Let the Buyer Beware [Box]

Performer: Lenny Bruce
Producer: Kitty Bruce; Hal Willner
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Liner Note Authors: Kitty Bruce; Marvin Worth; Hal Willner; Lenny Bruce; Paul Krassner; Bob Dylan. Recording information: Ann's 440 Club, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Carnegie Hall, New York, NY (10/1948-??/1966); Curran Theater, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Facks II, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Jazz Workshop, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Los Angeles, CA (10/1948-??/1966); New York, NY (10/1948-??/1966); Off Broadway, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Peacock Lane, Hollywood, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Radio Station KPIX, San Francisco, CA (10/1948-??/1966); Radio Station WCBS, New York, NY (10/1948-??/1966); Radio Station WFMT, Chicago, IL (10/1948-??/1966); Television Station WBKB, Chicago, IL (10/1948-??/1966); The Den, New York, NY (10/1948-??/1966); The Gate Of Horn, Chicago, IL (10/1948-??/1966). Photographers: Fred McDarrah; Norm Schindler; Corbis Bettman; Barry Feinstein; Jim Dickson. Considering what an enormous impact Lenny Bruce had on modern social mores, satire, politics, and entertainment, it's surprising that a box set of his material didn't appear until nearly four decades after his 1966 death. LET THE BUYER BEWARE presents six discs' worth of Bruce at his best. Shockingly, it consists predominantly of previously unreleased recordings. For as much fine Bruce work as there is on previous releases, the mercurial, spontaneous nature of his art was such that even the performances that had fallen through the cracks, as on this set, were masterpieces in and of themselves. Listening to Bruce's humanistic but uncompromising skewering of everything from legal and moral hypocrisy to jazz musicians and fellow comedians, it also becomes apparent how much craftsmanship actually went into his free-wheeling style. Many of the routines heard here exist in different forms on other Bruce albums, and comparisons reveal the masterful manner in which Bruce would branch off and experiment even within a predetermined framework. While some of the references may sound dated to 21st-century ears, the incisive themes and expert comic technique in abundance on LET THE BUYER BEWARE make it clear why Bruce remains an iconoclastic legend.

Entertainment Weekly (p.180) - "[T]he definitive audio-biography of Bruce as a revolutionary craftsman and antic wit." Down Beat (pp.80-1) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Bruce challenged contentment, especially when polished in the gloss of hypocrisy. He spoke the language of jazz in his monologues, which were more like free-form satirical essays and psychodramas laced with Yiddish slang than standup bits."

An American icon, Lenny Bruce is essentially known as a comedian, but he was equal parts comic, philosopher, and social critic. At a particularly conservative, uptight moment in American culture, he spoke out freely against the hypocrisies of religion, government, and social mores. His use of expletives and sexual themes, modest by today's standards, got him in endless legal troubles, which savaged both his life and his career. He died of an overdose in 1966, but remains one of the key influences on comedy, particularly on comedians with a sociopolitical bent.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25