In a previous diary, I gave the three main forms of entertainment that Olongapo had to offer. This diary will concentrate on the music, specifically Rock & Roll. The Oceans 11 was one of my favorite bars because it had one of the best bands in town. The photo above may be a wee bit deceptive. Whenever I had my camera with me, I was careful not to drink too much, so I was just posing for the camera here. When I went to Olongapo without my camera, things might be different. We’ll return to the Oceans 11, but first, we’ll take a look around.
The Gaytoppers/Toppers did a note-perfect version of this song:
The Freedom Highway was perhaps the only band in Olongapo that played this song. Unfortunately, I could not find the Beatles’ original, so here is McCartney doing it:
As far as I know, the White Rabbit was the only band in Olongapo to play this song, they did the long version, and they did a fantastic job on it.
In 1974, when I was returning to the Naval Base with some guys I knew, I turned back to look at Olongapo and said “I love this town!” I meant it...the problem was that I loved Olongapo “not wisely, but too well”.
Gone, but not forgotten.