Allen Ginsberg Handwritten Signed Letter re: William Blake Recordings, Mantras.
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Allen Ginsberg – 1971 Signed Handwritten Letter To Fantasy Records About Blake Album
ALS signed “Allen,” two pages, 8.5 x 11, August 23, 1971. Letter to Sol
Zaentz, Ralph J. Gleason, and Al Bendich of Fantasy Records of Berkeley,
California, regarding 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,'
tuned by Allen Ginsberg; 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.
In full: "Here are 3 reels: Side 1 & 2 of
Blake album, Side 1 of a Manta album. These are the Masters, I have no
copies, can you make a protection copy at 15 I.P.S. and 3 copies at 7
1/2 IPS (one for me, one for Miles & one for Peter Edweston)? If 2
or 3 cassettes can be made simultaneously I could use those for
musicians. I'll be back in a week from Snyder & Sierras, & be in
town very briefly before going to India for a week. If contracts are
agreed & ready on return from Sierras and/or India, O.K.—I would
like to re do Spring, Nurses' Song, and A Dream, all the choruses, make
them longer & bouncier in Chorus. For that I'll need couple sessions
& couple sessions mix down time (6 +6) in Studio around September
18-23 (???)—."
Ginsberg signs again with his first name at the end of a
postscript: "16 albums of poetry were completed this eve, safety copy
made. Will deliver those on call. Allen." Included are three Xeroxed
pages related to the two projects, with Ginsberg adding a few notations
in black felt tip. In very good to fine condition, with scattered light
creasing, paperclip impressions, and several horizontal folds to the
letter. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Jeff Gold of
Recordmecca.
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