The Word from Beatsville: Plant ya now, dig ya later, five-cornered squares! Time to cut out from all those corn capers in Cubesville and fall by Hip Wax. The real gone ginchy jambake is right here: zooty hep cats, crazed beatniks, zonky word-hippies, [bongo] skin poppers, "noir" jazz, itchy suspense, subliminal soundtracks, and even regular, official, Man-approved Beat Poet jive to perk up the coffee clatch in your own mad pad, dad. And it's all tossed up for your flaps and peepers only, so lamp it quick, like frantic. Be the first in your tribe! Drag off these precious relics to your holy bop cave and make the scene way-out style. Like, DIGGGG!
Further below: Beatnik 45s | Beatnik books | trade wants
Links: are to subpages or artists bio/discog pages in the Hyp Records guide:
Images: accurately represent items but are not always the exact copy listed/purchased
Discount: ALWAYS try to buy more than one item at a time
Jeanne Bargy/Bill Costa: Greenwich Village U.S.A. ST; 20th Fox MasterArts FOX-4005; 1960 (1-LP abridged/expurgated version of TCF-105-2S) deep groove N/E+ $20 -- beatnik/cast; a few swinging scat, beatnik, and bongo tunes spice up this ok musical (all included in this version); "Birth of a Beatnik" is the best; also beatnik-y jacket art; you don't really need the full 2-LP version but either is good to have
Jeanne Bargy/Bill Costa: Greenwich Village U.S.A. ST; 20th Fox MasterArts TCF-105-2; 1960; 2-LP gatefold; deep groove V+/N- $20 -- beatnik/cast; a few swinging scat, beatnik, and bongo tunes spice up this ok, period-piece musical; "Birth of a Beatnik" is the best; also beatnik-y jacket art; full, unexpurgated double version
Lenny Bruce: The Best of Lenny Bruce; Fantasy 7012; 1962 1st/maroon E+/E+ $50 -- comedy, compilation; outstanding condition (rare!) at a nice low price!; Lima Ohio, The Phone Company, How yo Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties, Religions Inc., The White Collar DrunkVThe Djinni in the Bottle, Father Flotski's Triumph (Unexpurgated), Maria Ouspenskaya Interview, Hitler & the M.C.A.
Lenny Bruce: The Real Lenny Bruce; Fantasy F-79003; 1975; 2-LP gatefold w/poster V+/E S $20 -- comedy/compilation; his classic bits, such as "How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties" all unexpurgated/unabridged and wonderfully collected in this one-stop shop, with the added bonuses of a poster of Lenny giving the finger and full liner notes; sure, it's not as collectable as most original-release Fantasy LPs, but it's a far better value (and on decent vinyl/stereo); this is the place to start!; Thank You Masked Man, Non Skeddo Flies Again, Religions Inc., Enchanting Transylvania, How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties, White Collar Drunks, The Sound, Tarzan, My Werewolf Mama, Comic at the Palladium, Djinni in the Candy Store, Lima Ohio, Fat Boy, Father Flotski's Triumph (Unexpurgated)
Lenny Bruce: The Essential Lenny Bruce--Politics; Laurie/Douglas SD-788; 1968; N/N shrink S $40 -- comedy/politics/compilation; fantastic, super-welcome rarity in top shape on a very unusual label for Bruce (Alan Douglas' small but quirky and always fascinating label); although some decry the inclusion of sound effects and soundbites from the figures Bruce is talking about, we say it's welcome added value and not at all distracting; in any case the quality of production (stereo), sound, and material is first-rate, and just look at the titles: Johnson, Nixon, Competitive System & Communism, The American Image, Black Democracy & Liberals, Would You Sell Out Your Country, Law Enforcement & Demonstrations, The Bomb & Political Bullshit, Pot Will Be Legal
