Written by: Amna Naseem
Posted on: June 04, 2020 | 
| 中文
Vital Signs
Pakistani music has come a long way and has seen much innovation in terms of sound and aesthetics. Although pop music first exploded onto the scene with Ahmed Rushdi’s evergreen song ‘Ko Ko Korina’ in the ‘60s, the legacy of this creative genre came from musical legends like Hassan Jahangir, Alamgir, Nazia and Zoheb in the early 1980s.
Recent decades proved to be the revolutionary period for the music industry due to the new and exciting sounds which had come from different bands. Pakistan witnessed the formation of several amazing bands who established the basis of pop-rock, Sufi rock, and alternative rock music and quickly gained popularity among listeners.
(L to R) Salman Ahmed, Ali Azmat, Brian O'Connell
The following are some of Pakistan’s favorite bands from the post-1980 era, and some reasons why they have remained popular for so long.
Vital Signs has been Pakistan’s first and perhaps most successful band to ever come out of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Its original members were Junaid Jamshed, Rohail Hayatt, Shahzad Hassan, and Nusrat Hussain, who were handsome, confident, well-dressed, and inspired a Beatles-like fanbase in Pakistan. They were the first band to play large venues till late hours of the night, and many of their fans were women.
The Original Vital Signs Lineup
Vital Signs have been immortalized for their number, ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’, which is also said to be Pakistan’s unofficial second national anthem. They recorded several albums with Pakistan Television (PTV) legends, Shoaib Mansoor and Arshad Mehmood. However, despite the commercial triumph, the band was rife with personal issues, and guitarists would leave as soon as they were hired. The band broke up in 1998, and the boys went their separate ways.
As Vital Signs disbanded and the ‘90s saw a heavier emphasis on video music and satellite television, another band emerged in its place which had more elements of rock than before. Junoon was formed by guitarist Salman Ahmed, who was also briefly part of Vital Signs, and was told by a teacher that he had ‘Junoon’ or great passion for music. The band was called the ‘U2 of Pakistan’ by the New York Times, and was the first Pakistani group to have performed in the United Nations General Assembly in 2001.
Junoon
Junoon offered a unique blend of guitar-based rock traditions, with soulful tabla drums, traditional folk music, and lyrics inspired by poetry and Sufi traditions. They also continued the tradition of electric patriotic songs like, ‘Jazba-e-Junoon (Feeling and Passion)’ which was not only their first big hit, but also ensured success for their album Inquilaab (Revolution). Although they briefly broke up in the late 2000’s, they recently reunited in 2018, and are still playing together.
Strings
Initially formed in 1988, the band has principally comprised of Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood. Initially, they started as a group that sang lyrics written by Maqsood’s father, noted writer Anwar Maqsood. However, the band quietly broke up in 1992, until the new music scene in the country compelled them to return.
The release of their album, ‘Duur (Far)’ in 2000, and the single ‘Sar Kiye Ye Pahar (We Crossed These Mountains)’’, resulted in their worldwide acclaim. Their specialty lay in their rhythmic and melodious guitar, which often came with lyrics that longed for emotional stability in difficult times. Perhaps that is why their music takes one back to nostalgic memories of happier times. Most recently, the Strings released their album ‘30’,which celebrates three decades of their amazing musical journey. Both members of Strings have recently joined Coke Studio Pakistan as music producers.
Noori:
Comprised originally of two brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, along with renowned drumming legend Gumby, Noori is a pop-rock band formed in 1996, that solidified the pop-rock songs in the early 2000s. Their debut album ‘Suno ke mein hon jawan (Listen, for I am Young)’ and its hit single ‘Manwa Re’, was released in 2003 to almost instant commercial success. According to early reviews, what was special about Noori was their call to young people to take up social responsibility and to better society.
Noori the Band
Along with pop-rock, Noori has also focused on promoting and recording folk music, often in Coke Studio Pakistan. On Season 9, they collaborated with Indian singer Shilpa Rao on the song ‘Paar Channa De’, based on the tragic love story of Sohni Mahiwal, which was hugely successful. The track also featured the brothers’ mother, Madam Noor Zehra Kazim, the only Sagar Veena player in Pakistan.
Although this band had not gained commercial success until the 2000s, not many bands in Pakistan gained such acclaim as did the band Jal after their single ‘Adat (Habit)’. The song was originally sung by Atif Aslam and composed by Goher Mumtaz, who met when they were studying at the Punjab University in 1998.
Gohar Mumtaz and Atif Aslam Playing Together
The band broke up soon after their first song was released, due to irreconcilable differences. Atif parted ways with the band and set off as a solo artist, while Goher Mumtaz recruited Farhan Saeed as the lead vocalist in the band. Aftwerwards, Jal the band released several other popular songs like ‘Sajni’, ‘Kash Ye Pal’, ‘Woh Lamhay’, and more.
While most of the bands have unfortunately dissolved, they have shaped Pakistani pop-culture, and given Pakistani people a sound that was uniquely theirs. Nowadays, principal members of these bands have become mentors and producers on shows like Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Coke Studio and, Nescafe Basement. New bands are now coming forward with fresh and experimental ideas to update the music industry of Pakistan.
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