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The
Turbulent Evolution of
Bangla Rock
Faizul A Tanim
 It
was in the mid 60's that Bangla rock music listeners
discovered the art of creating music, reflecting the
tasteful tunes and sensuous lyrics in their song compositions
that came alive with extreme emotions of pathos and
joy.
It
is hard to know precisely why some bands succeed and
others fall short. For Bangladesh, it was a handful
of self-taught musicians that got together to create
original sounds and jump-started the rock scene like
never before. Their efforts resulted in the birth of
the 'Bangla Rock Scene'. Among the pioneering groups
in the late '60s were iconic bands like Windy Side
of Care (Ex-Iolites), The Lightnings, Rambling Stones,
Ugly Phases and Insex Dui, they eventually
became the veterans of band music. "It was during
the late 60's, we would jam for hours every so often
at the Intercontinental Hotel, now Sheraton. We would
probably be paid around Rs. 750/- for a night's show
where the entrance fee would be Rs. 5/-", remarked
the ex-members Rafique Mazhar Islam Sajju and Rafi Omar
of Windy Side of Care. That was more or less
a common scenario.
Musicians
of the earlier days of Bangla rock did not have the
privilege of expensive instruments or sound systems,
which the present rockers now take for granted. But
a common element followed through most of the talented
musicians of all the eras. They were all self-taught
which brought out a raw energy and initiated original
scores. But musicians now are blessed with more expensive
and hi-tech instruments. Exclusive models of Ibanez,
Fender Guitars, Dw, Tama
Drums, Warwick, Mtd Bass, Korg
and Kurzweil Keyboard along with Pod processor
are the most prized possessions a band can own. The
sound quality too has greatly improved.
 Soon
after our War of Liberation in 1971, Azam Khan, soon
to become a legend in the rock scene, with Uchharon
and the Akhand Brothers (Lucky and Happy) created the
hype in the music industry with their straight-down-the-line
magnetic songs around early and late 70's. Happy Akhand's
Abar elo je shondha is a milestone and probably
is one of the dearest songs ever produced. His premature
death was a big blow to all the musicians who were influenced
by Happy's passion for music and had now lost a pioneering
figure of Bangla pop music.
Azam
Khan the imaginative composer, the inspired musician
and lanky bearded lyricist ignited something that caught
the attention of plenty of listeners. A freedom fighter
himself, his songs had a pathos never before heard with
such uninhibited emotion. Obhimani, Ashi Ashi, Highcourt
er Majare, Ami Jare Chaire, Orey Saleka, Jibone Kichu
Pabona Re and many more of his outstanding compositions
became instant hits. Even today, these songs are the
ones that still keep the audiences on their toes.
 He
was the hero of the 70's making his music speak the
universal language of bringing one's inner feelings
to life with tunes. His contemporaries included great
icons such as late Firoze Shai, Ferdaus Wahid and Fakir
Alamgir. Firoze Shai, like the traditional mystic Sufi
singers, spoke of the relation between Allah and Allah's
creations. Ek seconder nai bhorosha was one
of those spiritual and emotional songs. Ironically he
died just after performing this song onstage. Ferdaus
Wahid was the most dazzling of the quartet. With his
funky printed shirts, bell bottom trousers and large
sunglasses, he brought in a disco element to his songs.
The long and curly-haired Fakir Alamgir used to sway
his head left-right while rocking to songs. One of the
slower numbers still remains a memorable composiO
sokhina gesos kination. They blended our traditional
folk music with various Western forms and gave Bangla
pop-rock a new face.
 Even
the song lyrics went through a revolution. For the first
time in Bangla rock, lyrics started to have their own
appeal. It started off with Azam Khan with socio-political
songs like Orey saleka orey maleka. The lyricists
spoke of love, discontent and frustration in their own
way. Around the 1990's Feedback had upbeat lyrics like
Bashonti rong shari porey lolona ra hetey jai…
Melai jaire. Later it took great courage for
Maqsoodul Huq to write about political fiasco in Bangabda
1400 and later in the Nishidhho album.
One could feel the thirst for truth, even in rock songs.
James of NagarBaul around the 90's brought
about a transformation with his entrancing Taray
taray rotiye debo and Je poth e pothik nei…
ak glass jochona ar ak glass ondhokar. Then
around early 2000 Aurthohin and Artcell's
deep dark lyric would release a lot of energy. Odekha
Shorgo and Mrittur shohore was yet another
revolutionary change for the different style of lyric.