Lord Buckley: Lord Buckley in Concert; Liberty/World-Pacific WP-1815; rec. 1959; black label N-/N shrink $40 (or N-/E+ $30, specify) -- beatnik/spoken/hip; live "Royal Concert Performance, Ivar Theater, Hollywood); the first beatnik on record, voice of "The Wild Man of Wildsville" cartoon, and obvious inspiration to Captain Beefheart, California's totally flabbergasting Lord Buckley made this terrific first LP for the label (originally titled "Way Out Humor"); his very best & most representative set!; Supermarket, Horses Mouth, Black Cross, The Naz, My Own Railroad, Willie the Shake, God's Own Drunk
Lord Buckley: Blowing his Mind (and Yours, Too); Liberty/World-Pacific WP-1849; rec. 1959-60; deep groove promo (stamped & promo label) E-/N $25 -- beatnik/spoken/hip; partly live; Lord Buckley's terrific 2nd LP for the label is harder to find than the first and every bit as essential, mind-blowing, edifying, you-name-it; Subconscious Mind, Fire Chief, Let it Down, Murder, The Gasser, Maharaja, Scrooge
Lord Buckley: The Best of Lord Buckley; Elektra EKS-74047; rec. 1951; 1st/tan label N-/N $25 -- beatnik/spoken/hip; compiles the best bits from two collectors-item LPs on the tiny Los Angeles Vaya label; "Best of" makes these classic, peak performances available again affordably & w/great new jacket art & notes; The Nazz, Gettysburg Address, The Hip Gahn, Jonah & the Whale, Marc Antony's Funeral Oration, Nero
Lord Buckley: Bad Rapping of the Marquis de Sade; Liberty/World-Pacific WPS-21889; rec. 1960, live; E+/N ES $25 (or E-/N- ES $20, specify) -- beatnik/spoken/hip; as great as any of his records but since it's a little later and sold well it's not yet considered a collectors item (get it now while it's still relatively inexpensive); H Bomb, The Chastity Belt, His Majesty the Policeman, The Ballad of Dan McGroo, Bad Rapping of the Marquis de Sade
Edd Byrnes, Star of "77 Sunset Strip": Kookie; Warner Bros. W-1309; 1959; E/N- $30 -- beatnik rock/hep jive/weirdo/hot rod/everything!; tho from Hollywood (read Byrnes' autobiography to see just how much his famous Kookie character was a creation of Warner Bros.' wackiest writers), which generally is Squaresville, this is the rare exception, strictly from Wowsville: this LP is the best, most enlightened hipsterese LP there is (surpasses even "How to Speak Hip" from the same year)--and it's all set to lively music!; w/Don Ralke, Connie Stevens, Joannie Sommers; insane, terrific, the ginchiest, the utmost!; Hot Rod Rock, Kookie's Mad Pad (awesome!), I Don't Dig You Kookie, Sat. Night on Sunset Strip, The Kookie Cha Cha Cha, Kookie Kookie Lend Me Your Comb, Like I Love You, Kookie's Clock, You're the Top, Square Dance for Round Cats, "A" You're Adorable, Kookie's Boogie
Del Close & John Brent: How to Speak Hip; Mercury SR-61245; 1959; non-gatefold 2nd edition white-label promo with "Hip Manual" booklet E/N S $100 -- beatnik/narrative/instructional; classic, much-loved spoof of foreign-language instructional records forms the gimmick for laying out the secret lingo of the hep jazz (and drug) set at just the right moment: its release was followed by widespread popular awareness of beatnik and then hippie counterculture; claimed as a strong influence by Brian Wilson; rereleased with slightly different jacket art and a slightly different manual than the gatefold first press but it's all there, just as good, and a great value; Introduction, Basic Hip, Vocabulary Building, The Loose Wig, The Riff, The Hang Up, Put On-Put Down-Come On-Come Down-Bring Down, Cool, Uncool, Field Trips Nos. 1-3, Summary
Al "Jazzbo" Collins & the Bandidos: A Lovely Bunch of; Impulse A-9150; gatefold 1st cutout E/N- $35 (or stereo V+/N $30, specify) -- beatnik/jazz/comedy/hip; all-star group of Steve Allen, Terry Gibbs, Hal Blaine, Mel Browne; legendary DJ's hip fairy tales and "interviews" (including hip-speak instruction that's takes "How to Speak Hip" to a whole new level) and more!; Sonny Cool, Goldilox & 3 Bears, Jazz Mass, 3 Little Pigs, Power of the Flower, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack & the Beanstalk, Swearing-In of the Banditos (with the famous line, "I don't need no stinkin' badges!")
