Various Artists ‎– "The Nova Convention" (Giorno Poetry Systems ‎– GPS 014-015) 1979

Live recording at an historic "summit",'The Nova Convention',a kind of tribute forward slash benefit, for William.S, including alledged counter culture and avant garde performers in New York City in 1979. Sadly,the music section of this convention,which included Suicide, B-52's, Bobby Fripp isn't available,but.....
Frank Zappa IS the talking asshole, and there's a nice picture of him on the inner cover bathing in the light of William Burroughs' credibility ray. Of course we also have  Patti Smith....good isn't she(?),introduced as 'Great'...well as least she and a bunch of hack journalists thought she was.....waxing lyrical about similar asshole, Jim Morrison,with 'jokes' that fall as flat as her terrible adult orientated rock albums.
John Giorno places himself early in the tracklist once more,and everyone skips the needle forward,bouncing off the Patti Smith track like a skimming stone,to the safer ground of Glass,Cage Billy,and Brion,among others,aka the real thing.


Tracklist:

A1 –Terry Southern - Vingette Of Idealistic Life In South Texas 1:25
A2 –William S. Burroughs - Keynote Commentary & Roosevelt After Inauguration 5:52
A3 –John Giorno - Eating The Sky 13:30
A4 –Patti Smith - Poem For Jim Morrison & Bumblebee 11:45
B1 –William S. Burroughs - Benway 3:40
B2 –Philip Glass - Building, Excerpt From Einstein On The Beach By Robert Wilson & Philip Glass 3:04
B3 –Brion Gysin - Kick That Habit, Junk Is No Good Baby, Somebody Special & Blue Baboon 7:06
B4 –Frank Zappa - The Talking Asshole 5:25
B5 –William S. Burroughs - From The Gay Gun: "This Is Kim Carson" & "Just Like The Collapse Of Any Currency" & "The Whole Tamale" 13:27
C1 –William S. Burroughs - What The Nova Convention Is About 2:35
C2 –Ed Sanders - Hymn To Aphrodite From Sappho 8:50
C3 –John Cage - Writing For The Second Time Through Finnegans Wake 14:15
C4 –Anne Waldman - Plutonium Ode & Skin Meat Bones 6:35
D1 –Laurie Anderson & Julia Heyward - Song From America On The Move 12:50
D2 –Allen Ginsberg & Peter Orlovsky - Punk Rock, Old Pond; Feeding Them Raspberries To Grow, & Nurses Song 13:00
D3 –William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Timothy Leary, Les Levine & Robert Anton Wilson Conversations 7:10

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The Dial-A-Poem Poets - "Disconnected" (Giorno Poetry Systems ‎– GPS 003) 1974

As album covers go,this must be one of the worst ever?...or one of the best ever? Maybe even thee Best ever?
A disco shirt clad John Giorno,knealing on a beach in the surf as if bathing in a sea of his own bodily fluids.Then we're treated to an inset of a very creepy looking Giorno in his hotel room,prostrate,legs akimbo, like a sex tourist on his unmade bed after deflowering an underage native rentboy. Looking at the other bed in the room,which seems unused,he must have paid the single persons supplement,unless the person unknown, who took these candid photographs, is sharing the room with him.Perhaps he got that severely abused native boy to take them as part of his fee?
How these images connect with the album title I can only imagine?...maybe that's it,the poetry,cover and artists are all disconnected from each other and that's the concept?
Whatever is going on in Giorno's mind,this double album has some rather good spoken word pieces on it,and is thankfully light on Rock stars wanting to be associated with Mr. Burroughs. There's little or no music to ruin the words.Interestingly,or not, I understand that one Robert Zimmerman makes an appearence on one of the Ginsberg tracks,alongside very over-rated and now dead cellist, Arthur Russell.


Tracklist:

