This is probably my favorite album that I rarely listen to.
If you’re feeling inadequate because you’ve never heard of Dion McGregor, don’t. Yes, he was a songwriter, but what he’s really known for is his dreams. McGregor may have been the most articulate sleep talker in history, or at least in the history of people with friends with good quality recording equipment. Songwriting partner Mike Barr saw the great potential in his buddy’s dream narratives and began recording them.
The results were both a 1964 album and book — the latter illustrated by Edward Gorey — entitled The Dream World of Dion McGregor. I’m not fortunate enough to have either of these in my stacks, but maybe someday.
Keep in mind that the world was a bit more conservative in 1964, so McGregor’s raunchier dreams didn’t make the cut. Enter 1999’s Dion McGregor Dreams Again, which finds our somnambulist working blue:
Since then, two more collections of Dion’s dreams have been released, so now I have three McGregor’s to hunt down for my stacks.
Dreams Again is still in print. You can pick it up new for 15 bucks. I doubt you’ll find many used copies out there, but who knows. Happy hunting.
Categories: From the Stacks, Music