Al Jazzbeaux Collins & Slim Gaillard: Steve Allen's Hip Fables; Doctor Jazz FW-38729; 1983; promo E-/E S $25 -- beatnik/jazz/comedy/hip; 3rd, final, and most modern/probably best all-star lineup of Allen, Collins, Ray Mantilla (percussion), with crazy hep-jive legend Gaillard extemporaneously "translating" into Spanish or Spanglish or something--in any case, it's funny and essential if you love the original singles and the Impulse LP; 3 Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack & the Beanstalk, Goldilocks & the 3 Bears
Slim Gaillard at Birdland; Hep 21; 1979/1951; E/N- $20 -- beatnik hep jazz; live; w/Slam Stewart, Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Brew Moore; one of the best in terrific UK series reissuing (& issuing for the first time) rare & wonderful SG performances in mono as originally recorded; this one has most of his biggest hits & serves as exciting intro to the top name in zoot-suit-era hipster music; Flat Foot Floogie #s 1&2, Cement Mixer, Sabroso, Imagination, Oh Lady Be Good, Fine & Dandy, Serenade in Sulfur-8, Serenade in Vout
Allen Ginsberg Reads Howl & Other Poems; Fantasy 7006; 1959; 1st/red vinyl, deep groove, no insert E/V+ $90 -- Beat/spoken; THE classic true Beat poem in literature and on vinyl; terrific to hear, to behold as decor, and also a landmark artistic statement and subject of one of the most important and famous censorship cases ever; w/extensive liner notes by Ginsberg; this original red-wax edition is worth $400 in top shape (good luck!); expect significant noise (typical of the pressing)
Allen Ginsberg: Archetypes--Allen Ginsberg; MGM M3F-4951; 1974 (reissues Allen Ginsberg/William Blake--Songs of Innocence & Experience MGM/Verve Forecast FTS-3083); cutout E-/E- $20 -- Beat/spoken with music; w/Bob Dorough, Don Cherry, Peter Orlovsky..; interesting and rare repackaging of a '60s LP that doesn't turn up much anymore (and when it does, it's a lot more than this version, which is pretty cool--there's another in this limited series on Velvet Underground)
Babs Gonzales: Live at Small's Paradise; Audio Fidelity/Chiaroscuro CR-2025 (reissues Sunday Afternoon at Small's Paradise; Audio Fidelity/Dauntless DM-4311; 1963) N/N- shrink $60 (or E+/E+ $50, specify) -- "wild, swinging, demoniac, funky, hilarious, way-out, continental, down home, home-cooked, volatile, expoobident, groovy, bombastic, stoned, risque, hip, incredible, orgiastic, superstitious, finger-popping, rabelasian, didactic, crowd-pleasing, recherche, humanitarian, nitty gritty, spontaneous, unspeakable"--his rare live masterpiece (which is really something!); classic artwork features far-out photo of Babs expubidenting, cig & drink in hand; w/Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Horace Parlan..; Dem Jive New Yorkers, Oop-Pop-A-Da, Integration, Be-Bop Santa Claus, Keep an Ugly Woman, St. Louis Blues..
Babs Gonzales: Babs; Audio Fidelity/Chiaroscuro CR-2032; 1981; E/E+ S $40 (or E/V+ S $25, specify) -- the original hipster's hipster captured live in stereo high fidelity (this is a most welcome, old AF reissue of a title so rare we've never seen the first pressing); w/Clark Terry, Melba Liston, Charlie Rouse, Buddy Catlett, Johnny Griffin, Horace Parlan, Roy Haynes, Ray Nance; Cool Cooking, Speedy Gonzales ([That's] Me Spelled M-E Me), Lullaby of the Doomed, Le Continental, You've Changed, Beginning of the End, Lonely One, Babs Mood for Love
Juliette Greco: Juliette; Columbia Adventures in Sound WL-138; 1958; gold label E+/E+ $75 (or E-/E $50, specify) -- French/torch/beatnik; with Andre Popp and his orchestra; rare!; full liner notes in English about each song; the original Left Banke "beatnik in black" works her magic in a classic, scarce, early treasure (one of the tiny handful of great LPs in this series); obviously if you speak French and care about French culture, it's essential, but we recommend it for anyone; La Fete est la, Bonjour tristesse, Complainte du telephone, Musique mechanique, La Valse des si, Qu'on est bien, Java partout, La Marche Nuptiale, La Complainte, Chandernagor, Que j'aime, Les Lunettes
