There's no way explaining Tom Lehrer or his music. You have to listen, indulge and either you love him or you hate him. A Harvard professor who couldn't even spell PC and in the early fifties wrote and performed some of the meanest, funniest and most socially revealing songs ever published. A blend of catchy well written melodies and lyrics on forbidden or at the time unmentionable subjects made it non grata for the US record companies, so he started his own Lehrer Records and defrayed two albums himself. This first recorded in a one hour session early 1953. I got hold of a UK issue in my pre-teens and through that he became my private tutor navigating me beyond school English. I could hear something interesting was going on, but didn't get all the expressions. I remember writing the words down to the best of my knowledge and then plowing through dictionaries trying to put it together. Followed his every step up to "That Was The Year That Was", whereafter I got hooked on "Freak Out" and Frank Zappa replaced him as linguistic attendant. Listening to the album today it still makes me giggle. Like the descriptions of a female psychopath's appaling whereabouts to a perky melody in "The Irish Ballad", or the cute homage to a drug dealer - "The Old Dope Peddler". Sixtyone years later he's still up-to-date and probably will be for a long time yet. As I understand the first issue cover included his full home address for orders, which wasn't a very good idea considering the controversial matters involved. That was omitted and subsequently replaced with a PO box number. First UK 1958 on Decca (LF 1311) came with a totally different sleeve design. Most reissues from the sixties and on have later re-recordings, live or studio, sometimes with altered versions. The one shown here isn't the very first press, but definately fifties with all originals. (SYSÖ*) (NYFÖ*) (YZÄ*) (ÖRJ*)
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