero” looks become a fad with young urban youth.
1970
Ahmed Rushdie scores another big “filmi-pop” hit with “Uran Khatola” (from Waheed Murad thriller, Agent 008).
Runa Laila becomes Ahmed Rushdi’s female “filmi-pop” counterpart and achieves pop stardom with two bouncy “filmi-pop” hits: The quasi-hippie anthem, “L.O.V.E”, and the teasing “Shakira Ke Maan Kya Boli?”
Z. A Bhutto’s PPP wins election by a landslide in West Pakistan.
The charismatic Zia Mohiuddin makes psychedelic attire popular among middle-class youth while conducting his famous PTV stage show, The Zia Mohiuddin Show.
1971
Runa Laila, a Bengali, chooses to leave the country for the recently created Bangladesh (former East Pakistan), after a bloody Civil War and Indo-Pak armed conflict. Rushdi however, continues to rule supreme as the country’s premier pop act.
1973-74
Christian bands playing (American & British) pop covers become popular in Karachi’s bustling night club scene, hotels and as hired guns at private dance parties.
A left-wing nationalist movement takes the shape of guerilla warfare in the mountains of Balochistan between Marxist Balochi nationalists and the Pakistan Army. Many leftist (non-Balochi) middle-class young men also join the guerillas in the mountains. The nationalists are eventually crushed by brute force by the Pakistan Army.
Long hair becomes a widespread fashion among young men. Hashish becomes popular drug of choice on campuses across Pakistan.
Groups of European and American hippies start to throng cities like Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.
1975
Naheed Akther becomes an overnight sensation with a string of unabashed “filmi-pop” ditties, especially the naughty (and queerly titled), “Tu-teru-teru-tara-tara”. She scores one massive hit after another becoming a much bigger star than Runa ever was.
Ahmed Rushdie hits a peak with the delightfully intoxicated “filmi-pop” ditty, “Dil Koh Jalana Ham Nay Chor Deeya.”
1976
Another new “filmi-pop” talent finally emerges from the sidelines in the shape of the mercurial Alamgir. He soon replaces Ahmed Rushdi as the country’s leading “filmi-pop” act with hits like the Robin Ghosh composed “Mujay Dil Sey” (from the blockbuster Aaina), and the classic self-composed “filmi-disco” chestnut, “Daikha Natha” (from teen romance Bobby & Julie).
An alliance of various anti-Bhutto politico-religious parties starts a violent movement against the Bhutto regime. They accuse Bhutto of rigging the 1976 elections. Bhutto fails to control the rioting and announces fresh provincial elections.
1977-78
In June 1977, Bhutto’s Military Cheif, Genral Zia-ul-Haq,(backed by the Jamat-e-Islami), topples Bhutto in a coup d`état and declares Martial Law. He denounces the Bhutto regime’s “un-Islamic” ways and announces to enforce “Nizam-e-Mustapha” (Quranic law).
The film industry takes a beating due to the Zia regime’s new censor policies. This also starts the end of the “swinging ‘70s” in Pakistan, as night clubs and alcohol are banned and TV and cinema clamped down with new restrictions.
Many popular Christian bands playing the nightclub circuit lose their jobs; some form new bands and seek employment as hotel lobby bands. Alcoholism becomes a major problem for these laid off musicians.
1979
The Pakistani cinema produces its last few “filmi-pop” hurrahs with Alamgir scoring a number of hits along with Naheed Akhter, especially in Nahi Abi Nahi , even though the new Jamat-e-Islami led Information Ministry disallow songs like “Dil Koh Jilana”, “Daikha Natha” and “Tu-teru-teru-tara-tara” from being aired by PTV.
Pointed “disco shoes” (among young men), and the Ferrah Fawcett Major’s hair-cut (among young women), become a fad.
Z A. Bhutto hanged by military regime after controversial murder trial.
A young chemistry major, Altaf Hussain, forms All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) at the Karachi University (KU).
Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) activists fire at a the leftist National Students Federation (NSF) rally at KU. This is the first time a student group uses an AK-47 on a Pakistani campus.
The Eighties: (Non-filmi) Pop music arrives
1980
Alamgir consolidates his leading pop status. He is followed into the scene by a young Mohammad Ali Shaiki who strikes it big with his very first album, Ali In Action (1980). He adds a twist of ‘70s Indian film music and vocal technique to Pakistani “filmi-pop.”
Alamgir wannabe, Thaseen Javed enters the scene and becomes a moderately successful mainstay of the decade’s pop scene, while Khalid Waheed tries to become the heavy sounding Tom Jones of Pakistani pop. Not very successfully, though.
Nazia & Zoheb Hassan release debut album, Disco Deewane. Perfecting and upgrading the late ‘70s “filmi-disco” of Alamgir’s “Daikha na Tha”, the duo becomes a massive hit.
Baggy shirts and trousers and gelled hair become popular among young men. Young women discard the famous ‘70’s short kurtas for long ones.
Future actor and painter, Jamal Shah heads a Sufi-ist art and music movement at Lahore’s famous National College Of Arts (NCA).
1981
An alliance of various (outlawed) anti-Zia parties (led by the PPP), called the Movement For The Restoration of Democracy (MRD), start staging widespread anti-Zia rallies across Pakistan.
Left-wing student parties defeat the Zia-backed politico-religious student groups in Karachi’s student union elections in many colleges and universities. Alarmed by the results, Zia bans student elections and parties (except the Jamat-e-Islami’s student wing, the IJT).
Alamgir unwittingly invents “Sufi-pop” by performing (bare footed!) an energetic pop version (on PTV) of popular Punjabi folk song, “Jugni.”
Many disillusioned (and harassed) leftist students travel across the NWFP and into Afghanistan to join Murtaza Bhutto’s Al-Zulfikar Organization (AZO), based there under the protection of Kabul’s post-78 Soviet-backed Communist regime. One of them is a Peoples Student Federation leader (and Shaiki fan), Sallamullah Tipu. He along-with three other PSF workers hijack a PIA plane and force it to land in Kabul. Working under the instructions of AZO chief, they negotiate the release of many leftist student activists languishing and tortured in Zia’s jails. The episode results in the death of a passenger onboard.
The American CIA, the Pakistani ISI and many pro-Zia politico-religious parties start recruiting thousands of young men for the anti-Soviet “jihad” in Afghanistan.
A major clash between the progressive student alliance the United Students Federation (USF) and Islami Jamiat Tulaba at KU claims to life of one USM activist.
Mohammad Ali Shaiki scores a hit with one of the firs popized national songs, “Main Bhi Pakistan Hoon.” Alamgir follows it up with a hit of his own, “Khiyaal Rakhna.” He then scores another hit with the the jazzy, “Khay Dey Na.”
1982
Nazia & Zoheb Hassan release second album, Boom, Boom. It becomes yet another N&Z biggie, further fine tuning the “filmi-disco” they explored and upgraded on their debut release.
In a surprise move, Radio Pakistan, Karachi, starts playing recordings of BBC’s Top 40 radio show in its afternoon and evening English service. However, later in the year, the government asks the state-owned radio station to stop playing the recordings.
Zia holds and “wins” a farcical referendum, declares himself as President and forms a “Majlis-e-Shoora” (Parliament) of henpecked loyalists.
1983
Naheed Akhter suddenly announces her retirement, citing domestic problems.
Three young Christian teens calling themselves the Benjamin Sisters score a series of hits by popish reworking of old Noorjehan songs. They also release an album of original music. Their 15 minutes of fame are short but entertaining.
Ahmed Rushdie dies of a heart attack, aged 36.
Nazia & Zoheb release Young Tarang. The album attracts the attention of the Zia regime (but for all the wrong reasons). The duo is banned from performing on state television and sales of their album halted after Zia’s culture ministry and the moral lobbies allied with the Zia dictatorship accuse the duo of spreading “obscenity” among the youth of Pakistan. Of course, remaining true to its hypocritical character, the dictatorship and its moral allies say little about the havoc being created in the society with the rapid spread of heroin, guns, corruption and sectarian strife that remain to be the hallmarks of the Zia era. After several pleas by Nazia & Zoheb, the government finally lifts the ban on their music.
MRD’s anti-Zia movement turns into a violent struggle (in interior Sindh) with young PSF workers, AZO operatives and many disenchanted left-wing youth groups taking up arms against the Army. Many young Sindhis are killed, jailed and tortured, while those who survive the slaughter run into Dadu’s thick forests and become “dacoits.”
The traditional Bhit Shah festival (in Hala), now becomes a regular meeting ground for angry anti-Zia youth, Sindhi nationalists and popular Sindhi protest music.
Armed PSF youth clash with Police in Karachi’s biggest slum area, Lyari. The clashes and police reprisals queerly set the stage for the beginnings of Lyari’s “Balochi-disco” scene!
