Side A celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a new album named "Side A 25"

Potato on the Go:

Those who know me too well would know that there are only two bands that stayed in my favorite list for a long time, or even up to now rather.  And  I know, if they are reading this, I can already hear them shouting the names of those bands.  Hehe.  They are Eraser Heads and of course Side A. 

Anyway, for this post, let me talk particularly about Side A, as they are celebrating a momentous event this year... their 25th Anniversary!  And for 25 years, I for one would like to thank Side A for enriching OPM with songs such as Forevermore, Tuloy Pa Rin, Tell Me, Set You Free, By Your Side and Let the Pain Remain and many more.  Personally, these songs are among my youth's soundtrack and they truly are special to me.  My close friends are surely nodding their heads right now and I would probably here the lines "You bet!"  and "Absolutely!".  I think what made them a hit and stay on top for a long time is Side A was able to capture the heart... the musical taste of Filipinos; they were able to hit our soft spot... our sentimental and poetic side.  That's why now, after they braved the storms and persevered through whatever trends, Side A has been synonymous with an unmatched classic-after-classic repertoire of songs and unequaled live performances here and abroad, for 25 years... and counting!

The band – composed of founding member Naldy Gonzales, veteran guitarist/vocalist Joey Generoso and veteran drummer Ernie Severino, former Take One guitarist Leevon Cailao and former Freeverse bassist Ned Esguerra –aren’t resting on their collective laurels. Their music lives on and just like wine, it gets finer with every new musical outing. Timed to their celebration of the band’s Silver Anniversary, Warner Music releases a special collection entitled “SIDE A 25”, a double-disc offering that includes twenty-five years of the greatest and bestmusic that the band has created.

Featuring vintage material from the band’s beginnings – “Eva Marie,” the Tagalog ditty “’Di Pa Huli,” the band’s breakthrough heartbreak anthem “Hold On” and the infectious remake of Labuyo’s “Tuloy Pa Rin,” this collection also puts together fan favorites through the years, including sentimental tracks like “Until Then,” “So Many Questions,” “Forevermore,” “Will I Ever,” “Set You Free,” “By Your Side,” “If Only” and “Let The Pain Remain,” among numerous others, and goes the extra mile with live renditions from their legendary 10th Anniversary Concert disc “I Believe In Dreams,” “Foolish Heart” and their revivals “Ang Aking Awitin” and “Tell Me.” And no new release is complete without a new track, in which the band happily obliges with “Before I Let You Go,” a previously unreleased original that, judging by the title alone, will have fans swooning to its bittersweet lyricism and melody.

This outing is special for Side A for two reasons. “First, it marks our 25th year in the business. And second, it is a gesture of thanks to our fans who have been supporting us through the years. We won’t be who we are and achieved what we had in the business if not for the fans.” says Joey Generoso. Being the group’s silver anniversary, Side A treats its loyal fans to special live performances of their timeless hits in the country’s biggest shopping malls: September 18 at the Ayala Center in Cebu and September 30 at Abreeza Mall in Davao.