September 17, 2006

VST & Company Photo Album: Nostalgic Photos of The Original Disco Kings

Everyone is a big VST & Company fan!
It's pretty obvious why everyone loves VST & Company. They were the biggest hitmakers of the '70s and early '80s, and to this day their hits have never been surpassed. Their songs have become anthems for any generation, their image iconic. There has never been any musical group that matches the uniqueness and style of VST & Company. They remain one of Philippine music's greatest inspirations, and will forever be in our hearts as a true Pinoy original.

Nostalgia Manila is very proud to present this RARE collection of VST & Company photographs taken from the group's personal photo albums.
Maraming salamat kay: Roger Rigor, Spanky Rigor, Celso Llarina, Monet Gaskell and Male Rigor, who allowed Nostalgia Manila to publish these photos online.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND USAGE: These images are governed by copyright laws. If you decide to use any of these images on your web page PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE PROPER CREDITS TO NOSTALGIA MANILA! NO HOT LINKING PLEASE!


(CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW)

A Pre-Vic Sotto VST. A photo of the 1st original lineup which included: (Left-Right) Monet Gaskell,Val Sotto, Spanky Rigor, Jun Medina, Celso Llarina, Roger Rigor, and Male Rigor. This photo can be seen printed on the back of the first VST & Company album (orange album cover). What makes this photo different from the one in the album sleeve is that the group is seen smiling in this one.




Original concert ticket: St. Scholastica Academy, San Fernando Pampanga, October 5, 1979. Roger Rigor signs autographs (left), Male Rigor and Monet Gaskell in background. Taken during one of many record store appearances.

Top: Behind the scenes photo of Vic Sotto (Left) and Celso Llarina (Middle) recording tracks at Cinema Audio Studios. Below: Vic Sotto lounging, and laying down vocal tracks.

Below: Vic Sotto wears a very cool VST Promo T-Shirt that says "Get instant relief with Disco Fever!" VST & Co in concert. Vic sotto and the group prepares for soundcheck on stage.




More Vst & Company: Nostalgia Manila's Exclusive Interview with VST & Company's Roger Rigor! NM interviews the former VST idol Roger Rigor. Roger shares with us some amazing stories and memories of what is was like to be a member of the legendary musical group.

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50 comments:

Anonymous said...

what does VST stand for?

Nostalgia Manila said...

The answer to that question in PART 2 of our Exclusive Interview with Roger Rigor! Abangan!

Anonymous said...

ang gwapo ni Val at si fafa Vic fafable talaga ano :)

Anonymous said...

VST means Vicente Sotto III

The Grog said...

Just found out this website "It's super cool"

may said...

Haaay! I'm forever fan talaga ng VST, kasi part sila ng pagdadalaga ko, ehehehe..alam niyo na, high school ako niyan, ang daming memories talaga

Unknown said...

this site is awesome ! MORE PICTURES :D

Anonymous said...

ang galing ng vst...mmmm sino ba ang founder talaga...bakit wala si vic sa pic sa itaas...later lang ba sya sa group?

Nostalgia Manila said...

Hindi kasama si Vic Sotto sa original lineup, pero kasama na siya sa recording at pagsulat ng mga kanta. Sumali na lang siya matapos umalis si Jun Medina.

Basahin mo ang VST Exclusive Interview at marami kang makukuhang information sa pagbuo at sa mga unang araw ng grupo.

Neo said...

Vst.....wow galing ng nostalgia..
kahit saan ka magpunta wala kang makikitang pictures nila... pwera na alng kung bibili ka ng album nila na orig....

Nostalgia Manila - saan ba ako pwedeng makabili ng Vst and Company na volume 1 to 4...thanks.

Nostalgia Manila said...

To Neo,

Kung gusto mo ng mga original VST & Company albums, pag minsan meron kang mahahanap sa Ebay. Maraming mga compilation cds na released by Vicor, pero iba talaga ang makahawak ng totoong album diba?

Se Ebay tumingin ka minsan, at baka swertehin ka.

Anonymous said...

where can i access part 2 of the interview? pls advise.. thanks

Nostalgia Manila said...

To Anonymous,

Part 2 of the VST Interview coming soon! Stay tuned!

Neo said...

Nostalgia Manila - Thanks sa pagsagot sa tanong ko... kaso i laready been trying sa Ebay wala...eh..bka naman may alam ka pa na san pwedeng makabili ng Vst and Company.. volume 1 to 4.. at yung Christmas album ..sya nga pala, meron na po ako nong mga sinasabi mo na Cd's eh...paki tulungan naman ako plzzz......salamat po.

Anonymous said...

To this day, wala yatang pumantay sa walang hanggang kamatayan ng popularity ng VST sa Manila Music Scene. I remember, naiinggit ako sa mga nagsasayaw ng swing evrytime they play "Awitin Mo". My biggest frustration was never being able to learn the steps of this dance craze.