Salamullah Tipu excuted by Afghan authorities in Kabul (on AZO’s request). He had fallen out with the megalomaniac AZO leader, Murtaza Bhutto.
The VCR becomes a common mainstay in many homes. Video rental shops come out into the open.
Advertising agencies witness a boom
With the clampdown on “traditional” brothel areas, “private” prostitutes start operating in hotels and through “boutiques” in major cities’ posh areas.
A “parallel economy” fueled by the rampant heroin trade and the pouring in of American money (as aid for Afghan mujahideen), starts to take shape. Many generals and government officials also involved in heroin trade.
Heroin addiction among youth rises dramatically.
Weekly Times magazine puts NWFP governor; Fazal-e-Haq in its list of the world’s ten richest generals. The said issue is at once banned by the Zia government.
1984
Madam Noorjehan’s regenerated career as a siren-like crooner of sleazy (but catchy) Punjabi film songs hits a peak with, “Ludi Hey Jamalo Pao” and “Gorayaan Noon Paraan.” Both are from action actor Sultan Rahi flicks, who himself becomes a major Punjaby film icon.
A young guitar prodigy, Aamir Zaki, forms the country’s first “underground” rock band, Scratch.
The band becomes a regular favorite at college functions and private parties playing innovative covers of Eric Clapton, Santana and Pink Floyd songs. The band starts to gather a small but loyal cult following in Karachi. It adds a female lead singer and achieves a high point while playing a rock version of the Go Go’s “Walk Like An Egyptian” in a concert performed at Karachi’s Govt. Commerce College.
Many of Karachi and Lahore’s “mid-level” restaurants start becoming favorite dating spots for young couples. They also become favorite and safe places for those wanting to have alcohol without being arrested. The police are paid huge bribes by the restaurant owners to keep away.
‘Pindi college students, Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hussan and Lahore’s engineering student Junaid Jamshed form separate pop bands in their respective colleges.
Cult guitar hero, Ritchie, aged 24, and member of a Christian pop outfit, and famous for pulling Jimi Hendrix like guitar stunts), commits suicide in Karachi after getting entangled in a vicious love triangle. He is also a former tutor of guitar prodigy, Aamir Zaki, who is heartbroken.
1985
Zia regime holds party less polls that are boycotted by the PPP-led, MRD. Zia loyalists and pro-Zia politico-religious groups win most seats. Mohammad Khan Junejo is elected Prime Minister.
Zia encourages his parliamentarians to form Pakistan Muslim League (PML. The “opposition” in the Assembly call themselves, PML (Forward Block).
Mohammad Ali Shaiki reaches a peak with the recording and release of a proto-Sufi-Rock song, “Humma, Humma”, with legendary Sindhi folk singer, Alan Fakir. An entertaining video of the song (directed by Saira Kazmi), propels the song into becoming the year’s biggest local pop chestnut. Shaiki becomes a star attraction, right there alongside Alamgir and Nazia & Zoheb Hassan.
Alamgir becomes the scene’s highest paid live performer, followed by Shaiki and Thaseen Javed.
The Karachi eveninger, Star, under a young editor (former leftist student activist and LSE student), Imran Aslam, becomes a front ranking anti-Zia newspaper. It soon becomes the biggest selling English eveninger in Pakistan.
Aamir Zaki through his band, Scratch, gains solid cult reputation as young guitar wizard.
Nazia & Zoheb release fourth album, Hot Line. It’s another hit for the galloping disco duo. They are then approached by a Bollywood director to allow him to use some of their biggest hits for a forthcoming Kumar Gaurav and Tina Munim starrer, Star. The film, however, flops at the box office.
Altaf Hussain forms the Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM). Its student wing, the APMSO starts making in-roads in Karachi’s colleges and universities.
The PSF/NSF-led USM gets involved in a week-long armed stand off with the police outside the KU student hostel. USM activists are joined by Pukhtoon and Baloch nationalist student groups, but the cops finally manage to break the deadly stalemate and arrest a number of students.
A talented and hyper active pubescent, Ali Azmat, entertaining family and friends by performing dances and songs at gatherings.
Saint Patricks Govt. College in Karachi becomes a celebrated place for bohemian leftist student activity - its notorious open hash smoking sprees, a canteen where gambling and beer are a common happening and where Led Zeppelin songs play alongside Punjabi film songs. Its canteen is however raided by plain clothes policemen. The students respond by rioting. But the party is as good as over.
IJT’s special moral brigade at Punjab University and KU, the Thunder Squad, openly harass “liberal” students.
1986
Riots between MQM supporters and Karachi based Pukhtoons erupt in Karachi. Hundreds die in the long drawn clashes.
Benazir Bhutto returns (from exile in England), and lands in Lahore. She is greeted by millions of PPP supporters. Some of them clash with police while burning Zia’s effigies and the American flag. Four die due to police firing.
Aamir Zaki disbands Scratch. Becomes a session player with pop icons like Alamgir and Khalid Waheed. Also makes regular appearances with hotel lobby bands.
Young teens Rohail Hayyat, Shazad Hassan, Junaid Jamshed and Nusrat Ahmed meet and decide to form a band. They call themselves the Vital Signs.
1987
PTV producer Shoaib Mansoor unravels a video and song of a catchy national song “Dil, Dil Pakistan” by the Vital Signs. The song catches on and becomes a surprise hit with a new generation of young, urban Pakistani youth. Times, they are a changing.
A young Adnan Sami Khan scores an impressive performance on PTV, playing instrumentals on an ultra modern synthesizer.
Zia dismisses the Junejo government on charges of corruption.
1988
The country is shaken out of an eleven year dictatorship when on August 17
Zia’s plane explodes in mid air, brutally killing the president. A change in the politics and sociology of the country comes sweeping in.
Young men and women pour out onto the streets and roads of Karachi & Lahore celebrating the return of democracy and the end of a repressive dictatorship.
Songs most heard during these huge, widespread celebrations are the Signs’ “Dil, Dil Pakistan”, Shaiki’s “Humma, Humma”, and a funky Sindhi song, “Balay Bhutto-Benazir”, set to a pounding “Balochi-Disco” tune and sung by Shazia Khuskh, a “disco queen” from Lyari, one of Karachi’s biggest slum areas.
Elections are announced in which Ziaists are soundly defeated by the once outlawed Pakistan Peoples Party.
The Jupiters formed. Start out by playing at marriages. Aamir Saleem starts building a loyal following by playing regularly at marriages and related functions.
Nazia Hassan joins UN as its cultural ambassador.
1989
In January, PTV airs its first ever pop show, Music ‘89. Though a one-off, this Shoaib Mansoor directed program is relished by the youth of the country who watch veteran pop stars like Nazia & Zoheb Hassan rivaled by some stunning performances by a string of new pop acts led by the Vital Signs. The show becomes a trailblazer, setting the paradigm for most pop shows in the coming years. It severely bothers many right-wing lobbies and politico-religious parties. But this doesn’t stop PTV from airing similar shows, featuring new talents like Vital Signs, Ali Haider, Sajad Ali, Jupiters, Live Wires and three of the country’s first ever “underground rock” acts, Final Cut, The Barbarians and Midnight Madness.
The Barbarians and Final Cut also become the first Pakistani acts to perform (on PTV!) a song each with overt political lyrics (about campus violence).
Pakistan’s biggest recording label, EMI-Pakistan signs on the Vital Signs who become the label’s second biggest pop acts after Nazia & Zoheb. The band set camp at guitarist Salman Ahmed’s residence in Karachi and compose the bulk of the songs which will end up on their debut album.
The lyrics are written by Shoaib Mansoor. The songs are then recorded at EMI’s studios and first tested as the sound track of a Shoaib Mansoor directed play also featuring the Signs (as actors).
This PTV play is a success, and soon VS:1 is released. It’s an immediate hit and at once sets the tone of Pakistani pop music as we know it today. The album’s massive sales and the sell-out concerts by the Signs are subtly announcing something else as well: The decline and fading of former pop big-wigs like Nazia & Zoheb, Alamgir, Shaki, Thaseen Javed and Khalid Waheed.
The (Ali Azmat led) Jupiters also score a major hit with their debut album, Yaroon Yeh Hi Dosti Hai, and the Live Wires make it big with Nai Umangain Hassan Jahangir scores a hit with “Hawah, Hawa"
The Nineties: Pop Explosion
1990
Strings release their first album (Vol:1), followed by Ali Haider’s unsung debut, Chahat.
