The Beat Generation Box Set (Rhino, 1992)

I discovered this 18 years ago at 18 years old. The timing couldn't have been better as I was in that phase of all things / words Kerouac, Ginsburg and Burroughs; spending much of my time attempting to memorize long poems and grasping the concept of be bop and cool jazz. If you were ever that silly kid, this comp is for you, a real treasure chest.

"The stars--Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs--are here, of course. But so are the players (Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan), the architects (Kenneth Patchen, Kenneth Rexroth), the cutups (Lenny Bruce, Lord Buckley), the pretenders (Rod McKuen, Edd Byrnes), the critics (Carl Sandburg, Howard K. Smith), and the heirs (Tom Waits)." --Michael Ruby

The accompanying book is just lovely. If you want to sit back, relax and kill some time ,this is a fun way to do it, ya dig?

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