The Bongos, founding fathers of the Hoboken pop scene of the 1980s, will cross state lines and take the stage at the Bearsville Theatre on May 30 to celebrate the CD release of The Shroud of Touring: Live in 1985.
Originally taped by RCA during a warm Memorial Day Weekend on the Jersey Shore, the recording was supposed to be an official live release, but it never happened. Good things come to those who wait though. Courtesy of a new mix from JEM Records, the show from May 24, 1985 at the jam-packed Tradewinds in Sea Bright, NJ will see CD-only physical release on May 23. The CD will be available for purchase at the Bearsville show, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1985 performance.
Led by Richard Barone on vocals and lead guitar, the Bongos still boast their original lineup. Barone is joined by James Mastro (guitar, vocals), Hudson-Valley resident Rob Norris (bass, backing vocals), and Frank Giannini (drums, backing vocals). The group’s debut album “Drums Along the Hudson” was a critical hit in the UK and on American college radio for its percussive and danceable blend of new wave and jangle pop. A relentless touring band, The Bongos signed with RCA records and released their major-label debut Numbers with Wings in 1983. The title track was in steady rotation on MTV and the band also found alternative radio success with songs like “Barbarella” and “Tiger Nights”. Beat Hotel was released on RCA in 1985 — a year that included more than 300 concert performances by the band across the U.S.
It was during that whirlwind tour that The Shroud of Touring: Live in 1985 documents a band with several albums of road-tested material under its belt. The album also captures special guest percussionist Steve Scales, who played with Talking Heads, B-52s, Psychedelic Furs, and Tina Turner. Scales was fresh from the Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense tour and movie at the time of the performance.
Produced by The Bongos and Steve Addabo, the audio fidelity of the archival recording is excellent. Chalk that up to the careful restoration and digital transfer work by Steve Rosenthal. Highlights include set-opener “In The Congo” and “Apache Dancing” which both lean heavily on percussion and angular punk guitar riffs that recall bands like The Feelies and Television.
An impassioned cover of T. Rex’s “Mambo Sun” is also included in the set. Barone does an exceptional job in the Marc Bolan role, while the beefed up percussion section gives the performance a tribal energy that the original version of the song lacks.
Barone’s versatility as a front man really comes across as the set unfolds. At times he sounds like Morrissey, and at others Robert Smith. In 1985, Richard Barone looked an awful lot like a young Paul McCartney, but his vocal style often channeled the jittery energy of David Byrne on the frantic (and my favorite) “Telephoto Lens”. Still in other moments Barone sounds very much like a British new-waver, particularly on tracks from earlier in the band’s career like the Drums Along the Hudson-era “Zebra Club”.
The propulsive energy never lets up, and builds to a crescendo on the set closer “The Beat Hotel”, which might be the best moment caught on tape here (as much for the William Burroughs allusions as the guitar solos!). Fan favorites “Barbarella” and “Space Jungle” certainly don’t disappoint as encores either. Both are catchy party anthems that recall other contemporaries like The Fleshtones who modernized 60s garage anthems for 80s kids.
Ultimately the new 17-track CD is an audio time machine back to 1985 where the Roland Chorus amps are cranked on the stages of small, sweaty rock dance clubs and bands like The Bongos were about the best amalgamation of punk, new wave, and dance music on the college radio airways.
The Bongos may be 40 years older, but they’ll bring youthful, percussive energy to the Bearsville Theater in Bearsville on May 30. Doors open at 7 pm. The Steve Almaas Selection will open (yes, THAT Steve Almaas of Beat Rodeo fame!). Tickets are 26.15 and available here.
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