Allen Ginsberg – 1971 Signed Handwritten Letter To Fantasy Records About Blake Album

A 2 page handwritten and autographed letter from Allen Ginsberg to Fantasy Records regarding never released poetry albums. On August 23, 1971 Ginsberg writes to Sol Zaentz, Ralph J. Gleason and Al Bendich of Fantasy Records of Berkeley, Ca. about an album of William Blake poems set to music and a second album of mantras albums he planned to release, but were for some reason never issued.  (Ginsberg believed Blake’s poems were originally intended to be sung, and that through study of the rhyme and meter of the works, a Blakean performance could be approximately replicated. In 1969, he conceived, arranged, directed, sang on, and played piano and harmonium for an album of songs entitled Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake, tuned by Allen Ginsberg (MGM); this was to be his second Blake album.)  Ginsberg here delivers the master tapes, and notes that he’d like to re-record and remix a few tracks, asks for copies of the masters for him and producer (Barry) Miles, notes that he’s traveling to the Sierras with poet Gary Snyder, then to India, and would like to deal with the contracts afterward, and that he’s just recorded “16 albums of poetry…will deliver those on call.”  Included are three additional xeroxed pages, two with Ginsberg’s annotations in black marker.  Extremely fascinating content (note that these sessions included Arthur Russell on cello, then known as Charles Russell.)  With Recordmecca’s lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

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