Juliette Greco: Les Grandes Chansons (Volume III); Columbia Adventures in Sound WL-174; gold-label promo E/E+ $40 (or stock E-/E+ $30, specify) -- French/torch/beatnik; recorded in Paris with full French lyrics and English translations ($40 copy only); rare!; the original Left Banke "beatnik in black" works her magic in a classic, scarce treasure (one of the tiny handful of great LPs in this series); obviously if you speak French and care about French culture, it's essential, but we recommend it for anyone
Juliette Greco: La Femme; Philips BL-7828; 1967; V/E $20 -- French/torch/beatnik; recorded with four different orchestra leaders (Michel Colombier, Paul Piot, Bernard Gerard, Francois Rauber); Il Ne Faudrait Pas Que, Dans Ton Lit, Je T'Attends a Charonne, Et Le Pays S'Endort, Une Chanson Comme On N'En Fait Plus, Déshabillez-Moi, La Femme, Dimitri, Marie-Violaine, Il Fait Déja, Je Suis Bien
Juliette Greco; Barclay 81.002/03; 1976; 2-LP gatefold N-/N S $25 -- beatnik/French vocal; w/Francois Rauber; reissues 2 classic LPs from 1972 and 1974; Mon Fils Chante, L'Embellie, Tous Ces Gens-Là Sont Bien Gentils, Détournement, La Lelluia, Mes Théatres, Les Temps Nouveaux, J'En Tremble, La Bourrée Des Étoiles, La Folle, L'Anti-Rose, Les Fusils D'Argent, Je Vous Attends, L'Enfance, L'Ermite, Valentin, La Nouvelle Grèce, Quand Je Serai Couleur D'Automne, Au Jardin D'Amour, Ta Jalousie, C'Est L'Hiver, Le Monde Est Beau--Le Monde Est Fou
Johnny Gunn with Don Ralke: Introspection IV; Warner Bros. WS-1372; 1960; sealed S $150 -- beatnik/suspense/crime/space/poetry; spoken with music; WILD poetic narrations, or "flip-end vignettes" or "outre weirdos"; rare as the dickens and we actually have it still sealed and uncut; as seen on p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville"; narrated by Gunn, who sounds like Rod McKuen at his absolute hippest but comes off like Ken Nordine or even John Rydgren, comparable also to La Dolce Henke; the great Don Ralke (of Kookie and Savage & Sensuous Bongos fame) and top percussionists provide great background (even space music!) to hip, spooky tales each with a twist and all with a very noirish feel; Shelly Manne, Marshall Cram, Plas Johnson, Buddy Collette, Ed Kusby, Howard Roberts, Milt Raskin, and Larry Bunker are on the sounds, while sci-fi author Fredric Brown co-wrote the words; Chicken, Sentry, Night, Chris, Blood, Gunnsmog, Solicitress, Imagine, Voodoo, Pattern, Lasthought
Johnny Gunn with Don Ralke: Introspection IV; Warner Bros. W-1372; 1960; white-label promo E-/N- $90 (or stock E-/E+ $75, specify) -- beatnik/suspense/crime/space/poetry; spoken with music; WILD poetic narrations, or "flip-end vignettes" or "outre weirdos"; rare as the dickens; as seen on p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville"; narrated by Gunn, who sounds like Rod McKuen at his absolute hippest but comes off like Ken Nordine or even John Rydgren, comparable also to La Dolce Henke; the great Don Ralke (of Kookie and Savage & Sensuous Bongos fame) and top percussionists provide great background (even space music!) to hip, spooky tales each with a twist and all with a very noirish feel; Shelly Manne, Marshall Cram, Plas Johnson, Buddy Collette, Ed Kusby, Howard Roberts, Milt Raskin, and Larry Bunker are on the sounds, while sci-fi author Fredric Brown co-wrote the words; Chicken, Sentry, Night, Chris, Blood, Gunnsmog, Solicitress, Imagine, Voodoo, Pattern, Lasthought
[The Mad Musical World of] Mel Henke: La Dolce Henke; Warner Bros. WS-1472; 1962; cutout E+/E+ S $80 (or cutout as is/E S $25, specify) -- beatnik/space/strange/novelty; with Mel Blanc(!); rare/in high demand, like the best moments in "Kookie" if not EVEN BETTER!!!; famous for "The Lively Ones" (wack, uptempo, beatnik jive comparing a woman's bod to a car) and the awesome "Woman in Space" (w/Beverly Ford) but it's chockablock with many other crazy bits and Esquivellian space-age thrills; great jacket, too!; an odd-pop AND beatnik holy grail/best-of-breed!; The Lively Ones, Walkin' My Baby Back Home, The Twisters, Let's Put Out the Lights, Open the Door Richard, Farmer John, Last Night on the Back Porch, It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House, All That Meat, You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do?), Baby It's Cold Outside, Woman in Space
