ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE:
One of the requirements in this list is that bands must at least debut an album before the year 2000. There are a lot of top bands in the country that were formed in the 90s but only got their album in the 2000s. Here are some of them:
(I got my research from Wikipedia and other online sources)
ITCHYWORMS /
FORMED: 1996 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2001 (LITTLE MONSTERS)
CHICOSCI /
FORMED: 1996 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2000 (REVENGE OF THE GIANT ROBOT)
BATTERY /
FORMED: MID 90S / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2000 (SELF-TITLED)
BADBURN /
FORMED: MID 90S / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2001 (BOUND BY BLOOD)
MOONSTAR 88 /
FORMED: 1999 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2000 (POPCORN)
SUGARFREE /
FORMED: 1999 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2003 (SA WAKAS)
IMAGO /
FORMED: 1999 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2001 (PROBABLY NOT BUT MOST DEFINITELY)
RADIOACTIVE SAGO PROJECT /
FORMED: 1999 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2000 (SELF-TITLED)
ORANGE AND LEMONS /
FORMED: 1999 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2003 (LOVE IN THE LAND OF RUBBER SHOES AND DIRTY ICE CREAM)
URBANDUB /
FORMED: 2000 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2001 (BIRTH)
KAMIKAZEE /
FORMED: 2000 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2002 (SELF-TITLED)
6CYCLEMIND /
FORMED: 2002 / RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM: 2003 (PERMISSION TO SHINE)
And yeah. Almost forgot about this.
21 to 28
28 THE JERKS
YEARS ACTIVE: 1979 – PRESENT
90S GROUP ROSTER (KNOWN MEMBERS): CHIKOY PURA, NITO ADRIANO
90S HITS: RAGE, SAYAW SA BUBONG*, REKLAMO NG REKLAMO*, TAMBOL*, MAD MATHEMATICAL WORLD*, AND HE SAYS* (*from their Jerks Live album)
I was about to write them off because I thought they never produced an album during the 90s. But they did... which is why they are on this list. Aside from their Jerks Live album (1994), Star Records produced an album, their first major outfit album in 1997 called Haligi ng Maynila. They have been belting out tunes since the Manila Sound era. In terms of influence, it is safe to say that most bands of the ’80s and ’90s (heck, even in the 2000s) look up to The Jerks. Their music is pretty much a chop-suey of everything. Chikoy Pura and Nito Adriano are icons in the industry and they are still performing up to this day. Listening to their music, I like their English songs better. If this was during the 1980’s they would have been up top.
27 BACKDRAFT
YEARS ACTIVE: EARLY 90S – I DON’T KNOW
GROUP ROSTER: UNKNOWN
90S HITS: ANAK NG GABI, SMB, SUGO NG DILIM, ANG HIMIG NATIN, DAMA DE NOCHE
I was oblivious to their existence at first since I wasn’t into the Pinoy heavy metal part of OPM then. That sucks because when I encountered their music now I realized that I seriously missed out on a lot of good things. Thanks a lot to Afro-American boybands like Damage, Az Yet, and Boys II Men, British boybands like Ant and Dec, Take That, and Boyzone, and Australian boybands like Code Red and 911! YOU ROBBED ME OF MUSICAL AWESOMENESS! Their music roams from a la Wolfgang-like to a la Shampoo ni Lola. There are moments where they sound “lata” and they growl at times but I am now appreciating their brand of music. A friend told me that SMB, their version of Himig Natin, and Dama de Noche are great hits and I believe him. But if I’m going to pick a favorite song from this band, I’d probably say I find Anak ng Gabi awesome.
26 AGAW AGIMAT
YEARS ACTIVE: 1993 – PRESENT
GROUP ROSTER: QT PADUANO-NADELA, RENMIN NADELA, HANK PALENZUELA, JEPHTHAH WENCESLAO
90S HITS: SABI NILA, KISS-A-ME, NAIS KO, WANLITELTU, KULANG, MIRAKOL, PROPETA NG BAYAN, TO OUR DEAR COMRADES
There was a band then that produced awesome hits that often delve into the romantic and patriotic side of Filipinos and Agaw Agimat is that band. They were great in dishing out heartfelt renditions of seemingly odd verses. In the process, they gained fandom. Their music is like editorial cartoons – it is sharply intellectual, entertaining, and harshly satirical. Agaw Agimat treats their popularity as a medium to pronounce their intention for a change in the way is handling the country’s poverty issue. Kiss-A-Me told an awesome story and finished it up with a wicked swerve. This is my favorite Agaw Agimat song. Sabi Nila had a great chorus... if only it was a love story to make it further work. I liked their first album better although I like most of their songs except Wanliteltu. For some insane reason, it reminds me of Jaymie Baby’s Eh Kasi Bata. Whatever happened to that person?
25 HUNGRY YOUNG POETS / BARBIE’S CRADLE
YEARS ACTIVE: 1997* – 2005 (*Barbie’s Cradle started in 1998)
GROUP ROSTER: BARBIE ALMALBIS, FRANKLIN BENITEZ, RICCI GURANGO (as HYP), ROMMEL DELA CRUZ (as Barbie’s Cradle)
90S HITS: As HYP – FIREWOMAN, TORPE, & PERSONAL FLIRT; As CRADLE – TABING ILOG, GOODNYT, & THE DANCE
The band basically features nice songs without a shred of violence. I was actually more of an HYP fan than their second incarnation only because I really like Firewoman. Yes, that song was so sweet and heartfelt that it automatically made people care for the band. I remember when I first heard the song on MTV Asia – it was golden. However, it was more of Barbie Almalbis than anything here. I remember when they first showed up and people were asking who that cute chick was. When Barbie and Ricci Gurango had a falling out, the band was forced to change their name to Barbie’s Cradle which further accentuated the popularity of Barbie. Barbie Almalbis is the key element here. Her voice and style can be likened to former Sixpence None the Richer vocalist Leigh Nash. Aside from singing angelically Leigh Nash and Barbie embarked on solo careers after singing songs for teen shows (Kiss Me was part of the first Dawson’s Creek OST album while Barbie sang the Tabing Ilog OST).
