Familiar love songs on Valentine's Day

As Funfare has been saying (at the risk of sounding like, you gussed it, a broken record), there's nothing like old familiar songs (especially love songs) to make Valentine's Day extra-special, songs that have in one way or another something to do with episodes in our lives. (Did you know that a beautiful song can make a depressed person spring back to life and can cure psychosomatic ailments? Try it!)

One of the few Valentine shows that Funfare won't miss is The Greatest Hits Concert Series #1, slated for Feb. 11, 12 and 14 at the Folk Arts Theater.

Veteran promoter Renen de Guia of Ovation Productions told Funfare that the three-night Valen-tine concert series will gather for the first time in local concert history "not one, not two, not three, not four, but five of the biggest names in international music, name-ly, Rupert Holmes, John Ford Coley, David Pack, Ambrosia and Survivors, who will perform an awesome collection of their hit musical creations from the last century."

De Guia told Funfare during lunch with a select group of entertainment editors and columnists at Annabel's Restaurant that the five artists together pack immense music power with their songs which, ironically, may sometimes be better known than their creators, but to certified music lovers, remain enduring classics in the annals of international popular music.

For instance, Terminal, Touch & Go, Answering Machine, Escape (The Pina-colada Song), Him and Let's Get Crazy Tonight by singer-writer Holmes are arguably some of the greatest hits of the '70s and '80s; while I'd Really Love To See You Tonight, Love Is The Answer, Just Tell Me You Love Me, Sad To Belong, We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again, What's Forever For and Where Do I Go From Here, etc., were among the Top 40 hits of the '70s and '80s and remained popular until the '90s, were the products of the musical talents of Coley, the other half of the popular '70s-'80s duo England Dan and John Ford Coley.

Biggest Part of Me, You're The Only Woman and The Key To You are just four of the top hits of Grammy Award-winner Pack, the lead vocalist and guitarist of Ambrosia, who left the group to create his own hits but rejoined it later, resulting in his own hits in and apart from Ambrosia. Pack also recorded songs in the '80s, and '90s with noted artist David Benoit and Tom Scott which he promises to perform in his Manila shows.

Survivor, on the other hand, gained international fame in the early '80s through several big hits performed by lead vocalist Jimi Jamison, such as The Search Is Over, Ever Since The World Began, Moment of Truth and Eye Of The Tiger.

According to De Guia, a fusion of these great songs with the identities of their creators will be renewed in the musical consciousness of fans for three unforgettable nights through Greatest Hits Concert Series #1, which will also feature the special participation of The Company.

De Guia knows whereof he speaks when it comes to concert promotions, having been involved in the music industry for more than three decades starting in the early '70s as a radio and disco deejay and as A & R manager for WEA and Dyna Records until he, together with his wife, the former Celine Pe, decided to venture into concert promotions and blazed the trail for the local performance of some of the best foreign singers and bands.

Among the international artists he has brought to the country through Ovation Productions were Metallica, Bon Jovi, Depeche Mode, Kenny Loggins, Toto, Michael Bol-ton, Bryan Adams, magician David Copperfield, James Ingram, Christopher Cross, Kenny Ran-kin, David Pome-ranz and many more.

During last year's Valentine's concert in Manila of Pomeranz, De Guia and the artist were reunited in a sentimental meeting at the Westin Philippine Plaza, during which they renewed their friendship, leading Pomeranz to acknowledge De Guia in the credits of his latest multi-platinum album, Born For You, His Best and More.

To make this once-in-a-lifetime performance accessible to a great number of music fans, ticket prizes have been set at very popular and affordable rates of P50, P300, P400, P500, P600, P800, P900 and P1,500. They are available at Ticket-world outlets located at all National Bookstore branches. (Call Ticketworld at 891-5610 and Ovation Productions at 532-5757 or 532-8883.)