This documentary is a conglomeration of views from individuals that become players in the world of Original Pilipino Music in the 1970s OPM as an idea was born in this decade. Ideologies continue to spark debates related to linear, cyclical or evolutionary interpretations of Philippine music history The many meanings of OPM change and are absorbed through time. Think of these meanings as always fluid -- riding along and buoying up the state and being of a Filipino. Juan de la Cruz Band - Himig Natin I am alone And no one is with me And I cannot see our hope our tunes What really is the sound of our tunes during the 1970s? What are the experiences, beliefs, and technologies that resonated the sentiments of most of society? Who are those that hold and create? the music that we call our own? How do we illustrate the sound that molded and that continuously molds our day to day identity as Filipinos? In other words, OPM. Manila I keep coming back to Manila Simply no place like Manila Manila, I'm coming home I've walked the streets of San Francisco, I've tried the rides in Disneyland Dated a million girls from Sydney Somehow I feel like I don't belong I long for you, Manila... Pasakalye (Prologue) From the 1960s Nobody wanted to listen to a FIlipino song When we used to do shows in the hotel They thought that "Dahil Sa Iyo" (Because of You) Was our... That's the only thing they knew, the foreigners knew So they think that it was our national anthem We were not allowed to sing Tagalog especially playing originals - it was restricted The songs that I first wrote were in English, not Tagalog because, left and right, you would only hear English, English, English Everybody wanted to sound like an American- Music was american Tell me why? Because we're "brown americans" Filipinos were very westernized I mean, radio was dominated by foreign songs (radio noise) Foreign influences were very strong especially the British and Americans Those were the problems back then, because our mentality as Filipinos before, Was really foreign. Then, the source of new music That we were going to make Came from the likes of Diomedes Maturan Nora Aunor, Pilita Corrales, Eddie Peregrina, Victor Wood, and more others like them. How, how... (laughs) How were you going to work with that? If you had no idea if you were not able to find alternatives to break those mindsets? If there's "Only in the Philippines," there's also "Of the Philippines" Perry Como of the Philippines Elvis Presley of the Philippines Johnny Mathis of the Philippines Tom Jones of the Philippines Of the Philippines again - here we go again We keep coming back to that Why are we singing Those that we just copy Like we are clones of our colonial master Let's be thankful, just imagine if we had Michael Jackson of the Philippines How shameful. This perspective blossomed during the 1970s Nationalistic desires and consciousness, How did this pervade? It grinded on its own It started with Himig Natin by Joey Smith That was like a call Hey, wake up! And everyone really did wake up Because at that time, Filipino Rock, all at the same time, DZRJ, Pinoy Rock & Rhythm Us (Jingle Magazine), recording, Then radio, TV, all of them simultaneously There were also movies, rock movies Banyuhay ni Heber Florante, all of those Sampaguita, Juan de la Cruz, Anak Bayan, all of them Anak Bayan, Mike Hanopol, Pepe Smith Sampaguita, Banyuhay, I think Florante I remember hearing Pepe Smith and Juan de la Cruz's "Rock 'n Roll Sa Ulan" (Rock 'n Roll In The Rain) That when you come to think about it, the song lyrics didn't make sense But the fact that you're tuning in on the radio and listening to a Tagalog song and it has a modern beat, not kundiman or none of the old songs it was really quite shocking already. The Filipino Rock and Roll is not really Bobby Gonzales' Hahabol-Habol Merong bata akong nililigawan Then, he said, it is uhh... Resty Fabunan of Maria Cafra’s "Buhay Gapo" There is another type of music-making that was also called 'band music' during the early part of the decade If there was Mabuhay Singers during the 1960s In this new decade, the songs of The Circus Band, The New Minstrels, And the Ambivalent Crowd became widespread They are called show bands as we use the term these days They started by exactly copying existing music Using the popular group singing style from the US Eventually, they started creating their original songs From these groups came the singers that soon ventured as solo artists Music then was alive and endless on Dewey Boulevard, Or Roxas Boulevard as we call it today There stood Bayside, Wells Fargo, Rinos, The Flames, and Eduardo's There was a folk house, called Butterfly Restaurant It was the driving range of UP Golf Course A music lounge called Con Alba's, Tourist Belt, which was in Mabini Kola House, near the National Library From Kola House, then came Hobbit House Then Bodega, and many others I was then invited to Bodega He said, "It's okay here. The music scene is different." In the mid 70s, '74 or '75, I went to Magsaysay, Olongapo In Olongapo, that's where I met Nena, the one I wrote about in the song "Nena" is a song about a prostitute And in the stories of those I talked to, They share their lives, and its all the same And the main reason was poverty. That's why they turn to prostitution. This is where the stage was before The stage was here. Shakey's was smaller back then. There were no monitors in the front What you would sing and hear That's it. The drums weren't even amplified It was simple. Shakey's was one of