Anytime. Actually I felt guilty for listening to TIS before you guys because, just because I am a retailer, I should not have this previlege atleast for such wonderful album.

BTW the special edition is the same, but instead of slim clear cover, they have it in regular black color 2 DVD case, with the booklet. I am expecting Making Of TIS next week. Will ship as soon as I receive it.

Please take couple of days or more and provide feedback about TIS. I will pass on all these reviewes to TIS team.

Also, since it is not commercially marketted, I ask you to spread the word. For the first time yesterday two things happened. One NI guy was browing the DVD in my store and we were playing TIS. He asked me what CD it was and I showed him. He just bought it. The second thing is a guy (Tamil) burned the CD from some site (which eventually removed the MP3) and after listening to it, he just wanted to donate $15, so he stopped by. I dont want to accept donations, so I gave the CD as well.

Here is another review


Read this person's review about "Polla Vinayaen" below

http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Thiruva ... 462-1.html

Let me join others on Zulm to say thank you to DU ..., this is def the fastest shipping i have ever received !

Guys

Dont thank me.. I already started crying reading your messages (and PMs I am getting!)

I have a request for all Zulmni's though. If any of you recommend how to take TIS to reach western audiances I would pass on the message and even do it myself. This is such a nice album that it has to be listened by everyone.

Thanks

This is what I've been trying to figure out. That's why I asked you if that kid in your store is tamil or parata, cause if you can reach north indians, I think it's possible to reach an international audience. but i think in the case of Ilaiyaraaja (I changed the way I spell His name!) it's easier to attract an open-minded western audience. We'll see...

Anyway, I'm keeping myself from listening to the .mp3s! (I downloaded them for an alternate purpose) but I sent nasty message to the website author

anyway, I'm listening to Ramana Geetham (hypocrite?? I'd be the first one to drop the dollar or rupee or whatever if the CD was available!)

I think Dr. Sankar Kumar should get involved with "Project-Gem-USA" - revive the classics!

I don't know much about music but I do know that this is a landmark album. The orchestrations are fantastic, and it is certainly an innovation to use ancient Tamil poetry with a Western classical idiom. IR's unpolished yet smooth voice blends surprisingly well with the brilliant orchestrations because of the emotions in his voice. The comments about the "Namashivaya vaazhga, naadhan thaazh vaazhga" line being very evocative and emotional certainly are no hyperbole. This album is wonderful and will reward multiple listenings.

Will the CE include English translations of the songs? My regret is that I cannot understand the Tamil poetry. The music, nonetheless, is stirring.

DragunR2

The only thing that you are yet to receive is the Making Of Thiruvasakam DVD. You wont get any additional booklet or anything else.

We (few IR fans) also started working on English translation of TIS. There is one available by Rev G U Pope. You can download the same from

http://siddhanta.shaivam.org/thivacha.html

I just with this is done in English. There are so many places where thiruvasakam will take you near god. Now I know why people say "Thiruvasakaththirkku urugaadar oruvaasagathirkum urgar" translated in my english as"if you dont melt for Thiruvasakam, you wont melt for anything"

Please spread the word across the globe. I am working with few folks to get TIS reviewed by few music scolars. We are working to nominate TIS for grammy (IR doesnt want to do hat). In addition, I am working on a site to get as many folks as possible to sign there to request IR to release Symphony 1 (which apparently is THE BEST symphony ever made since beethovan).

Thanks

I have another request for you folks. If your local video stores doesnt carry thiruvasakam, is there anyway you can approach them and see if they are willing to buy. I know its hard to explain why the CD is sold for 15, but if atleast one or two people is willing to listen, then I would be happy to send the CDs to you for distribution.

big problem here. if they can't make a buck or 20 they won't. more over, majority of the shops are owned by paratas & they haven't the faintest idea as to who Ilaiyaraaja is!

There are a couple of stores here run by Gultis that I will approach about this. They'll probably be familiar with IR, but I'm not holding my breath about them ordering the CD.

Thanks DragunR2. Lets check it out. Infact I was listening to TIS this morning and one telugu guy asked me what I am listening to and I played him the second song and he said IR is great. He suggested me 2 telugu movies (Sitara - he talked about a BGM score in between a song that starts with Vennallo Godhari... and from Anveshana - the title song called Keeravani). I do know that lot of telugu folks are IR devotee (fan is a lot less word). He said he will buy the CD anyways. So I am hoping we can push something over there.

