Bukowski, Charles

Bukowski Reads His Poetry (LP Record)

Los Angeles, CA: Takoma Records, 1980. Second Edition. Vinyl LP Record in Sleeve. “Bukowski lives in the underbelly of America with the whores, pimps, gamblers, bouncers and bums of Hollywood. From his one-room apartment off Hollywood and Western in the red-light district of the City of Broken Dreams he sculpts the characters of the streets, bars, brothels, and race-tracks with his old Royal portable. Up on the corner SOLID CITIZEN, a local bum, raves on while Sam the Whorehouse Man collects $15 from his customers at the Yummy Yummy Love Parlor down the street. Bukowski just keeps typing, as he has done for 25 years, writing about what he sees and what he does in his own tragic America. Despite this, Bukowski makes us laugh. He gives us no alternative. Listen to his poems and his insults as over 1,000 did in San Francisco. Decide for yourself if he is not one of the greatest literary voices we have today.” (Joe Wolberg, from back of original sleeve) One-time philosophy student Joe Wolberg was hired at City Lights Bookstore in the late 1960s and began implementing improvements like organized shelves and anti-theft devices. His connection to the literary scene in San Francisco led him to producing records of readings such as this by Charles Bukowski. The reading on this record took place on September 14th, 1972 and featured the quintessentially crude Bukowski drinking beer and reading his “darker side of life” poetry. His poetic observations were themed around sexual perversion, drunkenness, gambling, poverty, and self-deprecating humor. There is a relatable universality in his words though the blunt delivery adds a shock value for the audience. With a total of fifteen tracks, this record offers an auditory experience of Buk’s words and personality at the height of his career. Takoma Records was founded by guitarist John Fahey (1939-2001) in 1959, and it focused on acoustic guitar music at first though they began to incorporate more variety over the years. Fahey attended Berkeley in 1963 and was unimpressed with the post-Beat, proto-hippie music scene which connects him to Bukowski who resented being lumped in with the Beat poets of the era. The label was sold in 1979 to the British indie label Chrysalis Records, owned by Chris Wright and Terry Ellis, producer of Blondie, Pat Benatar, and Huey Lewis. Upon receiving the Takoma catalog, Chrysalis reissued the Bukowski reading which was originally released by City Lights. Art director for this album John van Hamersveld (b. 1941) is a graphic artist and illustrator who has provided record jacket designs for popular bands since the 1960s including the Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Rolling Stones, and Kiss. His design incorporates one of Buk’s own rudimentary paintings on the front and a photo of the poet on the back. Vinyl LP (12”): second edition. Record is in relatively very fine condition, protected by an Invest in Vinyl translucent sleeve. Outer sleeve is relatively good-to-near-fine with a moderate crease in bottom right hand corner; moderate bumping to the edges and corners with surface peeling in some areas; detached at one side of opening approximately 6” along edge; mild-to-moderate scratching/scuffing to both sides; mild rubbing to back side along the edges of the record’s position inside. Very Fine / Good-Near Fine. [Item #7855]

Price: $75.00