MANILA -- A long lost DZRJ classic, “In Love With You” by Phase Two -- a staple on their FM radio station rotation -- has finally seen the vinyl treatment 44 years later.
The song was written by Johnny Alegre who since those halcyon days of the 1970s made a name for himself as a jazz and world music musician. Among his bandmates then was noted guitarist Joey Puyat. Along with Sam Sen on bass, Uly Avante on drums, and Colby Calzada on keyboards, they recorded the song as Phase Two.
As Alegre tells it, “In late 1975 or early 1976, I auditioned a handful of songs to my bandmate, Joey Puyat, who was fishing for ideas to record. Joey chose ‘In Love With You’ as the right vehicle.”
The song was recorded in the now-defunct Cinema Audio recording studio in a matter of days and Alegre trooped over to DZRJ then located in Sta. Mesa and handed over the cassette recording to legendary disc jockey, Howling Dave.
“Suffice to say, that the song was on heavy rotation simply because it blended with the spirit of the times,” explained Alegre of the breezy early staple of Pinoy rock.
The band endeavored to get signed by a local record company but was ignored. The song, on the other hand, has taken a life of its own even decades later. “Many people to this day come up to me saying that 'In Love With You' was their theme song leading up to their raising a family. The thought of that is its own reward,” shared Alegre.
Alegre with his old cohort, Puyat, and occasional conspirator Kris Gorra-Dancel (of Fatal Posporos, Cambio, and Humanfolk) on vocals, Dennis Mabanta on bass and Paolo Manuel on drums, re-recorded the song as “#Hourglass” to breathe new life into the classic. The result is like an indie pop rock gem down to the DIY spirit.
“'In Love With You' is restructured, brought sonically forward to the new millennium with the best resources we could muster. I was not uncomfortable playing it again,” summed up Alegre.
The re-recording was undertaken right before the COVID-19 pandemic with the vinyl copies making it into the hands of Alegre right before the lockdown last March 11.
This marks the first time that the song is available in any format whether physical (vinyl, cassette) or digital.
The new version is on Side A of this seven-inch record release while the classic version is on Side B. Only 100 copies of this – on red vinyl to boot -- were pressed (in England) and are available for sale at P950.
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