PR, a quick note to tell you that I think your comments ( on my previous post) totally rock, and I will reply to them in detail when I get some time to collect my thoughts. I need all my wits about me to address all your observations, and the maniacal level of work right now is completely coherent-post-unfriendly. Bear with me, huh?

Now, a post that does not require any form of wit or thought-collection whatsoever.

For the last eight months, I’ve stayed away from buying stuff off Secondspin, who have, out of desperation at my withdrawal from their clientele, inundated my inbox with news of special sales. Every week, I get a mail that pleads, yes, I kid you not, pleads for me to buy 2 CDs from their site, for which they will give me 20% off anything else I order and free international shipping and the promise that they will include signed copies of Absolute Sandman with my purchase. Yeah, ok, I kid about the last bit. I’ve maintained a dignified restraint to all such attempts – a swift mail-delete and a quiet sob being the only responses I’ve come up with. Secondspin, I am sorry to say, has lost their favourite Indian customer.

On the other hand, I’ve been buying Moser Baer DVDs like mad, Hindi movies that I had pooh-poohed as overpriced a couple of years ago. For 39 Rs, I am willing to buy any Hindi movie I’ve been remotely interested in, over the twenty-eight years of my existence. Sheshnaag was one of my first nostalgia-based buys, and I thought the pinnacle of this spree came last week, when I bought Toofan, which connoisseurs of eighties film will recognise as among India’s finest superhero movies. Today, I found Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, and proceeded to buy it immediately just so I can listen to the songs again, the Ranjit-Barot scored soundtrack being out-of-print for a long time. Also picked up Padosan, which I’ve watched multiple times but have never finished. And of course, the reason why I was in the store in the first place, the newest Rahman release Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. My first CD in a very, very long time.

Checked out the credits first, like I usually do with a new Rahman CD. It’s a pleasant surprise to see Rashid Ali back in the Rahman stable. The last time I saw him was singing ‘The Journey Home’ on Rahman’s first world tour, and he’s on two songs on the album. Other familiar names – Tanvi, Naresh Iyer, Sayonara, Benny, Anupama, Aslam ( ASLAM?? What’s he been doing all these years? ). There’s a new singer named Runa, on a song named ‘Jaane Tu Mera Kya Hai’, the second version of which is sung by Sukhwinder Singh. Hmm, why does Rashid Ali sound like Akon on the first song? Track’s pretty funky, though. Genelia plays the lead and if I am not mistaken, Sagarika Ghatge ( the lady who played Preeti Sabharwal in Chak De India ) is in the movie too, but I can’t see her name on the credits. Before you ask, Vasu and Sasi, don’t worry, the rips will be online by tomorrow, I promise.

Other music-happiness – discovered this electronica band called Plaid through their score for the anime Tekkon Kinkreet. Apparently, the collection of electronica I got back from the US last year( a.k.a Joel’s Mega Stash ) had included two Plaid albums and I am listening to them in a loop right now. And downloading obscure Morricone soundtracks from old Italian movies and TV series. Then there’s Ivy’s ‘I’ve Got You Memorized’, that’s haunting my non-working hours.