Tapos kinanta ni Vic yung "Ipagpatawad Mo". Wala na! In-love na ang buong bayan! Sabayan ba naman ng back-to-back ni MS. Dina na "Bakit Ba Ganyan?".

I wish my bumpersticker would say "Dina-Vic Forever!".

Neo said...

Vst and Company -2.... grabe na ito.. pangalawang album nila..wala na ata akong pag -asa na makakuha pa nito... hirap maghanap... plz....nostalgia manila.. saan pa ba ako pwedeng makakita nito...
Vst and Company..one last .. mag labas kyo ng album get together....
Walang katulad itong nostalgia manila...

Neo said...

Vst and Company.. wow.. wlang katulad.. kagaya ng Nostalgia Manila...

Anonymous said...

haneeepppp! sobbbrrraaaa talaga tong site na 'to!
you made my day again!
to prove to you that vst is still popular... here in jakarta, don't be surprised to hear vst's "disco fever" being played on d radio...to top it all, don't be shocked when u hear the dj and your driver singing along at naku memorized from start to finish pati na yung ahhhhh...ahhhh...wakatu...wakatu!!!

Unknown said...

i dont think kung sell pa ang VST and Company album sa ibang bansa...

but if you go in a record bar here in philippines, mahahanap mo sila...

i have already an mp3 made...

i love their song, coz yan ang sinayaw namin nung PE ko on college...

Anonymous said...

I listened to the VST and Company singing...and they sound very much like the Bee Gees, especially having that falsetto...Bee Gees went first before them...and they copied the singing style of the Bee Gees JUST FOR THE SAKE OF POPULARITY!!! Why can't they just sing normally. IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL ORIGINAL?!?!?!?!?!?! A true ORIGINAL is creating his OWN works, and originals NEVER COPY!!!

Anonymous said...

To BeeGees Fanatic,

I'm sorry but I don't agree with your claims. When did you see VST perform? Was it back in the day or just recently? I think most people think they sound very much like the BeeGees because of the blending of voices that create the rich voice harmonies that they use for. You have to remember that his was the Disco Era, and yes, the BeeGees were at the top of all that, BUT to say that VST copied their singing style for the sake of popularity I think would be a naive statement.

You are probablly not that familiar with the rest of the VST music catalog. The songs that weren't singles did not sound like BeeGees at all. Their ballads did not sound anything that Barry Gibb would write and perform.

If you listen closely to songs like "Kiss Kiss", "Ipakita Mo", "Rock Baby Rock", you'll hear that deeper tone voices and not falsettos dominate the sound of these songs.

If anything, it was THE BOYFRIENDS who shamelessly and intentionally recreated the BeeGees sound. Their band logo even uses the BeeGees fonts!

I would listen again to VST recods, and this time really disect the music. You will then understand that VST is an original Philippine music treasure. They are legends who represented an amazaing era that should be remembered and respected.

Anonymous said...

hey guys...i don't care if you would like to argue all day about VST & Co. faking as Bee Gees or not...I don't care...
If anyone who had lots of very nice and memorable experiences of VST & Co.'s disco hit songs inside Disco houses would be none other that ME...
Simply put it this way, money can't buy my fondness memories during the 70s' especially with the VST songs...they're trully a great group...
-ctjazz

Anonymous said...

tama si ed mga chong. mas tunog beegees nga ang boyfriends. mas ginagaya nila ang boses gaya ng kanilang mga kanta na 'sumkayaw sumunod', 'salawahan', 'ikaw ang aking mamahalin', at 'umaapoy'. magaganda ang mga slow songs ng vst, malayo sa beegees men!

soysauce said...

Super husay ng website na ito! Thanks for sharing those VST pics. I'm a big fan of this website and VST, both!

At sa mga gung-gong, huwag na kayong mag-away! Siguraduhin na lang natin na walang mag-revive ng mga classic VST songs na ito by contemporary bands. Nauuso na kasi yun eh, wala ng originality. Ang okey lang ay yung TVJ's remake ng "Magnifica"! Remember this? "Oh manananggal... Ang katawan mo ay naka tanggal... Manananggal."

Unknown said...

ok talaga ang VST @ co. Masang-masa ang mga dating nila at maganda ang blending nang samahan dahil magtotropa sila. Classic talaga. Cool

Chaelmike

Chaelmike said...

Ibang klase talaga VST @ Co. Classic group talaga.

Anonymous said...

question: which songs of VST & Co. were originally from them and which ones were just revived?

Nostalgia Manila said...

Anonymous,

I'm not sure I understand your question, but if you're asking which of their songs in their albums were original, and if they did cover songs, well the answer is that ALL their songs were ORIGINAL VST & CO COMPOSITIONS.

Of course during their live shows, they added a few medleys to the set list, like this long 20 minute Beatles medley, but they never released any cover songs in their albums.

Many people have revived VST songs including Janno Gibbs' version of "Ipagpatawad Mo", and the horrible emo version today by this band called "Mayonnaise". This proves that only a gifted few can pull off good cover versions or revivals, but most of the time, CLASSICS should be left alone!

