I am missing you (Ravi Shankar) (LP 907 - 908)

Shankar Family Friends   Shankar Family Friends (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1974) ****  

Ravi Shankar  Ravi Shankar's Music Festival From India (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1976) ***  

Genre: Dark Horse Records, world music

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Am Missing You (featuring Lakshmi Shankar on vocals)

Gear costume: Tarana/Chaturang 

Active compensatory factors: As a collector of Dark Horse Records I sometimes find myself going into musical areas that I otherwise would never find.

These Ravi Shankar albums join those on Apple Records in my collection as a consequence. They are fascinating glimpses into Indian culture and music in general. George was no mug.

My western ears like these albums as they use both traditional Indian instruments but in a song format, rather than a long form raga, alongside western musicians.

Shankar Family & Friends even had a song (I Am Missing You) released as a single and includes a number of western friends: Ringo Starr; Billy Preston; Tom Scott; and Jim Keltner were some to appear alongside the Shankar family. It all works in spectacular fashion. I especially like the music for a ballet which takes up all of side 2.

Music Festival From India is also produced by George, but this time it's just Indian musicians who appear. Ravi is joined by Lakshmi Shankar on vocals again and fellow legend - Alarakha (a.k.a. Alla Rakha) on tabla, for another collection of magical sounds.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Ravi. Next up when I return to Dark Horse Records are three albums by Splinter.