4 more record stores in Manila to satisfy your music and vinyl habit

4 more record stores in Manila to satisfy your music and vinyl habit

by rick olivares

Now that Record Store Day Pilipinas has passed, where can music fans get their vinyl fix? Well, Kagatan 27 is around the corner (May 6 at 1pm at Cubao X). However, if you can’t wait, here are four places I recommend you should check out.

Disc Replay Station.

One of the best curated re-sellers in town. Located on the third floor of 142 Linear Building, Katipunan Avenue, St. Ignatius Village, Disc Replay Station is an all-in store that sells vinyl, compact discs, cassettes, audio gear such as turntables, speakers, amplifiers, Blu-ray discs, and more.

Why you should check this out? Well, it’s one of the better curated stores in town (aside from Treskul Records; DJ Arbie knows his stuff). Nice mix of re-issues as proprietor Henry Chongco -- who hails from Chicago -- knows his stuff and is easy to talk to. Has a nice sampling of Beatles, Elvis, Sergio Mendes, Santana, the Doors, and jazz music among others. At one time, he had four copies of the Woodstock album all in great condition. I always have a blast digging here.

There are several thousand records available and despite the small space, you never feel claustrophobic.

The Legaspi Street Market Fair

Al Rivera and Charlie Laureta have a booth in the Sunday market. You’ll find a nice selection of records. They have signed records and locally pressed records from the 1970s and 1980s. For those who grew up during those years, those are prized finds. You might argue that the sound quality is poor. Not exactly. And that’s an article for another day. They have OPM with the occasional superfind.

I go around a lot to browse and dig but these guys have good stuff. Be sure you get there early.

Backspacer Records

Check out the page on Facebook. Backspacer is a one-man operation (read: Robert Tuazon) and he sells re-issues or new releases. So what’s the difference? He sells them cheaper than most sellers. And if you are looking for a certain record, he can help you with it. Plus, he’s a cool and easy guy to deal with.

Mutilated Noise

Speaking of one-man operations, Mutilated Noise Records (aka Noel Francia) is more than a seller. It’s a proper label with regular underground releases (vinyl, compact disc or cassette). While this label is known as a punk, hardcore, and metal distro, the dude running it sells a lot of cool stuff you will not find anywhere. First off are the original and first pressing punk and hardcore records. And he sells them cheap too. And he also has new releases (selling cheap too), and old New Wave and metal records. He also has a lot of compact discs that range from metal to punk to new wave to reggae. And Mutilated Noise is the only shop in the Philippines selling that long-running underground magazine, Maximum Rock and Roll.

The Best of Punk and New Wave Rock -- the Hong Kong and Philippine press

In the summer of 1980, this compilation album was released in Hong Kong and the Philippines. It was a bunch of punk and little known new wave bands from the United Kingdom. Maybe except for the Sex Pistols whose reputation preceded them. 

Prior to its release in the Philippines, this was heavily advertised on DZRJ. A lot of fans, myself included, looked forward to this and I saved my allowance and did my classmates' homework so I had some extra money because this record cost P24 which was huge back then considering a seven-inch 45rpm single was five bucks. 

I can actually say that The Best of Punk and New Wave Rock changed my life. It was my first ever punk rock album and it made me fall in love with the music style (well, the Ramones were the first for me but this was my first punk record). In fact, this was the first ever punk rock album released and pressed in the Philippines. It was also the first with the Virgin label. 

I still have my original Philippine pressing and was able to acquire the Hong Kong press that is in near mint condition. 

The album on the left is the Hing Kong press while the one on the right is my original Philippine pressing. Aside from the darker hue on the cover for the HK press, I marked in red the subtle differences. 

Identity Crisis' Tale of Two

The LP as released in 1988 and the special edition cd that was sold during their 2011 reunion show at the NBC Tent. The special edition cd contains the songs from Tale of Two and Water Come Running.

Here is a link of the article I wrote about Identity Crisis for ABS-CBN in 2017.

My Record Store Day Pilipinas haul

Record Store Day Pilipinas and my haul

by rick olivares

Record Store Day Pilipinas is something I looked forward to. More than the Hi-Fi Show. More than the pocket sales such as Kagatan. I like that it’s a real big event surrounding vinyl and bands. Unlike RSD in North America and Europe where new and limited edition releases are the story of the day, here, at least for now, it’s about coming together for one massive record sale.

Last year, it was held at Buddha Bar last year and this time, it was at the UP Town Center; a much better choice and that it was located at the activity center, it attracted more people. Not just the music fans but also casual buyers.

And this conversation sums up that:

Curious person: What’s going on here?

Me: It’s Record Store Day Pilipinas.

Curious person: What are they selling?

Me: Records.

Curious person: Oh, really? You mean there is an audience and market again for vinyl?

