Bongo Rock

Was worried from the band name and title that this would be a gimmick, but it is genuinely great instrumental funk with lots of impressive percussion.

4.5 wowowow

Never heard of them.... Yet the first bars of the first song I realised I knew from some advert. A whole album of this would be too much in one sitting. Yet, there were tracks that I thoroughly enjoyed... Apache; Let there be drums; Raunchy '73; Satisfaction; Wipeout and Sharp Nine. Well worth a 4

11/07/23 9:40 S Tier————————— Apache Last Bongo In Belgium Bongo Rock A Tier————————— In A Gadda Da Vida Dueling Bongos Bongolia Satisfaction Raunchy ‘73 Wipeout B Tier————————— Let There Be Drums Sing Sing Sing When The Bed Breaks Down C Tier————————— D Tier—————————

Tuesday 11/7/2023, 9:38, office S Tier————————— Let There Be Drums Apache Okey Dokey A Tier————————— Last Bongo In Belgium In A Gadda Da Vida Bongolia Kiburi, Pt. 1 Pipeline B Tier————————— Dueling Bongos Raunchy ‘73 Sharp Nine Wipeout Satisfaction - I Can’t Get No Bongo Rock C Tier————————— Sing Sing Sing Hang Down Your Head… When the Bed Breaks Down…

I need more bongo!

Surprisingly good!

Before starting: Well this is certainly going to be new to me. 3 minutes in: OMG it's that one song This went surprisingly hard. Unfortunately towards the end I learned that there's such a thing as too much bongos

4 stars, great background music, kept making me think where have I heard this sound before but with a few less bongos?

I mean what do you expect? It's bongos. It's a great historical curiosity and well worth a listen. Plus it has that sample that everyone knows. 3.5/5

Way better than I thought a band based on bongos could be. Fun listen.

Fun instrumental album. Loved it

Shockingly good. I really thought I would hate it.

This was such a dumb album. Like why does it even exist? Why would anyone decide to make it? Why would it get greenlit? Anyway, I loved it.

很神奇的体验，90年代的电子音乐又新又老的感觉，还有民谣的味道，主唱声音好好听喔

4/10 Flashback memories of the 70s at its finest!!! Commercials, TV shows and Movies were flooded with this style music.

🥁🦟🦗🥁🦟🦗🥁🦟🦗🥁

Who doesn't love bongos?

If you had told me that someone was making a bongo forward album of funkified rock covers, I would have said, “That’s a brilliant idea and there is no way for that to fail,” and I would have been right.

Instrumental, but I knew some of the tunes.

I love how polarizing the reviews are

This was fun and different enough to be at least a little novel. Way more than just a bongo though, someone might be a little full of themselves

this is a CRAZY entry to this list. an 80 minute instrumental album where the main focus is bongos. it goes so hard though

I had a really fun time listening to this. It’s no masterpiece, but these songs just slap. I don’t know what to say; it’s just enjoyable and fun. Aphex Twin sampled ‘Apache’ in ‘Heliosphan’ and I’m a big Aphex Twin fan, so that’s cool. 4, since it’s not amazing, but I have a good chance of listening to this again.

Erm, haven't I had this one already? Anyway, I'm well acquainted with the cover of Apache from the many nights at the Tiger Lounge, and yes it's an all-timer. So what of the rest. Bongolia has similar vibes and I'm absolutely here for it. Great schlock. Less so the last Bongo in Belgium. In the Garden of Eden is a fun cover but again the bongos are secondary for most of it. Oh no wait, here they are! Half an hour is pretty much the correct length, don't bother with the bonus tracks. Half tempted to give it a 4 because I haven't had a good album all week. Nah, yeah, this is really fun, let's go to 4 town.

Shame they didn't go for the full 17 minute cover of In A Gadda Da Vida

This was a damn fun album. Bongos galore. Which I expected based on the band name and album title, but still! Groovy!

Enjoyable funk grooves. Mostly covers and nothing groundbreaking.

Enjoyed this one a lot. Funky instrumental bongo covers of famous songs.

actually goes pretty hard

Surprisingly, 4

Pretty fun! Not sure if I liked it enough to revisit but it was a good time.

Liked this a lot more than I thought I would! The samples were familiar and interesting.

This music slaps.

Great record. I only listened to the 8 tracks on the original release, not the super expanded stuff on streaming services. Just a lot of fun.

Blends together a bit, but some great standout tracks. Apache will always slap. The bongos.

Revolutionary rhythms

What an unexpected influential random gem. Will be giving this more spins

Música instrumental. Funk, rare groove, R&B. Un megahit. Está muy bien. Un 4.

Je suis un grand fan de funk comme tout comme l'illustre Sinclair, cêst donc tout naturellement que j'accorde la note de 4/5 à cet excellent album.

Very unique, a few covers but both interestingly done. Love the bongos and how they made it sound very funky

One of the best instrumental albums I’ve heard.

