''Junoon'' (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' sufi rock Sufi rock or Sufi folk rock is a subgenre of rock music that combines rock with classical Islamic Sufi music traditions. It emerged in the early 1990s and became widely popular in the late 1990s in Pakistan and Turkey. The term "Sufi rock" was c ...

band Junoon, released on 30 September 1992. It was released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

and recorded at the EMI studios in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

in 1990. The album is produced by founder, songwriter and lead guitarist

Salman Ahmad Salman Ahmad ( ur, , born 12 December 1963) is a Pakistani born-American musician, rock guitarist, physician, activist, occasional actor and professor at the City University of New York. He earned nationwide popularity in 1998 for his un ...

. The album contained a total track list of twelve songs with eight tracks being in Urdu language, three tracks in English and one instrumental. All songs on the album were recorded with

Ali Azmat Ali Azmat Butt (born 20 April 1970) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career. In 2001, he became part of the first ...

on vocals with the exception of "Khwab" and "Jiyain", which were recorded with

Nusrat Hussain Nusrat Hussain (Urdu:نصرت حسین), is a Pakistani musician, airline pilot, guitarist, and keyboardist. He played guitar for the Vital Signs and keyboard for Junoon in the mid 1990s. He soon left both bands opting for a career in PIA as ...

on vocals and the track "Jogia" featured female vocals by Fifi Haroon. Session player Asad Ahmed featured on bass guitar, on all tracks in the album. Junoon's debut album was sponsored by Colgate in promotion of the band and was sold free with every Colgate toothpaste purchase in Pakistan, when released in 1992.

Conception

Background

Junoon's roots stretch back to

Tappan, New York Tappan ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York. It is located northwest of Alpine, New Jersey, north of Northvale, New Jersey and Rockleigh, New Jersey, northeast of Old Tappan, Ne ...

, in the 1970s.

left

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, Pakistan, for New York with his family when he was eleven, and received his baptism in

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

when a friend offered him a ticket to a

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

concert. Salman Ahmad was so enthralled by the show that he saved $235 to buy his own

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

. He also befriended Brian O'Connell in Tappan, another young aspiring musician, with whom Ahmad formed their first band together by the name of "Eclipse". Before the two friends could take their aspirations out of the basement and onto a bigger stage, Salman Ahmad's parents moved back to Pakistan in 1981, and Salman began to study medicine at Lahore's King Edward's Medical College. In 1987,

, by then the lead guitarist of the band

Vital Signs Vital signs (also known as vitals) are a group of the four to six most crucial medical signs that indicate the status of the body's vital (life-sustaining) functions. These measurements are taken to help assess the general physical health of a ...

, after composing the song "

Dil Dil Pakistan Dil Dil Pakistan ( ur, ) is the most popular patriotic Pakistani song, sung by Junaid Jamshed. It was released in 1987 by the pop band Vital Signs. The song was featured in the band's debut album, ''Vital Signs 1'', in 1987. Dil Dil Pakistan is ...

", parted ways with Vital Signs and suggested

Rohail Hyatt Rohail Hyatt (Urdu: روحیل حیات) is a Pakistani record producer, keyboardist, and composer. As record producer, Hyatt is largely credited with pioneering Pakistani pop rock music by incorporating western rock and pop influences. In ...

, founder and keyboardist of Vital Signs, to bring Salman Ahmad as his replacement in the band. Vital Signs then went on to record their debut album at the

EMI Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

, but almost all the songs were written and composed at Salman Ahmad's residence where the band had been lodged. In March 1989, the band released their debut album, ''

Vital Signs 1 ''Vital Signs 1'' was the first album of the Pakistani band Vital Signs. Fresh from the success of their smash hit Dil Dil Pakistan Vital Signs went to work on their debut album, with Shoaib Mansoor providing the lyrics to all but 2 songs. D ...

'', which was a success throughout the country. The following year, Salman Ahmad parted ways with the most successful pop band of Pakistan as he wanted a change in the band's music for their second album and therefore after leaving the band he went on to form his own band. First, he recruited singer

from the

Jupiters The Jupiters () were a Pakistani music band who are considered one of the pioneers of pop music in Pakistan. Although the band released only a few albums, it became a breeding ground for many notable future singers. The hit song "Yaaro Yehi Dosti ...

and then the former Vital Signs lead guitarist, Nusrat Hussain, on keyboards. Junoon formed in 1990 when Salman Ahmad, founder, songwriter and lead guitarist, had a dream where one of his teachers shook him and said "Tumhey mousiqui ka Junoon hai!" (You have an obsession for music!).Junoon Biography & Awards
Retrieved on 18 May 2009
Retrieved on 5 June 2009 After the band's formation, its members were signed to major record label EMI Records and afterwards went on recording their self-titled debut album. The album features the emerging

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

instrumentation of the time, as well more palatable hard rock and AOR influences.

Release and promotion

Junoon were not an over night success, the band members struggled for the first few years. Their self-titled debut album, recorded at the

barely made a dent in the

Pakistani music The Music of Pakistan ( ur, , lit=pákistáni mosíqi) includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and modern-day Western popular music influences. With these multiple ...

industry when released on 30 September 1991. The band's debut album was sponsored by Colgate in promotion of the band and was sold free with every Colgate toothpaste purchase in Pakistan, when released in 1991. After the release of their debut album,

parted ways with the band to pursue his own career as a solo singer and went on to release his debut solo album ''

Amrit Amrit ( ar, عمريت), the classical Marathus ( grc-gre, Μάραθος, ''Marathos''), was a Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millenniumBC, Marat ( phn, 𐤌𐤓𐤕, ) was the northernmost imp ...

'' in 1992. Singles that performed well at the local music charts were "Neend Athi Nahin", "Jiyain" and "Chori Chori". Although a few singles from the album did pretty well at the local music charts, however, the album failed to make an impact in the Pakistani music industry. Pakistani Muziq Channel gave the album a 3.0/5.0 rating upon its release.Pakistani Muziq Channel Junoon 1
Retrieved on 3 May 2011.

Track listing

All music written & composed by

Personnel

All information is taken from the CD. ;Junoon *

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

- keyboard, backing vocals ;Additional musicians * Asad Ahmed - bass guitars *Female vocals on "Jiyain", "Jogia" by Fifi Haroon ;Production *Produced by

*Recorded & Mixed at

, Pakistan

References

External links

Official WebsitePopular song: Sayonee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junoon (Album) 1991 debut albums Junoon (band) albums Urdu-language albums