[The Mad Musical World of] Mel Henke: La Dolce Henke; Warner Bros. W-1472; 1962; E+/N- $75 -- beatnik/space/strange/novelty; with Mel Blanc(!); rare/in high demand, like the best moments in "Kookie" if not EVEN BETTER!!!; famous for "The Lively Ones" (wack, uptempo, beatnik jive comparing a woman's bod to a car) and the awesome "Woman in Space" (w/Beverly Ford) but it's chockablock with many other crazy bits and Esquivellian space-age thrills; great jacket, too!; an odd-pop AND beatnik holy grail/best-of-breed!; The Lively Ones, Walkin' My Baby Back Home, The Twisters, Let's Put Out the Lights, Open the Door Richard, Farmer John, Last Night on the Back Porch, It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House, All That Meat, You're Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do?), Baby It's Cold Outside, Woman in Space
Mel Henke: Dynamic Adventures in Sound; Warner Bros. BS-1447; 1962; gatefold E/E- S $30 -- exotica/space-age pop/novelty; the other rare, great one by "La Dolce" Henke (this is the OTHER odd-pop Henke everyone needs); in the scarce Workshop Series, this "spectacular musical extravaganza" purports to be "architecturally constructed to induce the maximum in audio sensation" and "exploring uncharted patterns of sound"; the two MAJOR highlights are "Exotic Adventure" and "Old MacDonald Had a Girl," in which a woman sensuously giggles, a la Jim Backus' "Delicious" only much, much BETTER!!! (this and La Dolce Henke completes the Mel Henke madness)
Spike Jones and his Band that Plays for Fun: Spike Jones in Stereo--A Spooktacular in Screaming Sound!; Warner Bros. B-1332; 1959; palm label (later pressing) E/N S $25 -- strange/beatnik/Halloween; along with Omnibust it's a Spike Jones LP everyone needs, and is on this page for the very solid beatnik stuff ("Two Heads are Better than One (beatnik duet)"; features Vampira, Paul Frees, and others; produced by Alvino Rey(!!!); very hard to get in clean stereo, which this is at a great price
Katie Lee: Spicy Songs for Cool Knights; Specialty SP-5000; 1956; deep groove E/E+ S $20 -- novelty folk; the wonderful and beautiful Katie Lee also made straightforward folk and not-so-straight records for Folkways and under her own imprint in the 1970s; definitely start with the psychiatry pair which are the best and more beatnik; after that, this is another classic, for several reasons: label, title, jacket art, and the humor of Oscar Brand-worthy risque songs: The Knight, Johnny Ringo, My Mother Chose My Husband, Venezuela, Poor Miss Bailey, The House of the Rising Sun, Blow the Candles Out, Lavender Cowboy, Lotsa Money, The Eddystone Light, The Frozen Logger, Woman--Go Home
Katie Lee: Songs of Couch & Consultation; Commentary CNT-01; 1957; E+/N- $25 (or E-/N- $20, specify) -- "vocal consultation"--novelty folk; with Bob Thompson!; famous, venerated, SUPERB, MUST-HAVE, twisted, psychoanalysis-themed spoofs of folk classics (shrink-inspired comedy ballads, very beatnik); follows "Saucy Songs for Cool Knights" but far better; as featured in Incredibly Strange Music; recorded in mono only (there is no stereo); Shrinker Man, [I've Got] The Will to Fail, Guilty Rag, Stay as Sick as You Are, Hush Little Sibling, Real Sick Sounds, Repressed Hostility Blues, I Can't Get Adjusted to the You Who Got Adjusted to Me, Schizophrenic Moon, Properly Loved, Gunslinger (A Ballad for Adult Westerns), It Must Be Something Psychological
Katie Lee: Songs of Couch & Consultation; Reprise R-6025; 1961/1957 (REISSUES Commentary CNT-01); white-label promo, deep groove N-/N $25 (or deep groove N-/N- $20, specify) -- picked up for national distribution on Sinatra's new label, this early reissue features different jacket art but it's every bit as good as the Commentary version; everyone definitely should have one or the other or both (it's that good) plus the RCA LP!
Katie Lee w/Ray Martin: Life is Just a Bed of Neuroses; RCA Victor LSP-2214; 1960; 1st E+/N- S $35 (or mono LPM-2214; E+/N- $25, specify) (or mono E/E $20, specify) -- "vocal consultation"; wonderful, rarer sequel to the beloved "Songs of Couch & Consultation" LP of shrink-inspired comedy ballads by the charming, beatnik folk singer; art & liners by Mad Magazine's Don Martin & Frank Jacobs!; Don'tville, The Insecure Tango, Ballad for Group Therapy, Love That Man, We Must Adjust..