Pretty good. I expected something repetitive, but it was surprisingly varied.

Incredible Bongo Band was created by film and record producer Michael Viner. The band formed in '72 to assist with the creation of chase music for the soundtrack of the film The Thing With Two Heads. From there, they went on to be a pop cover band, reimagining pop hits in their percussion heavy style. The have a funky soulful sound to their music, with the strong bass and percussion parts. The song Apache launched this band and album to legendary status as it has been excessively sampled (Sugarhill Gang, The Shadows, Beastie Boys, Nas, Aphex Twin, Goldie, Moby.... and on and on), and helped DJ's who sampled it create the sounds that would be the formation of hip hop. Overall, a fun, different album today. Not something I would necessarily gravitate to, but the music was fun and made you want to move. The runtime of this album is around 1hr 18mins, and it certainly didn't feel like that when listening to it. I was worried that bongos for that long may get old quick, but there were enough other instruments featured that it wasn't all bongos all the time. Favourite songs: Wipeout, In A Gadda Da Vida, Bongolia, Satisfaction - I Can't Get No, Apache, Dueling Bongos, Okey Dokey, Sing Sing Sing, Sharp Nine Least favourite songs: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley Your Tie's Caught in Your Zipper 4/5

4.0

7/10. BONGO

Really not as bongo centric as you might believe. It’s kinda just a collection of funk band tunes and covers. Very enjoyable. 8/10

antaa sitä mitä mainostaa.. jokaisessa biisissä ainakin jonkin verran bongotusta.. alkuosuus albumissa täyttä bongotaivasta.. bongalicious bongotusta. sitten aletaan unohtaa juuret.. bongot laitetaan osittain taustameluksi ja kokeillaan johonkin uusiin sfääreihin menoa......EI. sanon minä...bongot ovat enään...eräänlainen kaiku...the echo of a distant time,comes willowing across the sand..... apache

Great! My 3rd listen. It just get's better each time. Standouts: Let there Be Drums, Apache, Last Bongo in Belgium, Bongolia, Dueling Bongos, In-a-Gadda-Da-Vita, Bongo Rock Score: 4/5

Way more awesome than I was expecting

This is pretty funky. Would listen again.

Apache of course an absolute bop, a lot of bongos in the middle, and then the instrumental ancestral jams of some of favorites such as Mother Fuckin Budos Band and Bacao Rythym & Steel

De link naar Spotify brengt mij naar de versie van 2006. De bandnaam Incredible Bongo Band en de albumtitel doen deze muziek te kort. Natuurlijk biedt de Bongo de basis. Maar er wordt toch echt een geheel van instrumenten ter gehore gebracht. Ik snap het wel. Dit was (vast) één van de eerdere bands die muziek van anderen pikte en daar een drumbeat overheen gooide. (Je zou ze modern kunnen noemen.) Maar wel met zorg. Het geeft de nummers vaak meer power. Laten we het eerste nummer Apache als voorbeeld nemen, want dat is verreweg het beste nummer. Die slagwerk-solo is prima. Maar daar luistert niemand een hele cd lang naar. Het zijn de eerste twee minuten die het nummer geweldig maken. De basis van de Shadows wordt prachtig gepimpt, waar de drumbeat een belangrijke rol bij heeft. Binnen één muzikaal thema wordt in die minuten wordt heel wat afwisseling geboden. Het is niet voor niets dat dit nummer zo vaak is gebruikt in mixen.

actually pretty good

Very enjoyable listen. Great musicianship and catchy tunes, particularly the opener and the cover of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. In the high 4's, but 4/5 for now. In my YTM library.

first listen incredibly funky bongo infused jam band

Every track is a banger

Alot of fun listening to this. Funky 70s vibe and tons of percussion.

It has a great 70s funky vibe that I enjoyed, this albums is like a best of late 60s/early 70s album with bongos & percussion. It's one of those albums that I wouldn't have discovered if it wasn't for my 1001 Albums challenge.

This album is fun, it's also a pretty odd concept but overall it has a good vibe and is easy to listen to. I don't know much I can say about this one except I definitely recognize a number of the tracks from being sampled in other songs. I didn't know this album existed but enjoyed listening to it. Standout Tracks: Let There Be Drums, Apache, Bongolia, In a Gadda Da Vida, Raunchy '73, Bongo Rock '73

Instrumental, percussion heavy, covers album. Yes please. Lots of samples and inspiration from this one.

so far, this is awesome. That is all.

1970s NFL Films would not exist without this record!

not much to say about this album really — The Incredible Bongo Band more than deliver on their name, and their mission is a great success. Bongo Rock is a rich instrumental album which places great emphasis on the vibe more than anything else. what results is a meaty, illustrious collection of funkified tunes that feel light and catchy. this is the kind of background music that eats at you until you have no choice but to pay attention to it. and thank goodness for the meticulous detail and beautiful compositions of each song, so that when you finally give it your rapt attention, all that you hear are delicious bongos, reverberative trumpets, sublime pianos and organs; all of which tie together without ever feeling overwhelming. of course the bongos are the real star here — not once do they pull focus, but are also never left in the dust. even without any vocals, the bongos speak for themselves. “Wipeout”, “Kiburi, Pt. 1”, and “In a Gadda Da Vida” are the most evocative here — where the bongos scream freedom, desire, and passion all at once. and you can’t help but feel these emotions alongside.

