It is perhaps a tribute to Ely Buendia's songwriting genius that the band managed to churn out consistent radio hits without sounding baduy or corny. "Ligaya," "Maling Akala," "Alapaap," "Magasin," "With A Smile," "Ang Huling El Bimbo," "Torpedo," "Kaliwete," "Balikbayan Box," "Spoliarium," "Para Sa Masa," "Harana," "Huwag Kang Matakot," "Pop Machine," "Maskara," and "Palamig," were just a few of the many good songs the Eraserheads dished out during their reign.

All in all, the band (with Ely on board) came out with 10 commercial albums: Ultraelectromagneticpop! [1993], Circus [1994], Cutterpillow [1995], Fruitcake EP [1996], Fruitcake [1996], Bananatype EP [1997], Sticker Happy [1997], Aloha Milkyway [1998], Natin 99 [1999] and Carbon Stereoxide [2001].

The band's popularity even extended overseas, particularly in the Asian region, where they developed a cult following.

THE END. On March 2002, music fans were caught off-guard with the news that frontman Ely Buendia had split from the band. Buendia's decision, as revealed later, was relayed to his bandmates through a text message citing the words "it's graduation time."

For the longest time and despite the nagging questions raised not just by the press but also by fans, all four members refused to delve into the details of the murky breakup.

In a Pulp magazine interview however, Diane Ventura, Ely's longtime partner spoke in behalf of the fallen Eraserheads frontman. During the interview, she recounted the details that prompted Buendia to finally call it quits.

According to Diane, she and Ely arrived late during a mall show, triggering the band's roadie to call Buendia "unprofessional." Diane argued that she and Ely were not aware of the schedule. When Ely brought the incident to manager Butch Dans, the latter allegedly opted to believe the roadie's account instead of conducting an investigation first. As for Buddy, Marcus and Raimund, Diane said that the three sided with the roadie's side of the story. Ely, apparently, had enough and immediately pulled the plug.

LONG TIME COMING. But insiders believe that the "roadie incident" was just the last straw in the band's already rocky relationship. After the falling out, Buddy said in an interview that relationship between the four members, for the longest time, were already teetering on the edge. He mentioned that disbanding was an option that frequently popped out but they just chose to carry on, perhaps for the sake of the music and their hard-earned legacy.

Jing Garcia wrote that personality clashes among the members intensified as the band became more successful. Ely, as Jing said, was the one calling the shots right from the start. But as they matured in the scene, Raimund Marasigan grew confident with his own abilities as a musician. It was therefore inevitable that ego clashes between Ely and Raimund would become commonplace. Management issues also consistently hampered the band throughout their career.

But indeed the strain was already evident as the ‘90s drew to a close. "Believe me, the feeling is not good when pressure becomes too much a thing to handle,' said Ely to entertainment columnist Ricky Gallardo back in 1999.

It was a revealing interview, given Ely's evasive personality, but he did open up to Gallardo on the trappings of fame and the pressure of being a pop icon expected to write hit songs one after the other.

"I have a lot of negative feelings about myself," confessed Buendia, "and a lot of times when I feel so defenseless. And the more we get famous as a group and the more our songs sell and make it big, the faster these insecurities double up,' he courageously admits. 'You see, I felt I was giving more than I should, plus the fact that I was seen and perceived as the moving spirit behind the group and the unofficial 'leader' of sorts, which was all unplanned if I may say, made things a lot more difficult for me." 

Ely, momentarily shedding his celebrity skin, added: "And things were suddenly getting out of proportion, you know, the more you work, the more you don't stop. I've even reached conclusion that to stop has become a luxury. Parang sige na lang nang sige, tuloy na lang ng tuloy. Especially with regards to touring. Pauwi ka pa lang, sinasabi na sa iyo ang itinerary sa susunod na destination. It comes to a point na nakakapagod din and you start asking, what's all these for? Where am I getting at?"

Three years after the interview, the pressure that had built up around the most influential band in the history of OPM finally took its toll.

Incidentally, "Para Sa Masa," a song included in the Eraserheads 1997 album Sticker Happy carries the line, "mapapatawad mo ba ako / kung hindi ko sinunod ang gusto mo..." In the light of all the clamor for a reunion, Eraserheads tributes and Ely's stiff refusal to yield, that line resonates more than ever.