the places where Where bands, singers used to play Even those who were already established For local artists, Mostly in campuses, they would do campus tours Like I mentioned, here in UP (University of the Philippines), almost every week there's a concert The Super Session Ticket, June 15, 1974 I was a freshman So June 15 was the opening of classes Then I saw in one of the columns, or in one of the walls of the UP Theater There was a poster, that there was going to be a concert That night. I barely had enough money To buy the ticket, it was 5 pesos I was already familiar with Juan de la Cruz Because I already had the albums I bought the ticket. I asked Edmund (Fortuno), I said, "Mon, can we have a name for our group?" "Sure, why not?" "John of the Cross," he said. I said, "Wow, that's nice. John of the Cross." "But what if we make it into Tagalog?" "Into Tagalog? What is it then..." "'Juan de la Cruz.' There we go." Eventually, Edmund went solo because Pepe joined Because Pepe was also a drummer And there was only one drum set So they took turns But to his advantage, Pepe can also sing Until it was just the three of us left. Pepe, Wally, and me. When we recorded, When Vicor signed us up That's when it started. We were given exposure. Vicor back then was on Raon St. It was founded by Vic del Rosario. Vic, Or. Vic del Rosario and Orly Ilacad And they are first cousins. Vicor was a big help in the (music) industry. It was a hit factory that released OPM. There were a lot of artists. Three years, but I had the most fun in my life because I could call up Vic anytime and say, You know, we wanna record and get a studio And when we get a studio, nobody was allowed from the record company No A&R And nobody's allowed to listen to our songs Until it's finished. We were probably the only band or recording artist That were allowed to record whatever we wanted The only thing Vicor was looking for Was a "comedy song." I was first offered to do a comedy song because One of Vicor's employees knew me as a singer from Cebu So I was offered to sing novelty or comedy songs. At first, I refused because I was used to singing ballad, I was more of a balladeer. But Vic del Rosario said, "No, this is just an experiment. Just try doing it first." I asked, "How much will I get?" Vic only paid me 50 pesos then I still accepted, because I wanted to hear my voice on a record. Have you ever thought of how the word 'recording' is translated in Filipino? "Pagtatala?" Not really. In the context of the '70s, if a musician says, "I will make a recording," the musician really meant, "I'll make a plaka (record in English)." The title in Bisaya is, "Lolang Kunot" One week after its release, it immediately became a hit. With that, Vicor became more interested with me. "Hey kid, keep on recording songs." And so I kept on recording more. When I began recording here, Jose Mari Gonzales was also here, The owner of Cinema Audio. This is Studio B. The entrance is here The drums, that's me I was positioned here with the drum set Then that divider was here The divider was movable Then the piano was placed here Of course, that's the control room Then here... The orchestra, that whole side over there We all recorded simultaneously back then. There was no click track Everyone played together There was no singer yet, it was overdubbed later on. At that time, I remember, we recorded songs of Victor Wood, Pinoy Jazz, we recorded it here The first album of Sharon (Cuneta), it was here Nora Aunor's, we also recorded here. It was 1960s then. What were the others... Rey Valera's, we also made it here. Here, Studio C Sometimes we produced here The voice overdubs for jingle commercials. There were no sequences back then Here, only 4-track was available in this small studio Cinema Audio may have been the first Cinema Audio is one of the recording studios hired by most production studios like Sampaguita, LVN That was probably the first time an 8-track was used. Because here in the Philippines, what we know and talked about in the recording studios is that we started with 8-track immediately We started 8-track recording on a studer But every studio seems to have an 8-track studer so we don't know which one was the first. But that's the '70s, definitely. It was analog back then. We started with 8-tracks Beatles only had 4-tracks Boyfriends had 8-tracks! (laughs) Then 16, then 24. It was in the studio where I really grew up. I lived here most of the time. There were sleepless nights, and we slept in the studio at times, we could go on 'til dawn. So, two days of rehearsals netted us 10 songs And up to the last minute, three hours, we were still writing and in fact the song "Pers Lab" was completed three hours before the recording the next day. So in 8 hours, we were able to squeeze in 8 songs, recorded them and We just left them and let the record company mix it. Which is something that we never allowed to happen again For us? My God, there's no process. "We have a recording next week." "Okay, I'll make up something." Like Danny, for example, He'd sing a song. "Jim, I have a song." "Pumapatak Ang Ulan" (The Rain Is Drizzling) That if you asked him to sing it again, it would come out differently. You know, he would just wing it all the time. It would be different, there would be differences already It would not be laid out as a final piece So I'd go to the studio with that frame of mind and I just say "Danny, here's what I've made. I don't care what happens next." So we work around what was recorded already. I played that tune, (sings