Very good percussion album, mixed with 70’s electro.

Música instrumental. Funk, rare groove, R&B. Un megahit. Está muy bien. Un 4.

very good 8/10

Nice.

Very much of its time, and later times too seeing how much it's been sampled since. Quite muddy production values?

Marvelous! Completely unexpected but a new favourite

S A M P L E S

Some amazing tracks

Noice

Loved. Nice soundtrack. Apache.

TIL I like funky bongo instrumental music. This is a fun album that would be both good "in the zone" and good "tune out in the background" music at the same time

Why is this as good as it is.

Fun, cinematic, funky. Enjoyed the first half a lot. Last Bongo in Belgium was my favorite

Very boogie-able album, very fun. 4.5

I thought I’d never heard Incredible Bongo Band before. It’s a name that’s pretty hard to forget if I’m being honest. However, a look online shows that this version of Apache has been sampled many times in hip-hop. That’s pretty rad. Songs I already knew: none of these particular versions Favourites: Apache, Bongolia I wasn’t expecting such well rounded funk from such a comically named band, but this was such a fun album! No vocals to be found anywhere, with the instruments doing all the talking. The bongos do tend to be the centre of attention which is rare with any percussion instrument (I know piano is percussion, but you know what I mean). Overall, a very fun album. Very easy to dance to. I’ll likely be adding this to any party playlists.

I like it. Peppy background music.

Badoem toem toem

This album has been sampled so many times you might as well hear where it came from. It might be a little too much bongo for some, but it’s really cool.

so much better than it has any business being

The cover of Apache is cool. Dear god what were the 70's? where you had a charting bongo cover band?

I love this albums groove, a number of songs being reused and referenced in the future

A fun surprise

hoooooly shit

Surprisingly enjoyable to listen to. Liked Apache the most. Didn’t think I’d like the bongos so much!

Really cool to listen to.

Bongos! As the name suggests, it's an Incredible Bong Band, with an album full of kind of cinematic music, like taken from 70s action movies. Bongos are really prominent throughout the album, but surprisingly not always at the forefront - sometimes, like in the song "Apache", they just set up the mood and work as a simple drum beat, whereas the orchestral instruments take all the cake, creating a really fun and catchy song, definitely a highlight of the album. Bongo Rock is an instrumental record, which also work well, leaving a lot of space for the incredible bongos to put influence on the songs. Simply - it's a very fun album, good for a quirky change of mood during a party, to uplift and wake up everyone. Is it good enough for the list of "must listen to" albums, though? I guess 1000 albums is a lot, so they have to fill it with something, unfortunately The Beatles didn't record 1000 LPs, otherwise it would be easy job.

You had me at "Bongo rock"!

4.5

Well this was just fun! Like listening to the soundtrack of B movies from the 70s - I mean this as a positive. Lively, upbeat, bongo-centric 70s jazzy musak - what's not to love? Seriously, I would listen to this again, it would be great party music, I love the vibe.

I never thought I'd like this album as much as I did based off the name.

Super-fun album!

Very cool. Chill jazzy bongo vibes

Go off, Bongo King 👑

Fun mix of covers and originals in an instrumental format.

Very interesting and fun. Great background music.

I am not sure how to evaluate this one. As a stand alone album it is OK. However, the influence on hip-hop, and the direct use of samples, makes it incredibly influential. Not quite a novelty album, but close. Also worth pointing out that Perry Botkin, Jr., a major contributor, also wrote Nadia's Theme (really the theme from The Young and the Restless), which was huge in the 70s. The influential aspect wins me over.

Very fun album. I particularly enjoyed Dueling Bongos

Bong-er l'album !

Very cool and catchy. Enjoyed the whole album. Didn’t leave me wanting more tho.

Clearly an influence. Timeless.

This was much more enjoyable than expected, apache is a certified banger. For sure going to listen again, not quiet sure I can explain why but can't justify giving this a 5 so it's a solid 4

Kinda bizarre that this is on this list, but whatever. Loved it

Bongo FURY.

Hah, quite the fun listen! I've heard this version of "Apache" countless times but didn't really know where it originated, so it's good to get some context. I definitely want to check out the tabla tribute to this album, heh. Fave track - "Apache", obvs, but also their version of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is great, and "Okey Dokey" is another song that's used loads and it's good to pin to down its origin....

Fun and unique. Great cocktail music

Awesome album

I knew Apache cause I've heard it in a lot of things - just didn't know where it was from Bongolia my favorite Overall so good, made me feel like I was on a remote island

Solid for its genre

I like this way more than I thought I would

Has more of an Ocean's Twelve feel than I expected, and I am here for all of it. An overall joy.

