The Bongos
The Bongos | |
---|---|
Members | Richard Barone Rob Norris Frank Giannini James Mastro |
The Bongos were a power pop band from Hoboken, New Jersey, that emerged from the New York City arts scene, primarily active in the 1980s, led by Richard Barone. With their unique musical style, they were major progenitors of the Hoboken indie-pop community, college radio favorites, and made the leap to national recognition with the advent of MTV. Their breakthrough song "Numbers with Wings" garnered the group a major cult following and was nominated at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Along with a handful of others, the Bongos were instrumental in the advancement of the alternative rock movement.
History
The Bongos grew out of a band called "a", which had included the three original Bongos and Glenn Morrow, who later formed the Individuals and helped found Bar/None Records. "a" was the first band to play Maxwell's, a rock and roll club in Hoboken.
The group was led by
The Bongos emerged from
They signed to British label
After touring domestically in support of Drums Along the Hudson, including thirty concerts with The B-52s, Barone and Mastro retreated to Mitch Easter's "Drive-In Studios" in Winston-Salem, N.C. to record their own, duo album entitled Nuts & Bolts. Co-produced by Easter, the album exhibited a more acoustic sound, and each side showcased the songs and lead vocals of either Barone or Mastro. [7][8]
In 1983, the group was signed to
Later work
Richard Barone has subsequently released a series of well-received solo albums, including Glow released on September 14, 2010 on Hoboken's
In 2006, the original three Bongos re-entered the studio with longtime fan
The trio also reunited for two shows at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in Greenwich Village in October 2006, and two more in February 2007. On September 30, 2007, the quartet played again in Hoboken for the first time in twenty years to an overflowing and appreciative crowd, and received a Proclamation from Mayor David Roberts commending them for their substantial contributions to Hoboken's culture and heritage. They headlined a day-long bill that featured the Chris Stamey Group, Glenn Mercer (formerly of the Feelies) and the Health and Happiness Show.
Richard Barone's memoir, Frontman: Surviving the Rock Star Myth, was published on September 28, 2007 by Backbeat/
In Spring, 2008, Sony re-issued the Bongos RCA catalogue for the first time to iTunes/Apple Music, and all digital retailers.
On March 11, 2009, the Bongos performed a full concert set at The City Winery in NYC following a tribute to their longtime friends R.E.M. held at Carnegie Hall, a benefit for music education programs. R.E.M. Play Surprise Song at Tribute to Their Three-Decade Career On October 22, 2009 the group returned to their home club Maxwell's for the first time since 1986, and subsequently performed at Manhattan's Hiro Ballroom, during the CMJ Music Marathon 2009 that same month (with longtime friends the Fleshtones). On January 25, 2010, the Bongos reunited once again at the City Winery, this time to benefit Emergency Earthquake Relief efforts in Haiti. Various members have joined Richard Barone onstage for his solo performances.
Coming full circle, the Bongos came together again on July 31, 2013 to perform the final concert at Maxwell's, which was closing after its long run. The original members had also performed the venue's first show. With a crowd spilling into the Hoboken streets, Barone announced that the group's "lost" album Phantom Train would finally be released on October 1, 2013. The group also promised a series of reunion shows to celebrate its release.Jem Recordings – Home of Jem Records. Marty Scott, co-founder of Jem Records announced that Phantom Train would be the first release of the reconstituted label. The album was remixed and prepared for release in summer, 2013 by Richard Barone and Steve Addabbo.[11] The original album cover graphics and photography, designed and hand-lettered by Emil Schult of Kraftwerk fame, were restored and used in the CD packaging.
On June 8, 2015 the Bongos once again came together, this time with drummer Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, to perform and act as "house band" at public radio station WFUV's "Fare Thee Well" concert for beloved radio legend Vin Scelsa at City Winery, who was retiring from radio. Besides renditions of their own songs, the group backed David Johansen, Marshall Crenshaw, Southside Johnny, Stephen Trask (composer of Hedwig and the Angry Inch), David Bromberg, and others in a three-hour concert that was broadcast on the station on July 4, 2015.Vin Scelsa, Fare Thee Well | WFUV
The group embarked on a mini-tour of the Northeast during October 2016 that paired them with West Coast power-pop band the Rubinoos.
In early 2020 it was announced that The Bongos would perform in several select cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York to "celebrate four decades Hoboken Pop". Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the concerts were postponed until 2021.
