Cassius Clay - I Am The Greatest! (LP) / Muhammad Ali
€39.95
Cassius Clay's 1963 spoken-word LP "I Am The Greatest!" is a historic, pre-championship artifact. The album features his signature self-aggrandizing poetry and boasts tracks like "Will the Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down," famously recognized as an early precursor to hip-hop and rap battles.
Recorded in front of a live, 200-person audience at the Columbia Records studios in New York, the LP is structured like a boxing match. The spoken-word tracks, co-written by Clay and comedy writer Gary Belkin, are staged over nine "rounds," complete with ringside bells, canned applause, and musical backing by Peter Matz.
Originally released in late 1963 right before his famous upset against Sonny Liston, the record served primarily as a comedic novelty album but successfully cemented Ali's reputation as a master trash-talker. The album is structured like a fictional boxing match divided into various 'rounds', complete with the sound of a boxing bell and the crowd.
A1 Round 1: I Am The Greatest
A2 Round 2: I Am The Double Greatest
A3 Round 3: Do You Have To Ask?
A4 Round 4: 'I Have Written A Drama', He Said Playfully
B1 Round 5: Will The Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down
B2 Round 6: Funny You Should Ask
B3 Round 7: 2138
B4 Round 8: The Knockout
B5 Afterpiece: (See Round 1)
Recorded in New York City, August 1963.
Label: CBS
Country: UK
Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Plays great but has some superficial marks