Customer Reviews

Let the Buyer Beware

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a Lenny Bruce fan and collector since my teens, I was thrilled to see this painstakingly crafted boxed set. Over the course of six CDs, you'll get to hear Lenny at his creative peak as a "bit comic" and as a free-form legal scholar. Lenny was a brilliant and perceptive commentator on the world around him, and a true patriot who often seemed shocked that the country he grew up in was turning its back on its founding freedoms. This set captures all the controversy, all the passion, and all the genius.

If you're new to Lenny Bruce and you have some extra bread lying around, this is a wonderful set to pick up. (If you're more cash-conscious, start with the two-volume Lenny Bruce Originals on Fantasy records.) If you're a longtime fan of Lenny, this will not only reaffirm your love for his material, it will open new windows into the mind of one of America's great thinkers. Very highly recommended.

This anthology is aptly titled: LET THE BUYER BEWARE, an announcer's introduction to Bruce's show used to signal rough language forty years ago, now somewhat ironic, because the buyer of this pricey collection is getting less than a "classic" anthology of "definitive" versions. First, a disclaimer: I edited some Bruce albums for Ralph Gleason at Fantasy, including the Curran Theater concert. That said, I have major reservations about this collection. The selections and their order are seemingly without reason, not chronological or thematic. There are a number of repeats, for no seeming reason except perhaps padding. Some new materials are interesting, like the Godfrey show and the Terkel interview, but some are borderline, like the phone conversations, the microphone test, and the Z&Z commercials, compounding the general bloat of the printed materials. There are basic mistakes (Robie, not Ruby the Robot; his SF lawyer was Al Bendich). This seems like a project dictated mostly by the material available to Marvin Worth and Bruce's daughter Kitty. There's nothing wrong with marketing a stash of tapes, but not as a comprehensive, definitive, or original collection. The buyer would be much better off spending the money on the Originals collections plus the three major concert recordings, Carnegie Hall, Berkeley, and Curran Theater.

As a long-time fan of Lenny Bruce's work I have collected every available recording and book on the man and his art. The Lenny Bruce boxset, LET THE BUYER BEWARE, is a cultural event as important as a trunk filled with unpublished Mark Twain novels being unearthed. LET THE BUYER BEWARE presents over 7 hours of Lenny Bruce material, much of which has never been released in any form. As a hardcore fan, I was amazed to find virtually no overlap between this boxset and previously released Lenny Bruce albums.

As for the comedy on this boxset, Lenny Bruce has never been more relevant, never more hilarious, as he lampoons santimonious religious and political leaders, gives frank and insightful opinions about the art of comedy and who the "real" comedians of his time were. Lenny himself does not escape his incisive eye and satire as one track on Disc 2 has him reading a scathing review his nightclub act received, admitting to the audience how the review rankled him.

LET THE BUYER BEWARE is much more than a "Best of" Lenny Bruce. It provides tremendous scope of this comic genius' career, from his very early apperance on THE ARTHUR GODFREY show (winning the talent contest for that week) to his being warned by a police officer to keep his nightclub act "clean" while performing in a particular city.

To this fan, the single most poignant track in the entire boxset comes on Disc 6 when Lenny explains how "I Picked on the Wrong God." Lenny is never maudlin, but introspective and painfully honest as he assesses what has been about his outlook and nightclub act that ignited his myriad legal troubles.

It's easy to cast Lenny Bruce as a philosopher, as a martyr for freedom of speech, but I think Lenny's assessment of himself is most apt: "I'm not a comedian. I'm Lenny Bruce." His brand of insight and satire was so singular, it cannot be summed up as simply "comedy." It was no mere entertainment, nor was he simply pontificating from a nightclub stage. Lenny Bruce opened himself before his audience unlike any performer at that time, and like few have since then.

Very special thanks must go to Lenny's daughter Kitty Bruce for making this material available. LET THE BUYER BEWARE is the Dead Sea Scrolls of contemporary culture. Whether Lenny Bruce discussed the Kennedy assassination, the death of Marylin Monroe, St. Paul, or LBJ, he expresses his thoughts with a rare and abiding honesty and hilarity.

For anyone interested in the art of Lenny Bruce -- whether you saw the man perform during the 1950s and '60's -- or have no idea what the fuss is about, get your copy of LET THE BUYER BEWARE and listen to a man whose work has been compared to Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain. Hear the words of what most people consider to be the greatest comedian of the 20th Century.

