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/ The Bongos

April 4, 2025 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

The Shroud of Touring

New Jersey power-pop band The Bongos have added some archival works to their digital catalogue in recent years, partnering with Legacy Recordings on expansions of their RCA recordings (including the 1983 EP Numbers with Wings, a pair of 12" mixes and 1985's Beat Hotel, and even a holiday track in 2023). This spring, they'll go back to the label where it all began - New Jersey's own JEM Recordings - to put some of that vault material out on CD for the first time. The Shroud of Touring: Live in

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Rock Tags: Richard Barone, The Bongos

December 2, 2023 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

Stream 2023

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts. This week's latest includes anniversary projects from Alicia Keys, live vault material from Bruce Springsteen, an oddity from The Alan Parsons Project and possibly the only article where Taylor Swift shares space with Minor Threat! Alicia Keys, The Diary of Alicia Keys 20 (RCA/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Legacy Recordings celebrates two decades of R&B

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Categories: The Weekend Stream Formats: Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Classic Rock, Everything Else, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Alicia Keys, Britny Fox, Bruce Springsteen, Keane, Michel Legrand, Minor Threat, Plush, Siedah Garrett, Taylor Swift, The Alan Parsons Project, The Bongos

September 9, 2023 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

Stream 2023

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. From classic Jersey pop and British dance of the '80s to a bright young drummer keeping Detroit soul alive in the present day, our latest offerings pack quite a punch. The Bongos, Numbers with Wings (40th Anniversary Edition) (RCA/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) The New Jersey pop/rock outfit led by

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Categories: The Weekend Stream Formats: Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Dennis Coffey, Four Tops, MC5, Melvin Davis, Pulp, Richard Barone, Stephen Bishop, The Art of Noise, The Bongos, U2

March 4, 2023 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

Stream 2023

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. De La Soul's digital debuts make headlines, plus favorites from Donna Summer, Adam Schlesinger, lo-fi disco soul, '80s dance-rock, a brilliant new pop track and an actress returning to sing a song she crooned in a cartoon! De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising / De La Soul is Dead / Buhloone

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Categories: The Weekend Stream Formats: Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Blues, Country, Disco/Dance, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock Tags: Adam Schlesinger, Amy Irving, De La Soul, Donna Summer, Ivy, Leon Everette, Mike & Bill, MUNA, Sponge, The Bongos

July 10, 2021 By The Second Disc 2 Comments

Stream

While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Captain Beefheart and His Magic

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Categories: The Weekend Stream Formats: Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Disco/Dance, Electronic, Everything Else, Jazz, Pop, Rock Tags: 808 State, Captain Beefheart, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Frank Zappa, George Benson, New Order, Randy Edelman, Richard Barone, Soul Asylum, Spice Girls, Sylvester, The Art of Noise, The Bongos

February 18, 2014 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

drums along the hudson1

When Jem Recordings - the famous import distributor (located in the author's hometown!) - was reborn last year, at its front and center was The Bongos, the incredible Hoboken-bred pop-rock band who were the first and last act to play the town's legendary venue Maxwell's when it closed last year. Jem issued on CD an unreleased Bongos album, Phantom Train, as well as a physical release for frontman Richard Barone's superb Cool Blue Halo 25th Anniversary Concert. Last week, Jem added another Bongos

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Categories: News Tags: The Bongos

October 3, 2013 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

bongos

Richard Barone, frontman for New Jersey-based power-pop act The Bongos, describes his career as centered around the theme of "full circle." This year, Barone has revisited a lot of captivating and familiar territory from his lengthy career. The Bongos were the closing act at legendary Hoboken club Maxwell's in July, having (as members of the band "a") been the venue's first act. Onstage, they announced the release of a "lost" Bongos album, Phantom Train, recorded primarily at Compass Point

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Categories: Interviews Tags: Interviews, Richard Barone, The Bongos

October 1, 2013 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

old 97s waylon jennings

Most titles this week are already out in the States, on account of Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2 hitting stores on Monday. So without further ado... Rush, The Studio Albums 1989-2007 / Vapor Trails Remixed (Atlantic/Rhino) All of the Canadian rock gods' albums for Atlantic in one box, with 2002's Vapor Trails newly remixed (and available separately). The Studio Albums: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Vapor Trails Remixed: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. The Bongos, Phantom Train /

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Tags: Old 97's, Patrice Rushen, Patti Page, Perry Como, Poco, Richard Barone, Rush, Sarah McLachlan, The Bongos, The Grateful Dead, The Lords of the New Church, Waylon Jennings

September 11, 2013 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

phantom train

This summer, we interviewed Marty Scott of Jem Recordings, the newly-reactivated New Jersey label which released the first recordings by Hoboken group The Bongos. Scott told us that a vintage unreleased Bongos LP would be the label's first release - and we now have some details about the disc for you. Phantom Train was recorded by The Bongos over 1985 to 1986, primarily at the famed Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. After several years on RCA Records, the band had been wooed to Island

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Categories: News Tags: The Bongos

July 31, 2013 By Mike Duquette 10 Comments

jem recordings469brn

The list of American cities tied to record labels is small, but certainly notable. Memphis has Stax and Sun, Detroit is defined by Motown, Sub Pop defined the Seattle sound...and then there's Jem Records, which made its home in the middle-class borough of South Plainfield, New Jersey. Jem, as well as its sub-labels like Passport (a joint venture with Seymour Stein of Sire Records) and PVC, became something of a cratedigger's dream in the 1970s and 1980s, licensing content from all over the

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Categories: Interviews Tags: Interviews, The Bongos

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