Side A back with White Album, iconic lineup

Side A is back and it is the iconic line-up. That should mean Naldy Gonzales on vocals and keyboards; Joey Benin on bass and vocals; Ernie Severino on drums and vocals; Kelly Badon on vocals and lead guitar; and new recruit Joey Generoso on vocals.

Not that these guys have reunited. The prospect of that is still dim. What is back is their sound, warmer and more enchanting than we remember. What happened is that Side A’s White Album is once more available on physical format. Not CD or cassette. But on white vinyl for the first-time ever.

And when I say white, I mean that literally. The disc of the White Album is white. Not the usual black. This reissue was pressed on very special white, 180 gram vinyl in the Netherlands. It does not only sound great, it looks clean, pristine, pure, more so with the embossed title text on the all-white jacket. You would want to stare at it for hours.

Colored records were popular back in the ‘60s. I do not recall colored LPs. Not even The Beatles thought of using white shellac or whatever they used to make long-play albums during that time. But colored 45RPMs were popular. They looked fun. In recent times, the only one I saw was a special edition of All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey in Christmasy red. And now we have Side A’s White Album in white.

Released in 1991, the White Album was the second collection from the then new pop group Side A. The songs included were all-new originals. I Will Always Stay, Only You (There Will Never Be Another), Lahat May Pag-asa, Time to Let Go, I’ll Be There, Chances Are, Samahan Mo Ako and Hold On.

The band had a minor hit with Eva Marie in their first album. That  was the Blue one. But Hold On, composed by Dingdong Eduque,  zoomed up the charts and became a huge seller and established Side A as a true hitmaker.

There was no stopping Side A after that. The music was regular pop rock with jazzy undertones but the band had a distinct sound unlike any local or foreign group. Everybody loved it. So, Side A reigned.

I am sure that fans still remember those packed nights at the Music Hall in Annapolis where the band would run through its line-up of hits up to the early morning hours. The same was true in all those other venues where Side A performed.

And Side A made a lot of hits in the ensuing years. Forevermore, So Many Questions, Tell Me, Set You Free, Nais Ko, Heart of Mine, Foolish Heart, Di Pa Huli, Later, All This Time, All I Need, Still in Love, Eva Marie and others. But Hold On was sort of special. Not only was it the first big one but it established the Side A sound and it is back to be enjoyed on vinyl.

After years stacked unplayed on shelves, vinyl has now become the primary physical format for recordings. Music buffs with no concerts to spend their cash on are now collecting vinyl. Truth to tell, vinyl manufacturing is now a big problem all over the world because of the huge demand for vinyl records.

Side A’s White Album is at present in stock. But it is selling fast, so make sure you get your copy now. Otherwise, given the long wait for new copies at the pressing plants, it might take months before another batch becomes available.

Speaking of vinyl, another goodie from the past is now again available on vinyl. This is Spirit of Christmas by Rico J. Puno. This was recorded in 1976, a time when Rico Baby was the most exciting male singer in the country and his singing here is at its soulful best.

I do not like it that no Filipino composition is included in the album. But like he did with The Way We Were, Rico J, did get to include Filipino lines in some of the songs. Among those included are Merry Christmas Darling, Give Love on Christmas Day, Silent Night and a really touching Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.