tune) It was just from a jamming session. "Hey Pepe, sing over it." "Wait, guys in the booth, are you ready?" "We're clear. You ready?" "I'm OK. Take!" (laughs) There were no lyrics yet in the beginning He'd just wing it. "Beep beep beep beep..." "...sabi ng tsuper ng..." He was like that, Pepe. Sometimes, the spontaneity hits the mark. It just shows up Those who recorded here, Vicor, Viva, OctoArts, WEA, Dyna, JEM Records here's what we've recorded here There were so many songwriters that came out and experimented in so many different directions So, the radio stations were swamped, and people wanted to hear more, more, more Radio was the avenue for people to hear the songs. Then they'll visit the record bars to look for them So most of the time, the problem was Is producing the physical production If you don't really follow the process, Say, something becomes a hit, So here's the vinyl, right? The stamper flattens it like that to imprint the grooves. It can break down. So you have to create a new stamper. So, sometimes you couldn't supply the hits. Different sounds and tunes were put into records. Not for long, a new term became used for songs born in Manila. And I said, you know, "Vic, if we transfer to you," "I want it to be branded our sound," "Something like Motown, the sound of Philadelphia or like that." I said, "In fact, I have an idea, why don’t we call it the Manila Sound" You are the Miss Universe of my life I will sing to you, I will sing to you Everyday, every night, waiting Even if I choose vaguely, I feel true love for you On March 16, 1521 When Philippines was discovered by Magellan, They were sailing day and night, across the big ocean Until they saw small Limasawa Island Spoiled kid, spoiled kid, from the projects Let's all go dancing, jive with the beat of the music And all night through, Keep your sorrows aside, give out the fun of life Your mind is slowly getting lost, confused You are like smoke, slowly vanishing Memories of when we were still sweethearts Strolling along Luneta without money I remember "Pumapatak Ang Ulan" reaching 120,000 copies And we had to stop because the stamper broke. So we stopped for about a few days, and then resumed afterwards But the losses were already great Because it's still hot, right? But, how did they really disseminate and widely promote these songs? How did they turn these various works into hit songs? A hit song is basically a song that, actually, is being heard extensively on radio And being sold excessively also on the record bars. That’s what you consider a hit song. For you to have a hit, you have to be played in all radio stations. You cannot blame them if they look at you as assets for business. That’s why when disco was a thing - you had to stop those rock music. You're frozen then. The priority of recording companies is profit. They're not for culture. They don't care for the development of culture. Their priority is how to make more profits. A label would go look for an artist that is financially viable for returns. An artist has to be molded to a specific style that the label can sell. I was offered by Vicor to work for them. I was told, <i>“Well, we got you because we want you to really help us in television because you know a lot of people there."</i> "So, just book our artists, expose them”. And then radio stations, we talked to them, and station managers. Alright. The career of an artist, whether if they would be famous or not, was on me - how I would promote it. How well can I convince radio people to really play it. "Ways and Means" Payola. Payola is where you pay the DJs (Disc Jockeys) Or the station managers to play his music. The players within the music industry, like those printing labels... They would tell stories. Before a payola amounted to 10 pesos only. 10 pesos was big then, for a single play. I'm not a hypocrite, there was payola. During that time. And, payola was not bad in a sense Whether we got paid or not, we would be playing the same songs. Because we were playing the hits of what were hits in the US during that time Now, some record companies would force us to play Victor Wood, for example He's somewhat my pet peeve No, seriously. Here's a guy that was made by payola He became a hit because of payola Because [redacted] paid us DJs, the radio people, a lot of money Then he was the first guy who went to the Senate of the Philippines during that time And exposed payola. It was chaos. It was exposed by Victor Wood. He was with Julius Obregon Julius Obregon was the leader then. They just reeled in Victor Wood Until Victor Wood was the one cornered He's the guy that garnered hate from most DJs on the radio Even if you have that payola, Whatever it is, whatever you mean by that, Radio stations will not play your song unless they like it. Even though you pay them, that's nothing. They won't play your song. So, payola didn't matter. I mean, They were after ratings. They will actually really feel first the potential of the song. If you release a song, That is similar in a way to the construction of the songs that were hits Then there's a plus factor on your side. It may give you the advantage of Being accepted by the public, by the market. See, I talk this way because I don't talk about the public, I talk about the market. The record market. You wouldn't really last long in an industry if you didn't have that so-called creative thinking. There were a lot of gimmicks in the industry, Not just for their own economic gains, but also for the productivity of Filipino music. We were working in