The first question on your mind is probably who the hell are the people behind S Magazine ?! After reading the list, I’m sure your level of questioning will even increase two hundred fold. It’s one of the most spectacularly stupid articles in a long time.
One of the people in Wolfgang’s prod team showed me the copy and the piece was one of the most poorly-written music reviews I’ve come across with in a LONG time.
Since I’m in a forgiving mood, let me weigh in on things and react first on the bands whose inclusion I really agree with.
WOLFGANG
Wolfgang has a tremendous discography to support their claim for a spot in the Pinoy band pantheon. Through over a decade long reign as the kings of the local rock scene, Wolfgang has ammassed a formidable collection of six studio albums, one acoustic live album and various side projects. They are also among the first bands to prove that heavy music can still be marketable but at the same time critically-acclaimed.
Up Dharma Down
When all is said and done, this band will probably have a shot in being in the really short list of the best bands ever. They broken the mold of commercialization like no other in recent history. Although the music may seem high-brow for the casual listener, they still produce radio hits that keep them in the consciousness of pedestrian music lovers. On a personal note, I really love these guys. Their two albums are easily in the top 5 of the best Pinoy albums ever.
Juan dela Cruz band
Juan Dela Cruz Band
There is no person that comes close to approximating the concept of rock and roll royalty like John ‘Pepe’ Smith and no band has pioneered the explosion of a genre like the Juan dela Cruz Band did back in their hey day. Their songs (think “Beep Beep” and “Ang Himig Natin”) are still relevant to this very day are still being used in advertisements despite being over 2 decades old. Oh, by the way, those people at S Magazine only gave this band ONE SENTENCE worth of write-up. Lazy fucks.
Eraserheads
I’m no fan, but they were probably the easiest call to include in the list. Much has been said about them already – I’m no longer going to add to it.
The Dawn
I personally believe that The Dawn ushered in a new sound during the 80s that was at that time very unique and distinct for a Filipino band. With the band pushing towards its 30th year, the Jett Pangan-led group continues to churn out formidable tracks that have defined Filipino culture. ‘Salamat’ and ‘Iisang Bangka’ are two of the most electrifying songs of our generation – I don’t think any song by the Eraserheads even comes close to how these two songs build up drama and emotion. That being said, I think the biggest knock against The Dawn is that they’re not exactly known for producing strong albums. The gradient between the gems and the other tracks is quite obvious. But what the hell, that would be nitpicking.
Rivermaya
Through all its reincarnations, Rivermaya has remained to be a relevant and creative force – even with just one remaining original member. The band has transformed from a college rock band in the early 90s that just went to the bank with anthemic rock songs to the youth to a pseudo-brit-rock outfit with Rico Blanco as frontman to a line up that feels awkwardly un-Rivermaya. At it current state, Rivermaya is like what the Eraserheads were after Ely Buendia left and Kris Gorra filled in as a replacement.
Yano
Dong Abay has to be one of the most brilliant lyricists of all time. Politically-tilted music wasn’t that big in the 90s, but Yano (thanks to Dong) made the pro-Filipino/anti-societal-ills slant in songwriting not only popular, but also profitable.
P.O.T.
They only had one album, but if you add how they literally shook up the scene when they arrived, you would appreciate how big an impact they had with the overall variety of what was rock and funk in the 90s. Their first and only album is one of the strongest ever and once you factor in the tupsy-turvy life and health struggles of frontman Karl Roy, it’s hard to dismiss the achievements of P.O.T.
I agree whole-heartedly with the eight of the twelve bands that they cited. Any list should have them, no questions asked.
Here are bands who I think are good, but the writers may have been too generous to include.
Side A
This band’s claim to relevance for the past 15 years is a slew of tired covers. If OPM is all about doing other people’s hits, go ahead and crown these guys.
Parokya ni Edgar
I’ve never been a fan of this band. I think their approach to music has degraded rock into a genre that doesn’t need to be taken seriously much to the disadvantage of those who used music to forward a legitimate artistic/philosophical perspective. They’re popular though…
Ethnic Faces
I have tons of respect for what they did, but I’m just not a big fan.
Radioactive Sago Project
Among these four bands, I’m most comfortable with giving these guys a slot. I just don’t think that their music pervaded enough as actual songs as opposed to being shocking pieces of sound that nobody ended up remembering later on. But I do appreciate that they introduced a totally new genre with their breakthrough hit “Baboy” back in ’01.
—-
Here are my four nominees for replacements – if I were to make the list, these bands would be in, EASY.
