One of the strongest recordings ever made of the mad mad Lord Buckley! The album was issued in the late 60s for Frank Zappa's Straight label – but it features material recorded more than a decade before – at a time when Buckley was still alive, and one of the most bad-rapping comedian's to ever hit a stage. The approach is somewhat freer than some of Buckley's earlier sides – allowing the ersatz comedian a chance to really riff on a variety of subjects – talking with almost a jazz improvisational energy, in the way that made him a big favorite for the beat generation. The overall nature of the record is kind of hard to pin down – as it's not really comedy, just more of a freewheeling spoken session that's a bit jive, a bit beatnik, and plenty darn crazy! Titles include "The Raven", "The King Of Bad Cats", "Governor Slugwell", and "The Hip Einie". CD

Flip Wilson caught live at Mr Kelly's in Chicago – really grabbing the attention of the crowd with a range of routines – some straight jokes, mixed with some of the characters that would increasingly dominate Wilson's performance – all with the sort of crossover appeal that maybe makes his work an important precursor to the generation of Dave Chappelle! But there's also a hip-talking approach that links him back to the world of comics like Lenny Bruce or Mort Sahl – that style from a time when comics were only for adult audiences – something that's referenced not just in the subject material (which is never too blue here, given the Atlantic Records performance), but also in the matter of fact style of speaking. Titles include "The Millionaire", "The Joey Bishop Show", "The Gardener", "Days Of The Knights", "Herman's Berry", and "Paid To Die". LP, Vinyl record album