Here's one for you collectors: the Bongos were Hoboken's great pop hope, but they never broke through. Led by Richard Barone and James Maestro, they cut three albums that only got better in terms of polish, performance, and songwriting. The records have gone in- and out-of-print with alarming regularity; like many underappreciated American artists their records are easier to find in Europe than here. Make no mistake, however: the Bongos brand of volatile, quirky pop is worth searching for.

The Bongos' records were reissued on CD briefly by Razor & Tie. The first album, Drums Along The Hudson, is in some ways their best. Its mood is darker and it rocks harder than their later, poppier efforts, and the CD added an excellent early single, "Nuts & Bolts," as a bonus track. The second two records, Numbers With Wings (an EP) and Beat Hotel, were packaged as a two-for-one on Razor & Tie's CD reissue, and they are near-perfect examples of 80's art pop. The title tracks of both records are alone worth the price of admission, but "Barbarella," "Space Jungle," "Come Back To Me," and others are just as terrific.

Alpha Bongo Richard Barone has waxed several solo albums over the years. His debut, Cool Blue Halo (1987) is a baroque live set that mixes new tunes with reprises of Bongo classics. It is perhaps the critical favorite - and an unmistakable harbinger of "adult alternative" music - but my personal pick is his second disc, Primal Dream (1990), a very misunderstood record (coming as it did at the height of grunge-mania). Barone's powerful yet fragile tenor has a way of soaring over a melody that will send chills down your spine, and it has rarely been showcased as spectacularly as on this record. His third solo record, Clouds Over Eden (1994), despite a songwriting assist from Jules Shear, flagged a bit both in energy and quality. The fourth, Between Heaven and Cello (1997), revisits the chamber pop format of Cool Blue Halo.

Most of Barone's records have fallen out-of-print in America but are available overseas or as used CD's. The smart shopper will grab The Big Three, a simple packaging of his first three solo albums. More recently, Barone reported that he was working on a new record with producer Tony Visconti and songwriter Paul Williams (!). He also offers Collection: An Embarassment Of Richard (2004), a compendium of best songs and rare recordings from 1987-1997. Just as exciting, he has plans to reissue the Bongos albums, though no word yet of when.... [top of page]