.jpg "The Day After The Sabbath 162 Pinoy Rock (1964 - 1978)")
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Welcome to volume 162. Having touched very little on Asia so far, it's time to visit The Philippines!
We now have four East Asian themed volumes: 36: Japan 1 | 98: Savage Hell (Duo Kribo) | 106: Indonesia 1 | 162: Pinoy Rock 1
Welcome to volume 162. Having touched very little on Asia so far, it's time to visit The Philippines!
We now have four East Asian themed volumes: 36: Japan 1 | 98: Savage Hell (Duo Kribo) | 106: Indonesia 1 | 162: Pinoy Rock 1
This volume's cover art depicts Bernardo Carpio, a Filipine mythical figure with the strength to cause earthquakes. Some say Carpio was a giant, leaving enormous footsteps in the mountains of Montalban.
So, this set brings fifteen acts new to TDATS, plus Juan De La Cruz Band, who appeared way back in v18 (link) but deserve more attention now. We have some super-fuzz surf rock from RJ And The Riots, plenty of bluesy and funky hard rock from Abrakadabra, Judas, Anak Bayan and Maria Cafra, garage rock from D'Swooners, The Grandells and The Downbeats, some girl-fronted glam rock from Sampaguita and a latin groove monster from Dakila. The legacy of Juan De La Cruz Band runs through this comp, with members also appearing solo or in other acts, such as drummer Edmond "Bosyo" Fortuno, who was also in D'Swooners and Anak Bayan.
One of Pinoy rock's significant influences was the U.S. military presence at bases like Subic Bay and Clark Air Base, established post-WWII and active since the Vietnam conflict. Thousands of troops on shore leave wanted live entertainment in Olongapo and Angeles City, where local bands covered American rock for GIs, honing their skills and creating the hybrid sounds that became Pinoy rock.
TRACKS
01. Frictions - Hoy Kumpare (1978)
from album 'Gapô Vol. 2
02. Juan De La Cruz Band - Last Song (1974)
from album Maskara
03. RJ And The Riots - Fuzzed (1964)
from album RJ And The Riots
04. Wally Gonzalez - Kailan Pa Kaya (1978)
from album Wally On The Road
05. Anak Bayan - Pagbalik Ng Kuwago (1978)
single
06. Mike Hanopol - Circuit Rider (1977)
from album Buhay Musikero
07. Blackbuster - Bump The Bump Pt 1 (1975)
from album Blackbuster
08. Judas - Batugan (1978)
from album Judas
09. Dakíla - Searchin' For My Soul (1972)
from album Dakila
10. The Grandells - Freedom (1972)
from album The Grandells On Top (Volume - 3)
11. D'Swooners - Please Please Trina (1968)
from album Portrait Of D'Swooners
12. Maria Cafra - Karanasan (1978)
from album Maria Cafra
13. Abrakadabra - Batugan (1978)
from album Abrakadabra
14. Sampaguita - Easy Pare (1978)
from album Sampaguita
15. The Downbeats - You Gotta Tell Me (1966)
single
16. Joey Smith - Summer Wind (1978)
single
17. Split Ends - Wow Pare Ko (1978)
from album 'Gapô Vol. 1
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| 'Gapô Vol. 2 LP |
album: 'Gapô Vol. 2
Now to introduce the set with some bare harmonised Filipino vocals, leading into hook-laden late '70s melodic rock. This track is from the second 'Gapô compilation (1978), put out by Ace Records, one of the many sub-labels of Vicor Music Corporation, the major label of the country at this time. Ace Records appears to have specialised largely in acts from the city of Olongapo. These two compilations brought together a number of the popular bar acts of the city, some of which were not recorded anywhere else.