This was a surprise find. Loved the beat although I thought I wont like it much

Really cool funky album with some fusion elements.

Muy bueno

A sweet idea for a novelty album, boasted by its 70s era earnest corniness. The song they sampled in that one Fresh Prince episode is on here so that rocks. This would be rated much higher if everything on Side B wasn't so mid! Side A slaps hard, though.

First is worth and famous

its a bunch of well known songs played on bongos XDD not that bad lol. i thought it was gonna be much worse tbh

This was a fun funky fee number. With bongos.

They sure are incredible based on this album. Very glad they didn’t just make the whole album all bongos all the time but just kept them a prominent feature more than anything

fun, bongotastic, depends on how much bongo you want in your day. some days that will be nil, other days you might want 20 minutes or so

The whole story behind this group and the fact that it was formed for a soundtrack fascinated me. The few songs "Apache" & "Last Bongo In Belgium" are so noteworthy as they are sampled on pretty well-known pieces. Jim Gordon was involved? Derek & The Dominoes' Jim Gordon? Oh, wow! "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" I liked, but having it be instrumental felt a bit too cheesy. The original Iron Butterfly version is cheesy enough. The CD has a lot of bonus tracks on it. The original album, just the 8 tracks, I rate higher than with the bonus stuff. I did not like what they particularly did with "Wipeout" or "Satisfaction", for example. "WipeOut" sounded like the batteries on the player were slowing down as they were playing. By the time I was on the bonus tracks I felt they were scraping the bottom of the barrel. I liked this album quite a bit, but there's just... something off about it. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's all the covers. It reminds me a bit of the whole "Hooked On Classics" / "Up With People" thing. It feels too.... white? Sterile? It seems that way in particular with the bonus tracks. So it was good, and I may get it at some point, but it wasn't mind-blowing.

I liked this much more than I expected

Hot damn, I enjoyed that a lot more than I was expecting to! That In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida cover hits better than the original! This gives you all the groovy rocking 70s energy you need to pump up the day. It’s fun, I’m a fan.

4/20/2022 😉 Today's Album: "Bongo Rock" by Incredible Bongo Band - This is a really great album. It is essentially a cover album (with maybe a few original tracks) with an emphasis on bongos and the genre of rock. The tracks are all instrumental and it gives the record a big-band sort of feel, with a lot of horns and guitars joining in on the foundation of bongos. I think I like it most when they're covering a song I know fairly well, like the intro song Apache (cover of do the hustle), Sing Sing Sing, Satisfaction, and Wipeout. They bring a lot of new flavor to these songs with the aforementioned instrumentation. Apache really is the best song on this album. The horn melodies are just so beautiful and it sounds so funky and cool. The song Pipeline is one that I am not sure whether or not it's a cover, but it is a really good representation of the incredible groove this group is able to pull off, and although no track meets the initial high of Apache, a lot of them sound fantastic with a filled out mix and crisp production. I definitely could not call any of these songs bad and the long list of highlights is a testament to that. Aside from that, there isn't much else to say about this album. If you like rock instrumentals with a bongo focus that almost toes the line of jazz fusion, give this one a listen. It kept my attention through a vast amount of it and some moments were extremely impressive. It's just a bunch of great instrumental tracks done to near perfection. Score: 8/10 Fantastic instrumental tracks Highlights: Apache, Bongolia, Last Bongo in Belgium, In A Gadda Da Vida, Bongo Rock, Satisfaction, Wipeout, Pipeline, Okey Dokey, Sharp Nine

Pretty solid bongo album. I dare say the best bongo album out there in my eyes.

They’re the kings of bongo baby.

bongos good, unbongos not so much

Every hip hop track in the 80s and 90s owes an eternal gratitude to these funky drum breaks. Must have been a hell of party to record this!

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Apache, Satisfaction

fand ich sau cool, einige Klassiker dabei und overall sehr kurzweilig, vor allem natürlich Apache das ultimative sample

Very fun funky album. The guitar riffs, the bongos, the saxes - amazing.

Much better than what I thought it might sound like.

A little bit surf rock, a little bit glam rock, a little bit jazzy, a lotta bit funky and so many bongos! More than a few of these songs reminded me of stuff you'd hear in a Quentin Tarantino movie. Listening to it straight through would be a lot but it feels more like a compilation of hits than a true front-to-back album. I love the covers of rock songs too. And man, those drum solos! How many drummers did they have? Really fun stuff.

Bongos! (obviously lol). All instrumental. Fun album.

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Apache, Last Bongo in Belgium, In A Gadda Da Vida, Bongo Rock Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Look, this is an instrumental album by the "Incredible Bongo Band" entitled "Bongo Rock". This is not high art, nor should it be. This is fun. I dare you to not feel the groove at least a couple times on this album. If you're listening on Spotify only the first 8 songs were on the original release, so it doesn't even overstay its welcome. Let the bongos play. Low 4.