a record company called JEM Records It was so small, that we didn't even have shelves in Shoe Mart. So it was difficult to find our records. But we were producing hits We had, Mike Hanopol, APO (Hiking Society) We had Hajji (Alejandro), Florante But we were a small outfit So we wanted that when we distribute our records To the radio stations, we wanted something that DJs would notice, and so we would put "OPM" That is, "Original Pilipino Music" They placed those 3 letters on labels of their records O. P. M. And that became the catchphrase. OPM was a term originated by Danny Javier All of us were employees of OctoArts International. It's a recording company owned by Orly Ilacad. Orly decided to conceptualize a new artist for OctoArts. He wanted a boy band That gave birth to "Dahil Mahal Kita" (Because I Love You) It was composed by Jun Mallillin. After the recording was finished, Orly started bringing it to radio stations to play it We had no group name yet. There was only the song's title. We had a monitoring group, And every frequency played it. It became 'viral' That's when it started. -Now the TV stations looked for the singers, "who are they?" -"Who are they?" "Which recording company are they from?" They returned to my concept, They reviewed it "Let's try this out." "Let's spend money on it. It might be a hit." Jun Regalado was the drummer, The pianist was Lorrie Ilustre I'm the guitarist Then, we just made songs. We finished the song, I then said, "Vic, I finished the song." "Sing and record it first." "OK." So I sang it. It was complete. I placed a second voice, third voice, the works. It was done! So I told Vic, after about a month, "Vic, it's done." "Really?" "Okay then. Are there no members yet?" "Not yet, I can't find anyone." "Fine, just ask anyone around." It then aired through the radio My voice was the one singing the song But there were no visuals yet Then boom, the song then became a hit! Oh no. After it became a hit, TV stations were asking for visuals The TV stations demanded, "Release them now! Release them!" They were rushing us already The people were eager to see them I told Vic, "Vic, there are no members!" "Just pick anyone from the streets." (laughs) "Just pick anyone who is charming." "Cinderella" was also produced here. One of the Cinderella singers was Quito Colayco. But her name on the record is Cinderella. Not many know that She is the one who overdubbed under the credit name of <i>Cinderella</i>. Going back to Rey Valera, During the time, his song was becoming a hit. He approached me, he said, "Tato, why is it so unfair?", "Why?" "My songs are famous but I'm not." My boss didn't want him to be exposed. So there and then, I exposed him through TV and (laughs) "I'll take care of you." So after that, So after that, I was fired. One way for the competition to strike was by imitating a tune from an opposing record company. This is from VST & Co., from Vicor Records And this is from Passionata, from JEM Records Suddenly, why did loving suddenly go away? Let us, all have fun and leave all problems... Disco everyday so that you are forgotten Let's all go dancing, jive with the beat of the music Coincidence? Intentional? Orly Ilacad formed a new group. And at that time, the trend was the 'Beegees Sound' So Boyfriends became a hit, it goes "Dahil mahal kita..." So when it clicked, Vicor followed it up. They released a group which was VST & Co. They also sounded like Boyfriends. If one has a hit, one has to answer with another hit. There were only a few record companies. So if other companies had something, we had to have it also. For example, If they had Imelda Papin, we had Eva Eugenio. You can't eat the cake alone. Everyone must have a piece of the pie. Which helped the industry. Because of that, many beautiful songs were made. If you want to really have a hit, you have to produce something that is not within the trend. It has to be different. Because you will be the trendsetter. You will be the number one for that. If there is currently a hit, and you only supply similar songs, You will just be a second-rate copycat. "Dance Party Now" of The Advisors Come on now people, Let's get on down. Come on now, come on now, come on now, come on now We released that. Then, Vicor released something Gapo. Those Gapo bands like Halik, Solid Band, Different groups. We set the trend and they'll follow it up. Which is good for Philippine Music in a way. Songwriters, back then, never stopped writing Like, for example, Nonong Pedero Aside from major songs, he also wrote commercial jingles And we also have Nonoy Gallardo, another jingle writer Copywriter, and songwriter There's Butch Montserrat, Who we came to know from Metropop Song Festival He also wrote many songs But one lyricist who's very prolific That you might not know, but are familiar with several of his lyrics He is Ernie de la Peña He's as prolific as probably the more well-known George Canseco Who is not only a great lyricist, but definitely a great contributor to Original Pilipino Music My second recording, I was pregnant with my youngest So, we made it part of the concept. That's why it is entitled, "Ako at Si Celeste" (Me and Celeste) "Ako" is my child in my womb. And that's why, we were able to include <i>'Saranggola ni Pepe'</i> (Pepe;s Kite) there It's for a child, it's for children. So high does Pepe's kite fly... It's a story of a woman who falls in love And then she gets married, and then she's pregnant And then she gives birth. That's really the album. So that concept was, because I was