No lemons for Orange and Lemons

There was no way that Orange and Lemons will pass up on doing a repackaged edition of its hit album Strike Whilst the Iron is Hot. This is because that is the only way that the group can include its very popular recording of Pinoy Ako in its own album. The song, thanks to the voyeuristic TV show Big Brother, might just end up as the song of the year. So why wait for the next album. Release it now. Expand the old one and get the tills ringing merrily again. Come to think of it, we do not see cash registers ringing with every sale anymore because everything is now computerized and silent.

Nothing silent about Orange and Lemons these days though. From being just another one of those rock groups filling up the scenery these days, it has become one of the hottest sellers. In fact, it has turned out that there are no lemons as far as songs by this group are concerned. All that it has been turning out are gold and juicy oranges that turn platinum. Like Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby) and Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown), the first two singles from Strike Whilst the Iron is Hot and of course the overly ubiquitous Pinoy Ako.

Thanks to those hits, Orange and Lemons now do shampoo commercials like Abot Kamay and movie themes like Blue Moon. The latter is no ordinary movie theme. It is the old song composed by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, which will be used in the upcoming local movie of the same title. This means that Orange and Lemons has been given the chance to do its take on a well-loved standard. Great. It was daring of the boys to do the song and I hope that it woke them up to new possibilities in the future.

These songs make up the bonus AVCD that now comes with every copy of Strike. This contains the videos for Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby) and Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown) plus audios of Pinoy Ako, Abot Kamay and Blue Moon, plus what they call the Naked Versions of Hanggang Kailan and Heaven Knows and a radio edit of Blue Moon. The main album stands as is with the title cut, Hanggang Kailan, Cycle of Love, Rock-A-Bye, Pabango ng ‘yong Mata, Heaven Knows, Yer So Special, The Nerve, Caught in a Line, Lihim, Chatter’s Tale and Tomorrow.

Orange and Lemons is made up of Clem Castro on electric guitar and vocals, McCoy Fundales on acoustic guitar and vocals, JM Del Mundo on bass guitar and Ace Del Mundo on drums. Clem and McCoy are the main songwriters. They all come from Bulacan and say that they are here to provide the right sort of musical nourishment to today’s listeners. They still have to tell though who among them is the Orange and who are the Lemons.

Kapayapaan ’05

For a close look at some of the best known artists of today, you might want to check out the concert Kapayapaan ’05 which will be held at the Marikina Riverbanks Amphitheater on Sunday, Dec.11. It will be a mix of rock and rap and among those set to perform are FrancisM., Pikasso, Mike Swift, Greyhoundz, Andrew E, Kjwan, The Dawn, Sun Valley Crew, Sandwich, Pupil, Sponge Cola, Mayonnaise, 6Cyclemind, Imago, The Youth, Anna Fegi, Soapdish, Dicta License, Join the Club, Gish, Protein Shake, Dale Ibay, Condu Guz and Marty McFly. Gates open at 4 p.m. and tickets are only P100 each.

MYX’s top hits

As for the current hit tunes, here are the top videos of the moment as per the MYX weekly countdown. Kung Wala Ka by Hale; Una by Sponge Cola; Sandalan by 6Cyclemind; Talaga Naman by M.Y.M.P.; I Need You by Mark Bautista; I Will Never Leave You by Erik Santos; You Raise Me Up by Westlife; Crazy by Simple Plan; Because of You by Kelly Clarkson; Ulan by Cueshé; My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas; Get Your Number by Mariah Carey; The Ghost of You by My Chemical Romance; Lintik by Brownman Revival; I Still by the Backstreet Boys; Confessions of a Broken Heart by Lindsay Lohan; Hung Up by Madonna; StickwitU by the Pussy Cat Dolls; Push the Button by Sugababes; and Stand Up for Love by Destiny’s Child.