Article Contributed by Craft Recordings
Published on 2026-06-03
Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl and Other Poems' will return to vinyl in celebration of the poet's centennial
Craft Recordings commemorates the centennial of one of the most influential literary figures of the twentieth century with a special vinyl reissue of Allen Ginsberg's landmark spoken-word album, Howl and Other Poems. Originally released by Fantasy Records in 1959, the recording captures Ginsberg performing many of his most celebrated works, including the era-defining title poem "Howl."
Arriving September 4 on eco-friendly green blend vinyl, the limited edition reissue faithfully replicates the original 1959 package design. The album is available for pre-order today and can also be streamed across digital platforms.
The set combines recordings from the Big Table Reading at Chicago's Shaw Festival with additional sessions recorded at Fantasy Studios in San Francisco. Alongside "Howl," selections include celebrated works "America," "Sunflower Sutra," "A Supermarket in California," and "Footnote to Howl," capturing the radical candor, urgency, humor, and musicality of Ginsberg's early performances.
The release arrives as part of a broader centennial celebration honoring Ginsberg's life and legacy. Additional events, exhibitions, performances, and commemorative programs taking place throughout the year can be found at AllenGinsberg.org.
Born June 3, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, Allen Ginsberg emerged as one of the defining literary voices of the twentieth century. For Ginsberg, the second half of the 1950s marked a transformative period. Following the first public reading of Howl at San Francisco's legendary Six Gallery in October 1955 and the publication of Howl and Other Poems by City Lights the following year, he found himself at the center of one of the most consequential literary controversies in American history.
Published as part of City Lights' Pocket Poets Series, Howl and Other Poems challenged prevailing cultural norms through its candid explorations of identity, spirituality, and modern life. The resulting 1957 obscenity trial, and the court's decision affirming the poem's literary importance, became a landmark victory for free expression in the United States.
Three years after the book's publication, Fantasy Records issued Howl and Other Poems, preserving Ginsberg's own readings of the collection at a pivotal cultural moment.
The continued publication of Howl and Other Poems helped establish the Beat Generation as a major cultural movement and solidified the work's place in the American literary canon. Alongside writers including Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, and Philip Whalen, Ginsberg helped shape a movement whose influence extended far beyond literature and into the music, politics, and countercultural currents that followed. In 2019, Ginsberg's recording of "Howl" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in recognition of its enduring cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance.
Over the decades, Ginsberg's influence has extended across generations of writers, musicians, and artists. His friendships and collaborations with figures including Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, Patti Smith, and Paul McCartney helped forge lasting connections between poetry and popular music, while his activism and advocacy made him an enduring voice for artistic freedom and social change. Today, his work continues to resonate around the world, speaking to enduring questions of identity, free expression, dissent, spirituality, and the search for human connection.
This special edition of Howl and Other Poems celebrates the timeless power of a work that continues to challenge, inspire, and resonate seventy years after its publication.
Click here to pre-order or stream Howl and Other Poems.
Tracklist
Side A
Howl (Live at Shaw Festival, Chicago, IL / January 29, 1959)
The Sunflower Sutra
Footnote to Howl
Side B
A Supermarket in California
Transcription of Organ Music
America
In Back of the Real
Strange Cottage in Berkeley
Europe, Europe
Kaddish
