My 27 favorite albums

There have now been 27 years of The Philippine STAR. I see those as 27 glorious years with much more than 27 pieces worth of memories. For now though, let us save the rest for the future and concentrate on just 27 and in my case, those are 27 albums. Some are personal favorites I have constantly listened to over the years. The others are game changers that affected tastes and the music business in a big way. Here they are in no particular order.

1. West Side Story, the soundtrack, 1961. I watched the movie and came out of the theater in a trance thinking, “It is not Rodgers and Hammerstein anymore.” Berstein has changed the musical.

2. Ultraelectromagneticpop by the Eraserheads, 1991. Still one of the most fun albums ever. Pare Ko, Toyang, Ligaya, never fail to bring smiles.

3. Ako Ay Ikaw Rin by Nonoy Zuñiga, 1981. Includes the phenomenal Never Ever Say Goodbye composed by Willy Cruz that brought about the original compositions in English trend. I’mstill debating with myself it that was good or bad for local music.

4. Off The Wall by Michael Jackson, 1979. Thriller might have sold more but for me this is the best album by MJ. He still looked like his old self and sounded happy and sexy and beautiful.

5. O Holy Night by Luciano Pavarotti, 1990. The great tenor singing Christmas songs including my favorite hymn Panis Angelicus. The first CD I ever bought.

6. Salmo by Basil Valdez. A collection of religious pop songs arranged by Ryan Cayabyab make for a divine experience. Includes Kristo by Vehnee Saturno and Maria by Saturno and George Canseco.

7. Meet The Beatles by the Beatles, 1964. It is a fact that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and others they later recorded are musically superior. But not one of those has the manic explosion of pop energy of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, etc. etc.

8. Unang Kagat by Hotdog, 1973. Because it has Pers Lab and marked the beginning of the Manila Sound and the golden age of Filipino pop music.

9. Clouds by Joni Mitchell, 1969. Because every girl deserves a hippie spirit and to listen to Bows and flows of angel’s hair and ice cream castles in the air...

10. Parallel Lines by Blondie, 1977. Because if I had been a rock singer I would have wanted to be a Debbie Harry, Heart of Glass, Hanging On The Telephone, One Way Or Another…

11. Manhattan Tower by Gordon Jenkins, 1956. A musical narrative and one of the first albums I ever loved. A love story of a man, a woman and a city made doubly meaningful by the twin towers tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.

12. Something To Remember by Madonna, 1995. Because I find it so unfair that Madonna is so underestimated as a singer. Listen to this ballads collection and change your minds. Crazy For You, Take A Bow, This Used To Be My Playground…

13. Breakfast At Tiffany’s movie soundtrack, 1961. I actually prefer the more affecting music of Two For The Road but how can you fight this one. Audrey Hepburn, New York, Truman Capote, Tiffany’s, Henry Mancini, Moon River…

14. The Imagine Project by Herbie Hancock, 2010. Pop music at its most cross-cultural with Pink, Seal, indie.arie, Jeff Beck and others singing John Lennon’s Imagine.

15. Philippine Love Songs by Pilita Corrales, 1972. With Dahil Sa ‘Yo, Kapantay Ay Langit. This is the album that bridged Mike Velarde with George Canseco to prepare us for the new Filipino pop music.

16. Tapestry by Carole King, 1971. An all-original, all-hit collection from the get-go. And she wrote all of them. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, So Far Away, It’s Too Late, I Feel The Earth Move…

17. Romance by Frank Sinatra, 1990. No wallowing in heartbreak or swinging ring-a-ding-ding in this wonderful compilation. Just a straight singing of the hits. Strangers In The Night, September Song, Summer Wind, etc.

18. The first Metro Manila Popular Music Festival, 1977. The ultimate music competition album, a reminder that all finalists should be deserving of the grand prize. Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika, Anak, Ewan…

19. Supernatural by Santana, 1999. Santana music is always great but this album is extra special because of Smooth, the unlikely but ultimately astounding collaboration with Rod Thomas of Matchbox 20.

20. Mga Kwento Ng Makata by Gloc-9, 2012. This is not only the sound of the new Pinoy hip-hop, it is also the new poetry of the streets and with a song like Sirena, it is one for the ages.

21.What Matters Most by Barbra Streisand, 2011. The voice of the incomparable Barbra Streisand singing the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. What Matters Most, Windmills Of Your Mind, I’ll Never Say Goodbye…

22. Night Visions by Imagine Dragons, 2013. Unique rock sounds that go from acoustic to electronica and from high drama to fun ditties held together by solid songwriting and the voice of Dan Reynolds.

23. Romance by Luis Miguel, 1991. Because there is a Latino in all of us and Mexican balladeer Luis Miguel can dish out romantic boleros like nobody else. Somos Novios, Sin Ti, Historia de Un Amor…

24.Believe by Celtic Woman, 2012. This is the CD I relax with nowadays. Soothing Irish sounds by three of the sweetest voices ever heard. Ave Maria, Black Is The Color…

25. The Essential Yo-yo Ma, 2005. Bits and pieces from Bach to John Williams. Because I love the achingly sweet sound of the cello and because Yo-yo Ma plays it like nobody else.

26. They’re Playing Our Song, 1979. The original Broadway soundtrack written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carol Bayer Sager, it is one of my favorite musicals. Not only because it is about a composer and lyricist and I write song lyrics. It also has songs like Fallin’, If He Really Knew Me, I Still Believe In Love…

27. Saturday Night Fever, the motion picture soundtrack, 1977. It is a bit late in the day but I can still fantasize about dancing to How Deep Is Your Love by the Bee Gees.