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Static
Will you remember Jerry Lee, John Lennon,
T-Rex and Ol’ Moulty?
We need change, we need it fast
Before rock’s just part of the past
‘Cause lately it all sounds the same to me
—The Ramones, Do You Remember Rock’n’Roll Radio?
One of punk’s old school soldiers has fallen. John Cummings, better known as Johnny Ramone, one fourth of the Ramones, passed away last month. Johnny, lead guitarist of one rock’s most influential outfits, was 55. He died of prostate cancer in his Los Angeles home.
Johnny and his Ramones were at the forefront of the punk movement — their leather jackets, three-chord fury and playful bouts with nihilism shaped the face that punk’s glorious first wave was to be recognized with till Kingdom Come. But it wasn’t until the Queens, New York quartet headed over to England that London’s explosive punk scene came into its own. The Ramones provided the kick in the behind that enabled bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Damned and the Exploited to reshape the lexicon of rock with their guttural snarls and power chord pyrotechnics.
But the Ramones were far more than just a mere catalyst for rock revolution. They were the vanguards of the revolution. While the Clash (without a doubt the ONLY band that mattered) dabbled in left wing politics and reggae, and the Pistols channelled pure, unrestrained aggression, the Ramones wrote relatively lighter tunes. Not lighter as far as integrity is concerned, but less, err, destructive. OK, maybe Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue was just as nihilistic as the Pistols’ Bodies, but overall, the Ramones took the sounds of garage and surf rock and turned them upside-down. The result was some of the finest three-minute tunes in music history.
And Johnny Ramone was the hard-edged taskmaster who held the Ramones together. A straight-edge punker in an industry notorious for its excess, Johnny had a driving work ethic that ensured he took no lip, whether from band-mates or outsiders — where the band was concerned. The band came first, and everything else followed. So rest in peace, wherever you are Johnny.
And what does Johnny Ramone dying have to do with Pakistani music? Everything and nothing. Everything, because if some local kid picks up a Ramones record after reading this column (fat chance) and then, maybe, decides to channel that fury instead of channelling some schlock like Puddle of Mudd, it’ll be well worth it. And nothing because considering the amount of barbarity that bombards us through cable, the ‘net and radio, there’s more of a chance five years down the line we’ll see a local Fred Durst or an Usher. No chance of a Johnny Ramone or Joe Strummer in these parts.
Having said that, not too long ago I came up with the brilliant idea of short-listing five of what I felt were really top-notch Pakistani ‘rock’ (and I use the word loosely here) songs. I admit, our pop industry has given us little to gloat about, but somewhere, in its 25 or so year history, it has given us some absolute gems. So here, in no particular order, is my top five Pakistani rock tunes. Drum roll please.
(1) Rakh Aas — Karavan: That pounding drum intro (recorded by Asad Ahmed on a drum machine, mind you), Sameer Ahmed’s playful bass work and Asad’s heavily Ace Frehley inspired riffage ... the result: one kick a** rock song. True, the guitar work was nothing spectacular, but it did the trick. Plus, this was when Najam Sheraz could throw it down, as he wasn’t yet a pseudo preacher man. Those winding alaaps, uncomplicated lyrics and a shout-along chorus ... three simple reasons why this one tops my list.
(2) Sona Chahta Hoon — Najam Sheraz: Najam, in my opinion, has one of the most gifted voices in the local pop industry. That’s why this tune comes in a very close second. This was a genuinely different song, something that had definitely not been heard in Pakistani pop before. The superb alaaps (sung by someone else), Najam’s wailing lead vocals (able to give the best ’80s hair metal, Spandex clad front-man a run for his money) and pristine axe-work (the debate rages on whether Ziyyad Gulzar played guitar on this one or if it was Adnan ‘Vai’ Afaq ... most people are of the opinion it was Vai) ensured that this left-of-centre gem stayed ingrained in the collective memory for a while to come.
(3) Khudi — Junoon: When Salman Ahmed isn’t ripping off Jimmy Page, Hendrix or the Edge’s riffs, he comes up with some pretty catchy tunes. Khudi being a case in point. Though it received a fair amount of criticism as many people were offended by what they considered Junoon’s hatchet job of Allama Iqbal’s poetry, the charging acoustic riff that launched the tune made sure that this reincarnation of Khudi would be remembered, especially by the new generation of Pakistanis.
(4) Jago — Jazba: I admit this is an odd choice, but at the time of its release, something like this was quite unimaginable. More of a rap tune than a rock song, Nadeem Nasir ‘rapping’ political over a menacing bass line and a grainy video shot in what looks like Saddar, Karachi are reason enough for this tune to make the list. That Jazba went nowhere and unfortunately are STILL nowhere is another story.
(5) Sawaal — Aaroh: The title track of the debut record of Aaroh’s original line-up, this is one tune that represents the best of the new bunch. While Karavan, Najam and Junoon are seasoned vets of the music scene, Aaroh were arguably the best of what I like to call the ‘third wave’ of Pakistani popsters. Plus, the song had it all: a driving riff, fast (though a little mechanical) solos, and wailing vocals courtesy of Farook. Sadly, the original Aaroh itself became a part of history before a follow-up could be written.
I know there are some that I’ve missed, but this is what made sense at the time of writing. I would have included Junoon’s brilliant Dharti kai Khuda, but then it would have been a top six, and that just doesn’t sound cool. And how can I talk about top Pakistani rock songs and not mention Zak. Well, Zak is a category unto himself. Plus, Mekaal Hasan and Faraz Anwar have made quite a contribution to local rock, but their tunes, though mostly beyond solid, have yet to capture the mass appeal the aforementioned numbers did. Maybe if I’m still around on this ball of mud five years from now, we’ll get around to compiling a ‘Top 10.’ Till then, what you see is what you get.
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