Spoken word albums

Think Tank- Henry Rollins
Back in New York- George Carlin
Roll with the New- Chris Rock

This is the saddest story I have.

I used to have a record of Vincent Price instructing how to perform witchcraft. It was a double album, and went into alot of details about conjuring demons and stuff. The best part was this long passage about summoning demons, first with Vincent reading an incantation in some archaic language, his voice panning back and forth between speakers, and then describing a host of demons that would appear. The descriptions were totally bizarre. I can't remember all of them, but I remember "Fish-headed hunchback! A rabid monkey with a cudgel! Ghastly, swarming imitations of Hieronymous Bosch! A beautiful baboon in flowing, royal robes!" Imagine all this in that Vincent Price stage-English voice, building in intensity as he goes, but when he got to the beautiful baboon he changed briefly to a gentle voice of awe. Man, it's just an insane record.

Anyway, I don't have it anymore, and I have no idea where it is. I had to get rid of a bunch of albums when my mom died (long story), but I'm SURE I wouldn't have gotten rid of that one. A couple years ago I was at the Pasadena City College Flea Market, and someone was selling a copy of it...for $50!

Now I guess the best one I have is Lester Maddox Speaks, Sings and Plays Harmonica. Yes, that's Lester Maddox, the racist governor of Georgia from the 60s.

Bill Cosby - For Adults Only:
"I don't know why they have a mirror over the bed! What're ya gonna do? Watch yourself get in the bed?"

Bill Cosby - For Russell, my brother whom I slept with:
"You see you are not really my brother... you were brought here by the police... and you are lying and you are going back to jail!"

Found a listing of it <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/film/rdsquires/vptv.htm" target="_blank">here.</a> Vincent Price: Withcraft & Magic

<img src="http://www.angelfire.com/film/rdsquires/images/vp148.jpg" alt="" />

Yep, that's the one.

I have Steven Jesse Bernstein - Prison on vinyl. It's completely fucked up. He hung himself. Probably was for the best.

Randy Grief's "Alice in Wonderland". The best goddamn version of Lewis Carrol's work ever made. (That includes films as well) The professional voice talents are outstanding, each character seems real and seperate, even though it's mostly one guy doing the voices. The music sounds like a symphony of crazy people jamming with early Pink Floyd (when Sid was still there). Good luck finding a copy of this one, but worth a listen... if you're a weird mofo like I am.

Nelly - Country Grammar

Eminem - The Eminem Show

Juvenile - 400 Degreez

2Pac - Greatest Hits

Fabolous - Ghetto Fabolous

50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin

Um...no.

That's rap, you see...

Well, I could see how they could be construed as "spoken word" albums, because they certainly don't sing. Frankly, I don't think half the rappers should even have careers, cause all they talk about is sex and growing up in low income neighborhoods, while showing off their new riches with booty-shakin' women hanging half way out of $300,000 cars. But, that's for another discussion.

The only spoken word stuff I have is:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000OEM/102-9126331-1671369" target="_blank">John Pinette - Show Me the Buffet</a> - This is a recording of a live show that Mr. Pinette did several years ago talking about his love of different foods and buffets at different foreign restaurants, etc.

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000OEM/102-9126331-1671369" target="_blank">Il Postino - Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack</a> - The first half of this soundtrack features recitation of Pablo Neruda's poetry by Sting, Miranda Richardson, Wesley Snipes, Julia Roberts, Ralph Fiennes, Ethan Hawke, Rufus Sewell, Glenn Close, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia, Willem Dafoe, Madonna and Vincent Perez. The second half is Luis Bacalov's beautiful score from the film.

Isn't it sacrilegious that this thread is over 2 posts long and no one has mentioned one William Hicks ?

His CDs are pretty much next to godliness...

Anything by Henry Rollins is worth listening to.

I saw Rollins live last winter. The guy does have the gift of gab.

Bill Cosby's old standup stuff is golden. "to russell..." is a masterpiece. So's "Revenge".

Jello Biafra's an interesting fellow too. Everyone should hear High Priest of Harmful Matter if nothing else. His story of being taken to court over the Frankenchrist album is a hoot. Especially his description of the jury selection process:

"Is there any reason you can't serve as an impartial member of this jury?"

"Yeah! All cops are liars!"

The Firesign Theater: anything by them is great, but I especially like "I think we're all Bozos on this bus."
The old Cheech and Chong albums can be good too sometimes.

I'm pretty fond of the JELLO BIAFRA bootleg of his spoken word tour, I love listening to old punk singers spout their take on society.

Howard Zinn and Bill Hicks have some great spoken-work discs.