Richard Barone, James Mastro

condition (record/cover): EX+ /EX- (cut out) 
For the uninitiated, Richard Barone was the front-man and bona fide fulcrum for the Bongos, a guitar-pop, mini-maelstrom based in Hoboken, NJ who circa the early '80s released a blush of inspired singles and eps, that were consistently critically lauded. As if 1983 wasn't an eventful year enough with the Bongos making a leap to a major label via the Numbers With Wings ep, Barone's creative juices were loaded for bear, so much so that a small body of songs were set aside from his meal primary ticket and dedicated to another endeavor Nuts and Bolts. His partner in rhyme, James Mastro had only jumped aboard the Bongos express midway through the band's career, but had already served as a backing guitarist on Richard Lloyd's excellent solo debut, 1979's Alchemy. The premise for Nuts and Bolts was democratic with each singer/strummer compiling their respective songs on one side apiece of the record.

Furthermore, it was a logical choice for Barone to put his six numbers here under a separate umbrella from the relatively rambunctious Bongos, given the more contemplative tenor of acoustic-enhanced pieces "Lost Like Me" and "I Threw a Falcon." Elsewhere on his side of this proposition, "I've Got a Secret" would have slotted in nicely with what the dB's were finagling with around the same time. As for the other side of the coin, Mastro's contributions are considerable, yielding the bouncy "In My Pocket" and the driving power-pop aplomb of "Jamais." If he wasn't already a consummate songwriter in his own right at this point, Mastro would in the near-future lend his talents to the likes of Marti Jones, Tim Lee (Windbreakers) and Jill Sobule, among other pursuits like the Health and Happiness Show whom I extoled about just a few months ago.