RISHAB SENGUPTA
5 FORGOTTEN BANDS WHO BROUGHT ROCK ’ N ’ ROLL TO INDIA
It may come as a surprise to some that Indian rock bands were performing as early as the 1960s . These groups brought the gift of rock and roll to India , and though they may not have enjoyed the popularity of newer bands , their contributions cannot go unacknowledged .
GREAT BEAR / HIGH THE COMBUSTIBLES THE FENTONES THE MUSTANGS THE SAVAGES
The Combustibles - 1965-1972 ( Bombay ) Originating in Bombay , The Combustibles were among the first artists in India to use distorted guitar tones and fast-paced drum grooves to produce a sound that by today ’ s standards may be tame , but was positively rebellious back in the day .
The Combustibles gained notoriety in the Bombay rock scene through the famous Simla Beat battle of bands competition and even went on a national tour from 1968-1969 . The group would go on to record their original tracks with Polydor Records . Their 1971 seven inch record featuring the songs Watch Her and Some Peace of Mind was remastered and re-released in 2013 by UK-based Harkit Records .
The Mustangs – 1965-1968 ( Madras ) The Mustangs were a sort of supergroup of student musicians from various colleges in the city of Madras ( now Chennai ). Their unique sound blended surf rock , ska , blues , and the Indian film music of the time . Their music captures the essence of the rock and roll scene of the 1960s , while also including a certain Indian flair .
Despite being active for only four years , The Mustangs gained quite a
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following in Madras , even going on to record an LP with HMV , featuring the songs Escape and Gonks Go Beat . In 2010 , the core members reunited for a jam session , later going on to perform shows in both Bangalore and Chennai .
The Savages – 1965-1976 ( Bombay ) The Savages was the passion project of drummer and bandleader Bashir Sheikh , who remained its only consistent member throughout the years . The Savages were the first Indian band playing Western rock music to record a full-length album . Their signature psychedelic sound with influences from blues and jazz landed them recording projects with both HMV as well as Polydor Records .
The band ’ s 1973 album Black Scorpio became somewhat of an obscure cult classic . Opeth ’ s Mikael Akerfeldt , in an interview with Score Magazine , stated that he loved Black Scorpio and had been trying to get his hands on the record for his collection .
Great Bear / High 1969-1990 ( Calcutta ) In 1969 , Guitarist Dilip Balakrishnan and drummer Nondon Bagchi , who had been members of the pop group The Cavaliers formed a progressive rock quintet called Great Bear . In a
2016 interview with Redbull , Bagchi claimed that Great Bear was the first Indian rock group to write original songs .
In 1974 , after Great Bear was disbanded , Balakrishnan and Bagchi went on to form High . High is perhaps best known for their dark and groovy original tracks . Their Magnum opus Winter Planet was a rock opera about the threat of a nuclear holocaust .
The Fentones – 1967-1997 ( Shillong ) The Fentones were a pop-rock quintet hailing from Shillong . They won the Simla Beat competition in 1971 , and are known to be the only group from Northeast India to do so . Their most notable originals Simla Beat Theme and Until the Dawn have been immortalised in the Simla Beat 71 LP .
The group was originally fronted by Lou Majaw , who is now a well-known figure in the Indian rock scene . The band went through several personnel changes in the years that followed until they disbanded in 1997 . Their original tracks combine upbeat melodies with thoughtful lyrics , offering a very Beatles-esque sound .