Though successful, no other post-’88 New Wave act come close to matching the sales and aesthetic quality of VS:1. All of them, however, have one thing in common (apart from being new): They all sing about that feeling of hope and euphoria which swept across the youth after the end of the Zia dictatorship, and about the heartbreaks of a repressed/oppressed society, though the political context of these feelings are kept at a bare minimum.
Later in the year, Pepsi Co. approaches VS for a sponsorship deal. A lucrative deal is signed.
Violent clashes take place between PSF and APMSO supporters across Karachi’s many colleges. Many are killed and injured.
Strings release successful debut album.
Bloody clashes also take place at Punjab University between PSF and PML’s student wing, Muslim Students Federation (MSF).
1991
Pakistan’s first (semi)-private TV channel, NTM, launched.
VS guitarist Salman Ahmed is ousted by bandleader, Rohail Hayat (due to a leadership tussle and “musical differences”). Salman retaliates by plucking Ali Azmat from the Jupiters and bringing in original VS guitarist/keyboardist, Nusrat Ahmed to form Junoon.
VS add little known Islamabad guitarist, Rizwan-ul-Haq and enter Rohail’s studios (in Rawalpindi) to record their second album.
Junoon become another EMI act and enter the label’s studios in Karachi to record their debut album.
By mid-1990 the initial euphoria and hope of a better (Zia-less) future evaporates as the country enters a new round of political intrigues, corruption and ethnic violence. The sad disillusionment clearly engulfs almost each and every song on the Signs’ second album, the brilliant VS:2. It’s an album which is a departure from VS:1’s rosy imagery and sound. It takes off from where the first album’s last two songs left, the melancholic “Musafir” and the Autumn-like, “Yeh Shaam.”
VS:2 scores big and is studded with some of the most beautiful and atmospheric compositions ever recorded in the local pop scene, including also what is perhaps the Signs’ most overt political song, the thumping “Aisa Na Ho.” But the setting of what is a brilliant sounding album is disturbed when the band record a Pepsi jingle and are asked by their sponsors to put it on the the album. The jingle is, however, (and thankfully!), pulled out from the album’s CD version.
Junoon’s first album stumbles out like an awkward and angst-ridden pop-rock bubble that bursts the moment it reaches the market. It is a spectacular failure, even though it does have its moments like “Jogia” and “Neend”.
Nazia & Zoheb release Camera, Camera which struggles to maintain the kind of sales the duo’s preceding albums had set. Its comparative failure forces the duo to call it a day. Mohammad Ali Shaiki makes a dramatic attempt to stage a comeback by recording a live session at NTM and pulling tricks by covering songs such as the nauseating “Final Countdown” by ‘80s poser-rock act, Europe. The “concert” is aired by the private network and is a flop!
Boy-band Awaz formed and right away bag a Pepsi contract. They add former Barbarians guitarist, Asad Ahmed to the line up.
A “constitutional coup” topples the scandal-ridden Benazir Bhutto/PPP government, setting the stage for the electoral victory of the Islami Jamhoori Ithihad (IJI), a nine-party alliance of Zia loyalists and conservative political parties. PML’s Mian Nawaz Sharif is elected as the country’s new PM.
Aamir Zaki forms underground neo-jazz-fusion outfit Just In Case.
Aamir Saleem releases successful debut album, Musafir.
1992
Ali Haider releases second album, Qarar. It’s a big hit and elevates Haider’s status as the scene’s Premiere solo “filmi-pop” star.
Milestones formed.
Live Wires second album flops. They soon disband.
Aamir Saleem scores another hit with second album, Hamsafer.
Jupiters fail to revive early success. Experiment with various vocalists, including one Najam Shiraz.
The IJI government enforces the wearing of the dupatta by all women performers on PTV. The rather ridiculous law is soon revoked after protests by PTV producers and actresses.
“Operation Clean-Up” (by Army) starts against MQM militants and Sindhi nationalists. Many killed and arrested.
Brain O’Connell joins Junoon as bassist. Nusrat Hussain quits. So does short-time Junoon keyboardist, (and former Barbarians’ man), Nadeem Jaffery.
1993
Spaghetti TV producer, Ghazanfer Ali unleashes weekly Music Channel Charts (MCC) on NTM, featuring a young and unknown rapper, Fakher-e-Alam as the show’s host. Alam’s spontaneous and hip kid style VJ-ing coupled with a host of videos from a number of new pop acts soon turn MCC into one of NTM’s most watched programs. Brand new acts like Fringe Benefits, Collage, Nadeem Jaffery, Jazba, Seaquencers, Saleem Javed, Najam Shiraz, and Yatagaan become overnight hits with the show’s compilation albums selling in big numbers. These acts form the Second Wave of post-’88 Pakistani pop and drown out First Wave acts like Jupiters, Live Wires, Bunny and Night Creatures.
Hassan Jahangir scores big with the controversial, “Shaadi Na Kerna.” Final Cut disbands.
Hard rocking underground band Fuel 2 Fire formed.
Aamir Zaki dissolves Just In Case. Becomes a sessions man again.
The Second Wave is further strengthened by the release of The Strings’ second album, Vol:2, Junoon’s rip-roaring Talaash and debut albums by Awaz, Fakher-e-Alam/Yatagaan and Milestones. The Strings’ second album raises the band’s status and they also become the first Pakistani pop acts to appear on MTV (with an understated video for the album’s charismatic opener, “Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar.” Awaz taste instant success with their debut album, even though they sound no more or better than a goody-two-shoes, second-hand version of the Vital Signs. Their desi allusions to ‘80s bubblegum acts like Wham and New Kids On The Block are enough for Pepsi to extend their contract.
Fakher-e-Alam too scores a hit with a dynamic debut release with its title track, “Bhangra Pao”, pioneering the bhangra-rap genre in Pakistan. Alam’s success as rapper and VJ soon lands him a fruitful Pepsi deal.
Meanwhile during all this excitement and commotion, VS quietly enter Rohail’s studios in ‘Pindi and start recording their third album. A few months later they release Aitebaar, which soon outsells its predecessor, VS:2. On Aitebaar the Signs return to the upbeat mood of their first album. After performing a number of concerts, they head out with director Shoaib Mansoor to film Geetar ‘93 , a Pepsi-financed venture featuring videos (shot all across Pakistan) of various VS hits.
The talented Milestones too release their debut album, Jadu. Though an impressive collection of laid-back and jazzy pop-rock, the album unfortunately fails to compete with the cannibalizing commercialism and corporate muscle of Awaz, whose debut album chews up whatever retail space left by VS, Strings and Yatagaan.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government is dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan on chrages of corruption.
Benazir is re-elected in fresh elections. Junoon releases Talaash.
Junoon’s live jams and Talaash help the band steadily gather a sizable cult following as it introduces the mainstream scene to Zeppelinsque riffs, sweaty stage antics and angry-young-man lyrics juxtaposed with rapid bhangra-rock freak-outs.
Sajjad Ali releases his first “filmi-pop” album, Babiya ‘93, and strikes gold.
Rana Shaikh appointed PTV MD and starts liberalizing the state-owned network.
PPP Interior Minister, Nasserullah Babar continues “Operation Clean-Up.” After numerous violent and fatal clashes between MQM/APMSO militants and the police, the government is successful in breaking the back of MQM’s notorious militant network. Hundereds of young Mohajir men lose their lives in the clashes.
1994
Ali Haider releases his third album, Sandesa. It becomes Haider’s biggest selling album to date. His song, the delightful college-canteen anthem, “Purani Jeans”, helps Haider to become the land’s biggest solo pop artist and the pin-up boy of young petty-bourgeoisie teens. He takes the limelight away in this respect from First Waver Aamir Saleem who is unable to match the success of his first two albums.
All the hype and bite of MCC acts is all but forgotten. Only Fakher-e-Alam manages to survive and that too due to his Pepsi contract which keeps him afloat in spite the stunning failure of his second album.
Strings break up and decide to call it a day.
Rohail Hyatt fires second VS guitarist, Rizwan-ul-Haq. Hires guitar virtuoso and cult attraction, Aamir Zaki, as the band’s third six-stringer. However, in a surprise move Rohail then suddenly announces his own departure from the Signs. The Signs tour the States without Rohail. On return lead singer Junaid Jamshed and Pepsi persuade Rohail to rejoin the band and which he does. The band finally enter Rohail’s studios (in Karachi) to record their fourth album. In the meantime they release a Greatest Hits compilation.
Drummer Fawad Abbasi quits Junoon and is replaced by veteran sticks-man, Malcolm.
Awaz release their second album, Jadu Ka Chiragh. It’s a more mature attempt than the sophomoric first album, but does not fare well commercially. The band adds former Signs guitarist Rizwan-ul-Haq on bass! The band remains afloat with a string of some energetic live performances and Pepsi’s backing.
