An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer

Setting his bitterly caustic lyrics against nice bouncy piano, Tom's recordings spread like wildfire in the mid-to-late-'50s. Recorded live at Harvard, this musical-comedy classic from '59 includes We Will All Go Together When We Go; Poisoning Pigeons in the Park; The Masochism Tango; In Old Mexico , and more!

"If, after hearing my songs," Lehrer says in this disc's liner notes, "just one human being is inspired to say something nasty to a friend, or perhaps strike a loved one, it will all have been worth the while." Makes him sound like a modern punk, eh? Not so, though. Lehrer, ever the king of jolly vitriol, recorded these still potent parodies in the '50s--and the best of them, "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," "The Masochism Tango," and "The Elements" (which joins science with Gilbert & Sullivan) remain both nasty and striking. Musically, Lehrer comes across like a demented Cole Porter, wrapping sophisticated, showy tunes around his acerbic jokes. Lyrically, he's a clear forebear to folks like Phil Ochs and Barry Crimmins, who also cloak their commentary in comedy. --Michael Ruby