Rak en Rol: The Influence of Psychedelic Culture in Philippine Music

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the development of a psychedelic music scene in the Philippines during the 1970s and onwards. Pioneering acts such as the Juan de la Cruz Band, Asin, and Sampaguita emulated the styles and themes of the psychedelic rock genre in Britain and the United States to produce songs that covertly referenced countercultural activities, particularly drug-taking and its effects, with the intention of cultural reorientation and a detachment from the country’s political turmoil. Due to its concealed status, this local psychedelic movement was unable to thrive, though it continued to influence music artists during the 1990s and onwards.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The Juan de la Cruz Band was originally formed in 1968, comprising Alex Cruz (saxophone/flute), Wally Gonzalez (guitar/vocals), Bing Labrador (keyboards), Chris Messer (drums), and Sandy Tagarro (bass guitar/vocals). They recorded their first album, titled Up in Arms (Vicor/Sunshine Records), in 1971, with new members Edmund Fortuno (drums), Romy (Santos) (saxophone/flute/clarinet), and Rene Sogueco (keyboards/vocals). As the album failed to succeed commercially, the band gradually dissolved. In 1973, Gonzalez relaunched the Juan de la Cruz Band as a trio, together with Mike Hanopol (bass/vocals) and Pepe Smith (drums/vocals) (both of whom had spent the previous several years in Japan, playing with noted guitarist Shinki Chen in the psychedelic power trio Speed, Glue, and Shinki). That same year, they released the album Himig Natin (Our Hymn), once again with Vicor/Sunshine Records. It featured nine tracks, including “Rak en Rol sa Ulan” (Rock and Roll in the Rain), which catapulted them to fame (see Caruncho). The group went on to release seven more albums between 1974 and 1985.

2. Another song from the Juan de la Cruz Band’s album Himig Natin features references to drug use: the raucous track “Project” talks about friends coming together to “iskor” (score). In the song’s refrain, the effects of drug intake are described: “Para kang nasa airport/Hindi na bumababa/At ‘di na rin inaantok/Kanina pa naghihintay/Kung kailan darating ang usok” (It’s like you’re in an airport/Not going down/And no longer drowsy/Been waiting for a while/When the smoke will arrive).

3. Multiple versions of the same performance are posted on YouTube. The two earliest and most-viewed uploads are titled “Juan de la Cruz – ‘Rak En Rol Sa Ulan’ – Live 1998” posted by user Batsicurs (http://youtu.be/duk08uT1js0) and “Juan de la Cruz Band ‘Rak En Rol Sa Ulan’ Live 1998 WTC Manila” posted by Metalloid62 (http://youtu.be/KJyge0ohdf4).

4. In 1977, Lolita Carbon, Cesar Bañares Jr., and Mike Pillora Jr. came together to form a trio named Salt of the Earth, after the song from the 1968 album Beggars Banquet by the English band the Rolling Stones. The name was also a reference to the biblical metaphor depicting the humble masses. A year later, the group translated their name into Filipino as Asin ng Lupa. In time for the release of their debut album, they decided to call themselves simply Asin.

5. Tessy Alfonso, or Sampaguita, produced four albums from 1978 to 1992 with Alpha Records and Vicor Music, the recording company that also produced multiple albums by the Juan de la Cruz Band and Asin. Despite releasing only four albums and a number of singles – about 30 songs total – during her career, she is often referred to in the popular press as the “Queen of Filipino Rock.” Since her retirement, she has made rare appearances in public, although in 2010 she performed at a concert in Manila dedicated to Filipino music acts from the 1970s, which included the Juan de la Cruz Band.

6. Over the years, fans have made links between the psychedelic rock genre and its pioneering acts in the Philippines (the Juan de la Cruz Band, Asin, and Sampaguita) on online music catalogs or social media pages. One user wrote on the RateYourMusic.com website (an online collaborative database of musical releases) about the 1983 compilation album Best of Pinoy Rock: “The music contained in this collection is largely recognizable as American style heavy psych. It’s good, and it’s not 100% identical to the music coming from the US at the time” (Stereobread).

7. The name “Eraserheads” was taken from the 1977 surrealist horror film Eraserhead by American director David Lynch. Aside from the Beatles, the Juan de la Cruz Band, and Asin, the Eraserheads also acknowledged the American rock band the Lemonheads, the English group the Pale Fountains, and English singer-songwriter Morrissey as major influences. The group disbanded in 2002, but appeared in a handful of reunion shows from 2008 to 2014.

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James Gabrillo

James Gabrillo is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, researching popular music and media in the Philippines and America. His work has been published in the Journal of Popular Music Studies and Musical Quarterly.