Milestones release second album which also goes unnoticed. They finally call it quits after playing a massive concert in Karachi also featuring Awaz and the Signs. The opening act of the concert is Arsh, a talented pop-rock act led by shy guitarist, Adnan ‘Vai’ Afaq.
Arsh record debut album Saraab, which suffers at the market due to bad production and flawed marketing. The band soon splits and lead singer Shahzad Mughal goes solo.
A buzzing (anti-corporate-pop) underground rock scene starts to take shape in Lahore and Karachi.
Pepsi launches weekly Pepsi Top Of The Pops (PTOTP) on NTM. The show is hosted by Fakher-e-Alam.
Junoon now has one of the staunchest cult following which keeps the angry-young-band going by regularly attending their concerts all over Pakistan.
Junoon become the scene’s finest and most exciting live act.
The second (post-88 local pop) wave recedes with the disbanding of promising acts like Milestones, Jazba, Fringe Benefits and the Sequencers.
The News launches the country’s first exclusive pop music & culture page, Vibes.
Fuel 2 Fire disbands.
1995
Rohail Hyatt and guitarist Aamir Zaki clash during the recording of the Signs’ fourth album. The band leaves for a UK tour after recording three songs for the new album. The two clash again in a continuing battle of egos and musical preferences and ultimately Zaki is asked to leave.
VS rent Asad Ahmed from Awaz to play on the rest of the new album. The album, Hum Tum is released to critical and commercial acclaim. It’s a production masterpiece on which Rohail perfects the moody Floydian sound and production he first attempted on 1991’s VS:2. Melancholic compositions, dark lyrics and somber vocals on Hum Tum are a far cry from Aitebaar’s upbeat tone.
The brewing new rock underground scene in Lahore and Karachi erupts. Brand new acts like The Trip, Mind Riot, Hash Addiction, Coven and Elixir (from Lahore), and Overdrive, Annonymous, Atish Raj and Brain Masala take cues from cult favorites Junoon and Aamir Zaki, and start conducting various DIY concerts. They prefer the unkempt grunge look, encourage hashish freak outs at concerts, bad mouth mainstream corporate pop acts (from VS, to Awaz, to Ali Haider), and pour out in a blend made up of Nirvana and Pearl Jam’s grunge, Led-Zeppelin and Black Sabbath riffs and a snarling bad-boy attitude in their music. They are loved by a new generation of rock fans and condemned by VS vocalist, Junaid Jamshed (who calls the new underground scene “demonic” and full of “druggies”). He soon gets into a battle of words with Vibes, denouncing it for promoting “drug music.”
MCC graduate, Shahzad Roy releases debut album.
PTOTP (still hosted by Fakher-e-Alam), invites many Lahore and Karachi’s underground acts. Much of the Program is edited, especially the parts in which these musicians openly start to abuse and attack Pepsi.
Aamir Zaki releases his long-awaited solo album, Signature. Comprising mostly of instrumentals revolving around neo-jazz-fusion and classic rock, Zaki however, scores a surprise hit with a crisp FM-pop ditty, “Meyra Pyaar”. The album helps Zaki to reach a wider mainstream audience, even though his singing is nowhere close to his abilities as a guitarist and composer. Though impressed by the album’s professional antics, most critics and listeners find it to be rather cold.
Junoon start writing and composing material for third album.
Awaz release third album, Shola. Though losing out its Pepsi contract, Awaz stage an impressive creative and commercial comeback, this time allowing their Wham/NKOTB-influenced boy-band bubblegum pop antics to give way to some solid FM-Pop and dance-pop. They then go on a high profile tour of the UK with the Signs.
A group of eccentric NCA students calling themselves Dr. Aur Billa start their own pop show on NTM, simply called VJ. Initially hosted by an up-n-coming pop crooner, Hadiqa Kiani, it is anything but simple. Actors/writers/musicians/directors/etc. like Faisal Qurashi, Ahmed Ibrahim, Ahsan Rahim and Jawad Bashir flaunt convention and ruthlessly parody matter like mainstream pop stardom, the Pakistani film industry and corporate pop. They start building a solid cult following with their madcap antics. Dr. Aur Billa score two cult hits, the perverse anti-video video, “No Love” and the tongue-in-cheek anti-establishment, “Jeenay Do.”
Najam Shiraz releases fiery pop debut album and scores big hits with anti-greed ditty, “Un say nain mila kay daikho”, the angst-ridden “Sona chahta hoon” and pop version of an old Socialist poem, “Yeh Mooamla Kutch Aur Hai.”
Hadiqa Kiani releases successful debut album, Raaz.
A major concert by leading Lahore underground bands is held at Alhamra Amphitheatre. Not a single multinational sponsor is approached. It’s all DIY.
Mind Riot, The Anonymous, Atish Raj and The Trip record limited addition debut albums. They are distributed manually and mostly for free! They are all sumptuously relished in Lahore and Karachi’s underground circuit.
Elixir also record album, but fail to release it.
Sajjad Ali releases second album, the eclectic Chief Saab. It’s an instant hit and a massive seller. Sajjad Ali turns down many sponsorship offers.
1996
VJ sprints past PTOTP to become country’s favorite pop show (now hosted by Faisal Qureshi).
Ali Haider tastes first flop with lukewarm fourth album.
Junoon release third album, Inquilaab. Packed with raving Sufi-Rock chestnuts like “Saeein”, standard Junoon bhangra-rockers like “Mahi”, existentialist atmospherics like “Rooh Ki Hai Pyass” and raging chants of a (spiritual) revolution,“Main Kon Hoon” (the last two songs written by young Marxist journalist, Shahzad Amjad (of The News), the album is a critical success. However, when the band includes the funky (though cash-in) national song, “Jazba Junoon”, the album starts selling big; enough to push the hard working band out of its staunch cult confines and onto the mainstream scene.
Soon they are approached by Coke for a full fledged sponsorship deal. Salman however decides to only sell the cola giant, “Jazba Junoon” video for a whooping Rs. 1.2 million!
Rohail Hyatt forms the state-of-the-art production house Pyramid with shrewd Advertising “guru” Tahir Khan.
Former Strings member, Bilal Maqsood also joins the production company as producer and video and commercial director.
Awaz enter the studios to record fourth album. But this time around (and after failing to regain Pepsi’s interest), the trio squabbles more than either sing or play.
Junaid Jamshed starts work on first solo album.
The once energetic and idealistically charged underground rock scene starts to burn out.
Many Islamic jihad groups and militant sectarian parties emerge, mostly funded by various intelligence agencies.
Junoon play a massive concert at Karachi’s Hockey Club Stadium, and then a free concert at Karachi’s Nishter Park, the city’s traditional hub for political rallies.
Playboy cricketer turned politician Imran Khan joins hands with former ISI chief, Hamid Gul (a right-wing Ziaist), to lobby against Benazir’s “corrupt” and “secular” government. Salman Ahmed and Junaid Jamshed also join the “lobby” as enthusiastic crusaders.
Junoon releases anti-Benazir song, “Ehtesaab.”
Murtaza Bhutto shot dead in a shoot out with police.
The second Benazir government is dismissed by President Laghari.
1997
PML(N) sweeps fresh elections. Nawaz Sharif returns as PM.
Junoon releases the mega selling Sufi-Rock cracker, Azaadi. Get’s trouble with government after they become a major success in India. Of course, Salman’s association with Imran Khan didn’t help either. Junoon attack the political system of the country in intelligently masked songs on Azaadi. “Sayoni” and the Zeppelinseque “Yar Bina” become huge hits.
MTV-Asia hosts a large concert in Karachi. Junoon, Aamir Zaki and the great Nusrat Fateh Ali are the star attractions. The concert is a logistic fiasco, though.
Militant jihadi organizations and sectarian parties now operating openly. They go on recruiting disenchanted poverty stricken and lower middle class youth.
Crime rate in Karachi and Lahore reach an all time high.
Government bans pop shows and longhaired male pop musicians from PTV.
President Laghari forced to resign and is replaced by Raiwind regular, Tarar.
Junaid Jamshed releases first second solo album, Uss Raha Par. It’s a commercial and aesthetic success.
Najam Shiraz releases second album, Roopnagar, an angry take on the hypocrisies of society.
By now most country campuses totally depoliticalised. But student organizations like PSF, APMSO, IJT and Pakhtun Students Federation keep some presence and influence.
Benazir goes into self-exile.
EMI-Pakistan folded. CISUM, Sonic, Sadaf and LIPS become main labels.
Asad Ahmed quits Awaz. Forms Karavan with Najam Shiraz, bassist Sameer (ex-Arsh), and vetern drummer, Allen Smith (ex-Milestones & Fuel 2 Fire. They record excellent (but underrated) debut album.