--Matthew St. Amand author of AS MY SPARKS FLY UPWARD and FOREVER & A DAY... www.matthewstamand.com

Remember the old story about the old actor famous for his death scenes?
"Dying," he explained to a younger acolyte, "is easy. It's comedy that's hard."
Comedy may be hard, but anyone can do it. But none ever did it as well as Lenny Bruce.
The funny man died of an overdose, at age 41, nearly 39 years go, but his legacy lives on. It's a life and legacy of laughter, and it's ripe for rediscovery.
Now, a generation who never have heard of Bruce, for those who only know him from Bob Fosse's smoky (but well intentioned) bio-flick, for those who glance at an image of Bruce and think "Castro," can grasp one of the most inventive and prismatic talents of the last century in a set of rare recordings.
"Lenny Bruce: Let the Buyer Beware" is a six-CD compendium of Bruce's best material, lovingly compiled by producer Hal Willner and Bruce's daughter
Kitty. More than half has never been heard before, and a great many variants and alternate riffs of his most well-known material has been anthologized here. His debut on Arthur
Godfrey's show is here, as well as the classic routines about Father Flotsky (a parody of Warner Brothers prison flicks), the Palladium (about an American comic dying on an
English stage), as well as (real) taped phone calls to his lawyers.
Horribly illustrated is his descent into near madness, not through drugs or degenerate lifestyle, but through the systematic persecution by the U.S. government. In
America during the '50s and '60s, you could make jokes about anything, except, maybe, Jesus Christ, Milton Berle and Eleanor Roosevelt. Sacrosanct bastions were not to be
made fun of, and especially not by an outsider, someone different, someone who was not a Christian. Bruce was a Jewish comic, steeped in the tradition, using the attitude and the
language as a position to observe the mores and folkways of mid-century American life.
It's not a stretch to see his persecution by the legal system of our country as another
blatant example of anti-Semitism, a suppression of truth and, worst of all, an illustration of
the stupidity and lack of humor inherent in a repressive government.
Bruce's take on sexuality was summed up in his observation that if the human body
was dirty, the fault lay with the manufacturer. He saw religion as a greedy profession, a
logical extension of an industrial complex to control reason and money. Unfortunately,
and fatally, Bruce believed in our government and legal system.
Like a witty Thomas Paine, Bruce was a true patriot when it came to freedom of
expression. Without Bruce there would be no Bill Maher, no South Park, no Jon Stewart,
and considerably less freedoms in general --- not only in speech, but also in equality
between races and genders. He was one of the first to use humor to attack America's
prejudice against African Americans, gays and all of the non-religious, non-republican
disenfranchised people in America.
Yet one man's patriot is another man's traitor. Bruce was vilified by the press and
by main stream contemporaries as sick, twisted and dirty.
But it's not only Bruce's material, certainly genius and of an equal to Jonathan
Swift or Mark Twain, but his performance style and presentational choices that this new
collection celebrates. He may not have been the first monologist who didn't use the "A
priest and a rabbi walk into a bar ..." joke catalogs, and certainly he had extended parables
and parodies that could be termed as "jokes." Yet his basic presentation was something
very new and different.
Rather than a standard set with the identical jokes, pauses and ad-libs for each
show, Bruce had an uncanny ability to listen ---- not only to his audience (as all performers
must), but he had the uncanny knack of being able to listen to himself. Like a brilliant jazz
musician, he could circle around a motif or a joke, listening to the sound and sense,
backing off, teasing the story, until the timing was exactly right to blast into the theme or
punchline.
In the commemorative hardcover book that accompanies Let the Buyer Beware,
there are a number of essays and appreciations of Bruce, but none so telling as a single
page by his daughter. "His truths were based on our most coveted lies," she writes. "He
left no room for rationalized bigotry or self-deception. He seduced his audience with a
rhythmic and dynamic use of his own language, acting as the slow pull of a Band-Aid off
denial."
Look around at our nation of addicts, a nation where prescription drugs have their
own snazzy TV commercials, when cell phones are required means of communication,
when the religious right still controls the White House.
Where is Lenny when we really need him?

