by Richie Unterberger "Howl" itself (presented in an 18-minute version here) is one of the most important poems of the 20th century. Its shock value has largely dissipated in the ensuing decades, but that, in a way, is a blessing, as attention is now focused on its literary strength and life-affirming passion. "Kaddish (Part 1)" is the only other comparably famous work here, though the rest is also quality work that struck serious blows for non-conformity; it took real guts to read (and for a label to release) something like "America" in 1959, with its line, "Go f*ck yourself with your atom bomb." As far as the poems' translation to disc goes, it helps that Ginsberg was an above-average reader, though "Howl" itself could have been better recorded. It and a few other cuts were recorded at a Chicago reading (though most were done in the studio); interestingly, as Ginsberg himself revealed in the liner notes, he did try to record the "Howl" poem in the studio, but felt he couldn't match the spirit of his live performance. The CD reissue, in addition to reprinting Ginsberg's original liner notes, adds interesting comments by his colleague Anne Waldman and reissue producer Bill Belmont.