1-1 –Allen Ginsberg - I'm A Victim Of Telephones 1:30
1-2 –Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche - Cynical Letter, A Letter To Marpa, Sound Cycle (Aham) 7:05
1-3 –John Giorno - Suicide Sutra 7:17
1-4 –William S. Burroughs - What Washington, What Orders, From Exterminator 7:01
1-5 –Charles Plymell - 100 Flies On An Airplane Flying Around The World, From The Thrashing Of America 2:54
1-6 –Michael Brownstein - Monologue From The Top, From Brainstorms 1:46
1-7 –John Cage - Excerpt From Silence 1:55
2-1 –Anne Waldman - Fast Speaking Woman 5:32
2-2 –Diane Di Prima - Excerpt From Loba 2:18
2-3 –Bernadette Mayer - Excerpt From Studying Hunger 3:31
2-4 –Robert Creeley - The Name 1:14
2-5 –Diane Wakoski - Exorcism 2:25
2-6 –Lorenzo Thomas - High Heel Jesus 1:22
2-7 –Gregory Corso - Marriage 7:20
2-8 –Maureen Owen - Body Rush 0:52
2-9 –Ed Sanders - Stand By My Side, Oh Lord 2:13
2-10 –Charles Olson - The Ridge 2:42
3-1 –Allen Ginsberg - Jimmy Bearman 4:04
3-2 –Joe Brainard - Excerpt From More I Remember More 6:33
3-3 –John Wieners - Excerpt From Memories In A Small Apartment 4:35
3-4 –Gerard Malanga - A Last Poem (Tentative Title) 0:40
3-5 –John Perreault - Nude Death 1:38
3-6 –Jack Spicer - Excerpt From Billy The Kid 3:43
3-7 –Jim Carroll - From The Busterball Diaries,Spring 1965 3:43
3-8 –Peter Orlovsky - All Around The Garden 4:32
4-1 –Imamu Amiri Baraka - Our Nation Is Like Ourselves 4:42
4-2 –Michael McClure - Lion Poem 2:08
4-3 –Ed Dorn - Recollections Of Grande Apacharia 4:28
4-4 –Frank Lima - The Hunter 1:35
4-5 –Frank O'Hara - Adieu Norman,Bonjour To Joan And Jean Paul, From Lunch Poems 3:07
4-6 –Bill Berkson - Stanky 0:16
4-7 –Larry Fagin - A Play 0:18
4-8 –Tom Clark - Little Aria 0:38
4-9 –Paul Blackburn - The Once-Over, From Brooklyn Manhattan Trancit 1:13
4-10 –Philip Whelan - If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich 1:56
4-11 –Ron Padgett - June 17, 1942 4:18
4-12 –John Ashbery - The Tennis Court Oath 1:56
4-13 –Clark Coolidge - Excerpt From Dews (8 Channel) 1:07
4-14 –Charles Amirkhanian - Radii 2:05

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The Dial-A-Poem Poets ‎– "Sugar, Alcohol, & Meat " (Giorno Poetry Systems ‎– GPS 018/019) 1980

I don't know which one is Sugar,Alcohol,or Meat,but the writers pictured on the cover are ready for a cosy evening of Poetry Roulette. Set your MP3 player to shuffle and see what pops up. Some you win, some you lose,but unlike a real gambling establishment you win more than you lose.One turn you get Patti Smith.....lose.....the next you get Kathy Acker.....a win.
I suppose ,if one was to assign each poet one of the three coping mechanisms for modern livin',John Ashbery,bottom right,would be Alcohol,as he looks like an alcoholic;Giorno would be Sugar,because there's far too much of it;and lastly, Burroughs would be the Meat,for obvious reasons,as thats what he writes about.The meat on your fork and where it came from and where it's going.
The modern epidemic of crypto veganism is,of course very concerned with the subject of Meat,but in a very different way to the Burroughsian slant.For the modern 'Vegan',in inverted commas,seem to be more concerned with moral oneupmanship,than actually giving a shit about animals in general,outside of the cute and cuddly pet angle. The latest thing is how they are, in fact, saving the planet.
Not eating meat means less cows farting out greenhouse gases,means more room for the blight of Soya crops for Human consumption.....which is virtually organic tarmacing,and doesn't recognise the mass extinction problem that the globe faces;and they still drive,fly,buy tofu in plastic packages,and fart more because of their veggie diet.
So the Vegan's Naked Lunch,is the moment that they realise whats on the end of their fork,and the facts that they are Iron deficient,B12 lacking,essential Amino Acid less Extinction enabling fellow polluters,who are desperate to justify their,admittedly, free choice to be on a higher plain,looking down on vegetarians,omnivores(humans),and Carnivores (their animal chums),and proclaim this at every opportunity and puff out their chests with pride and superiority. Then they don't understand why they get such bad press? 
As a shunned Vegetarian/Flexitarian,i have no problem with Veganism,just do it quietly and stop kidding yourselves that you're now saving the planet.....we should all be sooooo grateful,Thank you all.
PS we're DOOOOMED anyway.