Kay Martin at Las Vegas; Laff A-107 (jacket: A5015); E-/E- $100 -- torch/rock/sex-ed/Xmas/beatnik; "A great performance of spiced satire...seduction and sexopathic humor FOR ADULTS ONLY"; Kay Martin & her Body Guards made only a handful of records, none of them easy to find, and you will find invariably that the competition and price are well rewarded; always you get beatnik themes, hip Christmas, you name it; put it this way: Kay Martin is to Ruth Wallis as Ruth Wallis is to Rusty Warren; Another Man Down the Line, Seven Bells Instead of Seven Veils, The Book Mama Gave Me About Sex, Greenback Dollar Bills, The Night Before Christmas, Up Your Chimney, 1 to 4 at the Door, My Santa Daddy, I Feel Like a New Man
Rod McKuen Takes a San Francisco Hippie Trip; Everest/Tradition 2063; E-/E+ S $20 -- beatnik/spoken w/background music; has a toehold in the hippie era (as w/"How to Speak Hip") but has the same lineup as "Beatsville" and is solidly bongo-bop-fueled beatnikism, with bongos and beatnik references galore; Rod McKuen made two other great beatnik records (The Yellow Unicorn and Beatsville), but fortunately this one sold well enough that it turns up steadily and remains within reach of everyone, so snap it up!; I Dig Sausalito, Kranko's Hippie Party, Love Child's Lament, Ode to "The Warm One", --Of Girls--, --Of Me--, Grant Avenue Reflections: This Boy/How Does It Feel?/Just for Kicks/Games/Flying Home/Talent?/Confucious Say/Here's To--
Rod McKuen/Tak Shindo/Julie Meredith: The Yellow Unicorn; Imperial LP-9092; E/E* $40 -- beatnik/exotica/spoken/twisted folk; "For: Hip, Cool, Frantic, 'Beats'...and Adults Only" sez the jacket liners; okay, so it's not "adults only" in the saucy sense but it is a great treasure and iconic beatnik LP on a label that didn't make the scene much (except for Fats Domino and Sandy Nelson); the best cut may be Rod McKuen's "Third Avenue" (California boy meets seedy Lower East Side) which tops even "Beatsville"--it's a real howler!; but you can't go wrong with rare Tak Shindo exotica (Cherry Blossoms, Summer Festival, Autumn Rain, Moon Over the Ruined Castle), which is the other thing that makes it a must-have (that and the jacket and the vibe); rare, far-out music unavailable otherwise!; *mildly annoying press bumps side 2, otherwise clean
Ken Nordine & the Fred Katz Group: Word Jazz; MCA Collectibles MCA-1551; 1983/1957; REISSUE N/N $20 -- beatnik/spoken with music; clean (the hardest part with this one!), high-quality, affordable, faithful reissue (tho different jacket design); What Time is It?, My Baby, Sound Museum, Vidiot, Roger, Hunger is From, Looks Like Rain, Flibberty Jib; even if you have the original, you may want this one just as a clean player
Ken Nordine w/Fred Katz Group: Son of Word Jazz; Dot Jazz Horizons DLP-25,096; 1958; 1st/deep groove E/E+ S $50 -- beatnik/spoken with music; "more phenomenal words and jazz and hi-fi sounds!"; super-cute jacket, rare stereo; harder to find than the astounding, ground-breaking, classic first LP and every bit as good; snap it up before it's TOTALLY GONESVILLE!!!
Ken Nordine: The Voice of Love; Paramount/Dot/Hamilton HLP-12102; deep groove E/E+ S $50 -- same as a super-rare Dot LP called "Love Words" which seems to be the only one on Dot that isn't part of the Word Jazz series, so it's unique; jacket face on the Hamilton version is different, otherwise it's the same great stuff; on a romantic bent, of course, and Nordine's intimate voice comes off quite well, if tongue-in-cheek
Ken Nordine: Passion in the Desert; FM 304; N-/N $100 -- Nordine reads Balzac accompanied by bassist Johnny Frigo(!!!) & Dick Marks (piano); rare op-art label & inner sleeve are other nice features but it's most famous for the Alan Douglas jacket art, which is of the story's subject, a bare-breasted leopard woman
Ken Nordine: Robert Shure's "Twink"; Philips PHS-600-258; 1967; E-/E S $60 (or cutout V+/E S $50, specify) -- beatnik/strange/spoken with music; what a joy!; 34 totally far-out bits mainly about everyday things (eyelashes, ping pong, zebra sex) that will take you far out especially if you hear this in high-gain stereo under headphones!; goes beyond Word Jazz and even Colors (the other great Nordine LP on this label); very modern music (jazz, percussion, even some with guitar-rock); we agree with those who consider it probably his best work; hard to find; groovy jacket art (see p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville") and liner notes round it off; YOU SO TOTALLY NEED THIS!!!
[Ken Nordine &] Billy Vaughn: The Shifting Whispering Sands; Dot DLP-25442; cutout N/N shrink S $20 (or uncut E/E S $15, specify) -- Ken Nordine narrates the two-part title track, which forms a lengthy centerpiece for a fine suite of Western themes; cheesy? you bet, but it's very affordable Ken Nordine (ask us to throw it in if you get a healthy dose of the fancier KN)
Kenneth Patchen Reads w/Allyn Frguson & The Chamber Jazz Sextet; Trend/Discovery DS-858; 1983/1957 (reissues Cadence CLP-3004) w/lyrics inner sleeve, cutout N-/N $40 -- Beat poet w/jazz; excellent, reprints authentic Beat LP (both versions very rare!); better still, you get new artwork, photo, lyrics, & info & great sound/shape -- better than the original!
