Rivermaya (album)

Last updated

Rivermaya
Rivermaya.rivermaya.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1994 [upper-alpha 1]
Recorded1994
StudioAudio Captain Inc.
Perfect Music Studio
Genre
Length42:31
Label Musiko Records
&
BMG Records (Pilipinas), Inc.
Producer
Rivermaya chronology
Rivermaya
(1994)
Trip
(1996)
Singles from Rivermaya
  1. "Ulan"/"Awit ng Kabataan"
    Released: 1995
  2. "214"
    Released: 1995
  3. "Bring Me Down"
    Released: 1995

Rivermaya (stylized as RiverMaya) is the self-titled debut studio album by Filipino rock band Rivermaya, released on November 1994, by Musiko Records & BMG Records (Pilipinas), Inc.

Contents

The album received positive reviews from critics, who praised the songwriting of keyboardist Rico Blanco. The album sold well upon release, due to its hit singles like "214", "Ulan", and "Awit ng Kabataan". Rivermaya has been certified triple platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). With 120,000 copies sold, the record is one of the best-selling albums in the Philippines.

Background

Xaga formed in 1994, and were managed by Lizza Nakpil and Chito Roño. The band's original lineup consisted of Jesse Gonzales on vocals, Kenneth Ilagan on guitars, Nathan Azarcon on bass guitar, Rome Velayo on drums, and Rico Blanco on keyboards. In the process of grueling practice sessions, Gonzales and Velayo were respectively replaced by Bamboo Mañalac and Mark Escueta, both of whom were invited by Azarcon to join. Ilagan had also left the band for personal reasons concerning his studies; Perfecto de Castro was added to fill in his role. Shortly thereafter, Xaga disbanded to form a new group that came to be Rivermaya.

Release and promotion

Rivermaya was released on November 1994 on cassette and CD format. A few months after the album was released, the band released the album's first single, "Ulan / Awit ng Kabataan". The two were separate songs (tracks 5 and 10 on Rivermaya), but were released together as a double A-side single. It was then followed by "214", the second single. It received heavy radio airplay and achieved massive popularity, and remains as one of the band's most memorable hits. The last single from the album was "Bring Me Down". [2]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

The album received generally positive reviews from critics. David Gonzales of AllMusic gave Rivermaya four stars out of five, calling it a "self-assured debut effort". He praised the tracks "Revolution" and "214", and noted that it encompasses the band's sound. He also commented on "20 Million", remarking the track is an "elaborately produced vehicle", containing piano and a wonderful string section. Gonzales enjoyed the album's melodic nature as well as Rico Blanco's songwriting, saying: "The plaudits must go to keyboardist Rico Blanco, who wrote six of the album's ten songs, and participated in the writing of the other four songs." [3]

Commercial performance

Rivermaya received gold certification status a few months after being released. Eventually, sales grew and the album was certified triple platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI), denoting sales of over 120,000 copies. [4]

Aftermath

The album's success catapulted Rivermaya into one of the Philippines' premier rock bands of the 1990s, along with the Eraserheads. The band frequently held live performances, appeared in television programs, and embarked on extensive tours around the country. Despite the popularity that established the band's status, it also bought conflict and disagreements to the members and managers.

In 1995, Perfecto de Castro left the group, citing creative differences with managers Lizza Nakpil and Chito Roño as the reason for his departure. [5] He went on to form a power trio called TriAxis. Even with de Castro's exit, Rivermaya decided to forge on, and began working on their second studio album.

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
Esquire MagazinePhilippines10 Essential OPM Albums of the 1990s [6] 2019*

* denotes an unordered list

Track listing

All tracks are written by Rico Blanco, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Revolution"Blanco, Nathan Azarcon 3:36
2."Bring Me Down" 4:32
3."Ground"Blanco, Perfecto de Castro 5:06
4."20 Million" 3:54
5."Ulan"Blanco, Azarcon4:29
6."Halik sa Araw" 3:57
7."Gravity"de Castro4:10
8."214" 4:33
9."Hate" 3:24
10."Awit ng Kabataan" 4:50

Personnel

Track numbers noted in parentheses below are based on track numbering.

