Some stand-up comedy does not age well. For Percy Dovetonsils Thpeaks it is because the joke is the character hath a lithp and clearly effeminate.

Perhaps you need to see Kovacs perform this self-important poet in full costume to really appreciate it. The title track,  The Night Before Christmas on New York’s Fashionable East Side is funny enough but the rest of the material on this vinyl comedy album makes it something only die hard Kovacs fans will want. This is a limited edition of 1,000 vinyl records.

The five other tracks are Winter Is Almost Night Upon Us, Ode To Our First Snowfall, Ode To the Christmas Shoppers, The Night Before Christmas on the  East Side, and Ode to New Year’s Eve.

It is stated on the record jacket that the recordings come from seventy year old acetates. Fine. They still sound like somebody took a cassette recorder and recorded a dusty record playing on a portable record player. Seriously, there are free programs out there that could have taken out a few of the hisses, crackles and pops.

You can’t fault anyone for releasing some old time comedy but still…..

Ernie Kovacs Presents
Percy Dovetonsils Thpeaks
Ernie Kovacs
Comedy Vinyl
Omnivore Recordings 2013

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