The Lenny Bruce Originals, Vol. 1

Lenny's first two albums- The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce and Interviews of our Times -on one compact disc that's still sure to shake up the "squares!" In all seriousness, though, these albums revolutionized stand-up comedy; today they sound more brilliant than scandalous.

These 1958 tracks from The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce and Interviews of Our Times are the roots of the rage but not the rage itself. When Bruce first made the scene in the late 1950s, he was considerably tamer than he would become (although he was already quite volatile by the era's standards). Most of his early humor was based on bits and routines, with the comic providing a litany of voices for a passel of ethnic characters and bizarre situations. While not as shocking or as memorable as his later freeform work, much of this material still rings true, especially the hilarious "March of High Fidelity" and the dead-on "Non Skeddo Flies Again." Certainly these roots are worth researching. --Michael Ruby