 The
first set of bands to follow after '71 were Souls,
Miles, Feedback, Feelings (now known as Nagar
Baul) and then Waves. Emerging around the late
70's, they would also perform gigs at hotels and clubs.
Although Waves and Miles were more underground, Souls
was perking up to be a mainstreamer and soon got themselves
a record deal. Their first album in 1982 was an immediate
success, soon making them much admired all over the
country. Not only were they popular for over a decade,
but also served to launch popular artists like Ayub
Bachhu ( who later created LRB) and solo pop performers
Tapan Choudhury and Kumar Biswajit. Many new bands formed
as well when Souls split up. This was the time when
band solo albums were taking over conventional single
artiste compilation. By early '82, Miles would
soon follow that track and release their first compilation.
That set the example; bands were getting more promotional
ventures through the audiovisual medium, they could
be seen in TV programmes and rapidly encouraged music
admirers all over the nation to visualise music as a
performing art. Feedback absolutely ruled the ’80s era
with their album Ullash.
Then, around the mid '80s, musicians from Chittagong
and Dhaka started creating new waves in the field of
band music giving birth to a new genre of music termed
as 'mellow pop/rock' fused with a lot of jazz, blues
and black western influences. They also followed a lot
of Caribbean style of music calling themselves Renaissance,
meaning 'rebirth'. Fresh vibes of compositions started
blending into the scene.
As
tastes in music became more diverse, it was at the rim
of mid ’80s, late ’80s and the early ’90s, when heavy
metal and hard rock became the up-to-the-minute element.
Sumon of Aurthohin best describes the era of
metal music: “It was around 1986 when there was no other
mainstream band other than Miles presenting
hard rock in Dhaka. One fine day my elder brother came
home and announced that there was a band, which was
performing songs of Iron Maiden. It was very
difficult to believe. But then I witnessed it myself
in the next concert.It was mind blowing to see them
covering several numbers of Iron Maiden and
they did very well indeed! The band was called Rock
Strata followed by another big gun Warfaze.
Those were the top metal bands along with In Dhaka,
Aces and Sweet Venom. The venues for such events
would be Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon Ballroom,
Engineering Institute Auditorium, Shishu Academy and
many more. All the tickets used to be sold-out and it
was then that we realised that the good days had started
for us. In one such concert, the guitarist for Sweet
Venom--Ditio, was playing You Shook Me All
Night Long of AC/DC and as the song streamed
into the guitar solo part, he took his guitar on his
shoulder, playing the lead in that position. It was
amazing! For the first time in Bangladesh, we saw this
kind of rock stunt. That was the golden era of heavy
metal music. We used to enjoy the songs of Metallica,
Megadeth, Malmstein and Helloween in the
gigs.” Soon, the heavy metal bands were getting record
deals and the idea of a 'mixed album' was a high tide
for rock.
The early ’90s proved
to be a blast for the heavy metal scene. “Mixed album
Hooray was back then a huge inspiration and
boost for many celebrated bands from today”, remarked
Shakib of Cryptic Fate. Followed by mega-hit
albums of Warfaze and Rock Strata,
the scene could not get any better. Record label Sargam
made the first move initiating the first array of metal
albums. If it was not Sargam helping them, maybe it
would have taken ages for the present scene to flourish
with full potential. They led the way in fusing something
new into existing traditional band music culture. Around
that time there were whispers of another band doing
heavy melody -influenced rock songs that had that larger
than life sound, later resulting in to two consecutive
hit albums. Winning was the name on everyone's lips
as long as their music was alive. However, their road
to fame was stalled as the members of these pioneering
rock groups left for abroad for higher studies. Suddenly
all the bands broke up. But by then the pioneers had
already inspired those remaining in the country and
soon new groups like Rock Phantom and Rock
Brigade arrived. Eventually both Brigade and Phantom
also broke up. The scene went into hibernation.
It was from mid ’80s
to early ’90s that hard rock started getting immensely
popular. With the likes of LRB, Feelings
and Ark, the definition of rock became more
versatile to the listeners. The primary cause of this,
aside from the likes of Ayub Bacchu and James releasing
their first solo albums, was the popularity of Feedback's
album Mela. Everywhere one went in the troubled
years of 1991-2, one would hear Maqsoodul Huq's immortal
refrain: "Bashonti rong shari pore lolonara
hete jaye". While Feelings were fusing
rock with a psychedelic blues progression, Feedback,
LRB and Ark were more into mainstream
pop/rock. At that juncture as well, their music became
instant hits giving superb audible pleasure. The release
of Miles, Feedback, LRB gave tremendous hit
albums wowing the audiences. One could easily experience
the impact of Chad tara, Dorodia by Miles;
Moushumi1&2, Majhi by Feedback and
heavy metal songs like Ekti cheley. They were
a bit later followed by Madhobi by LRB
and around mid ’90s by the sudden title changes, Jail
thekey bolchi--the songs became instant hits. Playing
them during national holidays and after Eid Namaz congregations
just portrayed the immense popularity of these mind-blowing
songs.
