Kings & Queens of Bollywood / Various (CD)

It was during the '60s that Bollywood music as it's largely recognized today began, with the masala (spicy mix) films. Throwing every style into the visual pot, they also made the soundtracks a real stew -- and, with it being that time, psychedelia was part of the mix, too. And if you want to know what the decade sounded like for Bollywood, look no further than this release, where it seems like literally everything rubs shoulders, often in a single track. Of course, the two main voices on these tracks belong to sisters Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar, the two most recorded vocalists in the world, whose career with Indian cinema dates back decades as "playback singers," as they're called. It's a glorious, often hilarious trip through the past, right from the slightly off-kilter "One, Two Three Baby" to the absolute aural madness of "Badkamma Ekad Boto Ra," where things seem to just tumble off the edge. A magical mystery tour, indeed. ~ Chris Nickson