Sunday, November 2, 2014

All about Nostalgia Dekada 90 Concert and my Top 10 All-time Eraserheads Favorites

Let me start this article by stressing a few line from Ely Buendia in his latest song Sabado “buti na lang Sabado bukas”. It could have been a different story had the Nostalgia concert held in a separate date other than Friday. It is always nice to end a busy week with an impressive viewing of a concert I have long been waiting for without worrying of a next day’s work schedule. I had all the time in the world to rock and roll.  Thank you so much to the organizers of Nostalgia Dekada 90 concert last October 31, 2014 at SMX Convention Center in Davao City featuring two of the most popular bands in the 90s, Wolfgang and the legendary Ely Buendia of Eraserheads.


I was fortunate to have been invited by a good friend Sir Andy Ugdoracion for a VIP ticket to the show and with the consolation of a half-day work scheme in relation to All Saints Day and All Souls Day, I travelled to watch for Captain Ely Boy performing live in SMX. I was way ahead of the schedule along with some of the obviously-excited Eheads fans. I had a long chat with some of the fans while we were sipping the very cold San Mig Light as we waited for the show to start. We didn’t care about our names, but we blended well with each other instantly because we had the common language used during our conversation –Eraserheads.  


My salute to Wolfgang for a very entertaining performance. Basti Artadi and company were in their usual alternative tunes. And when Ely stood out to take over the stage, all of us were overwhelmed. It was my first time watching him performing live. I was amazed by the energy he brought out, and when he started singing some of the songs from their first three albums I was able to reminisce my early college days. It was indeed nostalgia.  


The performance by Ely during the concert was for me a reaffirmation of the band’s greatness. The simplicity of their music made them phenomenal. The way they blended their music well with the real-life story of my generation was exceptional. What’s good about the Eheads is that they don’t complicate their music. The melody of every song is a testimony of every Juan dela Cruz experience. Their lyrics seem to be very simple but the message can hit you in the eye. 


Influenced by the Nostalgia Dekada 90, I decided to list down 10 of the most personal favorite songs of the Eraserheads. Of course, this does not mean that I do not like the other pieces. In  fact, I love all of their songs but there has to be something special, songs that had already been a portion of my personality up to these very days.

This compilation starts from the breakthrough Eheads album Ultraelectromagneticpop and stretches to their last studio album Carbon Stereoxide. Some of the songs in my list depict my life’s circus and eventually helped shape my individuality. It has everything to offer in my 37 years of existence interfacing an ingredient of life, love, friendship and survival.

I do not want you to be bored by this list, but I hope this selection will be part of yours too.     

10. HUWAG KANG MATAKOT. Being one of the singles of the Natin99 album released in 1999, this song speaks about an assurance. Just when all the Eheads fans thought of an inevitable disbandment, they made sure to leave a promise to all of us that the Eheads will always be there no matter what happens. As a true fan, there is always reason for us not to be afraid of after disbandment because for as long as we listen to their songs, they would be alive forever and their music will be heard generations after generations.  


09. HEY JAY. Perhaps, this is one of the Eheads songs that did not gain huge popularity in radio airplays and fan request. However, this is a masterpiece. It reminded us of the true meaning of respect. The song portrays the life of a gay friend Jay who suffers discrimination. If you listen closely to the song you can feel the sincerity of Ely’s voice. The sympathy of a real friend is obvious. For those who did not hear the song, I advise you to look for it in youtube and I am sure you will be enlightened by its message. 

08. MINSAN. A cut from the Circus album, this song clearly articulates friendship that had been forgotten by the passing of time. One of the few good lines I like in the song is the finale that says “at kung sakali’ng mapadaan  baka ikaw ay aking tawagan dahil minsan tayo ay naging tunay na magkaibigan,” The song reflects the real meaning of preserving friends that despite the distance and time will always remain.

07. TORPEDO. I can always relate to this song especially during my high school days. Courting a girl during our time where there were no cellphones was one of the hardest things to do.  Aside from the humorous lyrics, I also like the arrangement of this piece as well as the melody. Marcus Adoro, Raymond Marasigan and Buddy Zabala also did their share of making the song even more captivating.


06. TOYANG. This is definitely one of the most romantic love songs ever produced in the history of Pinoy music. As usual, the message of the song was overpowered by the witty lyrics but if you make further word-for-word scrutiny you will distinguish the loveliness of this song. Some of the lines that depicts romanticism is “mahal ko si Toyang pagkat siya’y simple lamang, kahit namomroblema basta’t kami ay magkasama” and “makita lang ang kislap ng kanyang mga mata ako ay busog na,” and who else can be lovelier than them?

05. LIGHT YEARS. This song, I believe, is dedicated to a very special person. I have always tried to cultivate the deeper meaning but there is always a mystery associated into its lyrics. Nonetheless, the song is spectacular as it talks about chasing someone beyond reach. It is like chasing an impossible dream. What makes the song special also is that it was the very last song performed by Ely in their first reunion concert in 2008 when he suffered a heart attack.   


04. PARE KO. From the Ultra album, Pare Ko is a song about friendship. While courtship is a thing that should be enjoyed in school but somehow it also gives us annoyance which is being explicated in the song. The youthful voice of Ely reminded us all of a teenage trouble but at the same time relates friendship as a refuge. The line “O pare ko, meron ka bang maipapayo, kung wala ay okay lang, kailangan lang ay ang iyong pakikiramay, andito ka ay ayos na,” and I guess there ever has been a single youth on earth who never felt the same.   I will always love this song for sure although a lot of people hate this.


03. SEMBREAK.  In his letter to his classmate Kim, Ely sang an expression of boredom while having a semestral break. To some extent, I love the honesty of this piece. Usually we resort to doing strange stuff at home during dull moments. Like some of the song lines, I also did the same during my college days such as cuddling a guitar, writing letters and send them through snail mail, basketball sa banyo, fixing a bicycle and waiting for the rain, just to name a few.   It also articulates a wish to all students, “sana ay may pasok na para at least meron na akong baon.”   

02. FRUITCAKE. For me, this is one of the best Christmas songs ever. The arrangement is excellent and it really sounds like their idol The Beatles. From the album of the same title, Fruitcake conversed us all of the lone message in yuletide and that is love. The holiday should give us happiness. It should also be sweet. The one thing we should never forget about the song is that the season should be sustained all throughout the year, not just in December as described in this line “It’s the season for being happy, but the reason is dead and gone, if the reason for being happy takes a backseat when the season’s done.”  Our life as Christians should be like fruitcake made of candied or dried fruits, nuts and spices and added with a wine spirit to make it even delicious as it grows old. Life, indeed, is a piece of cake.  

01. ANG HULING EL BIMBO. This song deserves to be op top on this list and I guess I don’t need to explain why.

Could have beens: Ligaya, Waiting for the Bus, Poor Man's Grave, Alapaap, Overdrive, Shake Yer Head, Hard to Believe..... and the list still goes on I can no longer enumerate.

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