Investing 101

Who can ever forget the ’60s?  Those were exciting, cheerful and wonderful  times that saw many dramatic changes that ultimately shaped the way of life of millions of people throughout the world in the last half of the past century. A recollection of that era won’t be complete without harking back to the pleasant memories of my growing-up years in the early ’60s in my hometown of Borongan, Eastern Samar, where I was intermittently stirred from a relatively quiet and easy-going existence by news about major historical events taking place in other parts of the world. 

To the first half of that colorful decade belonged such epochal moments and developments in the 20th century as the Cold War, Space Age, Beat Generation, Flower People, Women’s Lib, Sexual Revolution, among others.

The magic of TV brought people closer to events taking place outside the confines of small, parochial world like mine.  Initially considered a luxury, the boob tube — even in its black and white version — became an instant hit.  As a child not even in school yet, I remember climbing trees and walls just to get a glimpse of the magical TV set our rich, privileged neighbors had. It was simply breathtaking to see movies on a small screen in your home without having to suffer the infernal heat of the solitary movie house  in town where snakes were said to invade during the rainy season.

It was through TV and, earlier, the transistorized radio, that I was able to witness the major transformation taking place in the field of musical entertainment, both local and international. I watched — or rather, listened to — with great awe the advent of an innovative new sound from a refreshing new breed of foreign artists who won fans by the millions, with their amazing talent, fab looks and tremendous appeal.

Nowhere was this more profoundly dramatized than during the musical  British Invasion in the US in the early ’60s, a landmark event that saw the entry in America of a whole boatload of new English acts and performers.   Among the big acts at the forefront of that musical phenomenon was Chad & Jeremy, a singing folk-rock duo that arrived at the US on the same wave as The Beatles, the legendary Fab Four from Liverpool.

Making similar waves in America at the same time was The Association, a talented six-man electric group acclaimed for breaking new musical grounds and shattering traditional anti-rock biases in the country.

The wonderful combination of some of the greatest hits of the ’60s from these two cornerstones of pop music will transform the local concert scene into the ultimate revival fest when Chad & Jeremy and The Association invade Manila to perform back-to-back in a major concert on June 15 at the Araneta Coliseum in  Cubao, Quezon City. Billed as Chad & Jeremy and The Association Together,  the musical event mounted by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions will kick off a three-city Philippine concert tour by the legendary singing groups. Other shows are slated on June 16 at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City and June 17, St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City.

Chad & Jeremy and The Association Together will showcase a remarkable synergy of the music of two of the most popular and successful pop acts to emerge from the ’60s. Chad & Jeremy will sing many of the old favorites that the duo did not perform during its last sold-out concert in Manila. On the other hand,  the former lead singer of  The Association,  Jim Yester, who sang lead vocals on such big hits such as  No Fair At All,  Goodbye  Columbus and Along Comes Mary, has rejoined the group for the Philippine concert series. 

Composed of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, Chad & Jeremy stood out from the rest of the British Invasion artists as well-groomed individuals whose wit impressed the older generation even as their music appealed not only to the average teeny-bopper but to her parents and her brother as well. Their natural acting talent enabled them to appear in the homes of millions of Americans regularly, while their records sold millions of copies worldwide.

The Association was a major cornerstone of American pop music which was formed in 1965 following the break-up of an 11-man electric “folk” group called The Men,  the first “folk rock” band in America. The group’s singles Along Comes Mary and Cherish, from its initial album, topped the charts. The Association’s other No. 1 hits were Never My Love, Windy and No Fair At All, which have achieved “standard” status, receiving as much airplay today as they ever have. Its hit song, Goodbye Columbus, was the title song for the film and performed by the group.  It also won the Golden Globe and Foreign Press Awards.

As certified hit-makers, The Association has sold over 30 million copies of records and earned six gold discs and one platinum during its successful musical career that spanned more than 25 years. Aside from Jim Yester, other members of The Association are Larry Ramos, Russ Giguere, Del Ramos, Bruce Pictor and Jordan Cole.

Tickets for the Araneta Coliseum show priced at P3,500, P3,000, P2,500, P1,500, P800 and P300 are available at Ticketnet outlets at all SM Department Stores. For details, call Ticketnet at 911-5555.