A long out-of-print Joan Rivers comedy album is getting re-released next month. Titled The Next to Last Joan Rivers Album, it was recorded in 1968 at NYC cabaret Upstairs at the Downstairs and has been digitally remixed and remastered for its first-ever CD release via Stand Up! Records. In addition to twelve audio tracks from the performance, the CD will also include an eight-page booklet with linear notes by WMFU’s Kliph Nesteroff, photos by Look Magazine’s John Shearer, and a new essay on Rivers by Sarah Silverman. Here’s a feel for what you can expect from the album:
Unapologetically, Rivers owns her own experiences as great material. She doesn’t have to pick on audience members to get a gasp or gross them out by saying things they don’t expect from a woman; instead, Rivers delivers a tight set packed full of real life. Within minutes, the listener can actually hear the audience melt into her hands. The women laugh with true freedom: Rivers is saying what they haven’t been able to say, giggling along with her about the absurdities of juggling roles and living up to the expectations of their mothers, their husbands, and their peers. And the men guffaw at this brassy, whip-smart Jewish dame pulling back the curtain. Together, they’re swept up, liberated by a woman saying the truth and everyone finding it funny.
The CD will be available for purchase on April 18th; click here for more information.