Notes

  1. Though the exact date is unknown, the album was reportedly launched around November 1994. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivermaya</span> Filipino rock band

Rivermaya is a Filipino alternative rock band. Formed in 1994, it is one of the several bands that spearheaded the 1990s Philippine alternative rock explosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamboo (Filipino band)</span> Filipino alternative rock band

Bamboo was a Filipino alternative rock band formed in 2003 by Nathan Azarcon and Bamboo Mañalac. The band was composed of lead vocalist Mañalac, bassist Azarcon, lead and rhythm guitarist Ira Cruz, and drummer Vic Mercado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamboo Mañalac</span> Filipino musician and singer

Francisco Gaudencio Lope Belardo Mañalac, popularly known as Bamboo Mañalac or simply by the mononym Bamboo, is a Filipino musician and singer-songwriter. He began his career as vocalist and original frontman of Rivermaya and later fronted his own band, Bamboo. Bamboo band disbanded in 2011 and Mañalac then pursued a solo career and released his first solo album, No Water, No Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rico Blanco</span> Filipino musician

Rico Rene Granados Blanco is a Filipino singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, endorser and entrepreneur. He began his career as one of the founding members, and served as the chief songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya from 1994 until 2007, and has been a solo artist since 2008.

<i>Youll Be Safe Here</i> 2005 EP by Rivermaya

You'll Be Safe Here is an EP by OPM rock band Rivermaya that features the eponymous song first used as the theme song of the 2004 ABS-CBN TV horror-drama series Spirits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ira Cruz</span> Musical artist

Ira Cara Cruz is a Filipino musician, songwriter and producer. He was a founding member of Filipino rock bands Hijo, Bamboo, Introvoys, Passage and Kapatid.

<i>Between the Stars and Waves</i> Album by Rivermaya

Between the Stars and Waves is the 7th studio album of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. It has been released on 2003 under Viva Records. It has 15 tracks. A Special Edition of the album were released in December 2004 including bonus tracks "Liwanag sa Dilim" and the acoustic version of the song.

<i>Tuloy ang Ligaya</i> 2001 studio album by Rivermaya

Tuloy ang Ligaya is the sixth studio album by Filipino rock band Rivermaya. It was released in October 15, 2001 under Viva Records. The album features newly recruited guitarists Mike Elgar and Kakoy Legaspi, as well as bassist Japs Sergio; the three were recruited after founding bassist Nathan Azarcon left the group.

<i>Bagong Liwanag</i> 2007 EP by Rivermaya

Bagong Liwanag is an EP and the 11th overall album of the Filipino pop rock band, Rivermaya. It has 5 main tracks, 5 instrumental tracks and 2 audio messages which also included demos of songs from their upcoming album. It was released under Warner Music Philippines and released on August 15, 2007.

Chito Sarmiento Roño, also known as Sixto Kayko and Chito S. Roño, is a Filipino writer, producer, and director. He is known for his expansive vision and special-effects-heavy films. He came to prominence in the Philippine film industry as a director with films like Private Show (1986), and Itanong Mo Sa Buwan with the latter earning accolades from the Gawad Urian Awards. He also won the Metro Manila Film Festival Award for Best Director for the films Nasaan ang Puso, and Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure (2001). In the 1990s, he was instrumental in the formation of the Pinoy rock band Rivermaya as well as the dance group Streetboys. He also directed the family drama Signal Rock (2018) which was the Philippines' entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 91st Academy Awards.

