This Is a Recording

Taped in front of an enthusiastic club crowd at The Ice House in Pasadena and released on Polydor in 1971, Lily Tomlin's solo debut established her as a comedic force on vinyl. Built around her snorting, omnipotent switchboard operator Ernestine, the concept album turns bureaucratic telephone monopoly into devastating character satire. Tracks like 'Alexander Graham Bell' set the stage, but the masterpiece is 'Mr. Veedle,' where Ernestine harasses author Gore Vidal over his long-distance phone bill with sublime condescension. The vinyl went all the way to number 15 on the Billboard 200 and won the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording, shattering barriers as the first solo female victory in the category.