Trip’s lead vocalist shot dead.
Abrar Ahmed releases successful first album, Billo De Ghar. It sells like hot cakes. Its title track is attacked by various moral lobbies for glorifying romance between “normal” young man and a prostitute. The song gets banned by PTV.
1998
A disintegrating Awaz tries to regenerate itself and enters the studios again. But vocalist, Haroon and synth-player/composer, Fakhir start bickering all over again.
Asad Ahmed returns to Karavan. Awaz disbands.
Najam quits Karvan. Starts work on new solo album. Karvan bring in Tanseer Dar.
Ali Haider visits England. He immediately discovers the wonders (and pleasures), of the British techno and rave scene.
Junoon start preparing material for new album. They are still sponsored by Coke, but so far haven’t allowed the Cola giants to put a logo on their album covers or capitulate under their sponsors’ pressure to sing a jingle.
The raw, angry underground act soon dissolves. So do Karachi’s Anonymous, Brain Masala and Overdrive. Lahore’s Mind Riot follow suit as do Islamabad’s Elixir. The mid-‘90s anti-mainstream/corporate-pop scene now as good as over.
Nawaz Sherif government gets in vicious battle of wits and ego with the judiciary and the print media.
Hadiqa releases second album, Roshni. It’s a dynamic and eclectic mix of techo-pop, FM-Pop and Folk-Pop. It soon turns her into the local scene’s new pop diva after Nazia Hassan.
VJ returns. Hosted by Faisal Qureshi and Ahmed Ibrahim, and full of its anti-heroic madcap antics, it also introduces a fresh new batch of musicians, such as Jawad Ahmed (ex-Jupiters/Wet Metal), Sharik Roomie, etc.
Rohail Hyatt, still CEO of Pyramid, declines offer from Pepsi to record another VS album. This also “officially” marks the disbanding of the Vital Signs.
With VS and Awaz gone, and Fakher-e-Alam’s albums failing miserably, Pepsi tries to counter the Junoon-Coke partnership by signing a fresh contract with Junaid Jamshed.
Najam Shiraz releases a devastatingly bad bhangra album. It falls flat at the market.
Junoon now one of the local scene’s biggest acts, and a major force in India as well.
Border tension between India and Pakistan mounts. An all out war expected.
Sajjad Ali hits jackpot again with third album.
1999
Ali Haider now makes frequent trips to London. His last two albums have flopped and he keeps visiting rave clubs for inspiration.
Many young Pakistanis now involved in the Kashmir insurgency. Mostly trained in Northen areas of Pakistan and the Taliban controlled Afghanistan.
Pakistani and Indian troops fight a mini-war in Kargil, Kashmir.
Jawad Ahmed releases debut album, the intense Sufi-Pop chestnut, Bol Tujay Kya Chahiye?
Dr. Aur Billa finally release an album, the tongue-in-cheek, Greatest Hits. It parodies established pop formulas and themes and is a surprising hit.
Aamir Zaki starts recording new album, but soon abandons the project.
Abrar scores another bhangra-pop hit with second album. Accepts a sponsorship deal with Embassy Cigarettes.
The megalomaniac Nawaz Sharif government is toppled in a coup. General Musharraf takes over as Chief Executive. Throws the ex-PM in jail on charges of treason and mass corruption. Many Nawaz loyalists suddenly switch sides.
Junoon release their last great Sufi-Rock hurrah, the brilliant Parvaaz. However, signs of tension between long-time drummer, Malcolm and Salman now apparent.
Ali Haider and Hadiqa sign lucrative sponsorship deal with Lipton Tea.
The new millennium: Commercialism takes over...
2000
Juniad Jamshed joins Tableeghi Jamat. Starts making frequent trips to Raiwind.
Contemplates to quit music for religious reasons. Says he’s now a reborn Muslim. Starts recording new album.
Najam Shiraz bags a lucrative sponsorship deal with Tapal tea.
Ali Haider enters studio to record comeback album.
Former Awaz man, Haroon starts recording first solo album.
Western consumerist mindset and corporate capitalism now take firm root in urban Pakistan (and India). And ironically, so does respective Islamic and Hindu fanaticism.
A battle of words starts between former Awaz men, Haroon and Fakhir.
Strings reform.
2001
Haroon releases debut album, Haroon Ke Awaz. It’s a critical success.
Abrar scores another hit with Main Gadee Aaap Chalawaan Ga.
Jawad Ahmed finally tastes commercial success with second album, Uchiyaan Majajaan Wali. Leaves behind his Sufi-Pop pretensions to pose for a possible sponsorship deal.
Najam Shiraz scores a hit with Jaisey Chaho Jiyo. Also turns title track into a Tapal jingle. Then follows JJ’s footsteps to become born again Muslim.
Strings hit it big with impressive comeback album, Duur. They are at once signed up by Pepsi.
Fakhr-e-Alam finally scores a hit (after three flops) with The Falam Connection. By now he is no more a Pepsi act, but signs up with Instaphone and Head & Shoulders.
Junoon releases the disappointing, Ishq. Malcom quits the band. Tension between Salman and lead singer, Ali Azmat now no more a secret.
Ali Haider releases breakthrough and colorful techno-pop album, Jadu. It is critically acclaimed but a commercial dud.
9/11 terrorist attacks take place in New York. The world will never be the same again.
Gen. Musharraf starts exorcising Islamists from intelligence agencies.
2002
Fuzon formed. Releases remarkable debut album, Aankhon Kay Sagar. It soon becomes a big seller and a critical hit.
Fakhir releases debut album. It’s a commercial hit but sounds like an expansively produced early Awaz album! Signs a sponsorship deal with Head & Shoulders Shampoo.
After staging comeback concerts in Karachi and Dubai, Vital Signs plan to release new album. Decide to get back Rizwan-ul-Haq as guitarist.
Genreral Mussharaf wins controversial referendum. Becomes President. Promises “jihad” against fanaticism and corruption. Later, “Kings party” PML(Q) win most seats in fresh elections. Zafarullah Jamali becomes new PM. The Islamist alliance, the MMA win and form provincial governments in NWFP and Balochistan. It unleashes various reactionary and myopic policies.
Mid-90s teen guitar prodigy, Ali Noor, forms Noori. Releases successful debut album.
A new rock underground starts to take shape.
2003
The new underground scene however is different in context compared to the UG scene of late-80s/early-90s and that of mid-90s. It is less political in its lyrical approach and not as vocal (or pissed!) about corporate sponsorship as the mid-90s acts. The new scene led by EP also include, Aaroh ,Abbas Ali Khan Ajnabi Faraz Anwar Garaj Goonjh Jarar Malik Hum Do Im-Stein Lahu Mizmaar Murzie Naqsh Salman Anwar Shahzad Haroon Shary R Streben Y2K, Mekaal Hassan, Surge, Paranoid, Corduroy, etc.
Pakistan’s first ever music channel launched, Indus Music.
Pakistan now has three FM radio stations, all pop.
Junoon releases Deewar. Not only does it get some much deserved media bashing, but also on it the band goes totally corporate!
Ali Azmat prepares to record solo album.
VS reunion album abandoned. Rohail begins work on debut album, Junaid yet again quits music and Shahzad Hassan starts successful career as producer.
Aamir Zaki records album with Hadiqa but does not release it.
Abrar bags big contract with Coke.
Jawad signs deal with Supreme.
EP release intense “nu-metal” chestnut, Irtiqa. Gets rave reviews but struggles to compete in the market.
2004
Ali Zafar becomes new boy-pop wonder with entertaining debut album.
Guitar vituoso, Mekaal Hassan, releases eclectic fusion chestnut, Samporaan.
Fuzon stuns fans by signing modeling contract with Mayfair. Appears in a horrendous TV commercial of the chewing gum brand!
