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October 2, 2019: In a Brooklyn cafe, baristas talking about iProducts: "Yeah, I was a little too young for iPods."
Listen to this show:
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Artist | Track | Album | Approx. start time | |||||||
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Chip Wickham | Soho Strut | Shamal Wind | ||||||||
Anemone | She's the One | Beat My Distance | 0:03:48 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Bee Gees | Kitty Can (alternate) | Idea | 0:07:01 (Pop-up) | |||||||
New Pornographers | Need Some Giants | In the Morse Code of Brake Lights | 0:09:14 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Lyman Woodard Organization | Funky Lyman | Lost & Found: The 1971 Unreleased Recordings | 0:13:06 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Mountain Goats | Get High and Listen to the Cure | Welcome to Passaic | 0:15:19 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Broken Bells | The High Road | Broken Bells | 0:21:25 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Mildlife | How Long Does It Take? | How Long Does It Take? | 0:24:54 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Lizzy Mercier Descloux | Bayadere | Best Off: Recordings 1980–81 | 0:31:33 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Rez Abbassi ft. Silent Ensemble | Wedding Preparation | A Throw of Dice | 0:35:26 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Crepes | Hidden Star | Hidden Star | 0:41:39 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Nicole Yun | Supernatural Babe | Paper Suit | 0:48:27 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Joan Armatrading | Call Me Names (I Love It When You) | The Key | 0:51:24 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Amendola vs. Blades | Hi-Lo | Everybody Wins | 0:55:16 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Danielson Familie | Body English / Runnin' to Brother | Tri-Danielson!!! | 1:01:40 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Beach House | Alien | Alien | 1:06:23 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Harold Land | One Second, Please | The Fox | 1:16:57 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Vijay Iyer | Composites | Reimagining | 1:22:09 (Pop-up) | |||||||
James Emery ft. Leroy Jenkins | Ashiata | Artlife | 1:28:09 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Jimi Hendrix Experience | Rainy Day, Dream Away / Still Rainin', Still Dreamin' | Electric Ladyland | 1:33:55 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Temples | Monuments | Hot Motion | 1:41:25 (Pop-up) | |||||||
The Passions | Oh No It's You | Michael & Miranda | 1:49:41 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Illiterate Light | Better Than I Used To | Illiterate Light | 1:54:02 (Pop-up) | |||||||
John Bach on Tonga Strings | 7 Popular Airs and Other Selections | John Bach on Tonga Strings [see note at bottom of comments] | 1:58:16 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Tot Taylor & Mick Bass | Sidewalk Symphony | Music for the Left-Handed | 2:29:42 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Imperial Teen | Yoo-Hoo | Live at Maxwell's 10/30/2002 | 2:33:12 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Dry Cleaning | New Job | Sweet Princess EP | 2:42:14 (Pop-up) | |||||||
The Joy Formidable | Forest Serenade | Wolf's Law | 2:44:58 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Soft Machine | Joy of a Toy | The Soft Machine | 2:48:42 (Pop-up) | |||||||
Laika | Marimba Song (Boo Boo's Gone Mambo) | Antenna EP | 2:51:39 (Pop-up) |
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Listener comments!
βrian:
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Roberto:
Laura L:
Irwin:
Listening Out There:
βrian:
AnAnonymousParty:
blee:
Jeff Moore:
AnAnonymousParty:
βrian:
AnAnonymousParty:
queems:
Phillippe Bastille:
VincentNifigance:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
...that's not ironic or witty or anything...
Carmichael:
Carmichael:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
...that is ironic & stuff...
Listener Robert:
Carmichael:
Carmichael:
AnAnonymousParty:
Irwin:
Alison Porchnik:
Roberto:
Blues Mandinga:
Alison Porchnik:
Irwin:
Carmichael:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Daniell:
AnAnonymousParty:
AnAnonymousParty:
Irwin:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
WillCrete:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
...oh I like this guy too...
Chi Bill:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Irwin:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Mike Sin:
Mike tp:
Carmichael:
Irwin:
Webhamster Henry:
geejee:
Webhamster Henry:
Liam in Denmark:
Thank you Irwin!
Alison Porchnik:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Righteous.
Ken From Hyde Park:
Carmichael:
Revolution Rabbit Nov63:
Webhamster Henry:
Irwin:
Irwin:
Robert Tables:
Liam in Denmark:
chris:
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Listening Out There:
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Listening Out There:
Mandy:
Mandy:
Michael 98145:
Irwin:
chris:
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Dave In St Albans UK:
Michael 98145:
Hoboken Jack:
Hoboken Jack:
Hoboken Jack:
Listener Robert:
EBrown:
Irwin:
"Tonga Strings" was an invention by my Uncle Jack (John) Bach, conceived to completion over the course of several years, loosely based on Theremin technology. The instrument itself resembled a very skinny bass, about 5 ft tall resting on the floor and played in a seated position.
In the 1950's, Uncle Jack, a Los Angeles resident, transported his Tonga Strings rig for several years to various SoCal based venues, where he set up his own booth decorated with a tropical flair, and performed these and other tunes. As a small boy, whenever my adoptive parents visited Aunt Ruth & Uncle Jack, I would usually wind up in my favorite place, his dedicated back yard workshop where I'd watch him tinker with the innards of his Tonga Strings instruments and associated amplifiers.
I last saw him in the mid 1950's at L.A.'s old Pan Pacific Auditorium Home Show, where he performed for the small groups of curious listeners attracted to this weird sound. Sad to say, I don't believe his efforts ever caught on to any great degree. I don't know who pressed the vinyl for this 33-1/3 LP, but the "Polygraph Records" label you see in the photo was produced in Aunt Ruth's & Uncle Jack's Polygraph Sign Co. manufacturing plant in L.A. My guess is Uncle Jack had a few dozen demo records cut locally, then transported and labeled at the Bach's sign shop.
Hope this helps to demystify your "Tonga Strings" find, as I doubt many others survived to this day!