I started listening to Lenny Bruce in the late 80's and had to dig to search out used copies of his Fantasy records on vinyl and try to seek out everything I could because once you get a taste, you're hooked.

I agree with the other reviewer (the one that gave 2 stars) that you should own the Originals Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and also the Carnegie Hall 1961 set (and I'll even agree with the Berkeley set though I will say it comes after the first 3 titles), but I disagree that this boxed set is anything less than phenomenal. I think that it should proabably be heard AFTER the Originals sets, but I think that it gives an essential overview of his career. I, as one who has always been interested in bootlegs and rarities, loved all of the unreleased tapes. I could listen to hours more. I don't think that I'm alone as a Lenny Bruce fan when I say that, either.

This has lots of great unreleased material, a great packaging and should be heard. The collection has been lovingly assembled and I thank the people involved for taking the time and care to put something like this together for the fans, old and new.

This is a great collection of some classic Bruce bits and a lot of lesser known and obscure recordings. If you're a Bruce fan and know his schtick--and you're fairly well-versed in Yiddish--pick up this set. If you're new to Bruce, don't start here. The sound quality varies wildly, Bruce's references are even more arcane than usual--well, this is for aficionados. Newcomers should pick up Bruce's classic (and cleanly produced) Fantasy albums, notably: The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce, Togetherness, and American. Once you've absorbed these discs (with a copy of "Joys of Yiddish" nearby), then move to the Carnegie Hall Concert, and then...to this multidisc set.

I am going to keep this short. I have everything one can get regarding Lenny Bruce (with really very few exceptions). I read or Listen to him almost every day, and have done so for 20 years. I teach in an adult graduate degree program and talk about him and use his ideas in my Critical Thinking courses year in and year out.
Still, this new set is so full of new material, new ideas, new views, and new energy, I am finding this to be as important a document about Lenny Bruce and his convictions (which have shaped mine) as anything that has ever been available--ever. Along with the importance of this set as an intelectual and ethical opus, it's damn funny. Of course, all that know the Bruce story know that we laugh and cry often at the same time.
If you are young and new to Lenny, listen to this and ask lots of questions so you can integrate the concepts to your lived experience. If you're a old time fan, and think you must already have most of this, and it could only have a few little things here and there that would be new to you---stop thinking that. Really, very little of this is from the 5 or 6 mainstay albums. THIS IS NEWLY FOUND (WELL NOT SO NEW WHEN YOU READ THE INTRO) RECORDINGS AND TEXT FOR THE MOST PART. I can't emagine anything more extensive coming our way soon with respect to this man (I call him a civil rights leader on the order of Malcolm X--he would hate that, I'm sure.) Every thinking person MUST have this! I feel that strongly about it. Now if we could only find the video of the Pierre Berton Show that Lenny did in 1966; that would be about as important a find as Berton's now found interview with another Bruce--Bruce Lee. (Okay, I went on too long, sorry!) 100 stars!!!!!!

Finally! the boxed set we've all been waiting for. Lenny Bruce was, no question about it, the greatest stand-up comic of all time. He stood alone and unafraid, holding up a mirror to the face of a sick, hypocrtical society that didn't like what was reflected. For this he payed the ultimate price.
I'm not 100 percent crazy about this collection. For the Lenny Bruce collector there will be disappointments in light of the fact that some of the material has been released before. The booklet that comes with it also contains some eye-popping errors of fact. Still, it has alot of pleasant surprises and I reccomend it to anyone who is discovering the genius of Lenny Bruce for the first time.

He once said, "People should be taught what is, not what should be. All my humor is based on destruction and despair and tomorrow, if the world became tranquil without disease or violence, I'd be standing on the breadline - right behind J. Edgar Hoover and Jonah Salk"

He spoke to us then; He speaks to us still.
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

