{"product_id":"the-essential-1","title":"The Essential","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe can't think of many other performers like the singer\/songwriter\/dancer\/actress \u003cstrong\u003eAsha Puthli\u003c\/strong\u003e who have excelled in such a broad range of genres. From 60s psych, Classical Indian music, Free Jazz, Pop, Soul, Disco, to Rock, the list goes on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA best-of or an essential collection is always going to be a subjective thing, but for what is unbelievably the first official compilation covering the full breadth of Asha's illustrious career, we aimed to provide a snapshot into her ever-evolving musical journey and a tribute to the vast richness of her catalogue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome singers want to be famous, others are pop star icons, and some are artists; Asha is the latter. Asha is a true force of nature, regardless of the genre she explores, she fully commits, moves on, and reinvents herself, always progressing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLooking back on Asha's career, it is evident what a trail-blazer she was, opening doors for her contemporaries and those who came later to step through. Whether it was conscious or not, you can recognize Asha’s influence in aspects of \u003cem\u003eKate Bush\u003c\/em\u003e's ethereal image and performance, in \u003cem\u003eDonna Summer\u003c\/em\u003e’s high-smooth vocal sound and disco stylings, and in the gumption and power of \u003cem\u003eGrace Jones\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKick-starting the compilation is ‘\u003cem\u003ePain\u003c\/em\u003e’, the Indian psychedelic garage rock sounds of The Savages featuring Asha. We have to admit, we had to strong-arm Asha into letting us include this track at first; also due to its rare nature (and lack of any master tapes) the recording we present here is raw and low-fi. However, we felt its inclusion was important to fully represent the journey of Asha's career, the same consideration was also applied to two of the Asha and The Surfers’ songs that we have included in this collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAsha saw a link between jazz and classical Indian music \"the improvisation, the minor chords, the free form, the liberalness of the art\" we showcase her love of jazz here with seminal works with the legendary \u003cem\u003eOrnette Coleman\u003c\/em\u003e, taken from the revered \u003cem\u003eScience Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAsha's 'CBS years' are represented here, how could we not include 'Space Talk' on this collection, and how these years progressed into her amazing disco offerings such as 'I'm Gonna Dance' and 'Music Machine'. The bizarre 'We're Gonna Bury The Rock With The Roll Tonight' from 1980 has also won us over. A pseudo-50s throw-back song that sounds not unsimilar to the post-modern, leftfield, pop of an MIA production to come years later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRounding off the compilation we have Asha's interpretation of a \u003cem\u003eMichael Jackson\u003c\/em\u003e classic that sat lost on a cassette-only released in India.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mr Bongo","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP | x2","offer_id":50383236628811,"sku":"1153245","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50383236497739,"sku":"1153244","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50383237284171,"sku":"1153241","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5297e92b-12b4-4055-b4a6-451b7783d5c5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726265641","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/products\/the-essential-1","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}