Henry Rollins - Big Ugly Mouth

Personnel: Henry Rollins; Gary I, Joe Cole. Recording information: Madison, Wisconsin (1985 - 1988); Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado. Released by Henry Rollins's own 2.13.61 label, this double-disc set collects the proudly opinionated punk icon's first two spoken-word albums. A mix of hard-hitting poetry and humorous anecdotes, these live recordings showcase Rollins's blunt, tell-it-like-it-is attitude and surprisingly genial persona, with subjects ranging from sexist knuckleheads ("Dehumanized") to women with guns ("Hiya Handsome") to the perils of visiting Manhattan ("New York Story"). While the sound quality on SHORT WALK ON A LONG PIER (available here on CD for the first time) is described by Rollins himself as being "just awful," it's an entertaining look at a performer becoming comfortable on stage with only his voice and a microphone, and it makes the subsequent BIG UGLY MOUTH seem that much better.