So Why Is Rafisaab The Greatest Singing Legend?, Fans of Rafisab share your views & experiences Options

[suhana_safar]

With thousands of unbeliveable renditions in a career that stretches back into the mid forties to 80's, Rafisaab began his career as a playback singer in Indian Film industry that in course of time is being regarded as a landmark in HFM.

So what is fscinating about this genius and his career? What are the key featueres of his skills that even made his colleagues who were class singers in their own right look upon him as their hero/idol?. What are the things that keep people still so attached to his songs?


Over the years everything connected with the industry changed:

1. The taste and trends of the audience
2. The technolgy and nature of the recording rooms
3. The style of the actors
4. The styles of the MD’s
5. The words of the song writers
6. The promotion strategy of the music companies
7. The pay cheques
8. The competition
9. The entry of new actors and styles
10. The quality of the audience
11. The politics and power groups in the industry


and many more factors could be added to the list above.

With all the above dynamic changes, for a simple, shy, modest and a genuine down to earth person to not only excel but establish unreachabe standards in playback singing during such a long period is simply more than just an extra ordninary feat. How often we take take for granted the consistent quality of Rafisaab’ singing without giving much thought how difficult and challenging is the art of playback singing specially in the context of the above dynamic changes.

How many times do we care to fathom that extra class that he instilled in the song and thus raised the standard of both the composition and the lyrics not to mention that his voice is also associated with the success of those actors who became stars just because Rafisaab playbacked for them.

Playback singing is a precise and difficult and challenging art, and Rafisaab is rightly acknowledged as a master of this unique genre by both, the masses and the experts.

So what exactly are the attributes and characteritics of this legend of legends that makes him a class apart. What is the exclusive quality/qualities of his singing that makes him a benchmark in playback singing.?

Please share your views with concrete examples and kindly refrain discussing any other singers in this thread as this discussion is only about the one and only, Rafisaab.


I welcome all to come on board (with a positive attitude) and specially the learned and knowledgeable who know about this uniqe art and more importantly about this unique singing phenomenon, Rafisaab.

[Harold]

Thank you all for the great tributes on our Hero Mohammed Rafi sahab.

There was a time before I met you all (virtually/digitally), that I sometimes would think:

Am I the only one who recognizes all these treasures in the voice of Rafi-saab? I can listen to a few words and discover many beauties in it. And if I used to point it out to someone else, they wouldn't understand.

I than would wonder am I a fool or can't they hear?

I'm glad to see that there are far more "listeners" like me aorund the globe and it gives me comfort knowing it.

Sajdah-ji, I liked your writing on the 70-ies. I have the same opinion: it was all a media-war against Rafi-saab, but he replied back in such away that they all shut up!

The single opening of "hum to chale pardes" ...."Ooh Rama Ho" , just this single opening is enough prove for what Rafi-saab was: there's so much power and beauty comined with perfection in it, that it says all.

All the other songs is even to much for this type of reporters, because they never ever came up with a proper explanation of this so called resurrection, because it wasn't a resurrection, because he never had gone.