While FM & AM was reissued on compact disc as part of the George Carlin box set The Little David Years 1971-1977, it’s important to have this early groundbreaking release available again, individually, at an affordable price. FM & AM found Carlin officially poking fun at, while incorporating, his early material performed in the lounges of America and on The Ed Sullivan Show. It also marked Carlin’s metamorphosis from straight-laced to hippie, intentionally embracing the growing counterculture. The record is divided into two separate manifestations of humor, making it a sort of comedy concept album. One section focused on references geared toward the more wholesome commercial oriented AM radio audience: “Son of Wino,” “Ed Sullivan Self Taught,” and “Let’s Make a Deal,” while the remaining material was intended for the “hipper” FM audience: “Drugs,” “Birth Control,” and “Sex in Commercials.” Carlin’s unabashed wit, irony, and cynicism appealed to both audiences as FM & AM won a Grammy award in 1973 for best comedy album. – Al Campbell