Staying power of Side A

The press release blurb about the new Side A album says that it is titled Titanium after a "lustrous, light but very hard metal which is corrosion-resistant." That means that although it is not at all heavy this metal is very strong and will never tarnish, disintegrate or lose any of its ordinary qualities under normal conditions. I do not know how it stands up to iron or platinum but it does say a lot about the success and staying power of Side A.

Side A, which popularized tunes like Forevermore, Hold On, So Many Questions and others is now 18 years old. The group’s music has evolved somewhat. It is smoother and there is now more R&B with hints of gospel and country. They now also record most of their own materials. But if you will compare Titanium to the very first Side A album from 18 years ago, the group’s kind of relaxing upbeat pop remains basically the same.

Most remarkable of all is the fact that, the members of Side A are still the same. Naldy Gonzales, musical director and keyboards, Joey Generoso, vocals and guitar, Kelly Badon on lead guitar, Joey Benin on bass and Ernie Severino on drums. No one has left to join another group, go solo or retire from the business. The Apo Hiking Society have been together for more than 30 years but there are only three of them. Side A has five members and their being together for such a long time is already a record in local pop music history. These guys must really be kindred souls who are mature, level-headed and easy to get along with.

With 10 new songs and a bonus video with three cuts, Titanium should please every Side A fan. The group will also surely recruit a lot of new listeners among people who like their music well-produced in a soothing manner. Dream On is the first single release. Love is Another is another nice cut, which shows signs of becoming a good single. The videos of these two songs, also well-crafted are both included in the package.

Nais Ko, should be another good choice for the hit charts. The only Tagalog song in the album, this one was written by Ogie Alcasid, who is certainly the most prolific composer we have nowadays. If Ogie’s batting average as a hit maker holds up with his first Side A song, then Nais Ko will certainly be the song to watch out for. The other cuts in the album are Fragile, Break My Heart Again, Don’t Let the World Win, With You, When I C U 2nyt, Make Believe and Surrender.

Top 10 Albums

Bruce Springsteen’s landmark Born to Run album was named the most popular album of all time in the Zagat Survey’s first ever music guide, but take note, four titles in the list by the Beatles. Here are the top 10 albums: Born to Run by Springsteen; Abbey Road by The Beatles; Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles; The Joshua Tree by U2; The White Album by The Beatles; Kind of Blue by Miles Davis; Darkness on the Edge of Town also by Springsteen; Revolver by The Beatles; Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd; and Achtung Baby by U2.

Zagat is known for its surveys of restaurants, hotels, spas and other leisure places in American cities. It recently branched out into entertainment with the survey about the 1000 most popular movies of all time. This was followed by the Music Survey, the results of which were released last week. The music poll was conducted on 10,000 people who picked out the 1000 best albums of the past 80 years. Check out the Zagat website to find out how your collection stands up against the choices.

Robert Palmer, 54

Pop idol Robert Palmer died last Friday, Sept. 26 of a heart attack. He was resting in Paris during a break from the filming of a TV show in London. Considered an icon of the ’80s Palmer was named the Best Dressed Male Artist by Rolling Stone Magazine in 1990. His biggest hits were Addicted to Love and Simply Irresistible. The videos of these tunes were among the most popular of the period. They featured the dapper Palmer surrounded by pretty girls in miniskirts. He was also a member of the Power Station, a super group he formed with Duran Duran members, John Taylor and Andy Taylor. Palmer was 54.