And here’s another interesting anecdote from Backspacer Records’ owner Rob Tuazon: This guy bought a Pearl Jam record from me because he saw that I had a picture with Eddie Vedder!

Maybe next year, there should be several venues. You want the love for music and vinyl records to spread. Besides, you want to make a lot of noise. Musical noise.

As always, you want to go early so you can dig ahead of the others. If you go late, chances are the really good stuff will be gone.

I like the spaciousness of the area. The heat though was stifling.

There was a stall that sold records from Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands for as low as P200 and as high as P800. If you aren’t particular about where the records are pressed then this wasn’t so bad.

There was the Seona Dancing song “More to Lose” available but at a whopping Php14,000! No way.

Instead… here’s what I got.

Rattle and Hum – U2

The Joshua Tree was the last U2 vinyl record I ever bought. After that, I switched to buying compact discs; U2 titles included. It has been a personal policy of mine that anything that came during the CD era, I will not get on vinyl.

However, you know there’s always a caveat there. Unless the record is darn good and has been re-mastered for vinyl. So I always liked Rattle and Hum. In fact, I wasn’t into The Joshua Tree too much until after I heard Rattle and Hum.

Luckily, this original pressing was available and in great condition. Bagged it.

Every Step of the Way – David Benoit

A sealed copy of this classic album. First press too. I’m kind of finicky when it comes to first presses.

Every Step of the Way was one of the more popular jazz albums of the 1980s. I first bought a cassette of this when it came out. Aside from the buoyant title track, there was “Shibuya Station” that when I first heard off the soundtrack of the Michael Jordan Come Fly with Me Video (it was the last song). My first time in Shibuya, I thought of that David Benoit song and Come Fly with Me. And there’s “The Key to You” featuring Ambrosia’s David Pack on lead vocals. I liked Ambrosia for its slow rock hits “You’re the Only Woman”, “Biggest Part of Me”, and “How Much I Feel”.

It’s a solid album through and through.

Imagine – John Lennon

The first US pressing of this album complete with its original inner sleeve. An introspective and anti-war concept album. Imagine is Lennon’s second solo album and it also contains the song “How Do You Sleep?” which is a response to Paul McCartney’s own songs about their fallout that came out in his own – coincidentally second solo outing -- Ram.

But this was a different record from the Plastic Ono Band which I also liked. Not bad. And I got it cheap too.

The Best of the Waterboys ’81-’90.

During the early 80s, bands like U2, Big Country, and the Alarm came up performing with a passion and earnestness that was called “Big Music” for their anthemic sound. Some called it “Power Pop” which I personally thought was stupid and missed the point. There was Mike Peters and the Waterboys that alternated with a neo-folk sound with the power pop/big music sound.

I remember hearing that song “I Will Not Follow” that was their response to U2’s “I Will Follow” and that got me interested. So I picked up the Waterboys’ debut in 1983. I bought that in Hong Kong as it wasn’t available here.

I regret giving away my original records when I picked up the cds. So now I have this...

Lazaretto Ultra LP – Jack White

The Blues Man is also a Renaissance Man. His approach and passion for vinyl has also sparked interest in the medium. With this, he’s created the ultimate collector’s record Lazaretto that features hidden songs, secret grooves, and holograms. And that doesn’t take away from the music that finds White at his weirdest and most energetic.

The Johnny Mercer Songbook – Ella Fitzgerald.

I absolutely love Ella Fitzgerald. I think the Gershwin Songbook is better but as a fan, still not bad. No one sings quite like the First Lady of Song.

Tale of Two – Identity Crisis

Finally. After all these years, I got it back. At quite a cost though. But it is rather rare you find one in great condition (I have to concede the handwriting on the sleeve though) so I paid the price for it. It is much satisfying though because last year, there was one that fetched for half the price but in a crappy condition that wasn’t even worth it. Plus, it skipped multiple times.

When Tale of Two first came out in 1988, I first bought this at the old Musikland in Ali Mall. Lost it when I left for abroad and my mother threw out some of my stuff that she perceived as junk and I’d never reclaim.

One of the last recordings of the Filipino new wave bands that came up in the 1980s.

All You Can’t Leave Behind – U2

How lucky can you get? A sealed first press of this album. When it came out in 2000, I got the CD (and I still have it), and it reignited my love for this band’s music. I wasn’t too crazy about the excess and pretentiousness of Zooropa and Pop. After a while they began to wear me down with their save the world shtick and Bono schmoozing with world leaders. I was waiting for their version of a “more-popular-than-Jesus” quote to be done with them. Then they came out with this album. Who says you can’t go back home again? It was revisiting the old stuff but with the benefit of hindsight.

Still happy to have it.

Other items I got: seven-inch singles of Rainbow’s “Since You’ve Been Gone”, the Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Cabale’s “Barcelona” and the compact disc of Offshore Music Vol. 1.