Various Artists: The Uproar Tapes Volume 1

On the Island Records offshoot Antilles came this 1986 compilation of monologues from a half-dozen NYC writer/performers just breaking out on the Downtown scene. The mood and subject matter is all over the place, from goofy and sweet to take-no-prisoners satirical to dramatic to balls-out scary. Everything's worth a listen, with Bogosian and Magnuson the standouts. Don't miss the furious accordion-powered vocal beltings of the late Ethyl (aka drag performer James Roy) Eichelberger, who prefigured Hedwig in many ways (not just the wig and makeup but also the ancient Greek subject matter).

Eric Bogosian: Sitcom
Eric Bogosian: The Specialist
Ann Magnuson: Made for Radio
David Cale: Excerpt from "Smooch Music"
Ethyl Eichelberger: Jocasta (Boy Crazy), or She Married Her Son
Richard Price: A Christmas Carol
Karen Finley: I'm an Ass Man

Album audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.