Talat Mahmood – All Time Greats – PMLP 1166-67 – (Condition 90-95%) – Cover Reprinted – 2 LP Set

Talat received Padma Bhushan in 1992, in recognition of his artistic contributions in the spheres of cinematic and ghazal music. he had a unique, elegant and profoundly artistic style of singing. Talat was a very gifted singer in every sense. He was particularly famous for singing soft and sombre semi-classical and non-classical ghazals, but the film songs sung by him are also considered critically flawless and outstanding. Although Talat’s typical genre was Ghazal, he was an astoundingly brilliant film singer who sung innumerable fantastic film songs.

Romantic and tragic were the moods he liked most and it was he who helped a great deal in shaping the style and method of modern ghazal singing. He can be described as the real founder of modern semi-classical and non-classical ghazal. During the 1950s and 60s, Talat was the first choice of the high-brow literary and artistic community of Indian sub-continent, especially Urdu-speaking community. Even his cancelled songs were immensely popular among them. No other singer had such intellectually high-class and learned audience at the time with an exception of Manna Dey. Talat’s voice has often been described as the softest male voice of the Indian sub-continent; not only this, but his voice is also considered among the most soulful male voices ever heard in the Indian sub-continent.

Singing career –

Talat apprenticed classical music under Pandit S.C.R. Bhat at Marris College of Music, Lucknow (presently Bhatkhande Music Institute) sometime in late-30s. He started his career purely as a ghazal singer in 1939. Talat Mahmood began his singing career at the age of 16 in 1939 when he began singing the Ghazals of Daag, Mir, Jigar etc. on All India Radio, Lucknow. His voice had a quality distinct from all the other singers. HMV was quick to notice this and offered Talat his first disc in 1941 Sab din ek samaan nahin tha, Bun jaoon ga kya se kya main, Iska to kuch dhyan nahin tha.

His reputation as a ghazal singer was not limited to his hometown of Lucknow, but it reached the city that proved to shape his destiny – Calcutta. The then famous ghazal singers were Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, K.L. Saigal and M.A. Rauf. The classical songs he sang were ” Sapnon Ki Suhaani Duniyaa Ko ” for film Shikast and ” Laage Tose Naina ” for Chaandi Ki Deewar.

In 1944 came the hit Tasveer teri dil mera behela nah sake gi. Its popularity was so phenomenal and unrivalled that even today it remains one of the top selling non-film discs [citation needed]. This disc brought Talat the fame throughout India and soon he was beckoned by the Calcutta film industry. Talat made cameo appearances and starred in about 16 movies, for both the Calcutta (film hub of the 1940s) and Bombay Film Industry. The three movies in which he starred were regional hits in Calcutta. Initially, in Calcutta, he recorded a lot of Bangla songs (basic album) under the assumed name of “Tapankumar”. Several of his Bangla numbers were super hits in Bengal and are still aired on All India Radio old song reminisces. He sang to the tune of eminent music directors like Kamal Dasgupta [” Du’ti paakhi du’ti teere… “], Sudhin Dasgupta [” Ei rimjhimjhim barosha… “], Rabin Chattopadhyayaa [ ” Chander eto aalo…”], Hemanta Mukhopadhayay [ ” E Jodi aakash hoy…”] and V. Balsara [ ” Tumi sundar jodi nahi… ” ] during the 50s and early 60s.

In 1949 Talat moved to Bombay, to sing for the Hindi film industry. His name and fame had already preceded him and soon he was flooded with offers. His big break came with the song Ae dil mujhe aisi jagha le chal jahan koi na ho composed by music director Anil Biswas for the soundtrack of the movie Arzoo. The song proved to be extremely popular.

Acting career –

G. M. Durrani was a model to many playback singers who followed then. The soulful renditions of Durrani were to be reminded of by Talat’s singing as well.

Besides being a gifted singer, Mahmood was quite handsome as well. He acted in over a dozen films with top actresses of the time like Nutan, Mala Sinha, Suraiya and others. Later he decided to give up acting to concentrate on singing.

• Yeh Hawa Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni (Film – Sangdil)

• Man Dheere Dheere Gaya Re (Film – Malik)

• Hai Dil Mein Milan Ki Aas (Film – Bindiya)

• Ghar Mein Aake Loot Liya (Film-Parchhain)

• Dil Jawan Hai Aarzoo Jawan (Film -Samundari Daku)

• O Arabpati Ki Chhori (Film – Makkhee Choos)

• Pyar Par Bas To Nahin Hai (Film – Sone Ki Chidiya

• Duniya Tasveer Hai (Film – Aulad)

• Ek Dil Do Hain Talabgar Bari Mushkil Hai (Film – Darwaja)

• Jeevan Hai Madhuban (Film – Jasoos)

• Ghir Ghir Aye Badarwa (Film – Dak Babu)

• Jalte Hai Jis Ke Liye (Film – Sujata)

• Meri Yaad Mein Tum Na Ansoo Bahana (Film – Madhosh)

• Aise Toote Taar (Film – Gawaiya)

• Duniya Badal Gayi (Film – Babul)

• Jayen To Jayen Kahan (Film – Taxi Driver)

• Aana Hi Padega (Film – Lala Rookh)

• Ham Dard Ke Maroka (Film – Daag)

• Itna Na Mujhse Too Pyar Badha (Film – Chhaya)

• Zindagi Ki Kasam (Film – Malik)

• Gham Ki Andheri Raat (Film – Sushila)

• Mazandern Mazandern (Film – Rustam Sohrab)

• Lagi Re Yeh Kaisi (Film – Devdas)

• Aye Dil Mujhe (Film – Arzoo)