I found a facebook page 'Olongapo City Musician's Network' (link) which documents the '60s-'80s live scene, showing pictures of the local bars and the bands playing them, such as Frictions and other rock acts on the 'Gapô comps, including Split Ends and Our Daily Bread. There's a lot of comments on the page from American ex-servicemen, fondly reminiscing on Gapô's thriving music scene, with it's proximity to the Subic Bay Naval Base. An article on Frictions can be seen at abs-cbn.com (link) with drummer Benny Quintana stating that the band started in 1969 and gigged in Hong Kong, and Saigon, where they got work playing for US troops. On return to Olongapo, they became house band at the Sierra Club and later, Genesis Club.
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| Frictions at Genesis club (source) |
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| Juan De La Cruz Band - Maskara LP |
album: Maskara
This is a striking, timeless-sounding track with a style and production that could easily be from a number of modern bands, especially those that feature bass up-front in the mix. The bass player in question here is Mike Hanopol, one of the key figures in Pinoy rock, as were all the members of Juan De La Cruz (JDLC).
The core of JDLC started in the sixties in The Downbeats, along with front man Eddie Reyes. This Manila act also played in Hong Kong and earned a living playing covers and British beat style music in clubs. They supported The Beatles' first shows in Manila in 1966, and after disbanding, members Joey 'Pepe' Smith, Mike Hanopol and Wally Gonzalez started a gigging band 'Zero History' in Japan. At this point Joey Smith was discovered by Japanese guitarist Shinki Chen and recruited to play drums and some guitar on the first album, 'Eve' (1971), of his new act which became known a Speed, Glue & Shinki. ('Speed' being a pseudonym for Joey Smith, 'Glue' being Japanese guitarist/basist Masayoshi Kabe
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| Juan De La Cruz Band |
The long and the short of all this is that soon after, Smith returned to The Philippines where he re-joined with Hanopol and Gonzalez in Juan De La Cruz, a band that was started a little earlier by Gonzalez and Edmond Fortuno (aka 'Edmon'), previously of D'Swooners (although Edmond had already split to start to Anak Bayan before any JDLC records were released.
Phew, this rock family tree of twists eventually straightened-out to the classic JDLC three-piece of Smith, Hanopol and Gonzalez, and that was the lineup that recorded the 'Maskara' album from which I have used 'Last Song'. Maskara is the second album from the classic lineup after 1973's 'Himig Natin' LP, which contained the biggest commercial hit the band ever had, the album's tile track 'Himig Natin'. That song is considered by many as the start of Pinoy rock, and the 'Original Pilipino Music' (OPM) movement, the point where Pinoy rock started to forge its own identity away from the usual trappings of western rock & pop.
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| RJ And The Riots LP 1964 |
album: RJ And The Riots
Here's a nugget of fuzzy surf excellence from RJ & The Riots, a pioneering band formed in 1960 by teenager Ramon "RJ" Jacinto with schoolmates Alan Austria, Jimmy Colayco and Bernie Evangelista. Known for their signature instrumental hit 'Weightless', they were key figures in early Pinoy rock. The band, which released one self-titled LP in 1964 and many singles throughout the sixties, was heavily influenced by Washington's The Ventures, and helped popularize rock guitar music in the Philippines before disbanding in 1971.
RJ Jacinto has since become a radio / TV personality and political figure, having served as Undersecretary for Government Digital Broadcast Television and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. He is also the founder of the the country's first rock radio station, DZRJ.
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| Wally Gonzalez Wally On The Road LP |
album :Wally On The Road
As described in the JDLC section above, Wally co-founded that important and successful band in 1968, the final album from them being 1981's 'Kahit Anong Mangyari'. In the late '70s he recorded two solo albums, 1977's 'Tunog Pinoy' and 1978's 'Wally On The Road', both of which concentrated largely on slower, introspective bluesier numbers like the behemoth I have included here, 'Kailan Pa Kaya' (with some exceptions such as 'Open Fire' (youtube), which could be from Ronnie Montrose). Wally On The Road experimented more with keyboards and studio effects, and gave him his biggest solo hit with 'Wally's Blues'.