ASIN
This band is the biggest argument as to why the people behind the S Magazine article are TOTAL idiots. Asin bleeds TRUE FILIPINO AUTHENTICITY that is self-aware and pro-active. And no, these artists aren’t just fashionably socially-relevant, they’ve seen the horrors of vendetta, environmental destruction and addiction and that made their songs all the more powerful and honest. They should have easily been in the top five.
Razorback
How can these guys be dissed that badly? They surely have the following, the discography (four albums!) and the road experience to make a strong case. I guess the authors really are knuckleheads.
Skychurch
Someone has to represent metal, right? Skychurch is the closest thing that the country has seen to a mainstream metal band. They’ve represented the genre quite well, if you ask me. It’s quite disappointing that their third album didn’t really take off.
Pinikpikan
Again, they must have been crazy to leave this super group out. Either that or they have never heard of them.
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hi Benj, for the record, the author, (Mr. Kap Aguila) of the list was a long-time music critic/columnist for quite a few publications, including the Philippine Star. 'S' is the entertainment magazine of the Mega publishing group. His criteria, as stated in his feature, were as follows: "While popular success certainly has a big bearing, it is not everything. Musical proficiency or that nebulous thing called talent may be a factor, but again, so is innovation. Translated : Just because you can play a bazillion notes per measure doesn't make you a great guitarist. Being a pioneer or trail-blazer merits pogi points. It is infinitely easier to ape a style that has been proven to work. Longevity as evidenced in a significant body of work says a lot about continued relevance, but this is not to say that one-hit wonders are unimportant."
Having clarified that, I believe that it was also a piece that represented a certain point of view, dare we say taste? I have enormous respect for all musicians, as I do for writers, and I regard BOTH artforms as a means of self-expression. At the end of his article he added " You think I left anyone out? Email me at audioinput@rocketmail.com. Let's talk this over. I'm a fairly reasonable person, methinks." I have already sent him MY two cents' worth hahaha.
to each his own
the beatles
the beatles is the greatest band of all time but in this our country i think the pnoy beatles
the greatest opm band of all time! eheads rules!
Tanga pino band nga
binanggit lng nmn nya ung beatles..sa pangkalahatan un..
pero sbi nya ung "Pinoy Beatles"
hnd mu b alam n ang Eraserheads un…
mas tanga ka…
GO EraserHEADS fans……
there's something wrong with this list, Side A? That's funny. This list is utterly subjective so it's not really an issue. But still i don't think this is a good list either.
‘Salamat’ and ‘Iisang Bangka’ are two of the most electrifying songs of our generation – I don’t think any song by the Eraserheads even comes close to how these two songs build up drama and emotion.
BLASPHEMY! I don't think we can be friends any longer.
hey you moron! du u think that your dawn has a 8x platinum album? the highest selling album in opm history! only the eheads can! long live eraserheads!
isa pang tanga na comment! hahaha!
if you dont know music then dont comment. please!
pare mas tanga ka!!! alam mo ba yun? please dont comment like that pre parang di ka pinoy eh gago!!!
gago ka erick!!! eheads rules!!!
malamang langaw lang pupunta sa MOA! kasama ka pati see wolf at dave mo! long live eheads with more than a hundred thousans fans on there final set concert
tanga! andun ako! wag kang tatanga tanga sa pag comment. intindihin mo mabuti ang comment ko hindi yung basa ka lang ng basa.
nakatugtog din ako sa eheads night, alam mo ba yun? hahahaha!
walang kwentang list yan putyakzzzzzzzz
you are stupid! not eheads!
WTF?
asin not included?whoaaa..they are one of the pillars of the pinoy music scene..F**k for not including them…why not include also sugar hiccup and alamid?
Surely MYMP! =P
^MYMP? r u serious? name one original song by them in 3 seconds? Crappy band.
WTF is an S-Magazine? Never heard of it in my lifetime.
I think bands such as E-heads and Side A are included because they really drove the masses. I mean, you can't really name any other band that has that much influence to the mass other then E-heads.
I'm not a fan of E-heads, maybe because I'm neither a fan of the genre nor it's in my generation. I was like freaking an elementary kid when it was "their time." But I still think E-heads is a good band. There are people who are bound to not appreciate their music but they're fine, imo – composition-wise, performance and over-all.
Also, in the music label scene, it does not matter if you could play well or whatever. Sometimes, it doesn't even matter if you could actually sing. All hat matters is if you would "click" to the masses and that you would drive profit. A great example would be J.Lo, Britney Spears and some other whatchamacallit* band.
