Ultraelectromagneticjam

Well, for all those who don’t know what the subject is all about, it is a collection of orig Eheads songs as revived by various Filipino artists. I chanced upon my officemate having an MP3 CD which contains all of Eheads songs plus of course the recharged one. I instantly bought a blank CD at NBS and immediately have it copied (what is intellectual property?). And only now that I chanced upon to hear its stuff. Here is a rundown of my comments.

1. Para sa Masa (various artists)– the original song is as heartrending as the emotions of Eli (vocals). Very rich in contents and very well crafted. If you’re the masa type, then you would easily relate to this song. The only thing I find irksome is the rap segment of Francis M.

2. Pare Ko (Sponge Cola) – a sentimental favorite for those who have been dumped by a loved one and of course, a certified signature song of Eheads. Who wouldn’t recall this song -- once my favorite way back in college, not because of its lyrics, but more or less, its craftsmanship. A good song for gimiks and inuman with its easy to follow chords. Sounds like orig din except the words "tangina" and "nabuburat" were highlighted. Better instrumental.

3. Magasin (Paolo Santos) – Ikaw ba yan? At first, I thought it was Rey Valera until the second stanza which sounded more of Eli on karaoke. Gave the original much justice. But better be heard than seen. =)

4. Overdrive (Barbie Almalbis) – Without a doubt, sounds like Barbie Almalbis and her cradle. If not only for her charm, the song would have been empty. Parang hirap na hirap mag-tagalog. Really. Imagine the Eheads writing a nonsense lyrics but still able to inflict damage to its listener.

5. Ang Huling El Bimbo (Rico J. Puno) – This I can recall vividly as this was our "batchsong" when we entered an academic organization in UPLB. I was even teased why we chose this song to be our batch song. Well, the song has a easy to follow guitar chords, I could easily understand and perform in a small audience. The problem though was, how can I relate the lyrics of this song, to our batch. Well, that was more than 9 years ago when I was still dumbfounded by the rigors of an org. I also recall the MTV of this song, a child in his childhood, dancing El Bimbo with his supposed partner until they broke up. Anyway, the song is a classic for Eheads. Good job for Rico J! Very innocent and pure. Haha!

6. With a Smile (Southborder) – They gave the song a new flavor and twist, and suits best in taste of the market right now. R&B twist. A good driving music. Kaya if you have a chick with you, for sure, mapapakanta yan.

7. Ligaya (Kitchie Nadal) – She somehow laughed at the lines "ilang ahit pa ba ang aahitin…" Mukhang may naalaa o nagpa cute lang. Ang panget ng rendition nya. Parang napatagay lang sa kanto, sabay kanta. At least, may face value.

8. Alapaap (6 Cycle Mind) - this is a wonderful song tainted by a then comedian-senator. He made so much gaga over a song, nagpaka Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ng Beatles itong senator na ito, a song that advocated drug use daw. duh? Listen to the lyrics. It’s a liberating song. Mas kapatid ng Redemption Song ni Bob Marley than Beatle's LSD.

9. Torpedo (Isha) - sino si Isha?? Somehow it's a good attempt at providing a different, more bouncy arrangement to a very noisy song. Mas kalmado ang version na 'to. The effect is different pala when a girl sings this song.

10. Huwag mo ng Itanong (MYMP) - never paid much attention to the hype this group has received. but listen to this song as rendered by their female lead, grabe! a haunting voice she has. a very nice driving music, during a traffic-less dark night, running at a steady 50-70kph. ang ganda! plus i like this song for containing a "wala-lang" line but when you think about it, oo nga. tama! -- "field trip sa may pagawaan ng lapis, ay katulad ng buhay natin. 'sang mahabang pilang mabagal at walang katuturan."

11. Huwag kang Matakot (Orange & Lemons) - a wonderful cover by a band made famous by having (and shamelessly) copied the arrangement of a Brit band for the PBB theme. Gusto ko lang sila because you can easily mistake their sound na parang si Morissey of the Smiths. plus they were successful in making the song "their own" by infusing much of their Beatles-inspired beat, with a slight nod to Julie Tearjerky towards the end of the song caps the experience. Pinag-isipan ang areglo.

12. Super Proxy (Francis M) – Maganda ang areglo. Swabe. Sounds like U2 and Metallica on their prime.

13. Tikman (Sugar Free) - a better rendition by the Panday theme song singers (ang bagong jukebox tune ng bayan. yikes!) of a lesser-known EHeads song.

14. Alkohol (Radioactive Sago Project) - not too familiar with the original. But Radioactive gave the song a 180degrees twist! Ibang-iba! It becomes a truly Radioactive Sago song. For those who do not know Radioactive, try em out. Magaling sila. Kakaiba!

15. Maling Akala (Brownman Revival) - A well revived song. Sounds like the original. The twist is its reggae feel. A decent revival by the revivals.

16. Hard to Believe (Cueshe) - ho-hum... gisingin niyo na lang ako. Zzzzzz….

17. Spoliarium (Imago) - an alien song to me. Really. But having listened to the orig and the cover gave me a renewed appreciation of the song. Very nice rendition by Imago, especially with the Aimee Mann-sounding voice of the lead.

Well, that’s all! Seventeen Eheads songs revived in a wonderful album. Sana lang e wala ng clamor like people power for an Eheads reunification. I-reminisce na lang natin ang mga magagandang memories.

Sana this would be a prelude to something more! I’d like to hear Toyang, Kaliwete, Fruitcake at ang Tamagochi Baby. Ang saya! =)