Vinyl review/ Parikrama Live


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Parikrama/ Live At Mahindra Independence Rock 2022

Genre: Rock

Format: Vinyl/ limited edition pressing

Label: Free School Street Records; c&p Parikrama Inc

Price: Rs 2,500/-

Rating: ****

Over three decades after they were formed in 1991, Delhi rock band Parikrama continue to shine on the live circuit. This blogger last saw them at the Bandland gig in Bengaluru last December, and what a gig that was, coming before Deep Purple.

Equally memorable was Parikrama's performance in the comeback edition of Mumbai's premier rock outing Independence Rock, this time under the name Mahindra Independence Rock. A live recording of that phenomenal November 6 2022 performance at Mumbai's Bayview Lawns is now available on vinyl through Kolkata-based Free School Street Records.

The recording has been mixed and mastered from original multi-track recording by Keshav Dhar, with additional mastering for vinyl by Rajiv Pandey in Dallas, US. It is dedicated to Parikrama founder member and guitarist Sonam Sherpa, who passed away in 2020.

The nine-song set list consists of all the Parikrama favourites. Vocalist Nitin Malik's screech on the opener 'In The Middle' is reminiscent of AC/ DC. Next up in 'Rhythm n Blues', with its fabulous guitaring by Saurabh Chaudhry and Abhishek Mittal, and extended jam.

The melodic 'Am I Dreaming' has smooth vocals and guitars, with Subir Malik joining on Hammond organ. 'Tears Of The Wizard' has a Led Zeppelin-meets-Iron Maiden vibe, and is one of their most energetic recordings. Nitin excels on the anti-war anthem 'But It Rained', with Saurabh doing the iconic guitar part made famous by Sonam.

Violinist Suhail Ali Khan is the star of the instrumental 'Open Skies', whereas 'Whiskey Blues' has a brilliant jam. Other fan favourites 'Xerox' and 'Vapourize' complete the set. Also part of the ljne-up are drummer Srijan Mahajan, bassist Gaurav Balani, tabla player Shambhu Nath Bhattacharjee, sitar exponent Dhruv Bedi and flautist Shashank Singhania.

Besides the sheer quality of the music, the vinyl comes in sleek packing. There's a detailed description of the concert by Aveek Chatterjee of Free School Street Records, who calls himself a lifelong Parikrama fanboy. An article on the band's evolution written by this blogger in Rolling Stone India in 2021 has been reproduced.

This is besides song lyrics, details of gear used and photos, besides a replica of the concert setlist, personally autographed by all band members. All in all, a worthy addition to the collection of any fan of Indian rock.




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