Gold: Gary V’s life in music

I came across a great find that no Pinoy music lover should be without. This is the Gold collection by Gary Valenciano. This is a beautifully packaged four-disc set containing songs that he recorded these past 30 years or so. There are plenty of big hits among them and the pictures on the cover are gorgeous. This is an excellent chronicle of how Gary V rose to the top and the songs that helped him get there.

I do not recall the show anymore but I do remember when I first saw Gary perform. It starred Pilita Corrales and it was there that she introduced a young man named Gary Valenciano. He seemed very promising. Tall, lean and attractive, he had a voice that was somewhat similar to Michael Jackson. The time was the ‘80s and Pinoys were eager to find somebody who could be their own MJ. But best of all, he could dance. Filipino male singers usually end up balladeers, Gary V was both. He had the right pipes for ballads but he also had great moves. He was truly the proverbial fresh air.

Gary V fulfilled that initial promise. Why else do you think people would know who you were talking about when you say just plain Gary V? Thanks to well-chosen songs and appearances, he never became a local Michael Jackson. He became himself, Gary V, a very good singer, songwriter, arranger, dancer and actor with his own original style.

A big number of his hits are featured in Gold which is really worth your money. This is a package that will delight any Gary fan or anybody interested in well-remembered oldies. The album is well-packed with 50 songs. These are grouped under the titles Beginnings, Inspiration, Music For The Heart and Collaborations which contains Gary’s duets with other artists. A good number of the cuts are his own compositions. He also arranged a lot of them.

Now I noticed what seems like a major problem with Gold, although I do not think this should stop fans from getting a copy. This is the fact that all of the songs, covers and originals, are in English. That means that many of Gary’s memorable Tagalog songs are not included. Think Di Na Natuto, Di Bale Na Lang, Heto Na Naman, Sana’y Maulit Muli, Paano, Narito, Gaya Ng Dati, Kailangan Kita and other classics that are not in the album.

The only explanation I can think of about this is that I only got one half of a set. Somewhere out there is another Gold album, hopefully also with four discs of hits, that contains Gary V’s Tagalog songs. If there isn’t any, then I say his producers should do something about this lapse pronto and come up with that album fast.

Meanwhile, while we are waiting for the arrival of that Tagalog Gold, we might as well enjoy this one. Among the songs included are:

Disc 1: Fool Till The End, After All, Reaching Out, Take Me Out Of The Dark, Could You Be Messiah, What More Can I Say, Laughter All The Time, Shout For Joy and For You.

Disc 2: Letting Go, As You Are, Face To Face, I Will Be Here, Lead Me Lord, Warrior As A Child, Break Me, When I Hear You Call, Shake It Off, Home and In You.

Disc 3: Just Once, More And More, These Eyes, Only I, Even For A While, Wait Forever, How Did You Know, Because Of You, What Matters Most, You Gave Me A Reason and It Might Be You.

Disc 4: Each Passing Night with Regine Velasquez; More Than Wonderful with Tricia Amper-Jimenez; Hard Habit To Break with Jed Madela; You Are The Love Of My Life with his wife Angeli Pangilinan; As 1 with Martin Nievera; With You with his daughter Kiana and Overjoyed with A.K.A. Jam.

And now, here is the latest Pinoy MYX Countdown of the top Pinoy artists videos for the week.

Makin’ Moves by Darren Espanto; Pilipinas by Quest; Sa Isang Awit by Lyca Gairanod; Dulo by Sarah Geronimo; Bitter Song by Callalily featuring Maychelle Baay; Minamahal also by Sarah Geronimo; Forever by Julie Anne San Jose; Milagro by Jason Dy; Ipapadama Na Lang by Matteo Guidicelli; Build A Girl also by Darren Espanto.

You Can’t Be Right by Mayonnaise; Telenobela by Enchong Dee; Wish I May by Alden Richards; Who Is She To Me by Christian Bautista; Mundong Imposible by Bryan Termulo; Mabuti Pa by Daryl Ong; Free Fall Into Love by Marion Aunor; Hello Hello Hello by Tanya Markova; Move by James Reid; and Chasing Stars by Lunar Lights.

Meanwhile, here is great news for all Pinoy songwriters who are afflicted with the deadline syndrome. The deadline for the submission of compositions for this year’s contest has been extended to Feb. 12. Go to the Philpop website now and send in your entries.