Here’s a write-up on Ravi Shankar – Chants Of India (1997) focusing on the high-resolution FLAC edition, specifically for the user only1joe.
Chants of India is unlike Shankar’s more widely known sitar-driven ragas. Instead, it is a collection of ancient Vedic and Puranic chants, prayers, and mantras set to minimalist, hypnotic orchestration. Produced by George Harrison, the album strips away commercial excess, favoring acoustic authenticity. Key tracks include:
The recording is pristine, intimate, and deeply resonant—making it a reference-grade test for any high-fidelity system.
You can find Chants of India on Spotify or Apple Music in AAC. You can buy the CD from Amazon. So why hunt for the only1joe FLAC? Ravi Shankar - Chants Of India 1997 only1joe FLAC
Because the commercial digital versions suffer from The Loudness War. Later masters clipped the peaks of the Vedic chants to make them sound "louder" on earbuds.
The only1joe rip is a bit-perfect, Lossless FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) capture of the 1997 CD. It includes:
Released in 1997 on Angel Records, Chants Of India is not a typical sitar-led raga album by Ravi Shankar. Instead, it’s a collection of sacred Vedic hymns, bhajans (devotional songs), and shlokas (verses) set to traditional Indian melodies. The album was produced and arranged by George Harrison (Shankar’s close friend and former Beatle), who also played acoustic guitar and provided subtle backing vocals on select tracks. Here’s a write-up on Ravi Shankar – Chants
The sessions took place in London and India, blending ancient Sanskrit texts with meditative, largely acoustic instrumentation (tanpura, pakhavaj, flute, swarmandal, and Harrison’s understated guitar).
For only1joe – a deep dive into one of Ravi Shankar’s most spiritual and sonically pristine recordings.
Before diving into the “only1joe” mystique, one must understand the weight of the music itself. Chants of India, released in 1997 by Angel Records, is not merely another Ravi Shankar album. It is a liturgical journey. The Album: A Sacred Journey Chants of India
Conceived and produced by his longtime friend and former Beatle, George Harrison, the album moves away from the virtuosic sitar improvisations (like in Bridge of Sorrows or Three Ragas) and instead focuses on Vedic and traditional chants. The tracklist reads like a manual for inner peace:
What makes the 1997 release unique is its production. Harrison, who had produced Shankar’s landmark Chants of India (not to be confused with his earlier Chants of India on Dark Horse Records), insisted on an organic, almost dry recording style. There is no reverb wash. The voices of the nineteen singers from the Rajpipla State are raw, present, and immediate.
If you are going to listen to pop music, 320kbps MP3 is fine. But Chants of India is a test track for high-end systems.