Really cool sounds. Was unexpected fun

Bongos !!

this has got to be Spider dijon.

Donkey Kong really knows how to bang those Bongos

Most of the samples from early to mid-90s hip hop come from here. I've never heard them in full, this is a disc I will easily buy and put on for background music. 4.5/5.

Lots of fun, especially Apache.

Well, I know the first song - one of the first building blocks of hip hop! It's a really fun, danceable album. It's hard to say much more about 8 tracks of cinematic bongo funk!

Love the drums & bongos

Apache starts off the 💿 and I was waiting for Chicago to start singing! It reminded me of some of their songs . Lots of fun stuff, flute, bass bongo who can resist

Fantastic and fun album! Loved anything with fun drums like this and that opening song I think was used as a sample for Jump On it? I don't know if that's the title but it sounded identical to Apache.

This one was fun. Lots of cool bongo covers of different songs Favorite song: In A Gadda Da Vida

Down wit it. Def a m00d

All the beats are here. This was a really fun listen. Don’t think I had ever listened to this right through before, but recognised so many of the beats and breaks littered through the entire history of hip hop. Some of the instrumental sections - notably Last Bongo - sound of their time, but the beat is uplifting and forward-looking throughout. Kiburi, Pt 1 with its vocal section was a find for me. Incredible indeed.

I did not expect to like this album so much but it is a great album

A super significant album in the history of both hip-hop and drum and bass. This album became something that it was never intended to be because of the desire to repackage existing music into new dance music. That alone would be enough to recommend this album as a historical document. However, the album kicks ass too. Well worth a listen

Surprisingly good.

Recognised a few of the tunes, and it was quite different to my usual listening habits so a nice change!

Great album!

I know I've heard samples of songs on this album.

Extremely groovy. The songs flow in to each other and create a very unique and well constructed whole.

Groovy. A bit too many instruments that aren’t bongos though, just a bit of constructive criticism

Mycket grooves, catchy, en riktig fröjd!

An absolute mainstay on the car stereo for years now. Never gets old, somehow.

It was cool, so interesting to listen. I never thought bongos could rock, but goddamn, they do, so so cool

Surprisingly, a fun listen! I like that they caught our attention with famous tunes while ultimately showcasing the bongo focus of the album .

Quite good covers of various songs. Enjoyed.

I liked this album a lot. Different than most of the other stuff we've listened to but fun to have on

Super enjoyable and fun.

Amazing songs on this album. The contrast between this and boring bluegrass rock can't be more stark. But, why do half the songs sound the same? Highlights: Apache, Bongolia

absolutely incredible, one of the most delicious albums - also one where you get used to hearing the samples all over the place so there's a certain 'huh?' quality to it last bongo in belgium - who would have thought I'd be playing air guitar to a bongo track? what's even the deal here? who made this record? what had they eaten? can I have some of it?

In this household we love and support jazz. All jazz!

Bongo

cool stuff 4/5!

Great for movie soundtracks

unique quirky sound, I liked it.

I judged this PRETTY hard before I listened to it. Yo… I loved it!

Lekker origineel en best leuke muziek

I think I’d probably give the vinyl of this 5 stars but what’s on Spotify is a bit of a mess.

Escuché ahí un sampleo muy chido de Beastie Boys.

Woah

funky.

I’m a little confused why this is on the list, it’s quite fun and I like it but it’s derivative and seems like a cover band. Nonetheless I enjoy it so it’s getting a good score. This for me, is will and Carlton at the dance off. Ha.

Thought this was really fun to listen to. Recognized more than I thought I would.

A definite vinyl purchase. Wonderful stuff.

Love bongo

The songs were good however some were not as enjoyable.

Not bad but got redundant over time.

Yup, that's bongo music all right. Not really meant for deep listening I guess but surprisingly pleasant, especially on a hot summer day. The In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida cover provided a throwback chuckle.

It's cool to see where a lot of samples have originated from, so it's an interesting listen for this album. It's a decent enough instrumental album, nothing too crazy but enjoyable. I would put this on ad background music, but I did find it started to drag towards the end. Pretty good, didn't blow me away. Fav Track: Apache

I liked this. You can see where a lot of artists got samples from.

Odd choice for this list. I did enjoy listening to it, once, just for the curiosity, but while Apache deserves all the credit for its enabling role in the creation of hip hop, this album mainly holds interest only to DJs and academics. It's fun to think about all of the great tunes that used these beats, and to imagine what it must have been like at the original hip hop parties in 1970s Bronx where Kool Herc and others used records like this to invent the concept of a break beat, but the record itself is not very interesting.

fun cocktail music for a tiki party? I was surprised to recognize "Apache".