Stylishly longhaired
James--overwhelmingly known as the Nagar Baul
(the City Bard), was the pioneer of psychedelic rock
in our scene. Originally a lead singer and guitarist,
he has always been respected for his solo projects.
His prence in rock music has been prolonged; his influence
on those of successive generations has been profound.
Something fresh was there--the audience could feel it.
He became affectionately called Guru by his innumerable
fans. His tunes were bright and his singing a divergence
from the archetypal tunes preferred by the commercial-type
directors. His songs expressed love, rage, discontent,
frustration and happiness. Although debuted around 1981,
it was in ’94, with Jail thekey bolchi album
and later two songs from the mixed album Shakti
that depicted one of the most versatile vocalists of
our generation--he started growing to be the second
Guru, after Azam Khan, of today.
Formed in 1990, it has
been almost 14 years since LRB captured music headlines
in our country's media. Ayub Bachhu mastered the art
of assembling catchy tunes and released a huge array
of hit albums within short durations. Bringing out a
double album as a debut band around mid '92 was not
only brave but gave rise to numerous hit songs.
He is now prized with the status of "one of the
best guitarists of Bangladesh". Although his music
was pure magnetism around the early and mid ’90s, the
icon now, seemed to be drifting from less original rock
and more commercial music. Due to music being his sole
resource of earning, he tried to emphasise on what common
people wanted although his roots belonged to rock. LRB
is the first ever band group to play one of the most
exclusive UNPLUGGED concerts live in a city restaurant.
As the gig was a hit, the album recorded afterwards
became a bigger success on release.
Later, around 1993, we heard
of the rise of metal bands such as Cryptic Fate,
Maestria, Dethrow, PsychoDeth and Jolly Roger.
These bands used to perform great underground shows
with frequent performances during 97 and it was in 1998
that Koprophilia, Clovermind and Spanking
Monkeys from the alternative side came into existence.
Suddenly most of the bands broke
up again. Only Cryptic Fate survived! In addition,
it was in 1995 that Cryptic Fate dared to dream
and turn it into reality. The release of the first ever
metal compilation in English "Ends Are Forever"
was launched. It not only became a milestone but portrayed
great courage a band could demonstrate.
Around
1999, some bands came in the music scenario. Artcell
(ex-Tantrik), Metal Maze and Migraine, Black, Wire,
Nemesis, The Attempted Band and the very popular
rock influenced folk fusion group of today Bangla,
with some more bands surfacing. It was the beginning
of a new definition of Rock and the Alternative music
revolution in Bangladesh. Cryptic Fate was
there too (fighting all the way through when others
failed to continue), along with a new face. The
Watson Brothers members of Cryptic Fate
and The Attempted Band joined in one of the few pioneering
'side projects' and hence the theme got introduced.
Sumon also formed Aurthohin--the first ever
funk influenced progressive rock group in the country.
Although the band was new, the members were not. Sumon
was just free enough, leaving Warfaze along
with Piklu from Rockstrata (after the band
broke up) and Jolly Roger tagged along to start
the same journey under a new name--Aurthohin.
The band finally met its heart and soul. "Most
of these bands started staging the underground gigs
again. An open-air concert was held at Raowa Club ground
and suddenly G-Series (one of the largest record labels
of our country) took a very brave step. They released
an almost-metal compilation comprised of these new bands,
known as Charpotro arranged by Duray,"
stated Sumon. The musicians found an amazing similarity
with the early 90's release of Hooray with the new mixed
compilation. The release of the CD sparked an uprising
among the other bands. It was a re-incarnation of the
early ’90s rock music revolution when mixed album Charpotro
was launched in 2001. Time had changed a lot within
that long break and everyone wished that the mount-up
would not fade away like before.
From the release of Charpotro
in 2001 onwards, many people term the period of a 'rock
music rebellion'. The music admirers know what they
deserve, not allowing commercial bands to have domination
among the enthusiasts anymore. Whether your band is
good or not, depends on the ultimate testing ground--the
rock music market and the shows. Army Stadium, Womens
Complex are the most popular open-air venues to host
a capacity of around 30,000 to 50,000 crowd. While Shishu
Academy, Engineering Institute, Russian Cultural Centre
Auditoriums up to restaurant hall rooms and Dhaka Billiard
Centre (DBC) are indoor locations staging underground
concerts mainly with fewer
big names as well. They start with 350 and almost race
up-to a crowd of 1500 maximum. As soon as the lighting
flashes and the sound system is properly set, a good
concert is ready to roll.
