Kishore Kumar- Legend! Who was a BETTER legend?

He should be up there with Elvis


https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kishore+kumar+&search_type=&aq=f

rafi

I feel Kishore had more versatility than Rafi who was a fabulous singer too.

IMO Rafi wasn't that comfortable in singing humourous & happy go lucky type songs. I think Kishore excelled in every genre.

Kishore was one of a kind. A singer, an actor, a director, a musician, a technician rolled into one. An absolutely true all rounder.

When it came to classical songs Rafi was streets ahead for me.

Kishore had a very masculine voice as opposed to Rafi. For me I like both depends on the mood.

Have tried a few time but haven't worked out what the big deal about Elivis was from a singing perspective.

When it came to classical songs Rafi was streets ahead for me.

Without a shadow of doubt though I think Kishore didn't get to sing too many classical songs in his prime as Rafi used to get most of them.

Kishore was not classically trained so he would not have been the first choice, for many. That said he had some half decent ones like the "funny number" in Padosan.

Another favourite of mine from that era was Bhupinder. He had a wonderful base voice, never got to sing many songs, nevertheless I had a lot of time for him.

Kishor was a Genius. Rafi was great. Kishor could pep up any song with on the second improvisation and make it fun. Rafi was best with intense and passionate lyrics. Think back to the songs where both legends sang together for classics like 'Humko tumse Ho gaya hai pyar' [Amar Akbar Anthony], 'Tujpe Qurban meri jaan' [Qurbani] and Saaregama, ma - sarega [Chupke Chupke] and the first thing we remember is Kishor's voice and impact before registering Rafi in it. He was that kind of a genius who over shadowed all his co-singers. Whether it was Rafi or Manna Dey.

It would be wrong to say Rafi was not adept at fast paced and happy or playful songs like Kishor though. His voice was absolute magic for some of the best peppy, happy, dancing and swinging numbers for Shammi Kapoor at his peak. In that sense he was definately a closer counterpart to Elvis for singing to numbers good for swinging a leg to. Mukesh was monotonous - best for sad songs. Mahendra Kapoor was without depth. He had the same tone and limited range for songs for all different emotions. Only Manoj Kumar and B.R. Chopra suceeded in bringing out him out of his comfort zone.

Kishore's voice quality had a strange natural versatality to it. The same voice and tone still sounded distinct for all the actors he sang most for like Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan and Jeetendra to name just a few. He made their characters on screen his own without even trying and blended well to the actors making them look like the actual singers on screen. Rafi's voice is best associated with Shammi Kapoor. To some extent with Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand's early films. Then came second stringers and Shammi Kapoor clones like Joy Mukherjee and Vishwajeet. Mukesh is synonymus most with Raj Kapoor. Shabbir and Anwar with Rishi Kapoor and so on.

Rafi was magic with classical songs no doubt though. Baiju Bavra and some of Dilip's earlier films are evidence. But can anyone deny the way Kishore completely cracked up an accomplished classical singer and legend like Manna Dey in that famous padosan comedy number 'Ek Chatur Naar' with his sure voice range and brilliance?

I personally love Rafi most because perhaps Shammi Kapoor is my all time favourite and all my favourite Shammi numbers are Rafi ones. But that said nothing can come close to the most popular Dev, Amitabh and Rajesh numbers that Kishor sang whether they were dance based, peppy, happy, sad, soul searching or melancholic.

very different voices, but i prefer rafi's. kishore could be said to be more of a genius and the more creative personality, while rafi would be the music director's pick to sing flawlessly

both legends

I think Manna Dey was a very underrated singer. He had such a silky voice.

I find Hemant Kumar and Talat Mahmood quite good as well.

As for Bhupinder, I find him very boring and the one who is perfectly capable of sending people to sleep with his voice.

What mess did he create with that wonderful song "Kisi Nazar Ko Tera Intezar"?

I personally prefer Kishore's voice though Rafi isn't far behind. In fact, both are very close IMO.