I don't know about incredible, kind of taxing. 3.2/5

Bongo Rock (1973) is an uplifting album that's perfect for an afternoon or early evening listen. It also works really well as background music while having dinner with friends. The album has an exotic, African-inspired vibe that gives it a warm and energetic atmosphere. My favorite track was "Kiburi Pt. 1." I especially enjoyed the first three songs, which set my expectations quite high. While the rest of the album is still enjoyable, many of the tracks follow a similar rhythmic pattern, so they don't stand out as much individually. Overall, it's a solid and enjoyable listen, even if it becomes a bit repetitive at times.

This record is probably on here because of its significant influence on hip hop. The song "Apache" alone has been a consistent source for sampling up until the present. This is really a novelty record, providing a series of instrumental covers of a variety of popular songs. What saves it is that they are instrumental covers with excellent arrangements and memorable percussion. At its best, those covers are really memorable large ensemble funk/soul instruments. This is most represented by Apache and Bongo Rock. At worst, those covers are fairly entertaining novelties. The song "Last Bongo in Belgium" really drags at nearly 7 minutes long and "Dueling Bongos" is kind of dull despite being fairly short. However, they are exceptions. My take is that this works better at the individual song level and these songs really work well in a mix setting and that those individual songs are more important than the album as an album.

Honestly pretty good, those folks can bongo

Interesting instrumental album of mostly cover songs. There are a few standout songs that allegedly inspired hip-hop music. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Apache Let There Be Drums Bongolia Last Bongo iIn Belgium In a Godda Da Vida Raunchy '73

This was much better than I feared when I saw the title 'Bongo Rock'. I don't think I'll return to the album in the future, but it was pretty alright, and the history around it is pretty cool. Standouts Apache Bongolia 3/5

Bien, pero not 4 me

5/10

I must say, Not very interesting

I was not aware of this band before, but they were pretty interesting. Probably not something I'd listen to a lot, but I'm glad it exists.

Pleasant enough. I won't return to it, but it was a nice change of pace.

Better than I was expecting. Felt like I was assembling a heist crew.

Interesting listen recognised a lot of it

Incredible

Loved that I was able to hear where a lot of songs got samples from but my god this went on a bit too much

I feel nothing from that

Needs more bongos

kinda like one of the foundational albums eh.. one of the breakbeat originators... and yet the album itself is just fine

Music for sampling and heist movies.

I am imagining this was a compassion project where one guy wouldn't shut up about bongos so much that his exasperated friends finally gave in and agreed to record an album and let him play the bongos until his hands fell off. There are some sort of neat, funky, 70's jams here. The neat parts last about 30 seconds in each song until there is a percussion break. The thing about bongos is that they aren't all that dynamic or interesting in a band setting. I respect the bit and it's an interesting gimmick.

I was bought a set of bongos for my birthday a few years ago and there’s usually limited opportunities to play along to records. But imagine my joy? A whole album! Not sure my wife feels the same way though.

The first few songs were probably my favorite but pretty enjoyable throughout. So interesting to hear the original after it’s been sampled so much. Also a lot of fun to slap your belly to like you’re one of the bongos. Rating: 3.3

5/10

Opened up for today’s selection. See this. My face goes…🤔. Track 1 ends. I think I like this. By the end of “Let There Be Drums” I’m adding to my streaming library. It’s interesting for sure. Quite funky.

Бонгзилла

This was a dated album that I nevertheless found fun to listen to.

Great funk album with some super catchy beats and instrumentals.

Fav- when the bed breaks down I’ll meet you in the spring

Was pretty good, instrumental, not just bongos. Good background music perhaps.

Based off the name, and the high number of covers, I assumed this would be a joke album or a bit of a gimmick. Surf rock riffs with bongos and blaxsploitation style funk with bongos. And those hiphop sample moments. It’s fine, and at times, pretty good actually.

Needs more bongo

There are some great tracks - but over the course of a full album. Too much bongo

Better than expected. Unashamedly kitsch.

It kicks off with some tight, very precise numbers which are very exciting - legendary even. But then after that it's a lot looser, sprawling, less organised, sounding more like experiments pointing towards something greater. It is interesting to hear a series of covers performed in a radically different way. They’d make a great TV chat show band or a backing band for an artist writing originals. It’s harmless, cheesy fun.

Way better than i expected, i was ready to hate it but it was consistently enjoyable! Low to solid 3!

It's a lot of fun, but no one needs this much bongo.

Unfortunately hard to categorize as something without a gimmick. I enjoyed this but I’m not sure when I’ll come back to it.

This is a questionable but interesting inclusion in the project. I say questionable because it doesn't seem to have been that significant when it came out, or praised by eg critics, seems to have been included only because it was later used by emerging hip-hop? I say interesting because I did like the sound of a lot of it, on first time through - I guess there's been a thorough remaster in the version I'm listening to - a lot of the original lines are very good, were session musos just that funky in 1973? A lot of the arranging is sweet (particularly Apache), much is rather tedious, pulling my impression of the album down. When I go back to decide which songs I'll Like for future reference, most of them aren't that solid ... Overall I'll say it's Okay, 6/10.