pregnant. The resonance is loud, the woman's rosary Before entering the music industry, Sampaguita was a dancer and a ramp model. According to writer Tina Arceo-Dumlao, Sampaguita's Bonggahan was derived from the language and the world of her gay friends That worked as designers and make-up artists The people who created and sang the song with her were Gary Perez, And the group Anak Bayan. One can also observe the phenomenon in live performances I dress up sexy. Because, you have to. It's not really like that, but I've had a lot of hurtful words. Somebody asked me once during performance... ..."how many men have you had in your life?" This is during the show So you really have to be very quick I said, "I don't remember but you're next in line." That was my answer and so he had to keep quiet It's nothing. One time, someone urinated while I was singing In the bases, you know, where the ship comes in Subic? He's drunk He came up on stage, and I thought he wanted to talk to me He just peed and... (laughs) Oh, so many, so many things All those people... I learned so much That's why I like doing shows where I can see them close I know exactly whether they like me or they don't like me I have learned that already So when I come in and there's a husband and wife She does this already to her husband, "Don't look at her." She's the one I will attack during the whole show! And when they finish the show, she loves me again! (laughs) Things like that. Experiences that You only get just because you had to work, You're the bread winner so you continue doing shows everywhere But you know you learn, you learn a lot. Insults and everything are just minor. A few, you know, like that Usually, I know how to get to them immediately April 27, 1973, KBP, or the [Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines], was formed To professionalize the broadcast industry by setting the standards of mass media in the country. After one year, The government enacted Presidential Decree 576 Which formed the Broadcast Media Council, or BMC. They supervised on all policy operations, Ethics, and governance over all kinds of mass media. Along with KBP, Some resolutions were passed During 1975, it was stated in B75-31 The rule that at least one Filipino-made song should be broadcasted every hour It became 3 songs under B77-35 After several years during President Corazon Aquino's term, Executive Order 255 was instituted Wherein 4 OPM songs should be aired over the radio per hour Let's return to Marcos' term, during Martial Law My countrymen, As of the 21st of this month, I signed Proclamation No. 1081, placing the entire Philippines under Martial Law ABS-CBN I swear, I actually started at ABS-CBN before Martial Law Of course, what happened was when martial law was declared, we were out of job So I had to transfer to another channel, which was I think it was Channel 13, yes Where most of those people from ABS-CBN transferred. So that's history, that's how it happened We were told to go home, we were, just, told to go home and we did. No questions. (laughs) And then, 6 months after whereabouts, I get back on the air again with friends on a new network which was the RPN Radio Philippines Network, Channel 9, At that time. Times were different during Marcos' term But, I didn't expect that it would affect my songs I just kept on with my business, no one will bother me Whatever was happening back then, the extent of the things happening during those times I just kept on creating my music My music wasn't affected, am I right? (laughs) It even multiplied. (laughs) But us, as musicians, We were affected, but we were not the targets. Especially us, Juan de la Cruz [Band] at that time We frequently played in Malacañang [Palace]. We had our own passes Pass. Road pass. Gate pass. All kinds of pass. See? Even palaspas (palm leaves), we also had. There wasn't really any effect on us. Towards Juan de la Cruz [Band], the Martial Law We're not politicians, We're just musicians. That's how Mrs. Marcos learned about us, through her kids Because the kids were always talking about us, and, you know Getting her permission to watch us in Makati or wherever we were performing And, I think in a way, They pushed For some radio stations to play our songs as well Through the help of KBP and its president then They supported the... ...our music industry To be fair, Metropop was a good project, The Pop Music Foundation because, everything was there It was the driving force of OPM Where new songs were made, new discoveries were released It's where you had to be alive To be noticed, you know like Kay ganda ng at-- The winner of the Grand Prize That will win 13,000 pesos And, of course, instant fame and fortune, is... (orchestra plays) True to the title itself, Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika (How Beautiful Our Music Is) Composer, Ryan Cayabyab; Interpreter, Hajji Alejandro You know, when you join contests, you want to win. It was the First Metropop So I was thinking, I want to win So I'm gonna write something about music, how beautiful our music is. My stepping stone, really, is Metropop. Where Madam Imelda was in front Because it's their project First Metropop, it was their project The supervisor that time, if I'm not mistaken, was their eldest, Imee. Partly maybe, but- But they were riding on the industry I mean, you know what, it was the industry that was- So whoever probably thought of the idea gave it to whoever was in power and That was born, I mean, Metropop was born. The Metropop is really Tony Barreros