They look very charming and non-threatening. Even their band name, brings to mind an acoustic, non-amplified laid back image. So together, I am imagining a light and airy, harmless 80's new wave band.
It was the first time the Bongos had recorded a full album in one go and the quality of the songwriting isn't especially consistent; for every off-kilter gem like "A Story (Written in the Sky)," "Blow Up," and "Splinters," there's a throw-away like "Space Jungle" and "Totem Pole." "Apache Dancing" was their big single from this album, featuring "Kate Pierson" of the B-52s. The song starts of with jungle beats, and becomes a darkly melodic pop number. It has the great build that makes a great pop song: you keep expecting the verse to go right into the chorus. And when it does, it blasts out with force and power. There is a great music breakdown after the second chorus section, with equally catchy variants on the common melody. It ends into the chorus again, and the chorus, like the first track, pushes up an octave when the lyrics repeat. "Brave New World" sounds like Flock Of Seagulls, and is a slower, nebulous song, with a melody that is hard to pin down. But it is not short on synthesized keyboard sounds and what sounds to be more artificial drums. The edgy energy that enlivened the big-sounding production on Numbers with Wings is sadly absent on these sessions, and through the deep and spacious sound of “Numbers with Wings” unexpectedly suited The Bongos, “Beat Hotel sounds slick but shallow, with the addition of additional synthesizers and percussion cluttering the melodies without adding much lift, and Richard Barone and Jim Mastro's guitars feeling flat and lacking their usual presence. “Numbers with Wings” found The Bongos learning how to marry Barone's eccentric melodic and lyrical ideas to a more polished production style and still sound strong, but John Jansen doesn't manage the same feat after moving into the producer's chair, and ultimately, “Beat Hotel” makes a smart and imaginative band come off as facile and a bit silly. “Beat Hotel” was also the group's final album (they were said to be working on another LP when they called it quits in 1987), which makes the disappointment of the album all the more severe; a band as consistently interesting as The Bongos deserved to go out with something special.
02. Apache Dancing (Vocals [Guest]: Kate Pierson) - 3:08
03. Brave New World - 4:32
04. A Story (Written In The Sky) - 3:08
05. The Beat Hotel - 4:00
06. Come Back To Me - 3:26
07. Splinters - 3:40
08. She Starts Shaking - 3:24
09. Totem Pole - 3:16
10. Blow Up - 4:03
Vocals, Guitar [Lead], Synthesizer [Guitar], Producer [Associate] – Richard Barone
Bass, Backing Vocals – Rob Norris
Drums, Vocals – Frank Giannini
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – James Mastro
Percussion – Fernando Diaz
Keyboards – Tom Tiscornia
Lyrics By – James Mastro, Richard Barone
Mastered By – Greg Calbi
Mixed By – Scott Litt
Music By – James Mastro, Richard Barone
Photography By, Design – Phil Marino
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – John Jansen
Genre - New Wave, Rock
Mastered at Sterling Sound, NYC (USA).
Recorded R.P.M. (NYC), Power Station (NYC), House Of Music (NJ), and Mix-O-Lydian (NJ) (USA).
Mixed at Skyline and Electric Lady Studios, NYC (USA).
© 1985 Copyright (c) – RCA Victor Records
No comments:
Post a Comment