This is the third and final title from Lily Tomlin's association with Polydor Records in the early to mid-'70s. There are distinct discrepancies between Modern Scream (1975) and her previous two efforts, This Is a Recording (1971) and the follow-up, And That's the Truth. Whereas both of those LPs documented her one-woman show, this long-player combines studio and stage material into a sort of stream of consciousness concept album. As the cover art suggests, Tomlin's thematic satire is aimed squarely at the cult of celebrity ...
Read More
This is the third and final title from Lily Tomlin's association with Polydor Records in the early to mid-'70s. There are distinct discrepancies between Modern Scream (1975) and her previous two efforts, This Is a Recording (1971) and the follow-up, And That's the Truth. Whereas both of those LPs documented her one-woman show, this long-player combines studio and stage material into a sort of stream of consciousness concept album. As the cover art suggests, Tomlin's thematic satire is aimed squarely at the cult of celebrity and the resulting tabloid-ization of public personalities. The setting is Tomlin's house as she readies for a magazine writer who is researching an article. Before the reporter arrives, Tomlin is joined by "Lucille the Rubber Freak," a neighbor who has traded alcoholism for an addiction to eating rubber. Once the interview begins, other Tomlin personas are summoned, including the proto-preppy "Suzie Sorority" and the whimsically candid "Edith Ann," both of which are derived from snippets of live nightclub recordings. "Dr. Dacey" is a fast-talking TV self-help guru who founded the Fundamental and Developmental psych movement, which is appropriately enough "better known as FAD." There are also segments with "Mrs. Beasley," a product-hocking housewife who is perhaps best known for her standard introduction: "Hi. I am not a professional actress, I am a real person like yourself." There are also brief encounters with Ma Bell's finest representative "Ernestine," as well as the irrepressible soul-saving antics of "Sister Boogie Woman." This freewheeling radio evangelist's primary concerns are less a matter of heaven and hell than a plea for every man, woman, and child to get reborn with the life-affirming spirit of "boogie." While somewhat a more tedious listen, this disc is recommended for those interested in hearing some of Tomlin's lesser-known routines. After several decades out of print, Laugh.com issued Modern Scream on CD in 2003. ~ Lindsay Planer, Rovi
Read Less