First Blues

about this album

Legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg explores the fusion of poetry and blues in this rare 1970s recording. Called a 'venerated bard of resistance', Ginsberg ambitiously sought 'to know the working of the mind' through poetry. This collection of fun ditties spouts against capitalism, among other things, and is an amusing and enjoyable listen; Ginsberg accompanies himself with a small hand-pumped harmonium from India, occasionally adding his own guttural rhythms reminiscent of Dadaist sound-poetry (in the cases of "Put Down Your Cigarette Rag" and "Prayer Blues"), while other songs, such as "Bus Ride Ballad Road to Suva", echo folk ballads from yesteryear. Ginsberg prefaced each song himself with liner notes including an introduction to the lyrics. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

tracks

more from Allen Ginsberg

Howl

Howl and Other Poems

The Lion For Real

Howl (Remastered)

The Last Word On First Blues

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