* I'll get back to you after I've learned/researched of the name of this band. I actually forgot because the vocals drive me insane and makes me wanna throw everything. D=
Ah, found it! The band's name is Hale.
No, not Freestyle. I would disagree to that. Although their good at performing, their songs are mostly revival.
eto yung akin
1.Juan Dela Cruz
2.The Dawn
3.Eheads( yung early days)
4.The youth
5.Phil. Violators
6.Betrayed
7.The Wuds
8.Ethnic faces
9.Yano
10. Sky church
11. Color It Red
12. The Identity Crisis
13. Dead Ends
14. Joey Ayala at Ang Bagong Lumad
15. wolfgang
mas ok pa ang listahang ito eh
yan ang tamang list mga ogag gumawa nun sa taas
?wolfgang?? WTF they are good but i think eraserheads still no.1 band in the OPM, beatles of the Ph! palagay nyo ba pag nag concert yang isa sa mga banda na yan eh makaka puno ng hgit 100 000 thousand n katao sa MOA?? eheads lang ang may kaya nun.. eheads lang ang bumuhay sa OPM band sa pinas nung 90s… kahit na una pa JDLC and the dawn cla parin ang tunay na henyo sa larangan ng musika!
so it's a popularity contest? So we'll rather listen to Willie Revillame over Lea Salonga and Cynthia Alexander?
Come one dude, this is music we're talking about, not a popularity contest. At bakit mo ikukumpara ang JDLC sa E-Heads, generation gap yan, tingin mo kung buhay pa yung mga fans ng JDLC eh malamang lamog ang fans ng E-heads.
Sadly ang industry satin eh kung ano papatok sa masa sila sumisikat. Kahit walang talent sila nasa pedestal. Ang daming magagaling na indie bands out there na hindi nabibigyan ng chance sa mainstream kasi "sophisticated" masyado music nila for the masses at iilan lang ang talaga nakaka appreciate ng "totoong" musika.
1987, I left Pinas. You're right Dong Abay is Pinas's Bob Dylan. My fav is perpekto comparable to Dylan's Dignity, also my fav. I have discovered The Dawn, Wolfgang, Razorback, Up Dharma Down. Just think that I never heard of these bands before I read this article. WOW! So thank you very much.
Erasehead is not that bad. You may be right when Juan dela Cruz Band ushered in perfection, Parokya may have retrack it back. LOL. Sometimes you need some fun too. I thought Harana or Buloy were not bad before.
best regards from a fellow atheist,
JoJo
Wolfgang – the best. I'm a big fan. huge fan!! tama lang na no. 1 sila. lyrically and melodically brilliant. this is my most favorite band next to metallica! basta, wala silang katulad.
Eraserheads – no. 1 in the other movement. dalawa kasi yan dati diba, rock and pop. wolfgang sa rock, eheads sa kabila. im also a fan.
parokya – nakakatawa sila eh. may maturity naman sa iba nilang kanta eh kung papakinggan nyo lang. at pang masa talaga sila, lahat ng tao kayang intindihin yung mga message nila kung mero man silang message. Fan din ako.
razorback – yup, the writers are knuckleheads for not including this band. naman. kung anu man yung criteria nila, sigurado namang meron nun ang razorback, baka di nila kilala? hehe.. im a fan.
side a – ayus naman sila eh. i think they're very talented. and versatile. actually i think they're very good. kung talent lang bow na bow ako. at may mga hits din silang mga original na timeless din. so tama lang, for me noh? fan ulit!
asin – bat nga naman wala sila? baka di din nila kilala. (come on!)
the dawn – talaga? nothing came close from any eheads song? well, di ko naman alam yung "iisang bangka" eh, yung "salamat" lang, and frankly it didn't have any impact on me. I'm not a fan. ^^
Rivermaya – wala akong masabi.