and Doroy (Teodoro) Valencia's project The First Metropop, I remember, once you get a hold of an album, The Metropop winners, We played them if we wanted to. Okay. We came from Studio B, now we're in Studio A. It's flipped, B first, then A. Good thing they're here, these signs here. So the first thing to be set up here Is my drumset. The drums are set up before, let's say, the recording starts at 9 AM, Usually the rhythm section goes first Okay, let's go here This is Studio A's Control Room. Wow, it's different. The console is placed here. The recorder, positioned here. The recording starts around 10 AM, because 9-10... They'll balance the drums, bass, piano, guitar It's only for the rhythm section. Usually, we make 2 songs per session. Sometimes, 6 songs, depending on the schedule and the amount of songs to record So our technician back then, Was Boy Roxas, now gone And Dindo Aldecoa, also gone Boy Tanquintic Let's play a simple game. Survival of the smartest. What's the title of this song? Who's the singer? Who wrote the music? The words? Who did the arrangement? Still there? Who are the musicians playing? (song abruptly stops) No worries. It's normal if you're not familiar with the musicians behind songs like this There are values and conventions in this kind of popular music culture When you hear a song, the first person that pops in your head is the singer. It's rare in our daily lives to talk about the arranger, the performers, Unless you're working in the industry or you really want to find out Let's use this opportunity to get to know a few of the most active arrangers, and musicians of the 1970s. Like Senyor Jun Regalado Emil Mijares was a very excellent arranger. Especially if you asked him to arrange for big band. Emil Mijares was very strict. He's in a league of his own. There was a recording where he would send musicians home That was intense. When you see him unimpressed with what he hears, later on a different musician will replace someone. That was how his temper was with regards to the quality of his work. Emil Mijares was also known as an arranger Willy Cruz also arranged for orchestra and for recording It was Willy Cruz who produced that album. Because Willy was the pianist, he was my accompanist during those concerts. And he was a producer at WEA Everytime we went to a recording studio, especially for Vicor, You'd expect 30 people waiting around for your sheet music. You see, (George) Canseco, inspiration hits him at the last minute. So the arrangers who worked for him, had to be resilient. "Oh, here's my melody," there were already musicians taking a coffee break He will dictate the melody to, at that time was, Amado Triviño, He'll write a sketch, expound on it, make an orchestration, And then the copyist would be beside him In a matter of-- before they could go for a second cup of coffee, the musicians, They'll have the score in front of them. That's OJT in a sadistic way It's a good learning experience because you had to deliver. If you don't deliver, it's gonna cost the recording company money That's your last. Like the saying, "No more second chances." Amado Triviño, Sonny Ilacad, They were our regulars They're really good. So I personally chose Doming Amarillo Because he's the only arranger in the whole country that I knew of Because I was really fond of (Fernando Poe, Jr.) FPJ's movies during those days And when you see the credits, "Music arranged by: D' Amarillo" And he was also selected as the Overall Head Arranger of Metropop. Doming Amarillo Arranger of Freddie Aguilar's Anak. In fact, I was lucky I was at his house when he was arranging it. We were having tokwa't baboy (Tofu & Pork), we're talking about it He was teaching me, "Jun, it's like this..." "Forget about those classical stuff, those octaves and violins. Stick with this!" So you can even hear in the lines of Anak, Nice lines... Nothing Wagner, nothing Mozart. The number one go-to arranger By a lot of recording artists and recording companies, If you will see the vinyls and the jacket covers, You will see in the credits, the name, "D. Amarillo" Sometimes "D'Amarillo" He is Doming Amarillo. It is from him that I learned, On the job, How to-- How to actually arrange for a recording orchestra. So I learned pop from Amarillo, and among ourselves, si Willy Cruz and Ryan (Cayabyab), Quito (Colayco), Lorrie (Illustre), We listen to each others' works. But we are the Metropop, typical timpani, harp, and brasses Next to him, that I had worked with, Was another Doming, Doming Valdez. He was the music director of Pilita Corrales I guess the big difference between Doming Amarillo and Doming Valdez is Doming Amarillo was known as a recording arranger, whereas on the other hand, Doming Valdez was known for live arranging. ...an institution in the music industry in the Philippines, in the world of pop, Babsie Molina. - Hi. Good afternoon. -Good afternoon, hi Babsie I was working for Blackgold Records In their A&R department It was there where I started doing backup vocals Basil (Valdez) started I think in '77 And that was the start of my backup vocals career. So Babsie was a session vocalist, right? There are artists who have their own backup singers. Like-- yeah it's because it's guaranteed that they are their backup singers, like, Pilita (Corrales) had her own three girls, Basil (Valdez) had us, and Rico J. (Puno)-- Sylvia was joined with Cecille Azarcon and Charo Unite Later, it was not like that anymore- like you're sticking to a specific artist it became like a session artist-- you'd go