Recording of Re-recordings!

After that life-time-happening of witnessing re-recording, that also of IR, for a few weeks I was in different state of mind!

Of course, I was a sort of “possessed” by the “re-recording devils" for quite some time.

Then onwards, whatever film I saw, I could imagine what would have happened in such re-recordings. I could, to some reasonable extent, anticipate when a BGM can start or end !

Of course, IR always deceives your expectations, real master thinker he is!
In fact, for obvious reasons, I could not share those experiences with others in my surroundings. Also, that was not the age of internet, blogs and Yahoo Clubs!

My only fellow soul-mate for such matters, ie Shankar was also at some distance and as usual busy with his TVS works!

The way many such things got buried within me, all are coming now only out in his blog! More than two decades after!

One related things happened after that was my efforts on IR-BGM recordings !

Though a digression, I wanted to share that with all of you!

During that period, I could lay my hand on a second-hand Sanyo mono-record player handset! This I started using extensively on my experimental re-recording capturing from Cinema theatres!

Those were thrilling, frustrating, yet rewarding experiences!

At that period of time, in 1984, at least myself, could not have believed that, future will be of Video Cassettes, VCD, DVD etc etc!

So with the enthusiasm of protecting and capturing IR’s BGM, I resorted to recording of BGMs from cine theatres itself.

I was an Engineer, salary earning, respectable fellow! But, whatever the high class ticket I purchased, I went to the front bench of the theatre and occupied the first few rows, with the handy tape recorder whcihc I concelaed in my pant pocket!

Another consideration was “investment” in purchasing of cassettes; after realising the limitations of such recordings, and the bulk cassettes requirements, I decided to purchase the ordinary (ten rupee) cassettes only.

Many a time, I saw the same film more than a couple of times, to gain some insight about the re-recordings, and then during 3rd or 4th visit, I used to record.

A couple of films like Mella Pesungal, Komberi Mookkan, Neruppukkul Eeram, Thambikku Endha Ooru etc. I recorded in that way, in the cine theatres of my native Tharamangalam.

Changing tapes, batteries etc. in between, pressing pause buttons on and off at appropriate time (all in the dark), viewing a giant sized image on the screen few yards away, hushing away with folded hands the cigerette & soft drink selling boys (who look curiously what I was doing, and purposely would raise his tone of selling knowing that it is getting recorded)…!

All those wonderful experiences I had, during those primitive way of capturing IR BGMs, one may not get now while recording BGMs using Computers and softwares!

Later, at Delhi, between 1985 to 1990s, during the “video cassettes” era also, whenever such screening of IR films arranged amongst our bachelor friends, I used to borrow some body’s tape recorder, and sat in the “front row” near the speakers of the TV (to the discomfort of friends and myself), and used to record for films like Punnagai Mannan, Mella Thirandhadhu kadhavu, Mouna Raagam, Mudhal Mariyadhai, etc.

Again the qualities of audio part of such videos were ranging from poor to average ! But still I continued my efforts!

Slowly, it occurred to me that, films and technology have reached the common man in his house itself, and anything is possible in future!

With that I gradually stopped the practice of (poor quality) recording of BGMs.

At those period, most of the time, as a lone pursuer, I was considered a ‘mad’ fellow by many of my friends. (In fact that was justified because, many thought I was sincerely recording the dialogues of films, but when they heard, it was other way around, all dialogues cut and only music was on the tape!)

Now, when I see the craze and the big gang of followers for even BGMs of IR, and the methodical, acquisitions and archiving of such wealth of IR in many forums and clubs, like MaestroMagic, I feel really happy! I express my sincere gratitude to all of them!

Anyway, my “Soorakkottai Singakutty” inspirations have traveled a lot of distance in space and time, along with me!

Then, it was the experiences of song recordings I witnessed in 1984s, which I must share with you!

Hope, you don’t mind waiting! Worth waiting!