Thanks again folks.

I am willing to give $1 from mypocket and TIS-USA would be willing to give $1 (this is what we did when we shiped the CD first to few folks who ordered the CD). So if they have $2 profit will they keep it in their CD shelves?

no $2 isn't good enough for them. I'm sorry to be saying this here, because DU is here, but most Indian retailers are crooks. They are spoiled with pirated market. When they are making $8 profit, selling pirated dvds for $10 each while spending only $2 to aquire them, what is their purpose of keeping original brands on their precious SHELF SPACE which they claim is worth a lot of money for $2 profit(would be less considering other costs) on say a $13 investment. Not even on a consignment basis, since they want to stock up their shelves with the products that will give them the best return. I just read some idiots blog about how everyone has a birth right to listen to this album without paying a naya paisa (ie, without earning it), right. I don't buy silly american albums because they aren't worth my money nor my time wasted, listening to them. I choose to purchase our albums because they are worth every penny and then some, regardless of whatever hardships I have as a student. I make sacrifices in other departments of my life in order to righteously enjoy wonderful efforts by many artists. ok, i've gone a little off topic, but that other guys blog is still fresh in my mind. grr

well, I WOULD feel the same way about our crappy dvds, if they weren't so crappy. nevermind, I gotta go for now. Sorry Balaji, So Cal retailers are dummies, I guess I shouldn't generalize it.

and Yes!! Sithara (Vamsi) & Anveshana (Vamsi?? - read the other IR thread) has music that will truly transport you to another world, so when I read making such remarks of TIS, I can believe them! BTW, there is an EVP DVD available of Sithara, get it while you can at kaddvd.com - not sure if this is the version with subs. I haven't seen Anveshana, but I've heard a few tracks which I've only aquired illegaly due to lack of availability, and believe me, I was VERY VERY lucky to have found a copy of Sithara at a local shop after many years of local/online searches! I bought compilation discs just because they featured one or two songs from Sithara, but luckily I've found the entire album by "Sea Records" I think

Its okay. When we stared the store, we thought people would eventually change and support original DVD. So for the last 3 years, we have been renting/selling original DVDs only. Its hard to manage selling original DVDs and make money, but we still do it because we think one day we will change. While I understand how you feel about retailers, I would welcome you anytime to our store and stand in the counter for one saturday. People will simply walk in and ask

1. Do you have VHS
2. Dont you have 2 in 1 DVD. I am looking for Waqt and MEA combo
3. How come you are selling for 23 while the others are selling for 15 (sometime retailers rent the DVD and shrink wrap them and poor customers end up buying and thinking that we are ripping off. Why retailers, even I used to buy DVDs that are shrink wrapped when I started the business, because I dont know the difference. Since I went online, few customers who bought those DVDs shouted at me and made me realize this. Note that now a days Eros DVDs are shirnk wrapped from the factory itself, that makes them more comfortable!)

Anyways coming back to the telugu titles, I do have Sitara DVD.Infact EVP last week released a telgu song DVD that has all super hit movies (like Sitara, Santhosam etc). I also have the DVD. I decided to watch the movie tonight just because of IR. I dont have Anveshana (I think). Lets see... He also gave me one info, that IR is the only composer who rejected NTR. The reason was when Don was remade in Telugu, NTR asked IR to lift one song from Hindi as it is and IR said he would never do that. At that time NTR was at his peak and IR was still a budding flower. So producer forced IR to lift. IR decided not to work with NTR there after. Not sure if its true but another story I heard today!

Coming back to TIS... any other suggestion welcome. Like DragunR2 said, it is a landmark album and meet/exceeds the hype created. I have sent few samples to few corporate here (US based, not ABCD based) and waiting for their response. Lets C...

DU - Is it possible to make TIS available for listening online (raaga, musicindiaonline ) . i am sure if people sample it, then they will like it and might buy it. Its tough to sell a 15$ cd of an relatively unknown artist ( how many of us actually buy 15$ CD's of Beethoven or Bach ??) . I will also try with my local indian store and let you know if he can do it.

BTW the music is slowly but steadily seeping into me and I am loving every minute of it.

At our specific request, they removed from their site for a month. so we need to wait for another couple of weeks before they list TIS.

Take your time and let me know what your experiences were after hearing TIS.