to different artists It depends on the musical director, If the musical director produced the backup, They can write it down and give it to us They can also teach it on the spot, and we'll write it down, We'll review what we wrote, and confirm with him, If I was assigned to write the vocals, they'll give me the minus-one, And they'll tell me to fill it up I'll write a better lyric sheet where where the syllables are indicated, Sometimes, it is easier if you go with the 'so-fa-so-fa' method, Although, sometimes, they'll say, "Please write it on staff paper." When I was starting, the number one numbrador was Nardy Manalastas He used to be the concert master of the Cultural Center Philharmonic Orchestra, The Metro Manila Symphony Orchestra, What happens is, he's the one who calls musicians Especially if you needed symphony musicians. And since I always asked for the best rhythm section, So we had Jun Regalado, Roger Herrera, I mean, they were like a tandem. They're always chosen for the recording These two names are the usual names you'll see in the credits of vinyls. May it be Ballad, Disco, Folk, Novelty, Jazz, or whatever tune is heard inside and outside the studio, Jun Regalado and Roger Herrera would always have work because of their excellent skill and attitude of perseverance. This is including the fact that they were trusted by the numbradors, Producers, singers, and musical directors. The music sheet that they read were often handwritten by the copyist. Here's another in-demand player in the industry back then. Mang Ramon and Mang Joe. You have to go to their house, Bring the main score, Bring the flautados, It's a blank music sheet, And usually the blank music sheets Open up. I really give enough time for the copyist to write. But, sometimes, Surely enough, there's an emergency. And what happens is, I have to request Mang Ramon, "Mang Ramon, can you come over?" While I'm arranging, he's already copying. "Hear Our Voices Too" I spoke very little Tagalog. I could only speak Bisaya. I had to learn... There is a difference between the Bisaya, because The O's are like 'U'. Sometimes they will say, "It's also nice that she has a little Bisaya accent," When I actually promoted Asin, They didn't speak much Tagalog. I said, "How can they be interviewed?" And they were very timid! When they were being interviewed on radio, they couldn't talk. I was their spokesperson then. "How come you write in Tagalog flawlessly, how could that be?" Because the composers were from<i> Davao, Visayas</i> They can't speak well, it's in Tagalog, but I told them, "How come you can write in Tagalog, but when speaking here you can't even say a line or a word in Tagalog?" "Or maybe you're just shy," "Because your accent will show up." As night comes, I still wait, for your early return I asked, "How did you learn to write beautiful Tagalog songs?" One of the composers said, I don't know which of the two, He said, "English-Tagalog dictionary, that's all." So apparently, they write most of their songs in English, and then they'll translate it to Tagalog. So I was impressed. "You guys are clever." To Tagalog people, those who can't understand would say, "That's Bisaya, I can't understand it." It's like that. And sometimes, during recording, If you record along with Tagalog artists, and we're Bisaya, sometimes, "The Bisaya could wait, let's record the Tagalog first." For me, it's nothing. I'll just create on my own. Because I have my own niche, my own audience. "To each their own," as they say What if you'll get tired of the songs you're used to? What if you're just looking for a change of jam while scanning the radio? Or what if you hear something new and peculiar, and you end up wanting to invest your time and money on? Or better yet, You want to create your own song with no traces of influences from a recording company, Radio, or any other authority? The independent music scene was already established back then. During that time, you don't think about it. You just wanted to be recorded. You didn't understand publishing, and that's the usual case. In a sense, the important thing for us is that we owned all of our songs. We never directly gave them to a publisher. So as far as Apo (Hiking Society) is concerned, we were wise about it. But I know a lot of people who gave their songs To publishers and other companies. Wherein they lost autonomy, they lost control. And sometimes, their catalogs would just be stored in, in some places, Being forgotten, unknown, unplayed. Every record label had its own publishing company. For example, Vicor had its own publishing which is Bayanihan Music. So publishing was in-house, that's how it was back then. Dyna had its own publishing, So, it varies. It's not uncommon in legalities, there are issues. Especially if this is about the ownership and control over a song. Songs that highlight humanity's principles, Weakness, musings, and about different sectors of society from then, as well as those of the present. Mr. Kenkoy It's a person's basic nature. You'd always cover up Your own humanity You're a liar And you're too good. You talk too much, you're thick-skinned. (laughs) You wanted to show-off, but it's you who messes up There's this one song, Turagsoy. Turagsoy is a freshwater fish. Song goes like, I plunged toward the river, near the swamp plants I caught a freshwater fish, and grilled this Like that The story is, He and his friend went to catch freshwater fish to pair them with liquor. They went drinking, that's how the story goes. We were at The Hilton, and Rene