Bombay Beauties

The vast archive of Bollywood music from the ‘50s to the ‘80s has been poorly represented outside the South Asian diaspora. Dutch collector Edo Bouman’s new Bombay Connection label sheds new light on these archives with these first two (of six) compilations. Not intended as "greatest hits,” these assemble background music and obscurities into themes aimed at a Western audience. Bombay Connection and Bombshell Baby of Bombay look at funk and ‘60s-era nightclub rockin’ swing, respectively. Beautifully designed with movie stills, poster art and photos of massive recording sessions, the images alone are worth the price. These volumes promise to be far and away the most comprehensive celebrations of the ingenuity, production processes, and artistic context of these songs and their brilliant composers. (www.bombay-connection.com)