Shorty Petterstein: The Wide Weird World of; World Pacific WP-1274 (formerly WPM-412); 1958; black/deep groove N-/N- $300 -- beatnik/Beat/psychological comedy/spoken w/sounds; "More Interviews of Our Time"; one of the holy grails of the idiom (for desirability as well as rarity), its 15 great mad bits include even a cover of Woody Leafer's legendary rarity, "Drums in the Typewriter"; spiced up with electronic sounds and effects --perhaps tape manipulation-- so music concrete and avant garde fans may want to take note, too; hip jacket art (see p.40 of the Taschen book "Beatsville"), liners, etc.; this is the kind of record that separates the gods from the mortals
Uncredited: Artists and Models; Hoctor HLP-3033; N-/N- $100 -- dance class/beatnik; super-rare title that anyone seriously collecting in this idiom will have to have!; it's got one of the greatest (most fun, swinging, beatnik-referencing) beatnik one-offs ever, "The Beatest Beatniks"--longest of six cuts done twice (vocal & instrumental); so glad we discovered this unplayed mothballed store stock AND picked up all four copies available!; Artist & Models, Teacher Teacher, The Beatest Beatniks, The Barnyard Stomp, The Sandman's Softshoe, We've Got What It Takes
Various: Capitol Jazz Classics Vol. 13--Strictly Bebop; Capitol M-11059; 1972/1949-50; red label E/N- $25 (or red cutout E-/E $20, specify) -- Babs Gonzales/Dizzy Gillespie/Tadd Dameron; a prize for both hep jive cats (for whom this page exists) and classic jazz collectors, it's absolutely essential for the five (5!!!--that's a fortune in Babs Gonzales tracks!) 1949, first-rate Babs Gonzales songs/scats/experiences you won't find otherwise (forget about landing the super-rare original singles on 78s; this is the way to go, and cheap!): Capitolizing, Professor Bop, St. Louis Blues, Real Crazy, Prelude to a Nightmare; the Dameron and Gillespie cuts are great too!; best of all, it's in clean mono hi-fi, a huge improvement over the original 78s; THRILLSVILLE, DAD!!!
Various: Jazz Canto Vol. 1--An Anthology of Poetry & Jazz; World Pacific 1244; 1958; 1st press/deep groove E+/E- $80 (or deep groove E/E- $70, specify) (or deep groove E/V+ $60, specify) -- Beat; rare and wonderful item on the respected jazz label--one of the very best, most compelling collaborations of top Beat poets and jazz musicians here called the Jazz Canto Ensemble (JCE) in some cases; it swings (Bob Dorough especially) and it's dramatic (John Carradine especially); the voices: Bob Dorough, John Carradine, Hoagy Carmichael, Ben Wright, Roy Glenn; the musicians: Fred Katz (leader of the JCE), Buddy Collette, Chico Hamilton, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Dorough, Jack Montrose, Bob Hardaway, Paul Horn, Tommy Tedesco, Al Porcino, Larry Bunker, Lee Katzman, Billy Bean, Jim Hall, Carson Smith, Red Mitchell, Jon Eardley; the selections: Poets to Come (Walt Whitman)--John Carradine with JCE, Tract (William Carlos Williams)--Hoagy Carmichael with Ralph Pena Quintet, In My Craft or Sullen Art (Dylan Thomas)--Ben Wright with JCE, Night Song for the Sleepless (Lawrence Lipton)--John Carradine with Chico Hamilton Quintet, Lament (Dylan Thomas)--Ben Wright with JCE, Dog (Lawrence Ferlinghetti)--Bob Dorough with his Quintet, Young Sycamore (William Carlos Williams)--Hoagy Carmichael with Bob Hardaway, Three Songs: Daybreak in Alabama/Night and Morn/The Dream Keeper (Langston Hughes)--Bob Dorough with his Quintet, Big High Song for Somebody (Philip Whalen)--Roy Glenn with Gerry Mulligan Quartet
Various: Merry Christmas from Sesame Street; Children's Television Workshop CTW-25516; 1975 gatefold; N-/E+ S $25 (or E+/E- S $20, specify) -- Christmas/kids/beatnik; worthy in many respects, but holy for Northern Calloway's "The Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street" -- rapped in hip, beatnik, Al Collins-esque jive style (there are several beatnik takes on "The Night Before Christmas" but this is one of the best, if not THE best!); also notable for "Saludo" (Latin) & general kids/Sesame St. interest
Lenny Bruce Live at the Curran Theater! picture-sleeve EP; Fantasy FP-2; promo (promo-only EP) N-/N- $20 -- comedy; rare!; nearly 11 minutes of great bits from the 3-LP Curran Theater set; Pot, Grandchildren, Jewish & Goyish, Authority, A Letter to God, Russia & China, The Lie
Al "Jazzbo" Collins: Little Red Riding Hood/Three Little Pigs; Decca/Brunswick 9-80226; 1953; 1st/maroon label E- $25 (or V- $15, specify) -- beatnik/hip/jazz; the classic on 45; with Lou Stein, piano; copyright Down Beat, Inc. and Steve Allen; a stone classic on everyone's want list now, for good reason; then go for the book--that's right, the book! (and after that there were two LPs that served to rekindle the fire, plus a few other 45s for Capitol)
Al "Jazzbo" Collins: Little Red Riding Hood/Three Little Pigs; Decca/Brunswick 9-80226; 1953; black label E+ $35 -- beatnik/hip/jazz; the classic on 45; with Lou Stein, piano; copyright Down Beat, Inc. and Steve Allen; a stone classic on everyone's want list now, for good reason; then go for the book--that's right, the book! (and after that there were two LPs that served to rekindle the fire, plus a few other 45s for Capitol)
Al "Jazzbo" Collins: Jack & the Beanstalk/Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs; Capitol 2580; V- $15 -- beatnik/hip/jazz; the classic on 45; w/Lou Stein, piano; some wear and noise and a heat-damaged spot on side 2, but so rare it's worth it until a better copy turns up (this is the first we've had it to sell)
Al "Jazzbo" Collins: The Invention of the Airplane/The Discovery of America; Capitol 2624; 1st press V+ $25 -- beatnik/hip/jazz; w/Lou Stein's "Entire" Orchestra; "Great Moments in History As Told by"; even rarer than the fables, it's about the Wright Brothers and more, beatnik story style!