Tracklist:

A1 –Peter Gordon - Extract From "External Niceties"
A2 –John Giorno - I Resign Myself To Being Here
A3-I –John Cage - Alex & Gretchen Corazzo
A3-II –John Cage - The 6th Patriach Of Zen Buddhism
A3-III –John Cage - Once I Was Visiting My Aunt Marge
A3-IV –John Cage - Dorothy Invited Me
A3-V –John Cage - One Of Suzuki's
A4 –Tom Carey - Good Night Irene
A5-I –Andreí Vosnesensky - I Am Goya
A5-II –Andreí Vosnesensky - Song Of Moscow Ancient Church Bells
B1 –Miguel Pinero - New York City Hard Times Blues
B2 –Miguel Algarin - Setenta Y Cinco Abriles
B3 –Mitchelle Kreigman - In The Bathtub
B4 –William S. Burroughs - The Intolerable Kid On The Nova Lark (From Nova Express)
B5 –William S. Burroughs Jr. - Translucent Boy, An Excellent Time, & For Neal Cassidy
B6 –Charlie Morrow - O Yeh - Don't Die
B7 –Ted Berrigan - To Jack Kerouac
C1 –Charlotte Carter - Six Months In Brooklyn
C2 –Patti Smith - Parade
C3 –Cliff Fyman - Coffee
C4 –Robin Messing - 3 Subway Poems (From "Temporary Worker")
C5 –Paul Violi - Whalefeathers
C6 –Bob Holman - Rap It Up
C7 –Allen Ginsberg - C.I.A. Dope Calypso
C8 –Anne Waldman - Lady Tactics
C9 –John Ashbery - Litany
C10 –Beth Anderson - I Can't Stand It
C11 –Rene Ricard - Rene Ricard Famous At 20
D1 –Barbara Barg - Chicks
D2 –Ned Sublette - Nice Young Mormons
D3 –Kathy Acker - I Was Walking Down The Street
D4 –Eileen Myles - Lorna & Vicki
D5 –Barbara Barg - So Fine, With Chassler
D6 –Didi Susan Dubelyew - Who Needs Exercise
D7 –Rochelle Kraut - New Born Sleep
D8 –Gary Snyder - What You Should Know To Be A Poet
D9 –Daniela Gioseffi - Eggs
D10 –Regina Beck - Message From Confucius
D11 –Bernard Heidsieck - Canal Street
D12 –Charles Bernstein - Wall As
D13 –Steve McCaffery - Viking Log (Part 2)
D14 –Ron Padgett Zzzzz

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Various ‎Artists – "The Dial-A-Poem Poets" (Giorno Poetry Systems ‎– GPS 001) 1972

The first of the dial-a-poem albums by the Dial-A-Poem Poets. Which thankfully doesn't include any rock stars.Just a bunch of post-beat, post-hippie wordsmiths who can string more than a few words together......hang on...isn't that the too clever by half front-man from the Fugs?.....Oh God...there's Jim Carroll too!.....apart from that, you're safe.....and No Patti Smith,which can only be a good thing.Although Anne Waldman sounds exactly like Smith would sound when the praise started to be chucked in her direction like so much shit at a wall.
Bobby Seales' (the official Token Black on this predominantly white  Album) speech about 'Racism' is a particular low point. If only for the sound of the wild applause and cheering from the ,almost certainly, 'White' audience when he explains why he hates white people. "Woooo Yeaaaah,I hate White people too", screams the dressed -down stockbroker at the terminally hip 'Filmore,East' venue.If this terror ranter asked these middle class fools to shoot themselves,they may well have done it with an eagerness last seen in Jonestown.Just to prove they're not racists.....,by any means necessary......shit, I hate White People too,for different reasons.Can't say the same for Blacks,(although why should they be exempted from contempt?),or i'll be pulled up as racist by the same type of 'whites' who applauded so enthusiastically at the prospect of their own extinction. A rare example of Mass Jesus Christ syndrome in all its narcissistic glory.....Also displayed by 'White Panther'and MC5 guru idiot, John Sinclair.......sure we're ALL racist, but postive discrimination is still...er...discrimination......innit? And I can say this, because i'm a person of colour too...Pink.
"Everybody's Coloured or you wouldn't be able to see 'um." (Don Van Vliet,1972).

Wait!Isn't that Robin Williams of Mork and Mindy fame grinning in the background on the cover,or Jesus Christ?
That's obviously me in the foreground,on my way for afternoon creme tea and scones with Richard Hell at The Ritz.


