In 1983,
the Bongos signed with
RCA Records and made their label debut with the five-song EP
Numbers with Wings. Between having a major-label budget at their disposal, the new presence of an outside producer (
Richard Gotteher) and the addition of a fourth
Bongo (guitarist
Jim Mastro, who had joined after the release of
Drums Along the Hudson),
Numbers with Wings sounded considerably different than the group's earlier work, but this was a rare case where the bigger sound and added polish managed to reinforce
the Bongos' strengths rather than drowning them out. The group's leader and lead guitarist,
Richard Barone, had added a guitar synth to his arsenal for these sessions, and it adds a cool sheen to numbers like
"Sweet Blue Cage" and the title cut, and
Gotteher and producer
John Jansen give this material a considerably more spacious sound than
the Bongos had ever had before, with the drums and guitars sounding practically epochal compared to their early singles. This music is less tense and wiry than
Drums Along the Hudson, but
Barone's gift for writing a great and unique pop song did not fail him, and the tough rhythmic pulse of these songs is as sure-footed as anything the band would ever record.
The Bongos were a band with a keen sense of rhythm, so it made sense for them to record songs as dancefloor friendly as
"Numbers with Wings" and
"Barbarella," and the lush mystery of
"Sweet Blue Cage" makes it the most hauntingly beautiful thing this band would ever release. Very few bands that came out of the Hoboken Scene of the early '80s were well served by the notion of "Bigger Is Better," but
Numbers with Wings shows it worked for
the Bongos, at least for about 20 minutes. ~ Mark Deming
![Greatest Hits of the 80's [Sony]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0074645137520_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits of the 80's [Sony]")