The Army Stadium is one of those esteemed venues, which
hold 'history' in a showcase. In Bangladesh, Pepsi provided
a much needed platform to musicians and to its younger
consumers. A tribute to the rock legends was rewarded
through the concert 'Rock Fest' in 2001.The bands played
all time favourite English numbers of the rock icons.
Coca-Cola sponsored few of the many hit concerts as
well. Benson & Hedges tried a similar sort of endeavour
with its Star Search Contest.
The array of new bands from that slot had a broad and
segmented listening group and with the advantage of
cutting-edge technology in recording and media, they
were one-step ahead. It was then that Aurthohin's
second album Biborton started making unbelievable
records both home and abroad. The sole album on release,
became the Best Seller of 2001-2002 in New York, Jackson
Heights Bangla Community. Following that success and
the introduction of a fresh and improved form of music,
Artcell, Black and Cryptic Fate a.k.a
the popular ABC triangle released their solo debut Bangla
albums. It was a groundbreaking performance with Artcell's
progressive rock synthesis, Black's alternative
rock compositions and Cryptic Fate's old-school-metal
madness.
The most famous bands heading the rock scene now are
mentionably Aurthohin as a caring father followed
by the famous ABC faction. Although Miles has
remained silent for a longer period than expected (in
Bangladesh but staging a whole lot of shows in India
recently), it is Nagar Baul, who still wishes
to fight with occasional good compositions. Bangla,
however is the only band having 'rock influence', and
continues to create an uproar with its folk, fused with
contemporary fashioned music breeding into tremendous
hits.
Our music scene, moreover, is now prized with another
new set of talented bands (from noble projects as mixed
compilation of Sumon's Agontuk and Duray's
Dinbodol) Arbovirus, Aashor, Breach, dNA,
Fulbanu's Revenge, Nemesis, Kral, Kronic, Reborn, Stentorian.
The successful Old DOHS open-air Alternative concert
of 2002 brought bands like Breach and Fulbanu's Revenge
into the lime light. Breach later carried onto receiving
a record deal from G-series. Others worthy of receiving
such award included Kronic, Triloy, Nemesis and Ajob
from Ektaar label. The bands Breach, dNA, Fulbanu's
Revenge and Sellout are very promising
musicians of the new generation. Their painted faces,
wardrobe of fancy cloaks in concerts brings about a
hip-hop, rock 'n roll rebel approach relaying to emotional
staging. They always leave behind an energetic crowd
who certainly miss their heroes in action off-stage.
These present bands believe that, although there are
about a handful of good recording studios, the revolutionary
Pro Tools- "the greatest gift to amateur
musicians", came to great aid and advantage for
amateur musicians. The recording facility is good, despite
the fact that they are behind international standards.
The sudden rise of the available facility however is
a positive indication. They seemed to be happy with
their record label G-Series, allowing them to experiment
a completely new dimension of strategic music.
The Internet has played a massive part in promoting
Bangla music, especially rock. The web portals from
different organisations are actually hosted by the passionate
listeners. It needs a handsome amount of money to run
these sites, which are usually paid from their own pockets
and therefore uploading the rare, latest hit songs,
and sharing them over the World Wide Web is considered
a noble gesture. Many bands and their songs were promoted
via this media and this in-fact one of the fastest ways
of music availability. Internet has surely taken our
music one-step ahead.ektara.aamibangali.com, bangladeshinfo.com,
amadergaan.com are three of the most popular sites right
now promoting both mainstream and underground while
altermetal.com encourage mostly underground music.
Rock in Bangladesh never had a flashy start. It was
rather careless and painful--unavailability of musical
instruments, practise pads, social obstruction (uptight
parents) and later DRUGS were among the many hurdles
it has had to contend with. For many artistes like James,
rock started from the streets with a lone man strumming
his guitar, gazing through the strings to look for his
much-awaited tune--it was tough. Ayub Bachhu very emotionally
stated, “the amount of favours and sponsors which are
provided to sports, if our music scene could get one-fourth
of that blessing, Bangladesh music would have been in
the forefront of glory throughout the world.”
As the story ends here for them, it will continue to
improve with new faces. These true musical patriots
wish to create waves and leave a rich legacy for those
who will follow their lead.
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