In 1986 he retired from music to a job as a shipping treasurer. He resurfaced in 1995 with bar gigs as Wally and Friends, evolving into the Wally Gonzalez Bandwagon by 2002 to mentor young talents. Performances with long-time cohort Joey 'Pepe' Smith led to a 2005 JDLC reunion concert in Manila (youtube) with Mike Hanopol also back on board, followed by further occasional reunion shows visiting other countries such as Singapore, sadly curtailed in 2021 by his death from Covid complications.
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| Anak Bayan c.1978 (source) |
single
This brooding track reminds me somewhat of a heavy rock take on the Peter Gunn theme, something that would perfectly suit a tense movie chase scene. This single was a comeback effort with a different line-up to the original Anak Bayan that recorded their sole album in 1973, which was shelved and released in 1977, after the original band had faded. Anak Bayan's album is more jazz-rock than hard rock, with the blues rocker 'Double Crosser' (youtube) being the track I would have used to represent them here if I hadn't gone with the 1978 single.
So, the single I've used here was made with a new line-up anchored around the founding member, drummer/vocalist Edmond "Bosyo" Fortuno. Most of this new line-up, including Edmond himself, were also the backing band for singer Sampaguita at the time. She is coming up in this comp.
By 1978 Edmond was a Pinoy rock veteran with involvement in other major acts (exemplified above with JDLC), having cut his teeth since the early '60s, primarily with D'Swooners, a Filipino group that had a 1965 hit with 'My Sonata of Love' and spent significant time in Hong Kong and Japan (also coming up later in this comp). It's said that Edmond left the early incarnation of JDLC to start Anak Bayan, partially from an urge to sing in Tagalog, an regional language pre-dating modern Filipino. There's a lot more to say about Edmond, talented in many styles of music including jazz. A good article can be found at aminorchord28.livejournal (link), based on interviews with Edmond, who passed away with meningitis in 2002.
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| Mike Hanopol - Buhay Musikero LP |
album: Buhay Musikero
On to another alumni of JDLC. This plaintive slow-burner from Mike Hanopol compares the life of a grizzled gigging musician to that of the 'Circuit Riders'; horse-back travelling preachers of 18th/19th century America.
Mike made three solo albums in the late seventies, all of similar quality. His self-titled 1980 album turned further away from heavy rock to a more polished pop sound and around the same time Mike collaborated with record producer Vic del Rosario to mastermind a Village People-inspired macho disco act called Hagibis. He was not a stage member of this band but writer and producer, seeing an opportunity to use his talents and experience to remain successful at a time when mainstream interest in '70s style rock was declining.
Mike has performed occasionally in the last 20 years, with his band Hanopology, appearing at venues like Cowboys Lair Bar (this month in 2026), and events such as the 2025 Rolling Stone Philippines Hall of Fame induction for JDLC (where Hanopology performed). In September 2025 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Filipino Music and Cultural Legacy at the Legacy Awards, honoring his enduring impact on Philippine rock.
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| Blackbuster 1975 LP |
album: Blackbuster
Here's a funky little palette cleanser. Blackbuster was a prominent Filipino studio and session band, known for their contributions to the Pinoy funk, disco, and instrumental pop scenes during the Manila Sound era. Formed around 1975, the group featured seasoned Manila musicians including Snaffu Rigor (bass/vocals), Bob Guzman and Spanky Rigor (guitar).
Snaffu was previously in beat group Orly Ilacad & The Ramrods, and still in pop act Cinderella, Guzman was also in The Romrods, and a Bee Gees style band called The Boyfriends, Spanky was in another big disco/funk act called VST & Company. Blackbuster specialized in groove-heavy tracks blending soul, funk, disco, and Latin influences, tracks such as their cover of 'Shack Up' have cult status in breakbeat and hip-hop circles for drum breaks.
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| Judas LP 1978 |
album: Judas
Hailing from Angeles City, Judas only released one LP and I would personally put it in the 2nd tier of Pinoy hard rock albums along with Maria Cafra and Abrakadabra. These bands had a few good hard rock songs on their respective self-titled LPs but those were in a minority along with many ballads and pop songs. They remind me a little of the proliferation of US AOR albums in the late '70s that had technically good playing and production, and two or three excellent almost-metal hard rockers among the pop ballads and up-tempo boogie rock. See more on this subject is my AOR special: volume 91 (link).