Scat Man Crothers: What's a Nice Kid Like You Doin' in a Place Like This?/Golly Zonk!--It's Scat Man; Hanna-Barbera HBR-476; 1966; E+ $25 -- beatnik/twist/dance/Batman; yes, a great Batman spoof by the original hepcat, Scat Man!
Stan Freberg: St. George & the Dragonet/Little Blue Riding Hood; Capitol F-2596; V+ $15 -- crime spoof; spoken w/theme intro; hip spoof of "Dragnet" in the style of Spike Jones mixing Jack Webb's TV classic with a kids' dragon tale, backed with an even worse "Dragnet" spoof of Al "Jazzbo" Collins!
Babs Gonzales: We Ain't Got Integration/Lonely One; Prestige 45-204; E $50 -- very clean, especially as these go; if you don't know Babs on 45, you don't know Babs!
Babs Gonzales w/Jimmy Smith Trio: You Need Connections/'Round About Midnight; Blue Note 1638 AND Babs Gonzales & his International Jazz Men: Sugar Ray/Cool Whalin'; Babs 6402/6403 -- both are AS IS (the Babs single is cracked thru but playable); expect wear and noise; a mere $25 gets them both, take it or leave it (we've paid a lot more for a lot less, where rare Babs singles are concerned, with no regrets)
Mel Henke: Old MacDonald Had a Girl/Every Little Movement--The Streets of Cairo; Warner Bros. PRO-139; 1962; promo N- $40 -- exotica/space-age pop/novelty; super-rare promo for the LP Dynamic Adventures in Sound (Warner Bros. BS-1447) in which on the A-side a woman sensuously giggles, a la Jim Backus' "Delicious" only much, much BETTER!!!
Ken Nordine & the Fred Katz Group: I Used to Think My Right Hand Was Uglier Than My Left Hand/My Baby; Dot 16000; N $20 (or E- $15, specify) -- beatnik/word jazz; B-side "From the TV Spectacular 'Another Evening With Fred Astaire'" features his son!; both cuts are super hip; every Jukebox of the Gods needs Ken Nordine!
Patsy Raye & the Beatniks: Beatnik's Wish/Beatnik's Blues; Roulette R-4208; 1958; as is $15 -- beatnik/Xmas; wild stuff!; wear but plays pretty nicely and well worth it
Steve Allen's Bop Fables; Simon & Schuster; 1955; hardcover, illustrated by George Price; Goldilocks & the Three Cool Bears, Three Mixed-Up Little Pigs, Crazy Red Riding Hood, Jack & the Real Flip Beanstalk -- sensational "kid's" book that further mines a golden idea; never too late to redo childhood as a hipster; 3rd press, some cover wear, $40
Kenneth Patchen: Doubleheader--Hurrah for Anything/Poemscapes/A Letter to God; New Directions NDP211, New York (1958); paperback, 137 pages -- this is a real "Beat" publication rather than Beatploitation; very good, $20
Bob Reisner: Beat Bop & Cool; Citadel, New York (no date); paperback, 64 pages, illustrated by Cecil Brathwaite! -- jokes, humor, cartoons; some cover wear, $40
James W. (Jim) Schock: Life is a Lousy Drag; Unicorn Publishing Co.; 1958; paperback, illustrated by Trubee Campbell -- thin/brief but excellent, not-so-exploitative guide to and meditation upon the Beat scene; one of the standouts of any good beatnik library; some cover wear, $40
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