Lenny Bruce was a stand-up comedian, satirist and social observer who was one of the first really controversial figures of stand-up comedy, adopting an unstructured free-wheeling approach that addressed topics no-one else would go near, and not afraid to employ shock tactics in his language and reference points, which eventually saw him convicted of obscenity, although he was pardoned posthumously. One  critic said he was “a comic right out of the jazz world….colossally irreverent…..ribald….even sometimes rough”.

This 35-track album comprises most of the contents from the first four albums of his for the Fantasy label – “Interviews Of Our Times”, “The Sick Humor Of Lenny Bruce”, “I Am Not A Nut, Elect Me! (Togetherness)” and “American” – unfortunately, there was not room for his 19-minute performance “The Palladium”. The contents of the albums range across a spectrum of topics, satirising the hypocrisy and pretence of American life, religion, showbiz, political and national affairs, and more – the targets for his barbed commentary know no boundaries. 

The year after “American” was released he was arrested on stage, and by 1966 he was dead from a drug overdose at the age of 50. He broke new ground in comedy and counterculture and this album captures him in the core era of his career, and is a startling showcase for one of the boldest and most challenging comedians of all time.

CD 1
1. LARRY WELK INTERVIEW Lenny Bruce 
2. DJINNI IN THE CANDY STORE Lenny Bruce 
3. ENCHANTING TRANSYLVANIA Lenny Bruce 
4. INTERVIEW WITH DR. SHOLEM STEIN Lenny Bruce 
5. THE MARCH OF HIGH FIDELITY Lenny Bruce 
6. MARIA OUSPENSKAYA INTERVIEW Lenny Bruce 
7. FATHER FLOTSKY'S TRIUMPH Lenny Bruce 
8. ALL BROADWAY MUSICALS SOUND THE SAME ESPECIALLY THE BARITONES Lenny Bruce 
9. SHORTY PETTERSTEIN INTERVIEW Lenny Bruce 
From the album “Interviews Of Our Times” (Fantasy 7001    1958
10. NON SKEDDO FLIES AGAIN Lenny Bruce 
11. THE KID IN THE WELL Lenny Bruce 
12. ADOLPH HITLER AND M.C.A. Lenny Bruce 
13. IKE, SHERM, AND NICK Lenny Bruce 
14. PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS Lenny Bruce 
15. RELIGIONS, INC. Lenny Bruce
From the album “The Sick Humor Of Lenny Bruce”   (Fantasy 7003 )   1959

CD 2
1. WHITE COLLAR DRUNKS Lenny Bruce 
2. THE DEFIANT ONES Lenny Bruce 
3. THE PHONE COMPANY Lenny Bruce 
4. THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW Lenny Bruce 
5. ESTHER COSTELLO STORY Lenny Bruce 
6. BRONCHITIS Lenny Bruce 
7. MY TRIP TO MIAMI Lenny Bruce 
8. THE TRIBUNAL Lenny Bruce 
9. OUR GOVERNORS Lenny Bruce 
From the album “I Am Not A Nut, Elect Me! (Togetherness)    Fantasy    7007) 1960
10. LIMA, OHIO Lenny Bruce 
11. AIRPLANE GLUE Lenny Bruce 
12. SHELLEY BERMAN / CHICAGO / NIGHTCLUB OWNERS Lenny Bruce 
13. HOW TO RELAX YOUR COLORED FRIENDS AT PARTIES Lenny Bruce 
14. THE LOST BOY Lenny Bruce 
15. MARRIAGE DIVORCE & MOTELS Lenny Bruce 
16. DON'S BIG DAGO Lenny Bruce 
17. THREE MESSAGE MOVIES (A-NARCOTICS-B.TRUTH-C. TOLERANCE) Lenny Bruce 
18. COMMERCIALS Lenny Bruce 
19. FATHER FLOTSKY'S TRIUMPH (UNEXPURGATED) Lenny Bruce
From the album “American”  (Fantasy 7011)  1961