The Lenny Bruce Originals, Vol. 1

Performer: Lenny Bruce
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: 2 LPs on 1 CD: INTERVIEWS OF OUR TIME and THE SICK HUMOR OF LENNY BRUCE. Solo performer: Lenny Bruce (spoken vocals). Recorded in San Francisco in 1958. Originally released on Fantasy (7001 and 7003 respectively). Includes liner notes by Grover Sales. Digitally remastered by Kirk Felton (1991, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California). Liner Note Author: Grover Sales. Recording information: San Francisco, CA (1958). Photographer: Bill Thomas. Unknown Contributor Role: Lenny Bruce. If Lenny Bruce were alive today, boy would he be pissed. Ever since he died, a myth has grown around him--the artist hounded to his death by self-appointed guardians of morality--that's as pious and self-serving as the targets of his often-vicious satire. First and foremost, the thing to remember about Lenny Bruce is this: he was damn funny. A remastered CD reissue of two of Bruce's best '50s albums, INTERVIEWS OF OUR TIME and THE SICK HUMOR OF LENNY BRUCE--famous for its picnic-in-a-cemetery cover shot--THE LENNY BRUCE ORIGINALS shows that the controversial material, like "Religions, Inc." and the gay-subtexted "Father Flotski's Triumph," here in its original unedited form, was only one side of Bruce's comedy. Pieces like "The Interview" aren't that different from Mort Sahl or even Bob Newhart. Regardless, this is strong comedy that's dated surprisingly little, as good as Harvey Kurtzmann-era MAD.

Rolling Stone (4/2/92, p.46) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "..riotous...virtuoso bits...intelligence, wit and sheer humanity.." Entertainment Weekly (5/29/92, p.63) - "..his satire remains unsurpassed.." - Rating: B+

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.

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