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#2 15 Jan 2007 22:44
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gumshuda
Joined: December 2006
Posts: 143
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Re: Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Paki
Pakistani pop musicFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPakistani pop music was born on the day when four young, clean-cut, jeans-clad boys ventured on to Pakistani television screens with their guitars and a catchy patriotic song in 1986. Result? Instant uproar in cheers and celebration in the country. It was something completely new in a society struggling to come to terms with the censorship imposed by a repressive military dictatorship and the narrow, ideologically defined limits of state culture. The four young boys, their music and their behaviour smacked of Western influences and they represented a youth culture heretofore denied any representation on the staid state channel. While the young hailed them as a breath of fresh air in a stultifying environment, to the older defenders of public morality the four boys represented all that was wrong with the youth of the day: "illiterate of their own culture, interested in slavishly aping the West, and wasting their time in frivolous pursuits rather than becoming respected citizens of society." Little did either side suspect at the time that the Vital Signs, which these boys fancifully called themselves, and their song, "Dil Dil Pakistan", would signal the start of the music revolution in Pakistan. The Vital Signs and their music represented a watershed in Pakistani pop music. Suddenly, after being gradually split along ethnic and rural-urban lines during the early ’80s, Pakistani commercial music had become divided along generational lines as well. What the youth of the country listened to, danced to and liked now was very different from what their parents’ generation could appreciate. And this was a divide that would only grow with time. Since that fateful day in 1986, the pop music sector has grown into a full-fledged industry catering mainly to the youth of the country, evidence of the profitability of which can be gauged from the multinational money pumped into corporate sponsorships for it. And while the industry has now grown enough to allow for niche-targeted music, the dinosaur-ish Vital Signs are still accepted as the fathers of modern Pakistani pop music. But were the Vital Signs really the pioneers of pop music in Pakistan? Certainly not, if one accepts that the definition of "pop" is a fluid one and changes over time. At least for the generations that grew up in the ’50s and ’60s, film music was the most influential popular music there was. The 1966 Ahmed Rushdie-sung, Sohail Rana-composed "Ko Ko Korina" can easily lay claim to be the first real Pakistani pop song by any definition of the term. No wonder then that the image of a charismatic Waheed Murad shaking and lip-synching to this famous number remains deeply evocative of the swinging sixties to this day. Defining "pop" music as non-filmi music will, thus, always be highly problematic. But even if one were to separate (unfairly, it must be stressed) pop music from film music, the Vital Signs could still scarcely claim the honour of being pioneers. In fact, the real pioneers of non-filmi pop music in Pakistan were the "underground Anglo" bands of the ’60s. Modelled on the musical style of English performers such as Cliff Richards and his band The Shadows, Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck, mostly Christian bands such as the Karachi-based Keytones and Ivan’s Aces and the Dhaka-based The Iolites were all the rage on stage in hotels across the country. Ivan’s Aces, for example, got feet moving at the Hotel Metropole and the Horseshoe Restaurant and Bar. This was the time when the theme song from the American film "Come September" stayed at the number one slot on the Capstan Hit Parade for a record 30 straight weeks, and when Radio Pakistan’s English show deejay Edward Carrapiet ruled the airwaves. The only thing that can be said against considering these hotel and dance-hall bands as the true pioneers of pop music in Pakistan is that they sang mostly covers of English songs and did not ever release their own music, if they wrote any. But then this is a quibbling matter and it must be remembered that this was the pre-cassette age, a reality that made releasing one’s own music financially prohibitive for most artistes. Even if one accepts this argument, however, there is no way that the Vital Signs could wrest the title of pop pioneers from the next generation of performers that achieved widespread acclaim throughout the country, courtesy the advent of television: Runa Laila and Alamgir. Runa Laila had recorded many film songs as a playback singer beginning in the late ’60s, but she really shot to fame in the early ’70s on the "Zia Moheyuddin Show". Appearing in a tight-fitting shirt and bell-bottomed trousers with her sister Dina Laila to sing "Shakira Ki Maan Yeh Boli", she was probably Pakistani television’s first pop star. Since her appearance on PTV, the raucous number "Hoye, Hoye, Hoye, Dil Dharke", originally recorded for the film "Anjuman", was never identified with anyone else. Her instant celebrity also meant that she easily procured recording contracts and was able to release her own albums on LPs complete with psychedelic sleeves. Pakistan’s first male pop star was easily Alamgir who arrived in West Pakistan, like Runa Laila, from Dhaka. Alamgir’s first big hit, the rebelliously upbeat "Dekha Na Tha (Kabhi Hum Ne Yeh Sama)", remains the song he is still most identified with, though later songs such as "Yeh Shaam Aur Tera Naam" and "Mein Ne Tumhare Gagar Se Kabhi Pani" continued to add to his oeuvre. There is no denying Alamgir’s contribution to the evolution of the pop music genre in Pakistan, even if he did later succumb to some political correctness by mauling the lyrics of "Dekha Na Tha" (the subversive word "nasha" became the milder "jadoo") in culturally more repressive times. Alamgir, it must be said, laid the groundwork that countless others used to break into the music industry. He not only sang well, he was a performer in the true sense of the word, dancing, shaking his trademark tambourine and emoting for television audiences. Later on, he would also introduce instruments such as the acoustic guitar and keyboards on camera in his television performances. The ’70s were as much a period of cultural and intellectual ferment as they were of political excitement. This was the period when the svelte Iranian singer Khanum Gogosh could be seen dancing her way through Persian numbers on Pakistan Television and folk musicians such as Alan Faqir, Pathana Khan and the Sabri brothers were being introduced to the national audience for the first time. Pop singers such as Shyhaki followed in the trail blazed by Runa Laila and Alamgir, even though he started on PTV with the traditional ghazal genre with Iftikhar Arif’s "Tum Se Bichhar Kar Zinda Hain". Among the talent that emerged at the time, he was the most successful in translating the recognition he received from television appearances into a lucrative stage career. At the same time, Naheed Akhtar emerged as a powerful new pop female voice, even though she limited her exposure to film and television and never really became a stage performer in the true "pop" sense. Nevertheless, her funky film songs such as "Tut Turu Turu Tara Tara", "Zuzu Zuzu Mera Mehboob Hai Tu" and "Yeh Aaj Mujh Ko Kya Hua (Lara Lara Lara)" became huge popular hits and defined the sound of the ’70s for many people. The imposition of General Zia’s martial law in 1977 coincided with many other social developments which together changed the face of music in Pakistan. For one, the mid-to late-’70s saw the demise of Urdu cinema in Pakistan and the rise of the more earthy Punjabi cinema. This was coupled with the strict code of censorship imposed by the martial law regime to drive middle-class viewers away from film houses. Television, thus started playing a more important role in urban areas and new musical talent became more inclined to put itself on display in that medium. Consequently, the quality of film music also declined. At the same time, audio cassettes became increasingly widespread and recording equipment became relatively cheaper, allowing small studios to flood the market with new talent. This was the era that saw the rise of such folk-pop heroes as the Seraiki-singing Attaullah Eesakhelvi whose entire popularity in the early to mid-’80s was based on the dispersion of his cheap audio cassettes which were popular in particular with long-haul truck and bus drivers. The popular discontent with the military dictatorship had engendered a political movement against it, which was most visible in Sindh. It was only natural, then, that music reflected this dissent and the early ’80s also saw the rise of political pop in Sindh, whose lyrics explicitly dealt with issues of freedom and repression. In addition, the state’s attempt to impose a unitary culture, in the shape of religious ideology, actually resulted in a backlash in the form of a further assertion of ethnic and spiritual identities. Sindhi Sufi and Seraiki folk music, in particular, became extremely popular and saw the rise of master musicians such as Alan Faqir, Pathana Khan, Sohrab Faqir and Abida Parveen. Such was the popularity of this music that even the state-controlled PTV channel had to nod its head to it. The most visible display of this acknowledgement was the Alan Faqir-Shyhaki duet "Humma Humma" recorded and broadcast by PTV in 1984. Folk musicians would continue to have a major impact on more mainstream pop music well into the future. Meanwhile, the high watermark on the less political, youth music scene, came in 1980 when an unknown young girl called Nazia Hasan crossed the taboo Pakistan-India border to sing one husky number in an Indian film called "Qurbani". "Aap Jaisa Koi" became a youth anthem in both India and Pakistan. In 1981, Nazia and her brother Zoheb teamed up with "Aap Jaisa Koi’s" Indian composer, Biddu, to release "Disco Deewane" which quickly became the biggest selling pop album till then in Pakistan. Nothing in the music scenario in Pakistan at that point could be said to have spawned the Hasan duo’s music, and it owed much more to the disco-fever sweeping London where the brother and sister had spent their teenage years. But that was perhaps why its freshness was lapped up by an audience who had become familiar with Western acts such as Abba, the Bee Gees, Boney-M and Tina Charles through pirated cassettes and the radio’s daily 1:00 p.m. English language show. Nazia and Zoheb Hasan’s success also marked a turning point in pop history, since it was