In January 2021, The Bongos' made a new agreement with RCA Records to distribute their music via Sony Music's Legacy Recordings label. The first release under the new arrangement, Beat Hotel – Expanded Edition was released on the RCA label via Legacy Recordings on July 9, 2021. The collection was a remastered edition of the original album in high-definition with twelve previously unreleased bonus tracks.[12]
For the fortieth anniversary of Numbers With Wings, RCA released expanded edition of their label debut E.P. with eight live bonus tracks, previously unreleased, which had been recorded in 1985.[13] In October, 2023, RCA released "Rock The Christmas Cheer!", the Bongos first recording of a new song since 1986.[14] On November 19, 2023, they performed in Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s at Carnegie Hall.[15]
Discography
Albums
- Beat Hotel (1985, RCA Records) – produced by John Jansen
- Phantom Train (2013, Jem Records) – produced by Eric (E.T.) Thorngren, Chris Blackwell, the Bongos
- Beat Hotel – Expanded Edition (2021, RCA Records/Legacy Recordings)
- Numbers with Wings - 40th Anniversary Edition (2023, RCA Records/Legacy Recordings) – produced by Richard Gottehrer, the Bongos
Compilation albums
- Drums Along the Hudson (1982, PVC Records – the album features the first singles and the first EP) – produced by Ken Thomas, Mark Abel, the Bongos
- Start Swimming (1981, Rainbow theatre. The band, then still a trio, was joined on "In the Congo" by members of Bush Tetras and Throbbing Gristle)
- Drums Along the Hudson – Special Edition (2007, Cooking Vinyl; 2014, Jem Records)
"Numbers with Wings" and other songs appear on numerous 1980s compilations on a variety of labels.
Singles
- "Telephoto Lens" b/w "Glow in the Dark" (1980, Fetish Records)
- "In the Congo" b/w "Mambo Sun" (1980, Fetish Records)
- "The Bulrushes" b/w "Automatic Doors" (1981, Fetish Records)
- "Zebra Club" b/w "Certain Harbours" (1982, Fetish Records)
- "Mambo Sun" b/w "Hunting" (1982, Fetish Records)
- "Numbers with Wings" b/w "Skydiving" (1983, RCA Records, Sweden)
- "Numbers with Wings" (Remix) b/w "Barbarella" (Remix) – 12" single – (1983, RCA Records)
- "Barbarella" b/w tracks by One the Juggler and Blue Zoo – (1983, Trouser Press Flexi 7")
- "Brave New World (True Love Is Ordinary)" b/w "Totem Pole" (1985, RCA Records)
- "Brave New World (True Love Is Ordinary)" (Radio Edit) – 12" single – (1985, RCA Records)
- "Space Jungle" b/w "Apache Dancing" (1985, RCA Records, France)
- "Bulrushes 2007", The Bongos + Cooking Vinyl Records)
- "My Wildest Dreams" (2013, JEM Records, digital only)
- "Mambo Sun" (Remastered) (2020, Fetish Records, digital only)
- "Rock the Christmas Cheer!" (2023, Sony Music Entertainment. digital only)
12" EPs
- In the Congo (1981, Fetish Records) – produced by Mark Abel, the Bongos
- Time and the River (1982, Fetish Records) – produced by Ken Thomas, the Bongos
- Numbers with Wings (1983, RCA Records) – produced by Richard Gottehrer
Miscellaneous
- Nuts and Bolts (1983, Passport Records), Richard Barone and James Mastro (duo album) – produced by Barone, Mastro, Mitch Easter
Music videos
- "In the Congo" – directed by Ed Steinberg
- "Mambo Sun" – directed by Ed Steinberg
- "The Bulrushes" – directed by Phil Marino
- "Numbers with Wings" – directed by Juliano Waldmann
- "Brave New World" – directed by Juliano Waldmann
- "Bulrushes 2007" (with Moby) – directed by Richard Kerris
- "The Nomi Song" – directed by Andrew Horn
References
- ISSN 0886-3032.
- ^ "Bongos". Trouserpress.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 1777". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ Billboard Chart History: The Bongos "Mambo Sun", April 11, 1981 [2]
- ^ "HOBOKEN (Published 1982)". Nytimes.com. 1 August 1982. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Richard Barone / James Mastro – Nuts and Bolts". Discogs.
- ^ "Thirty-five years later, Barone and Mastro get down to 'Nuts and Bolts'". Njarts.net. 8 October 2018.
- ^ "ROCK: RICHARD BARONE (Published 1987)". Query.nytimes.com. 16 December 1987. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Frontmanbook.com Archived 2008-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rob Ross, Flash: Marty Scott resurrects Jem Recordings; Legendary lost album from The Bongos to be label's first release. Popdose, July 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
- ^ "The Bongos". Legacy Recordings. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "The Bongos". Legacy Recordings. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "The Bongos release new holiday song, 'Rock the Christmas Cheer!'".
- ^ "Presented by Richard Barone Music Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s". Carnegie Hall Calendar.