A solid chunk of instrumentals made after a couple of the songs (Bongo Rock and Bongalia) were made for a cheesy b-film (The Thing with Two Heads). They were well liked enough that an album followed, with six original songs along with covers of Apache and In A Gadda Da Vida. This album is fine. Like, the music is pleasant, and I had a good time listening to it. But it's on this list because the number of samples that have come from this one album is insane, and most of the fun really comes from spotting those. Still worth it just as music, but really, you're here for the samples.

An incredible ride through the hits

More entertaining than other bands we’ve encountered purporting themselves as being “incredible” at their instrument. Looking at you, “Incredible String Band!!”

I mean, there's a lot of bongo. But this is also more than just bongos. Some pretty good fun to be enjoyed here.

In the right context, this is great.. on its own it's a bit dry

Listening session: may 7th, while going for a walk Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: there were indeed a lot of bongos, and while I appreciated the groovy percussion, I think this album could’ve been a lot shorter Favourite tracks: Apache, In A Gadda Da Vida & Bongolia

Well this was something different, initially it felt lots of fun and it kicked off with a classic; a version of Apache. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm waned a little as the album progressed.

Älskar band- och albumnamnkombinationen! Själva musiken blev tröttsam i längden, men ibland svängde det verkligen.

It is what it says on the tin. It's got rock. It's got bongos. I think I've heard and enjoyed better rock and better bongos, though. I give this album 3 bongos out of 5.

So many songs sampled this it’s crazy.

This album is almost exactly what it proclaims to be. This is, approximately, rock music, and bongos live at the heart of it. It is also pretty good. Cool bongos, cool songs, and more abound. This was also a fun reunion with Apache, a song that I played a lot in high school pep band. But yeah, I don't have a lot to say to this. It is groovy, fun, and rockin, and there are bongos. The bongos, admittedly, feel a little like a gimmick, the word bongo is in literally every song name. But this is also only 33-ish minutes long, so it doesn't overstay it's welcome. Edit: Not changing my rating, but of additional note, is that this album is of deep cultural significance to Hip-Hop. This has been estimated to be, perhaps, the most sampled album ever, and even just on a first listen, I noticed the break at the end of Last Bongo In Belgium is used extensively on Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun by The Beastie Boys. See if you can find any more. Regardless, it's kind of a neat second life for this odd little album.

Bongos everywhere! I loved it. Maybe a little bit long but I never knew that this was a thing and I feel enriched that this knowledge has been passed on to me. Brill and will definitely listen again.

It's like a soundtrack to a 60's spy movie that never existed. Bongos (natch), reverb drenged guitar, soul-lite horns, funky bass and more bongos. Bongos. Best Tracks: Let There Be Drums; Apache; Bongolia

Honestly the bongos pleasantly surprised me

Sampling catnip, with hallmarks of everything that should irk me. A vanity project by a self indulgent exec that was forced into the mainstream by putting themselves on film scores etc. However, it's pretty decent, but as an album too listen to end to end, dare I say it...too much bongos.

Muy entretenido

This album is a lot more fun than I anticipated it would be. Apache is an earworm

Mama was queen of the mambo Papa was king of the Congo Deep down in the jungle I start bangin my first bongo

I was honestly hesitant at first, but I ended up enjoying it far more than I expected. It’s certainly not the most memorable record I’ve ever heard, nor a contender for one of my favorites, but the bongos are just so fun.

One of the most 70's albums I've ever heard, enjoyable in chunks but as a whole the bongos become overwhelming

güzel la

они милые, но когда начинается бонго-соло я перестаю наслаждаться. хочется больше труб! дайте мне удивительную духовую банду

It's bongo alright

Surprisingly not bad.

No. 156 Well this is a lot of fun. No grand artistic statement here just a bunch of talented musicians.

A fun covers album to party to! Feels like a good time in a bottle. Not much poetry in it, but it’s nice.

It's fine. Get's repetitive. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

la verdad que musicalmente es muy bueno pero no lo escucharía yo un dia común ni tampoco creo que iría a un show pero la musicalidad que tiene es increíble

grew on me as listened.

I really liked hearing apache. 800 samples is iconic - fun beats but i got bored

Pretty good instrumental album. Nice arrangements, nice to listen to in the background. Pleasant surprise, but not what I would drive around to.

best cool album

Different. Decent. In a gadda was a jam.

Nothing spectacular, but really fun to listen to from time to time

A fun album, but I got over it pretty quickly.

A kind of funky/surfy library music filled with bongos. I can't see why it's in this list, but I always have fun with this album for sure!

What the hell, sure! Definitely enjoyable, but I don't think I would relisten tbh

A bunch of dudes got together in the early seventies to write the songs to be sampled in eighties rap songs and played at sports arenas.

This album exceeded my expectations of what a bongo band can be- incredible bongo band is a great name. Got me through physics which is quite the feat. I just dont really see myself listening to them much in the future though- theres lots of other stuff id much rather listen to.