24 KULAY
YEARS ACTIVE: 1991 – 2000
GROUP ROSTER: BOOM DAYUPAY, JEANNIE OAKMAN, RADHA CUADRADO, ANGEL JONES* (Angel replaced Jeannie after the latter died in 1997 because of an epileptic seizure)
90S HITS: DELICIOUS, BURN, SHOUT
Man, I love this group! I also like the way they made the computer a musical instrument ala Daniel Bedingfield. Yes, Kulay is a band. In their recordings, they used the wonders of technology. In their live gigs, they use a bunch of people to do their beats.
Cheap plug: If anyone of you has a copy of Kulay’s live and unplugged works, share it with me! Boom was the key element in this group.
Once a Vancouver-based DJ, he worked to give the band a distinct edge. The funky, hip-hop and electronic style gave the band an identity. The Vibestation was also his brainchild. Using this element, they scored film appearances (Gimik: The Reunion), commercial endorsements (Pepsi), and international fame (United Kingdom). At their peak, they were the only known group to have that sound. If there was one thing missing in that decade, it was combining style, arrangement, and production. Kulay had that and in their live gigs, just like their studio-released albums, it was spot on.
23 P.O.T.
YEARS ACTIVE: 1996 – 2005
GROUP ROSTER: KARL ROY, FRANCIS REYES, MALLY PARAGUYA, IAN UMALI, JEFF LIMA, HARLEY ALARCON, JAYMAN ALVIAR
90S HITS: YUGYUGAN NA, FISHCAKE, MONKEY ON MY BACK, ULITIN, PIECE OF THIS, FYB
They looked like a melting pot of awesomeness when they started. Led by the tattoo-infested Karl Roy, they would deliver varying tunes that made a lot of people beg for more. Their sounds border blues, punk, rock, and hell... even dance! Basically, they knew how to market their selves. Roy wasn’t like this when he was in Advent Call and in time he and his bandmates learned that to get the mainstream public to like their music, they must have other opportunities to plug their craft. I remember when the Fishcake music video was enjoying heavy exposure on MTV Asia. In the Philippines, Yugyugan Na was becoming an anthem as it was seen and heard on every other radio station that is not NU107. Their self-titled album is so good that most of the songs in that album received massive airplay. In 2003, that same self-titled catapulted them again to the top with its Re-mastered version.
22 FREESTYLE
YEARS ACTIVE: 1996 – PRESENT
90S GROUP ROSTER: TOP SUZARA, JINKY VIDAL, TAT SUZARA, CARLO TAPIA, NIKKI CABARDO, GERALD BANZON
90S HITS: BEFORE I LET YOU GO, SO SLOW, ‘TIL I FOUND YOU, THIS TIME
The band traces its roots in Davao City, where they first displayed their talents. They got noticed by the Viva execs and they were brought to Manila where Before I Let You Go spiked the singles charts and made them a household name. All of a sudden, they were the toast of the town, especially with a giant recording company backing them up. Their concerts are sought after and they often get to do gigs with the best singers. I remember watching VTV back in the 90s when they had the PBA, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Weakest Link. They were pimping them so heavily that at one point, they were regarded as Side A’s heir to the throne. So Slow was used as background music when Bobby Andrews was date-raping Gwen Garci in the 2003 Viva Hot Babes movie, First Time. Top Suzara moved out of the group in 2005 and joined another supergroup (?) Sabado Boys. And yeah, I almost forgot... they made a very good song in Ogie Alcasid’s Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang unbearable because when they made Top duet with Pops Fernandez. Ever since the poor song has been butchered in Christmas parties, birthday parties trip to videoke bars, strip joints, and other social gatherings.
21 SOUTH BORDER
YEARS ACTIVE: 1996 – PRESENT
90S GROUP ROSTER: JAY DURIAS, BRIX FERRARIS, LUKE MEJARES, TATA BALANE, BUTCH VICTORIANO, RIC JUNASA
90S HITS: KAHIT KAILAN, LOVE OF MY LIFE, HABANG ATIN ANG GABI, SA ‘YO, MAY PAG-IBIG PA KAYA
I find them sappy and oily (Brix Ferraris’ blonde hair has too much pomade) but they did make an impact, especially with the rise of showbands in the country. Yes, the late ’90s launched a lot of things. It made rockers worthless and showbands the “In” thing. This R & B band from Davao came to the scene in the 90s when most rock bands were disbanding or moving to obscurity. Sure, South Border had a problem with regard to their vocalists... but there is no denying that they had a lot of hits in their existence. Jay Durias was the key man in this group. He engineered a lot of wonderful songs. He is an awesome composer and an underrated singer. Kahit Kailan was their most popular song and it started their rise to the top. This was the song that made them a household name and it also gave them a bunch of awards and citations. Some of their best songs though happened during the 2000s.
NOTES:
The big guns are going to work now. The two showband superstars in South Border and Freestyle have been unleashed. Rock demigods Backdraft and The Jerks are here as well. Mainstream favorites Hungry Young Poets and P.O.T. are now here so expect their batchmates to show up as the list continues.