Various (Antler; Beck, Julian; Bennett, John M.; Cohen, Ira; Crowe, Thomas Rain; Dybek, Stuart; Kupferberg, Tuli; Propper, Dan; Wainio, Ken et al.)

Breathe on the Living (Nexus Vol. 25 No. 1, Fall 1989)

Portland, OR: Locust Records / Nexus, 1989. First Edition. LP. “The title Breathe on the Living comes from a poem by Kenneth Patchen (1911-1972), an Ohio poet and watercolorist who was perhaps 50 years ahead of his time with his visions of peace and ecological sanity. And so this record is for him more than anyone else. I think he would dig it. It is also for all the Chinese students mowed down on Tiananmen Square last June, an incident that many Americans have already forgotten about, either through apathy or a desire to be on good economic terms with those bastards in power. […] This record is for all those who are dedicated to de-bunking the worn-out myths that still carry a common currency and forging a heroic path, as Joseph Campbell suggests; withdrawing from the world of things and achievements and tuning into the promptings of the inner life, the transcendent, the eternal, the human, the poetic. I not only believe that poetry can counter-affect our civilization’s self-annihilating course, but that this is the greatest time to be alive and writing poetry, because of our situation” (from “editorial” in Gatefold Insert). This huge audio omnibus features everyone from Second San Francisco Renaissance stalwarts, inc. Ken Wainio [b. 1952] & Thomas Rain Crowe (b. 1949); the poet Antler [the elusive author of Factory]; Living Theatre co-founder Julian Beck (1925-1985); the Gary Snyder-affiliated Nanao Sakaki (1923-2008); Ira Cohen (1935-2011); noted New York avant-gardist, Angus MacLise (1938-1979) & so many others. For a full list of its contributors and contents, view the photographs attached to this listing. The package also features two inserts (one, a typical insert: a single 11" x 22” sheet folded at center), as well as a three p. large-format insert (stapled single sheets) on which description of its discs (namely, discs five & six) continues. Notably, for us Burroughsians the verso of this latter insert (its “final page,” if you will) features a short essay by Ira Cohen. The essay is confusing in that it claims that Brion Gysin (1916-1986) recorded “Side 1,” but the credits for side one in the other insert do not affirm this in the slightest (i.e., others are credited). It does note correctly, however, that Paul Bowles recorded the very last recording on the record (the final track on LP 3, Side 6), “Jilala: The Trance Music of Morocco.” We don’t really know what to make of this, but what’s clear is that this assemblage is unlike anything we’ve ever seen and is a must-have for collectors of Mid-Century American literary thought-&-expression. Three 12" LP records in normal-sized cover: the first-&-only edition of this alluringly collectible poetry LP. From the archive of Thomas Rain Crowe (b. 1949), the acclaimed American poet who was at the center of the Baby Beat Generation/ San Francisco Renaissance during the 1970s. The TRC archive was acquired, assembled & curated by Third Mind Books as a single item (see our item No. 1010), & its vast number of individual pieces are now being offered incrementally throughout this new year of 2025. The TRC archive collectively represents the entire legacy of the BBG/SSFR, & its critical collaborations-mentorships by the key figures of the original Beat Generation/ San Francisco Renaissance. See also Starting From San Francisco (item No. 3071), published by TMB, to obtain a thorough understanding of this important literary phenomenon from TRC himself. All records in very fine condition (“mint” in the parlance of record collecting — quite clearly un-played, or played only once). LP cover itself in Very Good-Near Fine condition with only moderate-to-enunciated edge-wear, light bumping & some bump-creasing to fine-edges & corners throughout; otherwise, clean. Very Fine / Very Good-Near Fine. [Item #7840]

Price: $150.00