The energy itself in Richard's music is enough to get one to listen to it, but then the lyrics go ahead and put a deep twist on it. Definately one of my most listened to albums. I can't wait to hear more from Richard. Keep 'em coming Rich, I know that your soul has a lot more to tell us.
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I have pretty much everything Richard Barone has recorded. I started collecting his work in cassette back when it was coming out in the 1980s. I've been replacing my cassettes with CDs when possible and came across Mr. Barone's website and saw this CD being offered. I had to have it, if only for the cuts not previously avaialbe. It's an excellent collection of his work. I see he is working on a new record now and I will definitely be getting it when it comes out.
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Long before tribute compilations became omnipresent, Richard Barone made a bold and visionary decision early in his career as a recording artist.  He sprinkled his own albums of original material with some really striking and insightful cover versions, selecting carefully from among his musical idols of the ‘60s and ‘70s.  For most fledgling recording artists catering to the indie/college market, this would have been a risky move, but not for Richard.  His interpretations hit their intended target every time, and suddenly Richard found himself consorting with the inner circles of such legends as David Bowie, Lou Reed and Donovan, to name a few.  The most notable example came out of Richard’s love for the music of Marc Bolan.  Not only is Richard’s next album being produced by Tony Visconti (T. Rex/David Bowie), but Richard in turn recently produced tracks for Marc’s son Rolan Bolan.  It’s this astounding artistic credibility that makes Richard’s own material so compelling.

The songs on “COLLECTION” hint at the tale of Richard’s evolution as an artist but don’t tell the whole story.  For that, you’ll have to purchase the entire Barone catalog.  What you get here are tracks presented in such a way as to make them autobiographical to the listener.  Don’t expect anything upbeat or cheerful like The Bongos’ music of yore, because the subject matter is much more complex.  In “Miss Jean,” Richard tells the story of his childhood friend who came to New York City from their hometown in Florida, but it isn’t pretty at all.  “The city sounds like the answer” to both of them at first, but Jean leaves because, to put it mildly, “the subway map was deceiving.”  Despite the oppressive loneliness and isolation he chronicles in his songs, Richard doggedly stays on in Manhattan where “Nobody knows me, knows the way I feel/Nobody sees that I’m even here.”  However, if one weren’t acutely aware of his real-life success, the images Richard portrays would make it seem as though he experienced a complete and unredeemable fall from grace.  There are desolate train platforms, seedy rented rooms with eccentric neighbors, omnipresent social injustice, emotionally ambivalent relationships with narcissistic unfaithful lovers, and the desperation of “forbidden” anonymous encounters that are almost never gender-specific.  Both angels and devils populate this bleak landscape of “buildings that reach to oblivion.”  You can’t listen to anything this intense without getting a lump in your throat…and after experiencing the cruelty of urban life through Richard’s eyes, you’ll never be able to sit through another shallow televised rerun of “Friends” or “Sex in the City” again.

It’s important to remember, though, that the “COLLECTION” album is only one slice of the delicious Barone pie.  After you purchase this CD, you’ll undoubtedly want to discover the rest of Richard’s music, and you’ll find that his songs are not always such stinging indictments.  “Love’s no afterthought to me,” he gently reminds us in “Silent Symphony.”   Even the remorseful retrospection of “Before You Were Born” doesn’t stop it from being a lullaby with a killer hook.   Be sure to start your own Barone “COLLECTION” today!
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since the first time i saw mr barone on a music video channel on tv called u68 in hoboken....it was love at first sight....and sound.....to this day he continues to show me that there are still a few glorious and original talents left in the industry..........bravo barone!
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