THE SAVAGES RELEASE LIMITED EDITION VINYL

THE MUMBAI ROCK PIONEERS' DEBUT RECORD THE SAVAGES LIVE' HAS BEEN REISSUED BY KOLKATA'S FREE SCHOOL STREET RECORDS

- David Britto

Prominent Mumbai rockers The Savages burst onto the scene in the Sixties, marking a pivotal chapter in the unfolding narrative of Indian rock music. While acknowledging the existence of bands preceding them, often relegated to the realms of cover performances in club gigs, it was the Savages, founded by drummer Bashir Sheikh, who transcended the norm. Not only did they venture into crafting their own compositions but also embarked on a journey that would become synonymous with the evolution of rock in India.

Although the Savages’ witnessed plenty of lineup changes, their most prominent one consisted of Sheikh, Ralph Pais (bass), Hemant Rao (guitar), Prabhakar Mundkur (keyboards and vocals) and Russel Pereira (vocals). It was these musicians who cut the band’s debut album, The Savages Live, which was released via German-British record label Polydor Records in 1971. Now, the band is out with a reissue vinyl of the LP which has been released by Kolkata’s Free School Street Records.

In this interview with Mundkur, he talks to us about how the LP came together, working with Free School Street Records for the reissue and the last time the Savages played together. Read below.

What do you remember from putting together the original album that came out in 1971?