Various poets
Howls, Raps & Roars (Fantasy) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Michael McClure, Ray Manzarek
Love Lion (Shanachie) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Need a groovy CD to pop into your Toyota’s sound system to set the mood for a visit to Kerouac Jack’s cafe (for Beat verse or Monday Night Football, sayeth the cable TV ads) or the nearest neighborhood poetry slam? Here’s two that will do the trick, for the terminally trendy and seriously artistic alike. Fantasy’s four-disc set of spoken word recordings is a delightfully essential addition to Rhino’s recently released box of readings and jazz of the Beat period. It starts with the poetic word play of comedian Lenny Bruce, moves on through 54 minutes of Allen Ginsburg (including “Howl”) and to such great writers as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Kenneth Rexroth and Michael McClure (no Beat women?). Some of the works here aren’t from the top shelf, but they do represent the period well and hold up quite well after nearly 40 years. McClure, who was beat at the beginning, proves he’s still a vital artist in “Love Lion,” in which he shares the Bottom Line stage with Ray Manzarek, known chiefly for his tenure with the Doors. McClure’s a delight (sounding a bit like Lou Reed at times) while Manzarek’s piano propels the poetics without overwhelming the words. Kerouac and Jim Morrison both tried to combine music and poetry, with various degrees of success, and the marriage here is effective without being pretentious or overbearingly hip.
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