Tracklist:

A1 –Allen Ginsberg - Vajra Mantra 2:00
A2 –Diane Di Prima - Revolutionary Letters Nos. 7, 13, 16, 49 7:07
A3 –William Burroughs - Excerpts From The Wild Boys 6:53
A4 –Anne Waldman - Pressure 4:00
A5 –John Giorno - Vajra Kisses 8:20
B1 –Emmett Williams - Duet 1:50
B2 –Ed Sanders - Cemetery Hill 4:08
B3 –Taylor Mead - Motorcycles 1:52
B4 –Allen Ginsberg - Green Automobile 1953 6:30
B5 –Robert Creeley - The Messenger For Allen Ginsberg, I Know A Man 1:17
B6 –Harris Schiff - Poems 3:53
B7 –Lenore Kandel - Kali 2:20
B8 –Aram Saroyan - Not A Cricket 0:09
B9 –Philip Whalen - Excerpt From Scenes Of Life At The Capitol 3:07
B10 –Ted Berrigan - Excerpt From The Sonnets 2:35
C1 –Frank O'Hara - Ode To Joy, To Hell With It 4:52
C2 –Joe Brainard - Excerpt From I Remember 4:03
C3 –Clark Coolidge - Small Inventions: Suite V (Plurals) Secante, Suite IV 2:07
C4 –Jim Carroll - Excerpts From The Basketball Diaries 3:33
C5 –John Cage - Mushroom Haiku 4:55
C6 –Bernadette Mayer - These Stories About After The Revolution 1:50
C7 –Michael Brownstein - Geography 6:40
D1 –Brion Gysin - I Am That I Am 2:45
D2 –John Sinclair - The Destruction Of America 5:38
D3 –Anne Waldman - Holy City 2:05
D4 –Heathcote Williams - I Will Not Pay Taxes Until 4:50
D5 –David Henderson - The Louisiana Weekly No. 1 Ruckus Poem Part 1 2:00
D6 –Bobby Seale - Excerpt From Fillmore East Speech 3:10
D7 –Kathleen Cleaver - Excerpt From Fillmore East Speech 3:10
D8 –Allen Ginsberg - Blake Song: Merrily We Welcome In The Year 4:30

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"LSD - promotional version" (Capitol Records) 1966

This is the companion release to the other LSD documentary album (LSD - A Documentary Report- 1966 Capitol Lp). 
It was released to radio stations to promote the lp and contains an "open-end" interview with Doctor Sidney Cohen, M.D.. 
This "interview" is similar to the open-end interview album released by the Byrds to promote the "5D" album where DJs would play this record and have a list of questions that would be "answered" by playing back the record,or even better ,you could conduct the interview yourself and make believe that you were there? An ingenious way to promote both the album and the drug, saving the artist a lot of time and travel;even though the artist,if on LSD would have had all the time in the world slowed down and should be able to travel around without leaving the room. It also contains several excerpts from the released album.

Tracklist:

Side A:

An Exclusive Open-End Interview With Dr. Sidney Cohen
Interviewee – Dr. Sidney Cohen 12:13
Excerpts From Capitol Records' Documentary Album, "LSD" 15:48

Side B:

1. A Reading By Poet Allen Ginsberg, Accompanied By Psychedelic Music
Voice – Allen Ginsberg 2:47
2. The "Lost Generation" Expresses Its Excuses For Experimenting With LSD 2:36
3. The Source For The Market Of Users, Their Dosage, And Some Over-dose Results 4:05
4. The "Trip" As Experienced By Two Teen-age Users Of LSD 3:38
5. Dr. Timothy Leary Expresses His Opinion That LSD Is Religion
Voice – Dr. Timothy Leary 2:17

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"LSD - A Documentary Report" (Capitol Records ‎– TAO-2574) 1966

'A documentary report on the current psychedelic drug controversy!'....it says on the cover.I dunno whether this docu-album was conceived,to spread fear about LSD or promote it? Certainly to cash in a little at least.It was recorded and assembled by Capitol Records to,allegedly, strive to achieve a balanced, creditable report on LSD use. The descriptions,and recordings of,so-called, 'Bum Trips', and the photographs that include a young lady looking longingly out of a window while 'tripping' suggests this is a subtle attempt to counter the counter-culture claims of the benefits of acid.

Despite the images undeniably chosen to portray the fad as a kind of 'Madness', the reality is that the narrator is as square as the kids themselves.With certain exceptions, drugs in general open the down escalators of perception for the naturally unenlightened,people without a clue how to do anything off the straight and narrow.The extent of their trips were more or less akin to a chemical fairground ride.......'Groovy, look at the colours in that painting,its like its melting....like...I mean wow!'......wow indeed.Now you can be as square as you were before, but with added chances of paranoid schizophrenia to impress your friends with.
Its all quite quaint and dated of course.And the wide-eyed enthusiasm of some of the 'teenagers' interviewed is charming.
Awwwwww she's on LSD bless her little cotten socks.
Naturally, there are the obligatory appearances of Dr Timothy Leary, and Alan Ginsberg,with merry prankster Neal Cassady and the Greatful Dead(as spelt in the handy glossary on the sleeve)providing the music,backed up with their victims, some tripping teenagers. What a bum trip daddio.

Tracklist:

A The Scene
B The Trip

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