"This is about as obscure as garage gets. For two years, 1970 and 1971, a cigarette company in India sponsored some kind of battle-of-the-bands competition, with the winners going to Calcutta to record for compilations called Simla Beat. Each year an lp was released with no info about the bands other than their hometown. Also issued was this 45 released with two of the better tracks and some silly liner notes on the back of the sleeve (detail here).
Some people think this is a hoax, or that the recordings came from somewhere other than India. It's true that some bands have a similar sound, though this could be from sharing a studio and perhaps instruments as well. Also, the bands lean heavily on American rock of the time and show very little British influence. " - http://www.garagehangover.com/?q=node/86
Came across these photos of some of the bands included on that simla beat competition. trying to track down the vinyl, along with the savages vinyl which may have came out in the 60s making it the first indian rock album to come out on vinyl. whoa.
velvette frog
unidentified band at simla beat competition, 71/72
savage encounter, lead singer/drummer bashir sheikh went on to be a serious a&r type dude. savage encounter was a band formed with nandu bhende's brief encounter and bashir sheikh's the savages.
savage encounter
savage encounter
savage encounter
brief encounter
brief encounter
atomic forrest
