buhay pAPO sila

Ely Buendia,
former lead singer of the Eraserheads,
once wondered aloud,
as to why a tribute CD for the E'heads
(the excellent UltraElectroMagneticJam)
had already been recorded and released,
"we're not dead yet."

thankfully,
no such sarcasm was heard from the APO
during the Live Concert that launched
"Kami nAPO Muna",
a lovingly crafted tribute album by this year's hottest acts.
it's likely going to be 2006's #1 selling (not pirated!) CD.

funny, it sounds like 1986 all over again.


i hear the APO's songs all over the radio,
kids on the street are singing "batang-bata ka pa",
and MP3s of the remakes are on iPods everywhere.

the really wonderful thing?
the new versions are uniformly excellent.
they've gained more resonance over time,
and in some instances,
have somehow evolved into totally different songs.

"Doo Bidoo", in particular~~
a sly song that simultaneously dissed the Bee Gees
and honored Sinatra's "strangers in the night"
while profiling the Pinoy's penchant for impromptu singing,
is transformed by Kamikazee into an anthem
celebrating the "joint" joys of Jutz and Rock!
GENIUS!

It certainly was cool to see the classic and the new
merge into one glorious whole during the concert's conclusion.
As the lead singer of Kamikazee stood on his head (!)
while screaming out Doo Bidoo,
Danny, Jim, and Buboy sauntered out and crooned the chorus.

Somehow, it worked.
And the audience went NUTS!!!

And that's why the Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society
still matters.

Like that of the Beatles,
APO's music is rediscovered and again loved
by each new generation of Pinoy music fans.

DaBest pAPO sila!!!