More evenings with Pilita

Although truly uniquely hers, the back-bending stance is not my favorite memory of a performance by Pilita Corrales. Mine happened many years ago while watching the TV show Your Evening with Pilita. There she was, the one and only Pilita, lovely in tight stretch pants and a beehive hairdo singing The Zombies’ She’s Not There with the Lemons Three.

I remember that moment because it was then that I realized that any artist could take any song, rearrange it to another style and still make it sound new, different and just as exciting as the original. I watched Pilita do the same to more hits in her long-running show over the years and I must say that the songs always came out good.

That is why I was glad to get hold of This is Pilita, one of her early albums recorded for the Jonal label probably in the early ‘70s and now available once more on CD on the Alpha label. It reminded me of the show and her inimitable way with just about any type of song. It was also nice to find that leading the line-up is My Faithful Love, an original composition by the late Danny Holmsen. The song was used in a movie of the same title that also starred Pilita.

But the rest are all covers. Nothing earthshaking about that. More so if we are to consider what Pilita accomplished with Filipino originals like Kapantay ay Langit later in her career. It was actually in her show where she introduced new songwriters of the time like George Canseco and George Sison. But these covers are apt reminders of those Evenings with Pilita, which in typical Pilita fashion are among the highlights in the history of Philippine television.

So get another dose of Pilita singing Love is Blue, The Music Played, If You Go Away, Where is Tomorrow, Cherry Red, Please Love Me Forever, El Mundo, Yo Te Amo, Algo Tonto (Something Stupid), Can’t Get Used to Losing You, I Say a Little Prayer, My Wonderful World is You, Why Does It Have to be Me, Groovin’, Goin’ Away, The Other Man’s Grass is Always Greener, Maybe Tomorrow, The Music Played in Spanish and Bon Soir Dame which I have not heard in a very long time.

Incidentally for more evenings with Pilita, you might want to check out The Golden Divas at the Music Museum in Greenhills on Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8. You will surely meet truckfuls of memories as Pilita, plus fellow singing stars Carmen Patena and Carmen Soriano dish out the old favorites they are most identified with. And not to forget, there will be lots of new stuff too.

More CD reissues

Now in case you want to remember more of those oldtime TV shows or to simply find out what made the stars of long ago tick or why they made TV history, you must also get hold of the also reissued CDs This is Diomedes Maturan and The Best of Dolphy and Panchito. Maturan was the national champion of the high-rating talent show Tawag ng Tanghalan at a time when winners did not have to be teen-aged birit queens. He was initially touted as The Perry Como of the Philippines but as this CD shows, he actually had his own style and a truly fine voice. He sings the beautiful Sampaguita plus covers of Oh My Papa, I Believe, The Wedding, In Your Eyes, Take My Hand for a While, The Way It Used to Be, My Elusive Dreams, Il Mondo (My World), Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings, That Wonderful Sound and others.

Thanks to their experience in vaudeville theater, comedy legends Dolphy and the late Panchito could also carry a tune. Their musical numbers in Buhay Artista were something to look forward to every week. I particularly enjoyed their wacky translations of popular tunes. The show had the great and also departed Ading Fernando as writer and you just have to admit it, nobody wrote Pinoy comedy like Ading. Can you name any of comedy show today that can really make you laugh?

So listen to this one and remember. Magulong Pamilya, Tsismis, Utos ni Mayor, Bomba Lang Artista Na, Tuksuhan, Family Planning, Walang Masakyan, Over-acting, Gloria, Wais, Puro Peklat, Walang Tubig, Manananso and Manghuhuthot. Unfortunately, the CD gives no credit to whoever wrote the songs. So I do hope that Alpha will make sure they put the names of the creators in future albums in the series.