Tom Lehrer - That Was the Year That Was

Harvard-educated mathematician by trade and sociopolitical humorist and satirist by avocation, ivory tickler Tom Lehrer sang irreverent ditties that both outraged and delighted listeners during his on-again, off-again heyday of public performance in the late 1950s through the 1970s. Perhaps best known for his "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park," Lehrer combined razor-sharp wit with dry delivery inspired by everything from vaudeville and ragtime to whimsical show tunes and faux folk. Though a tad dated, Lehrer's wickedly pointed That Was the Year That Was is as good a representation of the mid-'60s American social and political climate as any. Recorded live in 1965 and composed largely of songs from the contemporaneous NBC series That Was the Week That Was, the album takes on boho Americana ("The Folk Song Army"), censorship ("Smut"), and the atomic bomb ("Who's Next"). Devilishly funny as well are the outstanding "Vatican Rag" and the puzzle that is "New Math." --Paige La Grone Amazon.com

Tom Lehre

If you like Tom Lehre, The CD is a Must!! Add it to your collection. April 20, 2008

Tom Lehrer's humor

I have the LP of this so I wanted the cd-once you hear these songs,you may never get them out of your head. I just love this cd!!!! January 7, 2008

Fantastic Recordings

I just about wore out the 33 1/3 record my roomate had in college of these recordings. Almost every song written in 1965 is as relevant today as it was then. All issues that touch our lives. The songs are witty, and quite entertaining. I have been looking for a copy of the record since I first heard it, and I never could find one. Due to the years that have passed I felt I would never be so lucky as to find even an old worn out copy of the record. Imagine my shock when I found it on DVD which was to my delight the most fantastic news I had heard in years. I suggest everyone should hear the songs at least once. I love the artist and the music and recommend it to everyone of all ages. A humorist that sang funny yet not vulgar music today or even then is/was very hard to find. Thank you Amazon for having this. November 16, 2007

That Was New Math That Was

Tom Lehrer's CD "That was the Year that was" has one song that gets to the heart of what is wrong with maths teaching - teaching for 'understanding' by creating contrived and useless methods with the result that 'only a child can do it!'. This song is a must-know-by-heart item for all maths teachers who have ever wondered why their students glaze over when faced with arithmetic tasks that cannot be accomplished on 10 fingers (or was that 8?). October 18, 2007

Great fun

Recently our youngest son told us he was teaching his daughter So long Mom, I'm Off to Drop the Bomb. He remembered the words from playing our old records when he was a teen ager. Now the words and melodies keep popping into my head. Throughly enjoyed this CD-much better quality than the old records. May 20, 2007

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