Ugat, a Pinoy folk rock anthology

The Golden Age of Filipino popular music during the ’70s and ’80s was marked by an abundance of pop ballads, dance tunes and whatever you choose to call the works of the one and only Yoyoy Villame. You may think Pers Lab by Hotdog and Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko by VST&Co. for the others. But those sounds were not all there were to the time, the era also saw the rise of a strong tradition of folk rock music that remains unparalleled to this day.

These were initially take-offs from Western folk-rock hits like Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone or Peter, Paul & Mary’s, Puff the Magic Dragon. But you can trust a Pinoy artist to take something like that, better the originals and easily make it his own. Soon there were more new compositions by those folk singers than imitations. And whether these were fun songs, Maria Capra’s Kumusta Mga Kaibigan or steeped in socio-political messages like Tayo’y Mga Pinoy by Banyuhay ni Heber, these were unmistakably Filipino.

The Juan dela Cruz Band composed of Mike Hanopol, Joey Smith and Wally Gonzales got the ball rolling with Himig Natin in the early ’70s. Others followed suit and soon there were folk-rock artists everywhere, from UP to Quiapo to Mabini and up to Olongapo. It was from the music joints that proliferated around the US naval base in the latter that would emerge a young man who would bring the Pinoy’s fascination with folk-rock music to unprecedented heights.

Freddie Aguilar’s Anak was chosen one of the finalists in the first Metro Manila Popular Song Festival in 1978. It didn’t win any of the prices at stake. The Grand Prize went to Ryan Cayabyab’s Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika. But through the efforts of Viva top man Vic del Rosario and producer Christian de Walden, it became the most successful Filipino composition in the local and international markets.

Anak was covered and adapted into several languages in Europe and Asia and it was not uncommon at the time to find singers in Japan or Holland trying to sound or to look like Freddie with sequinned straw hats and all. Aguilar would later win at the Metropop as interpreter of Snaffu Rigor’s Bulag, Pipi at Bingi but no other song has come even within an inch of the worldwide popularity of Anak to this day.

Freddie’s Anak leads the line-up of selections included in the folk-rock anthology titled Ugat. The title means root in English. It comes from the Vicor label of old that specialized in that sort of music. Sharing the bill with Anak are other songs from the period by singer-songwriters who not only performed their works. They also sang from the heart and believed strongly in what they wrote.

Masdan Mo ang Kapaligiran and Pagbabalik by Asin, made up of Lolita Carbon, Pendong Aban, Nonoy Pillora Jr. and Saro Banares; Ako’y Pinoy and Handog by Florante; Himig Natin by Juan dela Cruz Band; Kumusta Mga Kaibigan by Maria Capra; Bonggahan by Sampaguita; Problema Na Naman by Sino Band; Batugan and Dukha by Judas; Usok by Lolita & The Boys; I Am Sorry by Sarj; Oras Na by Coritha; Bulag, Pipi, Bingi by Freddie Aguilar; Pen Pen de Sarapen by Penpen; Kahit Konti by Gary Granada; and Tayo’y Mga Pinoy by Banyuhay ni Heber.

Fastforward to the present time; here are the Top 20 Videos in the Pinoy MYX Countdown of the MYX music channel for the week: FX by Pedicab; Di Na Mababawi by Sponge Cola; Your Universe by Rico Blanco; Gusto Na Kita by 6Cyclemind; Message in a Bottle by Dawn; Selos by Sandwich; Disconnection Notice by Pupil; Tell Me That You Love Me by Regine Velasquez; Heart to Heart by Kyla; Ngayon, Bukas at Kailanman by Sarah Geronimo.

Someone by Rachelle Ann Go; Captured by Christian Bautista; Set You Free by M.Y.M.P.; I Don’t Want You to Go by Piolo Pascual; If You’re Not the One by Nikki Gil; My First Broken Heart by Iya Villania; Lifeline by Kjwan; Blue Monday by Miguel Escueta; Softly Saying Sorry by Ariel Rivera; and Kung Iniibig Ka Niya by Laarni Lozada.