Men and Women – Simply Red

One of the few LPs that ws gifted to me way back in the late 80s by friends visiting India who knew my ardent love for LP records.

Baiju Bawra – Naushad / Shakeel Badayuni

Classical music of the Indian sub - continent is based on the melodic structures called Ragas. Each Raga has its own personality and symbolizes aspects like time, season and mood. Raga Yaman for example, is an evening melody and Raga Malhar represents the famous Indian monsoons.

Is This the Life We Really Want – Roger Waters (Double LP)

He is 73, his voice is weak, his anger is strong and his music is back to the quintessential Floydian era. Roger Waters has a new Double LP, an expansive and brilliant narrative for our dystopian times.

Electric Warrior – T-Rex

1971 was the year of musical cusp in Britain. The Beatles were gone with the 60s, Jimi Hendrix was dead, and The Rolling Stones were headed towards the end of their Golden Era (although Sticky Fingers, released in the same year was a fantastic album).

Surrealistic Pillow – Jefferson Airplane

Summer of Love was a social movement that happened in 1967 by a bunch of people known as hippies (coming from the word ‘hip’ meaning fashionable) propagating love as the cure for violence, particularly the one happening in Vietnam. The epicentre of this movement was the American west-coast city of San Francisco, where thousands of these propagators gathered in their colourful clothes and created a sub-culture scene with its music, art and the infamous drugs. Out of this scene was born the mysteriously charming second album by the local band Jefferson Airplane, pioneers of the psychedelic rock sound. It had a mysteriously charming name as well – ‘Surrealistic Pillow’.

Awara – Shankar Jaikishan

Shankar - Jaikishan (popularly known as SJ), were the musical alter-ego of filmmaker Raj Kapoor. Together (along with lyricists Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra), they gave the Hindi Film industry some of its finest albums. ‘Awara’ (1951), their second collaboration (after ‘Barsaat’ in 1949) was one of them.The album has some real gems shining melodiously as well as famously.

Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities – AR Rahman

25 years ago, something lovely happened to this country. A person called AR Rahman through the music of Mani Ratnam’s movie, ‘Roja’, entered the nation’s musical subconscious. With songs like Roja Jaaneman, Dil Hai Chotta Sa and Yeh Haseen Waadiyan, he single-handedly and almost overnight, changed the landscape and grammar of popular music in India

21 – Adele

Three years after the release of her celebrated debut album 19, Adele returns quite in style with her sophomore set 21. The LP represents the personal and artistic growth of the Grammy-winning vocalist. Adele’s 2011 album to commemorate her turning 21 needs no introduction

Me and Mr. Johnson – Eric Clapton

One sold his soul to the devil, the other was giventhe status of God and the two came together in this album called, “Me and Mr. Johnson”. Robert Johnson has always been a guiding light for Eric Clapton, giving him some of his early hits like Ramblin’ on My Mind with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and the powerhouse ‘Crossroads’ with Cream. But here,Claptondedicates the entire album to his master(sans the previously recorded material). Something which was long overdue.

Bitches Brew – Miles Davis

Miles Davis used to address great musicians as ‘bitches’ and he lined up 15 (yes, 15!!!) of the best in the industry, for this ambitious Double LP. His concept for the album was not to write out a chart with specific changes and form