Don’t Despair
Only 2,500 copies of Eraserheads’ 25th edition remastered vinyl ‘Ultraelectromagneticpop!’ album were pressed this year, and these sold faster than you can say ‘Ligaya’ and ‘Toyang.’ Demand is high, the fans who missed getting a copy wail, ‘What to do now
Exactly 500 copies of Eraserheads’ 25th edition remastered vinyl “Ultraelectromagneticpop!” sold out in four minutes flat when these were made available online. Then, the remaining two thousand were considered sold even before selling could begin over the weekend, as more than that number of people lined up to get a copy, some doing so as early as 6 a.m.
The demand for the iconic group’s seminal album in vinyl format is so high that a source tipped Bulletin Entertainment the releasing companies, Sony Music and Off Shore Music, just might have a thousand or two pressed abroad early 2020 — if they could.
“It’s not as easy as ‘Oh, we’ll have another batch pressed,’” the source said. “The vinyls are pressed in the US and there’s a long, long line to hurdle.”
“Ultraelectromagneticpop!” was mastered from the analog tapes and lacquer cut by Bernie Grundman (who is behind the Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” U2’s “The Joshua Tree,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex
Magic,” among others) at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood in California and pressed on 180g
HQ vinyl at RTI in Camarillo.
The vinyl, which was originally priced at R2,999 for pre-selling copy online, was sold over the weekend at the event for R3,360 per copy. A regulation that “one copy will be sold per person” was implemented.
A tribute party was held where the likes of the Itchyworms, Barbie Almalbis, Cheats, Nathan & Mercury, Pinkmen, We Got!, and Nobody’s Home — whose vocalist is Eon Buendia, who is the son of Ely, vocalist-composer-guitarist of Eraserheads — performed.
“Ultraelectromagneticpop!” is the game-changing debut album released in 1993 under BMG Records. It made waves with songs such as “Tindahan Ni Aling Nena,” “Pare Ko,” “Ligaya,” and “Toyang”
becoming huge hits.
The Eraserheads was formed in 1989 consisting of members Ely Buendia, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro, and Raymund Marasigan. Often dubbed “The Beatles of the Philippines,” they are credited for spearheading a second wave of Manila band invasions, paving the way for a host of Philippine alternative rock bands.
But later on, they decided to part ways. Currently, Ely is part of Apartel, Oktaves, and Pupil; Raymund is member of Sandwich, Pedicab and Cambio; Buddy plays with Moonstar 88 and Hilera; Markus Adoro has Markus Highway.