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| Judas band |
You also have to consider that some of these bands that had a good live reputation and played for a number of years but didn't put much down on record, may not have been fully represented on that record that was aiming to make sales instead of rocking a club audience. I get the impression that these bands were heavier on-stage, which seems to be attested by the online comments made by Filipinos who saw them live in the day.
Going back to the Olongapo City Musician's Network facebook page, one commentator recalls the day he saw three heavy bands in one night at the Sherry Club. They were Psyclones, (which later became Maria Cafra), Energy Pills, and Drug Cult. Another person comments that Resty Fabunan was the 'Pinoy Hendrix'. Now, I want to hear those bands! Unfortunately neither Energy Pills or Drug Cult put out records...
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| Dakila LP 1972 |
album: Dakíla
A hard-riffing nine minute trip right here...Dakila's album was re-issued by Guerssen a few years ago (link) and here is how they are described: "Dakila (a Filipino word meaning Greatness) emerged from the melting pot of musical fusions that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area of the late 60s. They often could be seen playing at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West, SF Winterland and all the major clubs in the SF Bay Area and festivals.
Singing in Tagalog, Spanish and English, Dakila was the first Filipino-American band signed to a major label [Epic]. Their sole album from 1972 combined their Filipino heritage with Latin Rock, psychedelia / acid-rock and afro-funk. The result was an explosive, hot jamming sound full of congas/percussion, Hammond, dual fuzz guitar, fuzz-bass…"
Dakila have been playing occasionally in the US since reforming, the most recent show advertised on their instagram (link) was last year in 2025.
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| The Grandells On Top (Volume 3) |
album: The Grandells On Top (Volume - 3)
Here's a funky anti-war song from a band that mostly made covers, of a wide range of music styles. It's surprisingly hard to find useful biography for the band considering that they seem to have done well, with many albums and singles on Discogs. I don't know if the song I used here, 'Freedom', is a cover....if you do, let me know!
The identity of the players is documented on various sites but I get the distinct impression that the identity of the band was of secondary importance their label, Grandeur, as they seem to have mainly been a vehicle for pumping out covers, like the many pop cover records released by exploitation labels around the world. Please do let me know if I am wrong there, and I will be glad to update this section in the future.
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| Portrait Of D'Swooners LP 1968 |
album: Portrait Of D'Swooners
A Pinoy group that had success in Japan after a stint in Hong Kong. Apparently they had a hit with Please Please Trina in Japan, and before that, a hit in Hong Kong with pop ballad 'Sonata Of Love'. Like The Grandells, their albums mainly contained covers, but these guys liked to cover stuff like Hendrix, Cream and The Doors, making them a little more relevant to us at TDATS towers!
As mentioned already, Edmond Fortuno's time as drummer and singer in D'Swooners gave him the confidence to start JDLC with Wally Gonzalez on his return to The Philippines, although he didn't stick around long and split to start Anak Bayan before JDLC took off.
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| Maria Cafra LP 1978 |
album: Maria Cafra
Maria Cafra originated in Olongapo City, known for its live music culture, influenced by the U.S. naval base presence there, and blended blues rock, Latin influences, and traditional Filipino styles. The band started out as The Psyclones (or Psyclone band) in the local bar scene in the the mid-1960s and were managed by the station manager of DZRJ AM, with their self-titled 1978 album produced by Snaffu Rigor of Cinderella, and Blackbuster (previously is this comp). The album 3-piece lineup was Jun Fabunan (bass), Rolly Averilla (drums) and Resty Fabunan (guitar, vocals).
.jpg "Resty Fabunan of Maria Cafra") |
| Resty Fabunan of Maria Cafra |
As front man and main writer, Resty is regarded as one of the best guitarists of '70s Pinoy rock, known for stage antics like burning his guitar. Maria Cafra have made a few more records and performed live occasionally since the '70s, including this year (2026) on the Vibe PH show (link).