Radio Active Sago – i love this band. i think Sir Lourd is a brillian…..well….poet? i can't call him a singer. but he has one of the great minds in this industry. I'm a fan!
up dharma down – oh yeah, i'm used to be crazy for their song "Oo". magaling magaling.
kung ako ang gagawa ng list siguro isasali ko pa ang barbies cradle at si kitchie nadal eh, for the reason i have a crush on them, (a huge one for Kithcie). at magaling naman silang gumawa ng lyrics at musika eh, magaling.
ayun. yun lang naman masasabi ko. personal ko lang namang opinyon yan eh. wala lang magawa. ehe
amen to this
tama no.1 fan din ako ng parokya.. galing kasi mag compose ng kanta nakaka relate ka talaga…
lht nmn tau mgkakaiba ngm gus2 eh kea wala tlgng pangkalahatang top ten
I'm a half-Pinoy that is only beginning to discover the awesome music of the Philippines. I'm wondering why no one is mentioning Bamboo. I live in the States so maybe it's a Filipino thing? At any rate, I really like what they do with covers as well as their originals. Slapshock isn't a bad metal band either. I guess to each his own…
yep. I'm quite surprised with that too. bamboo is such a great band. Specially the song NOYPI, i can't help but be proud every time I hear it..
i think hindi mo pa napapkinggan lahat ng songs ng HEADS.. listen to it, try to absorb the lyrics, then judge..
¿At baquit walá sa lista ang Introvoys? LOL!!!
This is just the personal list from those people in S magazine. There are many more bands in the Philippine scene that should be here.
Wala na mang sinabing basehan ng pagka lista ng mga banda. Siguro kung paramihan ng taong may alam na kanta ng mga banda sigurado Asin, Juan dela Cruz, at Eheads dyan!!
to many to mention, eraserheads second to none
shut the fuck up erick!!! eheads rules!!!gawin mo ng pamunas sa pwet mo picture mo!!! tado!
razorback – yup, the writers are knuckleheads for not including this band. naman. kung anu man yung criteria nila, sigurado namang meron nun ang razorback, baka di nila kilala? hehe.. im a fan.
– I agree with this one.
lht nmn tau mgkakaiba ngm gus2 eh kea wala tlgng pangkalahatang top ten – amen sayo daniel
Im a fan of the popular bands also like eheads, Rivermaya (with blanco. the new maya is just a small bird) and parokya to name a few… but i must admit, Im a bit disappointed that razorback is not as appreciated. but i must admit RZRBCK took a road less traveled with their brand of music… i guess to me that adds to the reasons why i like them. as much as i like these bands… i like their individual songs better… to me its not a popularity contest… its just what i like… e.g. i like juan dela cruz, but not all their songs, i love eheads, but not all their songs, i like razorback but not all their songs. etc etc.. but i do pray for a more…. how do i put it?… "internationally competent music scene". Example: if their is a foreign rock band playing here and i were to pick a local band that would play front. I would put my money on Razoroback, wolfgang, POT., jun lupito, Bamboo,and rico blanco to make sure things are at par. i'll pick them over bands like parokya, the dawn, phil vio, dong abay… even if i like these artists as well…. eheads on the other hand is a somewhat of an exception (they are not the most skilled but they have proven that artistic integrity and commercial success is not mutually exclusive.)
regardless of what people like heres mine:
1. eheads (original line up)/ Razorback / rico blanco / jun lupito
2. Wolfgang / POT
3. Cookie Chua (marry me please) / Rizal underground / Noli Aurelio (tama ba spelling?)
4. Cynthia alexander / Ethnic Faces
5. Sandwich (w/o marc abaya… not for anything mas bagay lang siya s kwan)
6. Rey Valera ( ha ha ha ha yes im a fan)
7.take your pick most are from the note 70's i was born 1981
8. the rest have their place on my mp3… individual songs.
PS: jasper O.A ka.
why not add up "Queso"
sa aking eheads lng ang d best sa lahat!! ^^
What about RIVERMAYA! They deserve to be on this list. Tsss, always giving the spotlight to the more popular ones.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned After Image (Wency Cornejo: lead vocalist). Next In Line, Only You, Habang May Buhay,etc.)…with Wency’s voice and well-thought lyrics and music,not to mention their popularity in their heydays, I think the band should be on the list.
After Image anyone?
1. Juan Dela Cruz Band – pionner of Pinoy pock
2. Asin – One of the most important Filipino Band
3. Freddie Aguilar – yung kantang anak kilala sa buong mundo
4. Sampaguita – the queen of pinoy rock
5. Hotdog – created the Manila sound
_____________________________________________________________
6. The Wuds – one of the most influential band
7. Razorback – the greatest hard rock band of The Philippines
8. EraserHeads – Has the most commercial success in OPM history
9. Rivermaya – Rico Blanco’s song writing ability
10. South Border – Greatest R&B band in The Philippines
1. Juan Dela Cruz
2. Asin
3. Freddie Aguilar
4. Sampaguita
5. Hotdog
6. The Wuds
7. Razorback
8. Eraserheads
9. Rivermaya
10. South Border