the first time that a pop act had become famous before appearing on television. Usually, artistes had taken the opposite route, using the platform of television to launch their recording careers. Their appearance on TV was also marked by protests from the usual quarters, some of whom even went as far as to suggest that a brother and sister singing and dancing together was suggestive of immorality. PTV did end up shooting Nazia only from the waist-up, in order to keep her moving feet out of public consumption, but in the charged atmosphere, in which anything that went against state-imposed morality quickly became a cause celebre, this did nothing to dent the duo’s popularity. Dubbed the Donnie and Marie Osmond of Pakistan, the Hasan siblings released one more album, "Boom Boom", in 1984. This second collaboration with Biddu, the undisputed king of Indian filmi disco music, was also a huge success. But it would be a full eight years before the Hasans would come out with another (and much more mediocre) album. Like most well-to-do youngsters, the Hasans looked upon their music only as a part-time hobby and Nazia announced soon after "Boom Boom" that she would be devoting her time to more serious pursuits. Her brother Zoheb attempted to carry on and even released a solo album later, but did not meet with much success. Without Nazia’s spice, Pakistani listeners were obviously not interested. Meanwhile, PTV kept up its efforts to recruit new talent but most of the results were mediocre. The two acts that stood out because of their potential in this time of scarcity were the three Benjamin Sisters, two of whom shot to fame as backing vocalists for Alamgir’s August 14 national song "Khyaal Rakhna", and Sajjad Ali. After a stint of re-recording old favourites for television, however, the Benjamin Sisters faded away, though the eldest, Shabana did re-appear many years later as an English rapping vixen in a Saleem Javed video. Sajjad Ali, for his part, came from a classical gharana and tried unsuccessfully to launch himself as a semi-classical singer for a long time. He only tasted fame much later when he recast himself as a grittier pop singer. It was into such a backdrop that the Vital Signs arrived on the scene. And as can be seen from the discussion that has gone before, their rocketing to fame was as much a product of the stagnant social environment they found themselves in, as their talent. They may have helped lay the foundations of the pop music industry as it now exists, but pioneers of pop they certainly were not. If one were to make comparisons, they were the white Beach Boys who, coming after the black Little Richards and Chuck Berrys, suddenly made music a relatively acceptable career option for the offspring of the well-heeled. The history of pop music since the first Vital Signs album in 1989, which included gems like "Yeh Shaam" and the funky, if controversial, "Goray Rang Ka Zamana" is much better documented and includes names that are still very much in the limelight. From the well-known rockers Junoon to teeny boppers Awaz, vocally strong Ali Haider, the now-defunct Strings and female-vocalist Candi-led Milestones to the lesser known glam-rockish Arsh, variable Sequencers, the all-female Symphony and ballad-driven sops Bunny and Aamir Saleem, more names and musical styles make up the pop tapestry in the last decade than the 20 years preceding 1989. Every year has seen its own defining sound, whether it was the 1989 Jupiters hit "Yaaron Yehi Dosti Hai", Hassan Jehangir’s "Hawa Hawa" in 1990, "Sanwali Saloni" by Vital Signs in 1991, "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" in 1992 by the Strings, Sajjad Ali’s "Didi" ripoff "Babia" in 1993, Najam Shiraz’s "In Se Nain" in 1995, Junoon’s "Saeein" in 1996 or Awaz’s "Mr. Fraudiye" in 1997. This is only to be expected in a growing industry. But there are a number of critical events during the last 10 years that have, at various times, impacted strongly on pop’s evolution. The first of these came in 1989 when, newly democratised Pakistani society and Pakistan Television celebrated by organising PTV’s first ever pop music concert. With all the top bands, including the Vital Signs and Lahore-based, Ali Azmat-fronted Jupiters, in attendance, "Music ’89", as the programme was titled, became a runaway success with the youth of the country. The backlash generated among the conservative elements of society over the images of young girls swaying to music played mostly by virile young boys, however, almost brought down the one-year old elected government. It also drew the battle lines between the liberal and conservative sections of society, an epic war that continues periodically and is rekindled to this day. The recent attacks on Junoon’s post-modernist rendition of Allama Iqbal’s poetry in "Khudi" are very much part of the same chain of events. The second critical point in pop’s evolution came with the airing of the first music videos on PTV in 1992. Although, Sajjad Ali was probably the first artiste to produce a professional looking video for his song "Babia", the first to be aired on television were under the banner of the programme "Rhythm Wythm", which was a private production sponsored by a multinational tobacco company. Once again taking advantage of a liberalisation in PTV’s policies, these low-budget but well-conceived and executed 60-odd videos were such a hit with young audiences that many clone programmes followed. At the height of the pop-chart programme mania, just before the government clamped a ban on all pop music on TV last year, there were at least half a dozen such programmes running weekly on both the local channels. The advantage of these video programmes was that they opened the door to even more musical output from new faces who often utilised them to release singles, something that the cassette market did not cater to. The astounding, but one-off, success of Abrar’s "Billo De Ghar" in 1996 owes much to this phenomenon. The third important event in the evolution of the pop music industry was the advent of corporate sponsorship of bands and artistes, an element that many viewed as detrimental to music as an art-form even if it alleviated the living conditions of the artistes themselves. With lucrative endorsement deals dished out to acts such as the Vital Signs, Junoon, Awaz and Ali Haider, the tendency for new acts to make music only to wrangle a quick sponsorship increased manifold, unfortunately to the detriment of the music. The issue of bands compromising artistic integrity in order not to upset their corporate masters was also often raised. The Vital Signs and Awaz were among the groups accused of making music for their contracts rather than from their hearts. The fourth, and much more heartening, development was the natural expansion of the pop music market into distinct niches. Over time, non-mainstream acts such as Junoon (until their Cricket World Cup hit "Jazba-e-Junoon" catapulted them to centre-stage in 1996) became able to claim to have a sizeable cult following despite not being bubble-gum pop bands. This allowed for greater innovation in musical styles and a fair amount of experimentation. One such experiment was the controversial, but excellent, number "Main Sona Chahta Hoon" by Najam Shiraz which played with blues chords and classical ragas in a powerful, angry little song. Another was the whacky, subversively satiric take on pop music itself dished out by the National College of Arts band, Dr. Aur Billa. Perhaps the biggest unexpected success of an experimental song, however, was Sajjad Ali’s street-wise 1995 hit "Chief Saab". Full of Karachi slang and tough imagery, "Chief Saab", perhaps more than anything else, signified the coming of age of pop music. It showed that one did not necessarily have to remain within pre-determined saccharine-sweet boundaries to be popular, and that people liked hearing of issues other than puppy love. Partly, as a result of this expansion of the pop market, established musicians from non-pop genres such as qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan were also drawn towards experimenting within it. The pop band that most successfully seized upon this idea was, of course, Junoon, which used its success with the haunting "Saeein" to recast itself as a completely different sort of band. Here we saw pop again intersecting with folk and vice versa. In 1994, FM radio brought about another mini-revolution in Pakistani music. From Landhi in Karachi to Krishan Nagar in Lahore, names like female vocalist Hadiqa Kiyani and young Shehzad Roy suddenly became household names. Even iconoclastic recluse virtuosos like guitarist Amir Zaki (whose almost purely instrumental album "Signature" did well in the market) were receiving the kind of airplay the big bands of the ’80s could only have dreamed of. The difference between 1987 and 1998 is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to classify ‘pop’ as one kind of music: there is often little in common between the Vital Signs and Junoon, between Sajjad Ali and Abrar, and between Nazia and Hadiqa. And unlike in the past, there is enough talent bubbling to the surface that if an act does not constantly reinvent itself and innovate, it will be left behind in the dustbin of history. Like Pakistan, pop music can never be the same.
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#3 15 Jan 2007 22:48
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gumshuda
Joined: December 2006
Posts: 143
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Re: Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Paki
EMail This Post Published by Adil Najam January 3rd, 2007 in Video, People, Music and >> Adil Najam. 4594 Hits Adil Najam   At various points and during various discussions on ATP readers have debated just when ‘pop music’ arrived in Pakistan. Some have suggested Vital Signs as the beginning, others have argued that the first step was from Nazia and Zohaib Hassan, and yet others take it further back to Alamgir and Mohammad Ali Shehki. Each, of course, was an icon of their time and shaped the music that was to follow them.
For me, however, the birth of ‘popular pop’ came with Ahmad Rushdi; especially when he teamed up with Waheed Murad. We have argued here that Waheed Murad might have been the very first ‘heart throb’ hero of Pakistan. Let me now suggest that Ahmad Rushdie defined ‘kool’ as much as Waheed Murad and that Ahmad Rushdie was the first real Pop Superstar of Pakistan. More than that Co Co Corina - or is it Ko Ko Korina - is the definitive and defining Pakistani Pop song. Not only was it the first superhit pop song but it remains an icon for its generation and for Pakistani pop music in general. I guess it should be clear by now that I really like this song. Take a look and listen; and hear and see why.