As I have reviewed other Lenny Bruce products on Amazon, it's easy to verify that I idolize this man...not just buy the books and other stuff for a couple years and then move onto somebody new, but IDOLIZE. I have been a fan of his since approximately age ten when my extremely hip father let me listen to Lenny's vinyl records; even at that young age, I knew that this man stood for something that he may not have lived to see, but he fought for, nonetheless. At ten, I couldn't comprehend that, in our country, Lenny had been told "Here's my warrant" and had a gun pulled on him by a police officer sent to, depending on your view, either harrass Bruce or do his own job, but I knew that it wasn't right...Lenny immediately rocketed into my consciousness, and has never faded into a corner with other childhood interests, crushes and fads. Therefore, it's difficult to review something to do with Lenny and not have everyone roll their eyes and think, "Sure this will be unbiased,", but I will do my best...Now, this six CD set has been out for a few years, and is getting tougher and tougher to find, and so I picked up an extra on Amazon. Listening to material that I already know, you'd think I would have nothing new to say, but let's mention the physical presentation of this collection because getting a new copy really made me appreciate it, all over again. It comes in an oversized-book like package; it opens to first a very detailed 79 pages of text, newspaper article reproductions and concert poster reproductions - very, very impressive, and important information for the Lenny neophyte. Then the six discs are each in their own sleeve, sewn into the 'book'; the contents of each disc is noted inside the back cover (a more detailed content detail is listed pages 71-75, as well). Now, does the material live up to the presentation? IMO, yes. There are definitely what I would call throwaway bits - "Testing the Sony Microphone" is one of those: I'm a Bruce fanatic, but I don't need to hear every single breath the man ever took, and, in this case, quite possibly taped the night before he died. But for every one of those dubious tack-ons to this collection, there is a "Religions, Inc.", "Christ and Moses","Are There Any N---- Here, Tonight?", Lenny being busted ONSTAGE, LIVE MICROPHONE or "T--- and A---" (What would Lenny think, fifty years later, that we still cannot say those words in some media, but we can say 'molested', 'raped', 'murdered' etc. without anybody so much as batting an eye?). I found the entire Disc 5, subtitled "You'd Better Bring Your Toothbrush" to be my favorite, although I am certain some would think that it's too serious and political, going into detail about LB's many legal struggles. Personally, I've never felt that hearing about Lenny's getting royally screwed by his own country's laws was a bore: There but for fortune, guys. And so, I will absolutely acknowledge what other reviewers noted to be correct - There is filler, and the discs could have been in better order of appearances, years, etc., but...when somebody elevates beyond 'entertainer' or 'favorite writer' or so forth, some things shed from their legacy, and there is a psychological 'pass' on those bumps and bangs, because we know that, to have reached the level of brillance that a Lenny Bruce or Dylan Thomas or John Lennon reached in many minds, there is going to be a bit of stumbling, experimentation as to what works and doesn't work, and just plain complete and unabashed purging of the soul. I listen to Lenny, replay again and again the ones I 'get' and fall down laughing over or think about (I am not arrogant enough to say that I completely 'get' "My Name Is Adolf Eichmann", but I sure as hell think about it), and I forgive the hit-and-miss stuff. It always interests me that people will review an icon with the "Well, two tracks just don't work" attitude, but when reviewing bubblegum or rap crap of the year will be sure to say, "A couple of tracks are not up to the rest, but that's okay!" We need to be more loving toward our heroes, and remember that they, too, started out as human. Lenny stumbles here and there in this set, yes, but mostly he flies, runs with the ball, whatever you want to say. And remember, you can say alot of what you do because of this man - Go into this collection with that way of thinking, yourself, and you will acknowledge that...a half century later, Lenny Bruce still deserves to be selling, discussed and appreciated.

This collection is most valuable for the tracks that don't appear anywhere else, and there are many such excerpts. The items from Lenny's private tapes are particularly interesting, as are some of the TV and radio appearances. And since Lenny dropped a lot of Yiddish terminology and made a lot of topical references (not to mention some references that were arcane even at the time), the glossary in the back is also very useful. And there are great photos and good liner notes. So, yes, I would absolutely recommend buying this.

That having been said, this collection does not work as a stand-alone. If you find Lenny interesting, I would still suggest purchasing his other recordings, because this draws only very lightly from the concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Curran Theater, and at Berkeley (the last show is especially under-served by this compilation). And that's not really a criticism; maybe creating a one-stop Lenny file was never the point with this collection, I don't know. My only concern is that some people will buy this and nothing else, and if you do that you're not getting a very full picture of what Lenny was all about. He's best when you hear him speak all the way through, as with the concert recordings, not chopped up into `bits' and `routines' that focus inordinately on the stuff that got him busted so many times.

So maybe the best categorization for "Let the Buyer Beware" is that it's a great starter set. But don't stop here. This is only the beginning of Lenny Bruce.