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In the wake of the '80s comedy boom that made casual obscenity and bodily functions safe for TV, a listen to these '50s classics from a piano-playing Harvard grad student with a thin singing voice sounds tame if not quaint. Yet Lehrer's first two self-produced albums, among the first generation of comedy LPs, remain beloved gems of musical parody, and noteworthy for their original success in an era when their topics were strictly taboo for broadcast media. He kids cold war paranoia ("We Will All Go Together When We Go"), sends up then-hip folk revivalists with a cheerful murder ballad ("The Irish Ballad"), and gets laughs out of incest ("Oedipus Rex"), drugs ("The Old Dope Peddler"), and racism ("I Wanna Go Back to Dixie"). Closer to Gilbert & Sullivan (whom he in fact raids for one melody) than Def Comedy Jams, Lehrer can still raise a modern frisson when he plays necrophilia as romance ("I hold your hand in mine dear, I press it to my lips/ I take a healthy bite from your dainty fingertips..."). --Sam Sutherland

In an age when the old-timey soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? sells 5 million copies, it's hard to imagine how revolutionary Will the Circle Be Unbroken seemed upon its release 30 years ago. The triple album (now rereleased as a two-CD set) paired many of Nashville's venerable country and bluegrass performers (Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements) with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or as Acuff called them, "a bunch of long-haired West Coast boys." The idea seemed nearly as foreign as Martians setting down in Tennessee, but the Dirt Band were Colorado hippies steeped in the genre, so there was no disputing the authenticity of the music, or its earthy appeal. Aside from the sheer joy of the performances (listen to Jimmy Martin's "whoop" on "Sunny Side of the Mountain"), there's great fun in hearing Roy Acuff give the boys a lesson in doing a song right the first time (and using the word hell before launching into a religious number). And Mother Maybelle wafts through like a benevolent ghost, or at least a patron saint. One caveat: The boast of four previously unreleased tracks is balderdash, since three are really between-track conversations and rehearsals, and only "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" qualifies as a real song. But that's nitpicking. Buy it. Love it. Wallow in it. O brother, that's country music! --Alanna Nash

Release Date: 1996-10-08, Audio CD, Utv Records

This best-selling recording was performed by the legendary John Wayne. It's finally available as Duke?s spoken-word CD of poetry, written by Big John Mitchum. It's a must-have for all patriotic Americans, film buffs, collectors and poetry fans.

Harvard-educated mathematician by trade and sociopolitical humorist and satirist by avocation, ivory tickler Tom Lehrer sang irreverent ditties that both outraged and delighted listeners during his on-again, off-again heyday of public performance in the late 1950s through the 1970s. Perhaps best known for his "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," Lehrer combined razor-sharp wit with dry delivery inspired by everything from vaudeville and ragtime to whimsical show tunes and faux folk. Though a tad dated, Lehrer's wickedly pointed That Was the Year That Was is as good a representation of the mid-'60s American social and political climate as any. Recorded live in 1965 and composed largely of songs from the contemporaneous NBC series That Was the Week That Was, the album takes on boho Americana ("The Folk Song Army"), censorship ("Smut"), and the atomic bomb ("Who's Next"). Devilishly funny as well are the outstanding "Vatican Rag" and the puzzle that is "New Math." --Paige La Grone

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: CLOWER,JERRY
Title: GREATEST HITS
Street Release Date: 04/26/1994
Domestic
Genre: COMEDY

Broken Social Scene materialized in 1999 when K.C. Accidental's Kevin Drew & Brendan Canning, formerly of By Divine Right, bonded their friendship into a band. During the next few years, Broken Social Scene created an atmospheric rock sound. Feel Good Lost marked their debut album in 2001 & introduced a revolving cast of Canadian indie musicians. Drew's fellow mate from Do Make Say Think was added to the band, as well as Evan Cranley (Stars), James Shaw, & Emily Haines (Metric). You Forgot It in People showcased Broken Social Scene's expansive musical design in October 2002. Digipak. Copy Controlled. Arts & Crafts.

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: MILLER,ROGER
Title: ALL TIME GREATEST HITS
Street Release Date: 04/22/2003
Domestic
Genre: COUNTRY

Release Date: 1994-10-11, Audio CD, Geffen Records

Release Date: 1998-04-10, Audio CD, EMI Special Products