<i>Trip</i> (Rivermaya album) 1996 studio album by Rivermaya

Trip is the second studio album by Filipino rock band Rivermaya. It has 13 tracks and was released under BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc. in 1996. It is the first album to introduce Rico Blanco as the band's full-time guitarist. after the departure of Perf de Castro the year previous. Since the album release, the album went gold overnight and reached platinum status in six days and the carrier single "Kisapmata" becomes the most requested tune in Top Rating FM Stations. On June 30, 1996, the band launched their first Music Video on their next single "Himala" at the TV show ASAP.

<i>Atomic Bomb</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Rivermaya

Atomic Bomb is the third studio album by Filipino rock band Rivermaya. It has 16 tracks and was released by BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc. on 31 January 1997.

<i>Its Not Easy Being Green</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Rivermaya

It's Not Easy Being Green is the fourth studio album by Filipino rock band Rivermaya, released on January 14, 1999.

<i>Free</i> (Rivermaya album) 2000 studio album by Rivermaya

Free is the fifth studio album from the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. It has 10 tracks and was released on August 30, 2000 by the band independently, literally given away for free which was a first for any Filipino artist previously signed to a major label. Free was named Album of the Year at the NU Rock Awards 2000. This was the last album to feature Nathan Azarcon who left the band in 2001; he eventually returned in 2016.

<i>Buhay</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Rivermaya

Buhay is the ninth studio album of the Filipino rock band, Rivermaya. It contains 16 tracks and was released under Warner Music Philippines on January 21, 2008. This album is the first of Rivermaya without Rico Blanco as the band's vocalist. He is replaced by then 18-year-old Jayson Fernandez, who won the search for a new vocalist in a series of reality TV auditions. The band members took turns on vocals with the arrangement that whoever wrote the song, will be the one to sing it. The band has released four singles from this album, "Sugal ng Kapalaran", "Maskara", "Sleep" and "Ligawan Stage ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Azarcon</span> Filipino musician

Nathan Peter Hachero Azarcon is a Filipino musician, nationalist, songwriter, and producer. He is currently the bassist, vocalist and one of the founding members of Filipino rock band Rivermaya. He was also a member of the rock bands Pinikpikan, Kapatid and a founding member of Bamboo and Hijo.

"Ulan" is the debut single by Filipino rock band Rivermaya, released in 1995 from their self-titled debut album (1994). The song was produced by Chito S. Roño and Lizza G. Nakpil.

"Kisapmata" (Blink) is a song written by Rico Blanco for the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. It was released as the lead single from their second album, Trip, in December 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Escueta</span> Filipino musician

Mark Edward Penabella Escueta is a Filipino musician and one of the founding members of the Filipino rock band Rivermaya. Escueta has been the only constant member of Rivermaya since its inception in 1994.

"Hinahanap-Hanap Kita" is a song recorded by Filipino rock band Rivermaya in 1997. It was released as the first single from their third album Atomic Bomb.

References

  1. "Rivermaya". Genius . Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. "Francis M and Rivermaya at Top 40".
  3. 1 2 Gonzales, David. "Rivermaya – Rivermaya". AllMusic . Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  4. Sutton, Michael. "Rivermaya Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  5. "What happened to Rivermaya and Bamboo?". nbccomedyplayground.com. December 12, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2022. Prior to Bamboo's exit, guitarist Perf also left the band due to creative differences.
  6. "10 Essential OPM Albums of the 1990s". esquiremag.ph. PAUL JOHN CAÑA. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  7. "Rivermaya Rocks "Pare Ko"". January 11, 1995. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  8. "JM De Guzman's Cover Of Rivermaya's "214" Is Another Reason To Watch Alone/Together". metro.style. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  9. "Jeremiah Tiangco sings Rivermaya's '214' for 'Lolong' | GMA Entertainment". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  10. "Special Edition Of Luke Album Out". titikpilipino.com. BMG Records Pilipinas. Archived from the original on March 2, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  11. "Ulan - Janine Teñoso [Official Music Video]". Viva Records (via YouTube). February 13, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2022.