For watching this video pls click at the source of the article below Waheed Murad, as you can see, is in his ‘Elvis Presley of Pakistan’ mode here. For another glimpse of that mood see the video in our previous post on Waheed Murad. By way of a parting note, I should add that even though I have expressed my own bias against what I have called the ‘hilna jullna’ style of singing I am not only not averse to but am actually partial to a good ‘performance’, as long as the singing is not compromised by the ‘hilna julna’. This video is not just nostalgic but also meets that test of fun performance combined with good singing. source of article
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#4 15 Jan 2007 23:02
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gumshuda
Joined: December 2006
Posts: 143
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Re: Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Paki
| | |  One fine morning in 1954, people were listening to a song from radio Pakistan Karachi`s station: The message of the song was unique, the voice was clear and forceful and the lyrics were: `Bunder road say keamari`.
Little did the listeners realize that the boy who was singing then, was going to become the part and parcel of the golden era of the Pakistani film industry for the next twenty nine years, and in the transaction he would leave two thousand assorted songs.
In fact, he wanted to become an actor but ended up as a singer.
Ahmed Rushdi was born in 1938 in a middle class, respectable family in Hyderabad Deccan, India. He migrated to Pakistan soon after independence.
Ahmed Rushdi first appeared in Radio Pakistan`s `Bacchon ki duniya` in the early 1950`s.
The first step in his professional career was a song for Karachi`s film `Karnama` in 1954. He familiarized the public in Karachi with his attractive voice for many years.
In 1959, he was invited to Lahore and a few songs were recorded for film `Raaz`. One of the songs `Chalak rahi hain mustiyan` a duet with Zubeida Khanum became very popular.
Whatever the secret (Raaz) was, it did open the doors of the Lahore film industry for Rushdi.
After this came the film `Saperan`, in which his memorable song, `Chand sa mukhra, gora badan` (Nigar award) ranked him amongst the three great singers of those times.
In 1960, actor Kamal`s film `Jokar` was released and a song by Rushdi `Shauq-e-awargi`, Aaj is sheher mein` was an instant success.
Then came the film `Mehtab` in 1961 and it brought `Goal guppay wala` (Nigar award). Essentially, Rushdi`s goal guppa reached almost each and every home in Pakistan.
In fact, 1964 proved to be a milestone in Rushdi`s career. What happened was that an extremely sad song had to be recorded for the movie `Aanchal`. Since Saleem Raza was the last word in tragic songs, the music director Khalil Ahmed was expected to go ahead with the assignment.
However, Khalil had selected Rushdi. The producer and the director could not afford to take any chances in the realm of the song, therefore, they insisted on Saleem Raza.
Khalil, in turn, argued that he knew better, whose voice was conducive for his particular music.
To cut the long story short, Khalil was given the green signal to go ahead.
The future of two persons were at stake: Khalil`s as well as Rushdi`s, for, if the song had not clicked, then both of them would have lost their credibility.
Khalil, on his part, left no stone unturned regarding the composition of the song. As for Rushdi, he picked every fiber of pathos and pain his head and heart could muster, which he eloquently blended in Khalil`s music.
Result: `Kisi chaman mein raho tum`-to this day, this song is relegated amongst the three greatest super hits of Rushdi`s twenty nine year singing career.
The 1960`s were the decade of challenges for Rushdi, since apart from Saleem Raza, he was in direct competition with highly talented singers like Mehdi Hasan (who is now considered as one of the greatest playback, ghazal singer of all time), S.B. John, Mujeeb Alam, Masood Rana, Bashir Ahmed and the list goes on and on.
However, with his God-gifted, well- balanced, romantic-tragic renditions, he faced all challenges with courage and patience. Almost all music directors in general and Sohail Rana in particular reaped Rushdi`s enormous talents for various situations in movies.
Rushdi had that amazing quality which made him feel quite snug in a variety of audiences: Here is a man, who is going to bring cheers for millions with `Mil gaye hum ko pyar ki ye manzil` (Ik Nagina) and tears with `Jab pyar mein (Armaan).
All film experts are unanimous that Rushdi`s voice was best suited for the great Waheed Murad. In fact, Rushdi`s songs had a tremendous impact on the success of those movies.
I personally feel that no write-up of Rushdi`s art will ever be considered comprehensive without `Aye abr-e-karam` (Naseeb apna apna). His romantic voice which mixed with the rainy, stormy midnight and the ease with which he sang on top of the thunder storm and lightning shows the true caliber of Rushdi.
`Abr-e-karam` brings in my mind the sincere suggestion of Dr.Noor-ul-ain Aqeel, an avid admirer of Rushdi, who asserts that the word `dar` is the theme of this song.
The 1970s brought new faces like Alamgir, Mohammed Ali Sheyki, Asad Amanat, Ghulam Abbas, A.Nayyar etc. Thanks to Rushdi`s flexibility, he survived.
The 1980s happened to be a period of tragedy for Rushdi. He had not been feeling well. The tide had turned against him. Intelligent enough, he soon realized that the time was running out for him.
Hence, at the first flickering of ill-health and before the final fretful moments, he wanted to fulfill his ardent desire, which was to present his farewell distinctive gift to his myriad of lovers: The greatest favor an artist can do for society.
He unleashed all his faculties and came out in flying colors with `Aanay walo suno` (not recorded for film). His last recorded song was a duet with Mehnaz for `Badalti rahein`.
He had suffered two heart attacks which left him very weak. Doctors had advised him to abstain from singing.
On the night of April 11, 1983, he suffered a third heart attack which took his life. He was 45.
The journey which Rushdi had started from Mehdi Zaheer`s `Bunder Road` in 1954 had ended at Azar Hafiz`s `Aanay walo suno` in 1983.
The wistful voice of Rushdi, which had mesmerized millions for two generations was silenced forever.
Ahmed Rushdi is gone. As for his memory, it is like a blowing wind, that will touch and shake the strings of our hearts keeping us awake for years to come.
| | | Footnote: In fact, he wanted to become an actor but ended up as a singer. His videos an this one too His audios |
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#5 15 Jan 2007 23:08
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 sur
Joined: November 2006
Posts: 10619
Location: Virginia
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Re: Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Paki
Adil Najam At various points and during various discussions on ATP readers have debated just when ‘pop music’ arrived in Pakistan. Some have suggested Vital Signs as the beginning, others have argued that the first step was from Nazia and Zohaib Hassan, and yet others take it further back to Alamgir and Mohammad Ali Shehki. Each, of course, was an icon of their time and shaped the music that was to follow them. For me, however, the birth of ‘popular pop’ came with Ahmad Rushdi; especially when he teamed up with Waheed Murad. We have argued here that Waheed Murad might have been the very first ‘heart throb’ hero of Pakistan. Let me now suggest that Ahmad Rushdie defined ‘kool’ as much as Waheed Murad and that Ahmad Rushdie was the first real Pop Superstar of Pakistan. More than that Co Co Corina - or is it Ko Ko Korina - is the definitive and defining Pakistani Pop song. Not only was it the first superhit pop song but it remains an icon for its generation and for Pakistani pop music in general. I guess it should be clear by now that I really like this song. Take a look and listen; and hear and see why.
For watching this video pls click at the source of the article below
By way of a parting note, I should add that even though I have expressed my own bias against what I have called the ‘hilna jullna’ style of singing I am not only not averse to but am actually partial to a good ‘performance’, as long as the singing is not compromised by the ‘hilna julna’. This video is not just nostalgic but also meets that test of fun performance combined with good singing. source of article
Bhaizan I do remember that show. Thank you so much for opening a wonderful thread.An all time hit song picturised on probably the most famous pakistani film actor, Waheed Murad. Its a glimpse of the days when the Pakistani film industry was at par with its Indian couterpart. Originally sung by Ahmed Rushdi, it has been re-done by a number of artists. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4MgYaBIvU0&eurl=
____________ "I am a dreamer,I collect all the smiles from My yesterday,
Neatly pack them into words and hide them in my heart,
I call them "MEMORIES" Music has no boundary.
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#6 15 Jan 2007 23:24
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sur
Joined: November 2006
Posts: 10619
Location: Virginia
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Re: Pakistani Music And The History Of The Pop Music In Paki
Pakistan's new star:
Waheed Murad
The soft melodramatic Arman, released on March 18, is the first Pakistani movie to complete 75 weeks (platinum jubilee). It stars Waheed Murad (who also writes and produces), Zeba, Nirala, Rozina, Zahoor Ahmad, Bibbo and Tarranum, has music by Sohail Rana, lyrics by Masroor Anwar and directed by Pervez Malik. The songs have become extremely popular among the youth and already the 28-year old hero, Waheed Murad, is a new style icon, perhaps the greatest the country has discovered so far. His distinctive hairstyle has become the most popular fashion with young males while the news in the town is that a Waheed Murad photograph is not an unlikely thing to be found in a college girl’s purse! ____________ "I am a dreamer,I collect all the smiles from My yesterday,
Neatly pack them into words and hide them in my heart,
I call them "MEMORIES" Music has no boundary.
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#7 15 Jan 2007 23:29
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