V/A - Better An Old Demon Than A New God

Original 1984 LP. Factory-sealed.

"American label set up in 1972 by the poet John Giorno. Mostly credited on releases as Giorno Poetry Systems records, Giorno Poetry Systems tapes and Giorno Poetry Systems video.
The earliest releases were exclusively poetry collections of the "Dial-A-Poets" (John Giorno, William S Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Allen Ginsberg, John Cage etc.): "In 1961 I was a young poet who hung out with young artists like Andy Warhol, Bob Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, as well as with members of the Judson Dance Theatre. The use of modern mass media and technologies by these artists made me realize that poetry was 75 years behind painting and sculpture, dance and music. And I thought, if they can do it, why can't I do it for poetry. Why not try to connect with an audience using all the entertainments of ordinary life: television, the telephone, record albums, etc? It was the poet's job to invent new venues and make fresh contact with the audience. This inspiration gave rise to Giorno Poetry Systems" - Giorno Poetry Systems

"Better an Old Demon Than a New God", under the direction of John Giorno, is a film by William S. Barroughs, one of the most famous beatnik writers of the 1950s, whose works include "Junkie", "Naked Lunch" and "Soft Machine". David Johansen, Psychic TV, Lydia Lunch, Meredith Monk, Jim Carroll, Anne Waldman, Richard Hell, and Arto Lindsay each contributed a song to this compilation album was released in 1984. The album is a mixture of various genres such as poetry reading, avant-garde, experimental, post-punk, new wave, etc., but the worldview is consistently built around the iconic William S. Barroughs."  - Organic Music + Planet Baby

Side One

1. David Johansen – Imaginatin' Cocktail (The Ranch, New York, 1983)
2. John Giorno – Exiled in Domestic Life (Skyline Studios, New York, 1984)
3. William S. Burroughs – Dinosaurs (Research Video, San Francisco, March 20, 1984)
4. Psychic TV – Unclean (The Building Site, London, February 1984)
5. Lydia Lunch – What It Is (Los Angeles, December 1983)

Side Two
1. Meredith Monk – Candy Bullets And Moon (Café Au Go Go, New York, July 1967)
2. Jim Carroll – A Peculiar-Looking Girl (Elliot Lefko, Toronto, October 11, 1983)
3. Anne Waldman – Uh-Oh Plutonium (A Step Above, New York, June 12, 1982; remixed June 18, 1984)
4. Richard Hell – The Rev. Hell Gets Confused (New York, July 30, 1984)
5. Arto Lindsay – Alisa (New York, March 1984)