And contrast these singers with what we've got today.

Absolutely useless. Apart from Sonu Nigam and Abhijeet to some extent, rest don't inspire any interest in today's songs.

Phurt, Harry Webb was better than this geezer.

SG wrote:And contrast these singers with what we've got today.

Absolutely useless. Apart from Sonu Nigam and Abhijeet to some extent, rest don't inspire any interest in today's songs.

You actually think what they churn out in films today can be called 'songs' and 'music'?

Ganpat Daaru La?.....Kallu Mama?.....Peeke Mein Talli Ho Gayi?.....TV chale Remote se, Biwi chale Note se?.....Munna Mobile, hey Pappu Pager?.....Zara Zara Touch Me?

Maan what a big load of tapori bull sh!t they cook up full of ear screeching and head splitting noises and gutter lyrics.....

All these crappy reality shows are also doing a lot of damage thowing up crap and half baked 'talents' and temporary sensations who are taking the work away with cheap contracts and replacing the really good singers.



The greatest enigma for me is Amit Kumar, Kishore's son. He has the best voice among all singers even today and like his late father is an absolute genius and brilliant improviser and adept at singing anything easily. True heir to his father's range and versatality in every way. He is miles ahead of all the Nigams, Narayans, Shaans and Sukhvinders we have and yet he remains a recluse, wasting his father's rich legacy in being lost in his father's memories, self ego and eccentricity.

The worst has to be Kumar Sanu with his crap Bong accent and near nasal voice.

i like lucky ali's voice. also kailash kher. there are some great singer's out there, you just need to look beyond the shit-factory that is bollywood

I think even Kay Kay is the best from the newer ones along with Kailash. Only issues with voices like Lucky, Kailash and Sukhvinder is they have a set range and set music patterns. Hard to imagine them experimenting with variations or attempting soemthing different. Lucky Ali's music and voice sound sthe same in most of his songs. Mika and Sukhwinder aren't too smooth if the song doesn't have a strong Punjabi flavour to it. Kailash Kher is a good classical singer with slow rythmns but I cannot yet visualize him singing really peppy and fast tracks either outside of the Punjabi influence.

I just wish we didn't have to bear with all the stupid Anu Maliks and Himesh Reshamiyyas who insist on singing from their blocked noses in their own compositions!

pfft. i dont. dont listen to radio. dont see bollywood flicks. i go to live concerts and buy good music

Forgot about Kailash Kher. Yep, he is a good singer though still nowhere near yesteryear's greats.

The One wrote:rafi

tbh i am not a fan of punjabi accents which is why i hate hearing myself speak urdu

I think that today we have some trememdous singers. As TO says one needs to look beyond Bollywood. Great variety and choice these days. Shankar M, Hariharan, Sonu, KK and Udit to name a few of my today favourites.

Shankar Mahadevan has no doubt a very good voice and is good at classical music as well. He has the range and variety but has unfortunately restricted himself to plain commercial Bollywood and has not pushed his true potential. His tendency to play safe betrays his vast talent. Unfortunately now he seems to be going the Udit Narayan way where his distinct voice and style dominates over substance and the man's voice starts ruling over the character. Thats one issue I have when I listen to Balasubramanium, Shankar, Udit, Sanu and even Lataji these days. Their identity and their distinct voice stands out and takes over the song, the background, the storyline, situation, characters etc. The singers have stopped flowing with the natural course a song demands and music demands and are rooted in their own individuality. It also doesn't help that a majority of the compositions and situations sound similiar and don't attempt to break away from the routine forumula. It's stagnating them all.

TO is right in a way about Bollywood music. People need to stop istening to Bollywood for some time no matter who is the singer till they re-invent their music and voices to bring out their latent creativity long since buried under an avalanche of commercial market demands.

Mankhar Shadevan is pretty cool.

bump...was listening to a few old CDs

IMO K Kumar was the best singer to ever come out of the sub cont.