Minus-One recordings
In the Philippines, the Minus-One is a variant mix of a multi-track recording, wherein the lead vocal track of a song is muted for further use. In the Philippine recording industry of the 1980s, during the heyday of vinyl records, this variant was released as the "flip side" of a commercial song's 7-inch single, but generally never a part of the Long Playing album containing the full-featured song. Succinctly, a B-side selection became referred to as "minus-one" because the lead vocal track is subtracted from the A-Side song's original mix.
The Minus-One is the patented name of the "Sing-Along System" karaoke machine invented by Filipino business executive Roberto del Rosario in 1975. The term and the idea of records without vocals can be traced back to the Music Minus One company in the 1950s.
Record production genre
As a genre of record production in the Philippines, the inclusion of a 'minus-one' Side-B reduced the production cost of a 45 RPM 7-inch "single" by foregoing the need for yet another song to occupy the 7-inch record's flip side. It also encouraged buyers to "sing along" with the bonus accompaniment of the "hit single".A "minus-one mix" would not necessarily be wholly instrumental, as backing vocals of the song's original mix may be retained. The concept of instrumental B-sides to complement their full versions became a production trend of the Philippine record industry of the 1980s, which was replicated overseas. In the ensuing years, tracks from minus-one flip sides were assembled by production houses for their inclusion in compilations.
Examples of minus-one sides
The following table illustrates early B-sides of Zsa Zsa Padilla's 45-RPM 7" Vinyl singles released by Blackgold Records. Many such vinyl sides have since been ported to other platforms, including VCD, videoke and free video sharing websites.| Side A song | Side B minus-one | Catalog | Year |
| When I'm With You | When I'm With You | BSP-392 | 1985 |
| Eversince | Eversince | BSP-397 | 1985 |
| To Love You | To Love You | BSP-401 | 1985 |
| Hiram | Hiram | BSP-404 | 1986 |
| Mambobola | Mambobola | BSP-410 | 1986 |
| Ikaw Lamang | Ikaw Lamang ''' | BSP-413 | 1986 |
| Minsan Pa | Minsan Pa | BSP-417 | 1986 |
| Maybe This Time | Maybe This Time | BSP-432 | 1988 |
| Pangako | Pangako | BSP-447 | 1990 |
| Ang Aking Pamasko | Ang Aking Pamasko | BSP-459 | 1990 |
Other examples
- In 1987, a song by the Filipino band, The Dawn was released as a 7-inch 45 RPM single by their record label, OctoArts.
- In the 2000s, Narda, a band from the Philippines, featured an album page in AllMusic with dedicated minus-one content.
Minus-one is content, not equipment
As sheer musical content, the instrumentals were a precursor to widespread recreational crooning at home and outside, its provenance effectively traced to the Music Minus One products of the mid-1950s. In 1975, Filipino executive Roberto del Rosario patented his sing-along invention as Minus-One, popularly known as the karaoke machine, an interactive entertainment system without vocals. As a Filipino trait for festivity, the allure for minus-one recordings crossed cultural barriers in the Philippines.