and I decided to do a slow song. About a girl who's away from home And was missing home a lot And we went to a proper recording studio And recorded the song Very slow... it was called 'Annie Batungbakal' We were wondering, every Saturday, The Hilton was packed. And we were performing with the number one band in Hong Kong called, New Top Notes It was always full and we had these Filipinas who were really good looking It turns out that they were DHs (Domestic Helpers) So that's the inspiration behind 'Annie Batungbakal' But we did it very slow And we recorded it in a proper studio, 16-tracks But, we lost our copy of that. So when we came back to Manila, we said, "You know, why don't we speed it up?" The pair-up of Lolita Carbon and the band Asin Created a song called, 'Masdan Mo (Ang Kapaligiran)' In her childhood, Lolita Carbon enjoyed swimming along the shores of Dewey Boulevard, which is now Roxas Boulevard. Yes. That Manila Bay which became a dumping ground for trash. She felt disappointment, sadness That's why she wrote, Haven't you noticed anything? In your surroundings? The air has become dirty Even our rivers, too. Oh, oh no. This is how it is. Oh, no, in this nation of mine The police was crippled, The mayor was mute The governor was blind, and the judge was deaf I placed a tune like that and then... And there was one maiden that was raped The raped maiden, told the police The crippled police went to the mayor The mute mayor informed the governor The blind governor passed it to the judge That's why this case went through the other ear There, there, in my beloved nation "Blind, mute, deaf, crippled" Are our justice That's not politics. It's about the oppressive system and wrong governance The writer was Teo Antonio, And we were with Rio Alma and established Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT), we were members. That was 1973. Sometimes, a human being can be... Like a bird Humans fly To reach their dreams is their only mission in life The mind is fickle when finding something new All the things in the world Is just one, big, temptation According to the words of Gary Perez and Sampaguita. Like a bird, Humans fly To reach their dreams is their only mission in life Not for long, an outbreak of protest songs came. The masses, only the masses Are the real heroes The masses, only the masses Are the ones that create Lakay Macli-ing Dulag Is the chieftain of the Bugnay, a small group of the Kalinga people during Martial Law He continued to fight against the government's construction of the Chico River Dam Which could destroy and bury their community Because of his resistance, he was executed by the soldiers of the militant government He and the others who followed became martyrs. The project was cancelled And the Kalinga people defended their rights Anti-Martial Law because, We sacrificed a lot during those times For the betterment of our nation? Yet the only things that improved were their own bank accounts. They kept it to themselves Music-wise, That's where we became different. But I don't really attribute it to the Marcoses. In other words, it's like a weed that popped out and flourished like-- a natural process that-- Because there were the activists With their nationalist agenda That's why it appeared, our Original Pilipino Music Because there was a clamor, which is right The resentment of the people on Martial Law, on our democratic processes, it was all published there. Actually, people will say that we're just a songbook, no. There's a deeper meaning to it Because we published many left-leaning songs So for a while, Crame (Police Headquarters) closed us down A big truck stopped by From the army, with heavy weaponry They knocked on our door When I myself opened the door, "Is Jingol here?" We were closed down, so everything was clamped down After 4 months, we were allowed to operate again Now we're Twinkle (Magazine) They banned long-haired guys So we painted white opaque shades over their hairs for cover After 5 or 6 issues of Twinkle, Crame allowed us to operate again as Jingle. Well, Jingle Magazine shrouded their articles In a way that the military would not understand immediately They were the only ones who, aside from the<i> Philippine Collegian,</i> Published articles against Martial Law And there were very good writers there,<i> Eric Gamalinda, Juanito Arcillana</i> Good writers that wrote for Jingle, <i>Lav Diaz</i>, even <i>Joey de Leon of Eat Bulaga</i> The articles against the government were published They were not censored by the military or any censorship body So they were able to sneak it in First song I heard on the radio that I made? Paraisong Parisukat (Square Paradise) And it was a Basil Valdez-- I wrote-- That was the first song I gave to<i> Basil Valdez</i> The classics of Original Pilipino Music flourished. Those were the glory days. Glory years of OPM. Early '70s to the late '70s. When you speak of the '70s, It's all those, all the big hits that you can remember. It came from that period. Because Original Pilipino Music is more of a descriptor, than a brand name Original Pilipino Music is encompassing Because of Manila Sound, Pinoy Rock, and all the others Those ballads, novelties, They fall under the Original Pilipino Music And even those English songs, That's why the word was accepted The melody of our society, The cry of a nation, The jam of the youth, The imagination of an artist, The livelihood of a worker, The means of a businessman, The comfort of daily life, The nostalgic tunes of the present, In other words, OPM.