In 1972, City Lights Books published The Fall of America: Poems of The States 1965 – 1971, a searing collection of poetry about the turbulent state of the nation from Allen Ginsberg. It was simply some of the best work ever committed to page by the man who kicked off the Beat Revolution with his epic 1956 poem “Howl,” a collection that would go on to be rightfully honored with the National Book Award for Poetry.
This assemblage included Ginsberg’s condemnation of America’s actions in Vietnam, along with commentary about the moon landing, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the trials of Black Panther Bobby Seale and The Manson Family, the death of Che Guevara and more personal events such as the passing of Ginsberg’s friend and former lover, Neal Cassady. Many of the poems were initially composed on an Uher Tape recorder purchased by Ginsberg with the help of Bob Dylan.
Now some of the world’s most creative musicians and sound artists have come together to add a sonic sheen to these works in The Fall of America Volume II (Allen Ginsberg Recordings). This astounding musical tribute to Ginsberg benefits a most worthy not-for-profit Pen America, an organization that has protected the rights of writers and free speech here and abroad since its founding in 1922. The album, a digital, CD and vinyl release, features performances by Ai Weiwei, Philip Glass, Anne Waldman, Thurston Moore With Saul Williams, Devendra Banhart, Miho Hatori, Jack Dangers, Yoni Wolf, Fennesz & Taylor Deupree, Stephen Hillage & Miquette Giraudy, Kai Campos & CJ Mirra, DJ Spooky / Aka That Subliminal Kid Feat Antoine Drye, and more.
The work on Cassady, “Cremation Piece – On Neal’s Ashes,” is my favorite. The NYC poet and artist No Land joins forces with street poet/noise guitarist Oliver Ray, a former Patti Smith collaborator, to conjure a landscape of electronics and strings that weaves around the recitations by Ginsberg and the cross-talking of the poetess. British DJ and electronic musician Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto manifests a similar vibe for Ginsburg’s ruminations on gods and spirituality in “Holy Ghost on the Nod Over the Body of Bliss.” It is Indonesian Gamelan meets Indian tablas meets old European string quartet on a Martian soundscape dressing the poet’s riffs on Kali, Krishna and “Zeus riding a reindeer.” The band WHY? brings an ultra-slow groove to their treatment of “Death on All Fronts.” It, and the similarly bouncy “Bixby Canyon,” are perhaps the most commercial entries on this experimental album, a slow dance sway to lyrics that capture Hallmark moments like “poison rats in the chicken house.”
Another worthy track is “Pentagon Exorcism.” Here the great NYC poet Anne Waldman recites Ginsberg’s anti defense industrial complex piece against a backdrop that marries hip hop beats and Art Ensemble of Chicago muted trumpet jazz, something that goes well with the poet’s bebop-inspired word play. Dave Harrington joins up with multi-instrumentalist Will Epstein for “Pertussin.” It’s another slow and dreamy outing with lots of texture and instrumental crunch that brings to mind another musician who I wish had a go at a collaboration here, ECM Records’ guitarist Steve Tibbetts. System 7, a collaboration of GONG’s guitarist Steve Hillage and keyboardist Miquette Giraudy, adds tasty and spacey treatments to “Sonora Desert Edge (The Abyss). It’s an ideal spin for your next rave – all synth washes, echoes and periodic dance beats – a sound visioning of the colors, vegetation and animals of the desert. Only regret here is that Hillage doesn’t inject the king of fleet-fingered, melodic guitaring that has been a signature of his earlier band and solo releases.
There are a couple of misses here too. This list is led by Thurston Moore’s mercifully brief (:55!) “A Prophecy,” a tuneless strum (or loop) that goes nowhere fast. Also work worthy of hitting the skip for is the album opener, “Hum Bom!” In this, the great poet serves up a non-sensical word salad, one unfortunately read by the brave Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, to very bad (ironic?) synth that sounds like the theme for a Grade-D James Bond movie knockoff. But thanks to Philip Glass, the album closes on a high point with “Have You Seen This Movie?” It’s a nine-plus minute epic rant from Ginsberg set to a slowly building heavenly solo piano, one that brings to mind the work of Cal Cobbs on Albert Ayler’s live recording of “Angels.”
I have always been a fan of the marriage of poetry and music, as heard in the works of John Cooper Clarke, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Material and one of my own humble projects, Vapor Vespers, with Alaskan poet Mark Muro. I also love that this benefits Pen America. Pen is a group I had the pleasure of working with in my former life as a PR executive, through which I met many of the brave writers and artists it honored like Salman Rushdie, Pussy Riot and the editors of Charlie Hebdo.
While you can stream this on Spotify, why not pony up and get the vinyl with the killer bonus track by the always excellent DJ Spooky? It’s a purchase that will not only delight your ears, mind and soul. It is something that will support free speech and the many journalists, authors and artists around the world who are endangered and jailed for simply seeking to disseminate truth and facts.
Digital Track Listing:
Ai Weiwei with O Future & Aliah Rosenthal – Hum Bom!
Anne Waldman and Fast Speaking Music – Pentagon Exorcism
Thurston Moore feat. Saul Williams – A Prophecy
Kai Campos and CJ Mirra – Bixby Canyon
Devendra Banhart – Dear Queer Bar
Jack Dangers – Holy Ghost on the Nod Over the Body of Bliss
System 7 – Sonora Desert Edge (The Abyss)
WHY? – Death on All Fronts
Seb Taylor – Over Denver Again
Fennesz & Taylor Deupree – Guru
Ashes (Bill Laswell, Eraldo Bernocchi & Reeno) – September on Jessore Road
Oliver Ray and No Land – Cremation Piece (On Neal’s Ashes)
Dave Harrington & Will Epstein – Pertussin
Miho Hatori – Iron Horse (The Universe is Empty)
Philip Glass – Have You Seen This Movie?
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