Despite the cool label, neither of these songs impress me. “Paiyakan” starts out like “Whittier Blvd” by Thee Midniters, but takes a turn into calypso territory fifteen seconds in. “Sunglasses” is light pop but works in that way.

I’m sure there’s great 60’s rock from the Philippines out there, but I haven’t heard much of it. There must be more than this, as Filipino bands were hired all over Asia as cover bands in night clubs. Can anyone contribute some?

R.J. and the Riots (Ramon Jacinto & the Riots) had many good cover versions and pop songs, but “Fuzzed” is a classic instrumental, sounding just like its title. Hear their odd take on “Shotgun” called “Teenstone” (?!) at Radiodiffusion Internasionaal, which also has some info on Ramon Jacinto.

Bobby Gonzales was better known for ballads, and he seems to have been a huge pop star going back to the ’50s, with some movie roles as well. The songwriter Levi Celerio is also famous in the pop and movie scene.