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| Abrakadabra LP 1978 |
album: Abrakadabra
Although their album was released in 1978 (with a cover depicting some of the band in Kiss style face paint), it seems that this band became a lot more famous in the '80s after winning GMA-7 TV's "Student Canteen Rock Explo" battle of the bands, December 5th 1981, performing a pastiche of Bohemian Rhapsody, Razamanaz, and their own song 'Bote Diyaryo' (youtube) which became a hit.
The Judges were the Australian 'Little River Band', who were playing there on tour. There's a set of pictures of the event on facebook (link) showing various members of Frictions (from track 1 here) also playing at the event.
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| Sampaguita LP 1978 |
album: Sampaguita
I had a hard time choosing between this stomping glam banger and the equally cool, almost Hawkwind-like 'Kinabukasan' (link), both from this good album. Sampaguita (the national flower, jasmine) is the stage name for Tessy Alfonso, who started out as a fashion model, and dancer on TV pop shows. Music producer Nilo Santos (who also worked with Mike Hanopol) developed her career, no doubt noticing that there was a lack of women in Pinoy rock 'n roll, something which I have also noticed while making this comp. There were many talented female folk & pop artists, but Sampaguita is (so far) the only Filipino woman of the 60s-70s period that I could find to include in TDATS.
.jpg "Sampaguita (Tessy Alfonso)") |
| Sampaguita (Tessy Alfonso) |
Sampaguita's debut performance was at the 1977 "New Moon Concert: Beginning of a new rock age" put on by Nilo Santos's Nilsan Productions, where Mike Hanopol, Maria Cafra and Anak Bayan also played, it must have been quite a show! (photos link). More albums and success followed in to the '90s, and Tessy still performs occasionally to this day.
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| Joey Smith - Summer Wind 45 |
single
This is a cool slow-burner, not too dissimilar to Mike Hanopol's 'Circuit Rider' included earlier, it certainly has that high planes wondering vibe. During a hiatus of JDLC, Smith formed his own short-lived band, The Airwaves, c.1976. The other members were Jun Lopito (guitar), Gary Perez (guitar), Gil Cruz (bass) and Edmond Fortuno (drums). Unfortunately there are no recordings of that combo. Smith released this double A side single in 1978 and I cannot find much info on it...I wonder if it was a product of The Airwaves and maybe some of those names above played on it, or old friends from JDLC, or it could well have been just Joey himself playing all the parts as he was a multi-instrumentalist by this point.
.jpg "Split Ends in 1980 Genesis Club") |
| Split Ends 1980 at Genesis Club (source) |
album: 'Gapô Vol. 1
For our closer we go back to the 'Gapô comps that provided the opening track from Frictions. Split Ends were, of course, another popular Olongapo City bar band. As far as I can ascertain they were never on record apart from the 'Gapô Vol. 1 comp. There is a brief account of the band, written by bass player Andrew Galang on facebook (link) where he says that the band was started Okinawa and moved to Olongapo in 1975. I assume he means Okinawa in Japan, which apparently had close historical ties to The Philippines. Galang was also in a lineup of Frictions, or 'Friction Band' as it was otherwise known. This track starts with a great jazzy riff, that does return in the song but I wish it did so more often! Oh well, it's still a cool little song to end v162 of TDATS.
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If you liked this please explore this site further, with 160+ similarly researched collections, articles and interviews. My social links are below, I also have a youtube channel (link).
Thanks for reading, until next time, rock on!
Rich
Thanks for reading, until next time, rock on!
Rich
Further listening:
The Day After The Sabbath 106: Tanah Dosa [Indonesia]
The Day After The Sabbath 36: Rising Sun [Japan pt.1]
The Day After The Sabbath 98: Savage Hell (Duo Kribo special)
The Day After The Sabbath 36: Rising Sun [Japan pt.1]
The Day After The Sabbath 98: Savage Hell (Duo Kribo special)
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