Various Artists

The East Village Other







This album was intended to raise funds for The East Village Other, an underground newspaper. This is the first North American CD release of the "electric newspaper," an archetypal Sixties counterculture 'happening' from August 6, 1966, this is also the first edition anywhere since the original vinyl to include the lengthy closing track, "Interview with Hairy." A legendary all-star cast of performers got together to make an anti-war collage of words and sounds that defies mere track listings—one of the elements is "Silence" by Andy Warhol, which, contrary to at least one wrong-headed European reissue, is not actually a separate track (so don't write in complaining about its supposed absence): For some period of time, while the radio played and/or other performers did their things, Andy stood in the studio silently. Hey, it was the '60s. It's a concept, man.


Personnel

Steve Weber (g, vo)
Gerard Malanga, Ingrid Superstar (performer)
Velvet Underground
Marion Brown (as) Scotty Holt (b) Ronald Shannon Jackson (d)
Allen Ginsberg (spoken word) Peter Orlovsky (performer)
Peter Rawson (g) Tuli Kupferberg, Viki Pollon (vo)
Ishmael Reed (spoken word)
Andy Warhol (silence)

Track Listing

1."Luci's Wedding" by plastic clock radio2."If I Had Half a Mind" by Steve Weber3."Gossip" by Gerard Malanga and Ingrid Superstar4."Noise" by The Velvet Underground 5."Jazz Improv" by Marion Brown, Scott Holt, & Ronald Shannon Jackson 6."Mantras" by Allen Ginsberg & Peter Orlovsky 7."Luci's Wedding" (cont) by plastic clock radio 8."Love and Ashes" by Tuli Kupferberg 7 Viki Pollon, with Peter Rawson on guitar 9."The Free Lance Pall Bearers" by Ishmael Reed 10."Interview with Hairy" by Ken Weaver & Ed Sanders 

RLA Sound Studios, NYC, August 6, 1966

Press Quotes:

"ESP-Disk released some freaky discs. That was kind of the whole idea of the label, in fact. But of all the discs they released, none were freakier than The East Village Other Electric Newspaper. A mind-bending sonic collage, [it] consists of a radio report of First Daughter Luci Baines Johnson's wedding on August 6, 1966 (coincidentally -- and prophetically, to the staff of the pioneering underground newspaper The East Village Other -- the 21st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima) overlaid with a variety of underground oddities. These include a song fragment by the Holy Modal Rounders' Steve Weber, a two and a half minute improvisation by free jazz saxophonist Marion Brown, a song by Tuli Kupferberg of the Fugs, a ten-minute chant by Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, a reading by Ishmael Reed from his novel The Freelance Pallbearers, a gossip section by Warhol superstars Gerard Malanga and Ingrid Superstar, and, most famously, a 1:44 instrumental by the Velvet Underground aptly titled 'Noise.' This was the very first Velvets recording to be released. Obviously, this is much more of a curio than anything anyone will want to listen to regularly, but, as curios go, it's oddly fascinating." – Stewart Mason, All-Music Guide


Musicians: Steve Weber / Gerard Malanga / Ingrid Superstar / Velvet Underground / Marion Brown / Scotty Holt / Ronald Shannon Jackson / Allen Ginsberg / Peter Orlovsky / Peter Rawson / Tuli Kupferberg / Viki Pollon / Ishmael Reed / Andy Warhol

Play the samples

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Compact Disk Digipak with illustrations Complete original program restored and corrected
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  • Product Code: ESP1034
  • Reward Points: 300
  • Availability: In Stock
  • CD $12.99
  • LP $20.00
  • WAV Download $8.99
  • MP3 Download $8.99

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