a type of music that melded the sensibilities of contemporary pop songs with witty, tongue-in-cheek lyrics written in either English or Tagalog, or a combination of both.

Typical of the Manila Sound songs were the hits of VST & Company, Jose Mari Chan, the APO Hiking Society, Hotdog, the Juan dela Cruz band, Rico Puno, Basil Valdez and Hajji Alejandro.

“Before the Manila Sound, there was Original Pilipino Music, but these were mostly kundimans, or folk songs. When it became pop, that was the birth of the Manila Sound,” says Vic’s son Vincent del Rosario. Vincent is the head of Viva Records, which has just come out with a compilation dubbed Hopia, Mani, Popcorn: The Best of Manila Sound.

In the 70s, “Hopia, Mani, Popcorn” was a phrase that ambulant street vendors used to tell people what they were selling, which usually included just that: hopia, mani (peanuts), popcorn and other snack items, along with cigarettes and chewing gum. They would walk the streets, dodging vehicles as they peddled their wares, shouting, “Hopia, mani, popcorn, juicy (Juicy Fruit)…”

Now, with the current trend leaning toward revival albums, Viva Records has come out with its own tribute album—but Hopia, Mani, Popcorn: The Best of Manila Sound is no ordinary tribute album. It is not a tribute to the music of just one artist or band, but a tribute to the sound of a whole generation.

The album brings back some of the biggest pop hits of the Manila Sound era, interpreted by some of today’s most popular bands and artists. These include No Touch, Ipagpatawad Mo, Hanggang Magdamag, TL Ako Sa ‘Yo, Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko, Rock Baby Rock, Bitin Sa Yo, Bonggahan, Macho Gwapito, Tao, Kapalaran, Ako Si Superman and Handog.

Among the bands and artists who interpret these songs and give them a new twist are Rocksteddy, Mayonnaise, Kapatid, Kitchie Nadal, Soapdish, Kala, Up Dharma Down, 6Cyclemind, Protein Shake, DRT, Radioactive Sago Project, Sound and Join the Club.

Vincent says it is only natural that Viva be part of this project, since his father Vic was one of the vanguards of the Manila Sound movement. “This project comes naturally for Viva, because our chairman spearheaded the development of the Manila Sound.” In fact, they had no trouble getting permission to use the songs included in the album, since about 90 per cent of them were held by Vicor. They only had to sublicense one or two of the songs.