Raymond with a big band sound

I recall many images of Raymond Lauchengco during these past 30 years. A gawky boy in the musical The Sound of Music, an insecure Charlie Brown, the nerd among the kids of Bagets, a budding dramatic actor in Bukas Luluhod Ang Mga Tala, handsome leading man in South Pacific and Rama at Sita and in between these, privately, an insightful photographer whose work just seems to get better and better. But the one thing that strings his many faces together is the music, which covers a truly astounding range.

Think Rodgers and Hammerstein on one side and George Canseco on the other and assorted bits in between. Then you will have a fairly good idea of what Raymond has been singing all these years. But of course, the songs that everybody instantly remembers are the much-loved hits from the ’80s era, a number of them from trendsetting photoplays like Bagets and Hot Shots and memorable melodramas like Saan Darating Ang Umaga, So It’s You, Farewell, Then Maybe, What Would They Say, Early Morning Lady, Kapag Puso’y Sinugatan, Standing in the Shadow of Time and others.

So hereabouts, any question about cultural phenomena during the ’80s will surely include the Bagets movie among the answers. And when you say Bagets, you recall the boys launched to stardom with the picture, Herbert Bautista, Aga Muhlach, JC Bonnin and Raymond. And when you think of Raymond and Bagets you cannot help but think of the music and songs like So It’s You. And oftentimes you also remember those songs, which Raymond did not record but are also part of the Bagets memories like Joe Boxer’s Just Got Lucky.

Some months ago, Raymond found a way to marry songs he did not get to sing but are usually associated with his Bagets period with music he recently came to love. These are the swinging standards, the kind that Sinatra and his Rat Pack did so well and which gave birth to the expression ring-a-ding-ding. Along with producer Alwyn Cruz, musical director, arranger and pianist Vic Oria, Raymond chose 10 pop hits from the ’80s which were then rearranged for an eight-piece swing band and collected in one CD. Leading the line-up is, of course, the not to be missed Just Got Lucky by Joe Boxer.

The album is titled Full Circle because this is Raymond returning to the ’80s and also because it marks his return to Viva Productions which produced most of his films and is now releasing this new album. The other songs included are Head Over Heels by the Go-Gos, Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves, Let’s Go by Wang Chung Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, Together in Electric Dreams by Human League, Always Something There to Remind Me by Dionne Warwick, You to Me are Everything by The Real Thing, Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears and Wake Me Up Before You Go Go by Wham.

It is a sense of fun, adult and sophistication that hits the listener with the opening bars of Head Over Heels. As the album continues, comes the realization, I’m amazed, didn’t know that these songs could sound this way. And after that, total enjoyment. This is the ’80s coming to maturity through the music. And as should be expected, Raymond’s vocals, versatile, polished and note-perfect finishes up the package.

Check him out as he performs the songs from Full Circle live with his band at the Atrium of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Ortigas at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26.

Holiday albums

It is that time of year when thoughts are turning to Christmas and the music scene is no different. Proof is how Billboard Magazine has now come up with a listing of the Top Holiday Albums of the moment. Most of the titles are carry-overs from previous years but things will surely get more exciting in the next few weeks with the arrival of the new releases, most notable of them, the much-awaited Christmas CD by upcoming Manila visitor Josh Groban.

But if you are interested in beefing up your Holiday collection, here are the albums to consider: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack; A Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack by The Vince Guaraldi Trio; Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan; The Christmas Collection by Il Divo; A Dipset Christmas by Jim Jones; The Lost Christmas Eve by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens; Winter’s Knight by Nox Arcana; Christmas Eve and Other Stories by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; and A Christmas Celebration by Celtic Woman.