Pantheon - Podcasts for Music Lovers VINYL RELICS/Kongos (1971): The Tape-Loop Frontier
EPYSODE 59: "Kongos" by John Kongos.
Guest: John Kongos.
Additional commentary by Uncle Herff.
This week we drop the needle on "Kongos", the 1972 cult-favourite album that fused glam rock, African rhythms, early sampling, and psychedelic textures long before such mashups became the norm.
With exclusive commentary from John Kongos, we explore the bold studio experimentation behind tracks like “He’s Gonna Step on You Again”, a UK Top 5 hit that famously used tape loops and tribal drums, influencing artists from Happy Mondays to U2.
Kongos shares firsthand stories about working with producer Gus Dudgeon (Elton John), the intense sessions at Trident Studios, and how the album’s futuristic sound puzzled critics but built a cult following that still grows today.
This is a deep-dive into one of the most forward-thinking albums of the era...one that sounds as vital now as it did over 50 years ago.
I hope you dig "Kongos" as much as I do.
- Farmer John
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===THE MUSIC===
Songs used in this Epysode, in order of appearance. Here's a link to a Spotify playlist for all the tracks featured
( *denotes track is not available on Spotify):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/03Hc0ElOSr7zerfpLArswj?si=0c7745a5dafb4a61
WILLIE NILE "Vagabond Moon"
TOMMY STEELE “Rock With The Caveman”
CHET ATKINS “Mr. Sandman”
ARTISTS AGAINST APARTHEID “Sun City”
THE G-MEN “Campbell’s Rock”
*JOHNNY KONGOS & THE G-MEN “Cruel Sea”
JOHNNY KONGOS & THE G-MEN “It’s All Over Now”
JOHNNY KONGOS “Little Boy Cryin’”
JOHN T. KONGOS “I Love Mary”
FLORIBUNDA ROSE “Linda Loves Linda”
SCRUGG “Lavender Popcorn”
DALIAH LAVI “Oh, wann kommst du?”
JOHN KONGOS “Confusions About A Goldfish”
JOHN KONGOS “Blood”
JOHN KONGOS “Amendment To Confusions About A Goldfish”
JOHN KONGOS “Seat By The Window”
DAVID BOWIE “The Laughing Gnome”
ELTON JOHN “Your Song”
JOHN KONGOS "Tokoloshe Man"
JOHN KONGOS "Jubilee Cloud"
JOHN KONGOS "Gold"
JOHN KONGOS "Lift Me From The Ground"
JOHN KONGOS "Come On Down Jesus"
JOHN KONGOS "I Would Have Had A Good Time"
STEPHEN STILLS "Love The One You're With"
JOHN KONGOS "Try To Touch Just One"
RALPH McTELL "Streets Of London"
JOHN KONGOS "Tomorrow I'll Go"
JOHN KONGOS "He's Gonna Step On You Again"
JOHN KONGOS “Higher Than God’s Hat”
*JOHN KONGOS “Ride The Lightning”
JOHN KONGOS “I’m Dreaming”
*JOHN KONGOS “Blind Date”
THE HAPPY MONDAYS “Step On”
JOHN KONGOS “Nature’s Game”
KONGOS “I Am Not Me”
??MYSTERY ARTIST?? Tune in next week to find out...
NEWPORT ELECTRIC "If Wishes Were Horses"
^^ That's my band. This is shameless self-promotion!!
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