Totoy Time Machine said...

Amen to that, Pareng NM!

Anonymous said...

ei guys, alam nyo ba kung ginamit na movie theme song yung "Ipagpatawad Mo"? kailangan kasi namin for a band competition, movie theme songs yung theme. salamat! XD

dwin95 said...

ano kya ang masasabi ng vst dun sa revival ng mga song nila na ginawang bossa nova nagustuhan kya nila? tanong lng po.

mj_hermosa said...

DAW SABI NILA BAT DAW GUSTO KO ANG MGA KANTANG LUMA KATULAD NG MGA KANTA NG VST&COM SABI NILA PURO LUMA NA DAW AT BAGO NA NGAYON SABI KO WALA LANG GUSTO ANG KANTA NILA MAGAGANDA GALING NG BOSES MAPAPAINDAK KA TLAGA SANA MAG KA CONSERT ANG VST&COM UNG REUNNION PARANG GANUN PARA MAPANOOD KO AT MARINIG NG PERSONAL ANG MGA BOSES NILA

mj_hermosa said...

aus tlaga mga kanta ng vst&com ganda ng mga boses fans nila ako grabe weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee consert namn mga tol

mj_hermosa said...

bakit ganu wala nga c vic kala ko ba original member sya ng vst pero inferness galing nila

Anonymous said...

vst songs truly moves my soul. iba talaga ang dating.

Anonymous said...

love your blog! my mom is gonna be thrilled when i show her these pics. her brother (benjamin aka jun)is in the middle of the first pic. thank you! =)

LuiGirl said...

Vis Sotto is soooooo handsome! Kakainlove ang boses!

Jaizon B. Plaga said...

does anyone have any information on Jun Medina while living in San Francisco around 1980-1982? Let me know!!!!

Unknown said...

sana ma-interview din yung ibang members ng VST para mas maraming juicy moments..pati sana si Tito Sotto para masagot na talaga ang meaning ng VST. ang gusto kong itanong, "kung bakit nag-disband ang VST?" thanks sa Nostalgia Manila. last na..sana makapag-post kayo ng video nila with Vic on vocals. thanks again!

Anonymous said...

guys lets bring back the era I'm sick and tired of this unintelligible koreans and screaming emo music matching with pinays birating pretending like a black dive lets bring back our own lets have a site to share great tagalog compositions with this type of beaat calling all musicians!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

is richie "the Horsie" also member of the band?

Anonymous said...

Bakit sa wikipedia sinasabi na ang VST e lumabas nung late 80s at naglaho din nung 80s din. Sa kaalaman ng lahat ang VST e nakilala nung year 1978 sa una nilang monster hit single na AWITIN MO AT ISASAYAW KO the same year that the BOYFRIENDS did the hit single DAHIL MAHAL KITA and yes they all came into the picture in the year the BEE GEES where lording it in the airwaves with their disco songs taken from the movie SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. And to rectify some errors di po sila ang PIONEER ng Manila Sound tulad ng nga nakasulat sa wikipedia at iba pang websites kasi nakilala sila nung late 70s na kasi nga nakilala sila nung 1978 sa hit single nilang AWITIN MO AT ISASAYAW KO. Ang mga PIONEER po ng MANILA SOUND ay ang bandang HOTDOG at CINDERELLA pero bago din po sila ay me CIRCUS BAND at NEW MINSTRELS na pero dahil nga di sila mga ORIGINAL PINOY MUSIC kasi pawang mga FOREIGN Bands ang kanilang repertoire kaya ang HOTDOG at CINDERELLA ang TINAGURIANG PIONEER ng MANILA SOUND kasi PURE PINOY ang kanilang tema ng musika! Ang HOTDOG at CINDERELLA po ay sumikat noong 1974 samantalang ang VST at BOYFRIENDS e lumabas lang nung 1978. Wala na akong TIWALA SA WIKIPILIPINAS AT WIKIPEDIA KASI MALI-MALI ang IMPORMASYONG BINIBIGAY NILA!

Anonymous said...

dr fiel:
VST - 3 lead vocalists

V - Val Sotto
S - Spanky Rigor
T - Tito Sotto

marvin ig said...

gusto ko pong i post ito sa facebook at malaman ng iba na may collection of nostalgic years na panhon ko na still existing na dpa nila alam at na search,alam ko na maraming matutuwang family and friends na makaka relay dito,pano ko po ba ma i post ito sa fb ko?

Unknown said...

V-Val - Sotto
S-Spanky - Rigor
T-Tito - Sotto

Unknown said...

VST & Co. im a 2012 fan of VST, I LIKE THEIR SONGS!

Unknown said...

V&CoVST!

Mike said...

VST & Company are an amazing band. I listen to them everyday.

Unknown said...

how much is their album that time? i hope you cananswer right away. =)

Unknown said...

Fans don't really know the meaning of VST & CO. If you will found out you will be shocked. My father who is #1 fan of VST & Co. just revealed to me and I was shocked.



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