Right from the start of his career, poet Allen Ginsberg experimented with recording and music – maybe not a surprise, because as a young beat poet, he grew up in the era when long playing records were really taking off – yet still delivered in a way that was often very different than recorded projects by contemporaries like Lawrence Ferlinghetti or Jack Kerouac! For one thing, Ginsberg was never afraid to sing – which he definitely does here – and as a poet with an already-striking voice for reading, his vocals really follow suit – as does his collaborative spirit that ran through all generations of his creativity – leading him to work on some of these tracks with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Elvin Jones, Bob Dylan, Arthur Russell, and Philip Glass. The set was done in collaboration with Ginsberg's estate, and brings together both vocal and spoken selections, some never issued before – with selections that include "First Party At Ken Kesey's With Hell's Angels", "Raghupati Raghava", "Ballad Of The Skeletons", "Hum Bum", "Birdbrain", "Grey Monk", "Prayer For John Sinclair", "Put Down Yr Cigarette Rag", "Gospel Noble Truths", and "Ballad Of The Skeletons". CD

A tribute to a lost side of the creative powers of the legendary Sun Ra – his work in prose and poetry, presented here on record by a variety of different voices – all in a production that features some cool electronics from Marshall Allen as well! The instrumental work of Ra and the Arkestra have an undeniably righteous power and spiritual message – and those qualities are presented here in a more focused, more direct style through his pen – ideas that are clear and forthright, and which show very powerful concepts of life, music, politics, race, and the cosmos – all at a level that really showcases the depths of Ra as a philosopher! EVI electronics are played by Allen, who also speaks a bit on the record – alongside others who include Carl Hancok Rux, Zakia Sewell, Abioudun Oyewole, Melanie Charles, Jive Poetic, Tara Middleton, L'Rain, Saul Williams, and Mahogany L Browne. Titles include "When Angels Speak", "The Invisible Giants", "Sun-Day", "Nothing Is", "The Melody of Air", "The Void", "The Neglected Plane Of Wisdom" and more. (Jazz, Spoken Word) CD