Though you may not recognize the name, the Incredible Bongo Band, created in the early 70’s, was made up of a revolving group of musicians put together by bongo player Michael Viner. This compilation features some amazing tracks from their short history. What’s different about this album from most put out during that time was that all the tracks featured the bongo as the lead instrument with no vocal accompaniment. Though you may think it’s some sort of gimmick album from a time period where organ and moog players came out with albums covering everything from the Beatles to Puff, the Magic Dragon, you may be right, but regardless, they ended up playing a huge part in music history.
The Incredible Bongo Band is one of a small group of artists that was (and still is) synonymous with the creation and evolution of hip-hop. Like Isaac Hayes and James Brown and Parliament/Funkadelic, this band has been sampled more times than most of us can count. While the band’s name may not ring a bell, perhaps the song “Apache” does. Even if that doesn’t, you’ve heard it being played by your favorite DJ or used by any number of music groups. That I can guarantee you.
This band is part of the blueprint of hip-hop. If you don’t believe that, then check out Grandmaster Flash’s remix version of Apache on the album. It’s pretty killer. Then listen to the Beastie Boys for several of the Bongo Band’s breakbeats and any other hip-hop group or DJ that came after them, and you will hear how Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band has influenced generations of musicians.
While some would begin and end with Apache, other standout tracks on Bongo Rock include the heavily sampled “Last Bongo in Belgium,” a cover of the Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and one of my personal favorite covers, “In-Gadda-Da-Vida” originally by Iron Butterfly. Though this short-lived band put out a total of three albums from 1972-1974 before calling it quits, this compilation really shows you just how good they were during their time, and you might even recognize a song or two. If you don’t get it from what I just said above, then I’ll make it perfectly clear. THIS ALBUM IS A MUST HEAR. |