Customer Reviews

His Royal Hipness

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I'm reviewing this item now because Oliver Trager's _Dig Infinity_ has just been published. I highly recommed Trager's biography, but if you want to meet His Lordship you'll have to listen to him. Trager's book includes a CD, and readers will want to know that there isn't much overlap between that one and this one.

"This one" is a re-release of _The Best of Lord Buckley_ and it includes some of his greatest raps (notably, of course, "The Nazz," deservedly his most famous). A different recording of "The Nazz" is also included on the Trager CD, and so is a different recording of "People." But that's as far as the overlap extends.

If you haven't heard Lord Richard Buckley before, I don't really know how to explain to you who and what he was. Was he an entertainer? A saint? A scoundrel? A bodhisattva? A con man? A raconteur? A shaman? A swindler? An evangelist? A shameless moocher? An artist? An agent of God? A prankster? A drunk?

Well, yeah.

Above all, His Lordship was a sweet cat who blew a solid ace lick, one of the gonest, wailin'est cats who ever stomped this sweet swingin' sphere. This CD -- so far as I know the only Buckley CD currently available -- includes the best of his best, though of course there's a lot of fine material that just isn't here. If you haven't met the Hip Messiah yet, do yourself a favor and give this a listen. And have a look at Trager's biography too.

For inventiveness with the spoken word, few even approach the genius of Lord Buckley. This recording is not hysterically funny (although it is not without laughs, either). What makes it so enthralling is not humor, but the sheer delight of Buckley's wordplay, and his thorough knowledge and love for humanity and for his subjects. The last track is among the most touching 40 seconds on record. If you buy this CD, you will find yourself thinking "What in the world did I do?" about 5 minutes into it. Twenty minutes later, you'll be thinking: "This is bloody marvelous!"

I have known about His Royal Hipness, Lord Buckley, since I lived in Greenwich Village lo these many long years ago. This is a cat that was hip before there even was hip. In fact I believe all the beat poets and beatniks and, later, hippies, learned how to speak by hearing this cat wail. It is a shame that this is a studio recording and not a live gig. That is where he was his most amazing. He would get into raps that kept climbing and climbing until you thought that he could not get any higher, and then goof on that. I have always loved him, and I always will. Just like 'Bird- Buckley lives!

My favorites are the riffs on gandhi (the "hip gann") and jesus (the "nazz", for nazarene). Even my mother, a conservative Methodist, after hearing the nazz, said "he is very talented", but another much more liberal religious Episcopalian friend seemed slightly scandalized. This guy is way past anyone else I have ever heard, but basically a lovely human being. When his saintly Gandhi admits, after urging, to a host for his honorary musical gig, that he did not have there the instrument he likes most, the host says "Then straighten me, and tell me what that instrument is". The Gann says "the spinning wheel baby,.... I hope I didn't bring you douwwnn.... heh heh heh". Of course students of even movie history know that gandhi helped the Indians gain independence from British occupation and economic monopoly partly through encouraging domestic use of the spinning wheel. Not a record to hear repeatedly, but definitely something to hear once.

Was hipped to His Majesty back in the '50's. If you can find the 4CD set of "The Tales of Lord Buckley". it's the Holy Bibliography. My copy is the one with yellow, black and red paper liner notes from BGM. DIG INFINITY.

Well, I found truth and hipness back in the '60's and paid much attention to the Lord. In a touch of loving madness, I gave my 33 1/3 lp to a friend...and since then have been trying to find a cd that carries my favorite Buckley: My Own Railroad. But have had no joy. Any thoughts?

As a Musician I've heard some Music Speek such as Hip,Gig,Jam,"That Cat", and so on, and Sir Buckley is the Funniest / Hippest Raconteur that ever walked this "Sweet Swingin' Sphere" (Earth), if you are a Musician / Artist (or know one) or a person who just enjoys listening to great Storiy Telling in the most unique and humorous manner this is for you.

Plunging into Lord Buckley is like taking a leasurely swim through the mind of Jack Kerouac, or Sam Spade.

"Hey, Jonah?"
"What is it, fish?"

Everything with a time and a place, and this word is *it*, the thing and everything. Swoop this scene -- it's great.