Pretty fun

Bongo bongo, Intsremental Musik die doch eine gute Basis hat

Standouts Apache

Own this album. Great stuff

Like it

How much bongo is too much bongo? About 70 minutes it turns out, but then I accidenatlly listened to an extended version of this album, which should have only been 33 minutes. Either way, i enjoyed this, it's been sampled to death by just about everyone, so it was nice to pick out the odd little drum beats and work out where they were from. Nas mainly, but also Suguarhill Gang, Massive Attack, Goldie, Leftfield and so many more. I think this is a niche that the world is crying out for more of, bring back bongo!

Funk.

Priem

I like it

3/5. The groups name and album title do not lie, this is an album with a lot of bongos. Though it is not only percussive, there’s a healthy serving of funk as well and a lot of instrumental covers. to me though the most interesting thing about this album is what a treasure trove of samples it is. There were several times where my ears perked up and I thought “oh, I recognize that.” And when it’s at its best there’s some really good grooves on here. However it is just about an hour long and the album starts to run out of steam a bit in the back half as the gimmick starts to wear thin. Still, glad I got to hear this, don’t know if I ever would have otherwise.

3.5

3.5

No private session used for Spotify. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this album, it's groovy, like Paul's Boutique sample/Grandmaster Flash groovy.

The what now? This was great. Would I play it again? Maybe on a long car journey.

3.5

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this album; I'm just not sure why it exists. This is a bunch of talented studio musicians recording an esoteric selection of covers (and a few simple originals), all focused on disco-style beats with extended percussion breaks and, as the name suggests, an awful lot of (quite good) bongo playing. "Apache" is certainly recognizable since it's been sampled a thousand times, but the whole album kinda sounds like it was written and recorded for the sole purpose of being used in some distant future Tarantino soundtrack.

Well it said I was going to get "Bongo Rock" and I believe that is exactly what was on offer here. Lots of bongos! There were a couple of places where I thought I had experienced enough bongos, but I was proven incorrect. The album itself is great, but the filler on Spotify was less so. Three stars, more for the smile it put on my face than any actual musical quality.

te escucho 2/3 canciones pero el album entero me parece codicia de más

Saw someone say this sounds like old spy movies and that's spot on. Instrumental, heavy on the bongos obviously, but the rest of the music is quite catchy. Apache is next and this is where the breakbeat is apparently sampled from in tons of old school hip hop songs. There's some variety in the music going forward but the drums are a constant. The tribal rhythms are so satisfying to listen to, and it's full of horns, organ and other bits of orchestration. Last Bongo In Belgium is more yacht rock than anything, which I do like, and Dueling Bongos removes the orchestra to focus on, well... dueling bongos. Then, if you wanted to know what a bongo heavy cover of In A Gadda Da Vida would sound like, you'll get your wish. The last couple of tracks are quite joyful and good. Look, as a historical artifact this is super interesting and seems to merit its inclusion on the list. For me, the music is worth listening to in its own right, as long as you don't mind some very kitschy 70s sounds. And bongos. Lots of bongos. ***

Fun...if you like bongos.

Would not buy

I'll give it to them, they are an incredible bongo band

On every album on this list so far I have waited until I listened through the entire album before I started writing my thoughts. Not this time though. Before I even started I wanted to write down how happy I was when I read the band and album name. Its not something I have ever heard before and not something I would have imagined I would listen to today but instantly I an very hyped up. Unusual and unexpected albums is exactly what I want to find! After having listened through the album it was everything I expected. In a good way. The rhythms and feel of the album are great. It felt like an OST for a 70s or 80s movie and Wikipedia told me that was correct, although the year was way of. I had a really good time listening through this and even though its not music I would listen to every day its something I can really appreciate once in a while.

Угарная в целом хуйня, но почему она тут.. Я уже ничему не удивляюсь за эти годы

Pretty ok.

I enjoy Apache as much as the next peson, but a whole album of this is too much. It's a novelty band.

3.5/5

Apache is iconic. I was really feeling it, then "Dueling Bongos" kinda killed the vibe and I couldn't get the feeling back

3/1 Pretty good album. Makes me thing of DKC and the Ape Out soundtracks

It’s okay, but I’m not particularly interested in bongo solos I think. The other music and instruments were nothing special, but not bad.

Я пока не совсем понимаю, как оценивать полностью инструментальный альбом, но он прикольно звучит. Поставил себе фоном, играя в Айзеке, клёво чо)

gran album, muy innovador, nunca habia escuchado un sonido asi, la verdad esta bueno pero al ser pura instrumental me aburre un toq, si tuviera una voz normalita seria alto album

#urlaubsrezension Wenn ich das zu Hause gehört hätte gäbe es jetzt böse Kommentare zur Bongo im allgemeinen und dem hier im speziellen. Im Urlaub aber echt lustige Arrangements, Instrumentals auch Mal cool und zum Frühstück machen in der Sonne fein