East & West

Taken from two dates (one on the East Coast, one on the West...hence the album title), 1961 s East & West finds Gregory venturing further into the hot-button political issues of the day, like the Cold War nuclear tension, the Israeli-Egyptian conflict, airplane hijackings and the Ku Klux Klan. The two sides stay true to their respective locales, too; the New York side is pedal-to-the-metal the whole way, while the San Francisco side starts (natch!) on the mellow side and builds to a climax. Another bracing round of political humor and social commentary from Mr. Gregory!