Incredible Bongo Band: Bongo Rock : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Record exec Michael Viner never could have imagined that this goofy, bongo-obsessive novelty project would become an engine of cultural change. But it happened more than thirty years ago, when Bronx DJ Kool Herc began playing "Bongo Rock" and "Apache" to breakbeat-loving proto-hip-hoppers. Today, the Bongo Band's festive, drawn-out percussion solos and showy, cinematic brass have become synonymous with the sound of hip-hop's old school. This reissue of the group's two early-1970s albums (the first of which reportedly includes a cameo from Ringo Starr) displays the Bongo Band's surprising versatility, from the delicate, moody drama of "Kiburi" to the aggressive funk chug of "Okey Dokey." A bonus remix of "Apache," by Grandmaster Flash, milks the original's organ swells and surf guitar for maximum effect, and the band's oft-sampled version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is a playful and amusingly poppy departure from the original. There are some cheesy moments ("Wipeout," "Satisfaction"), but Bongo Rock is still a likable artifact from an exciting moment.