Bill CosbyReviews

Saw him a couple of years ago in DC.  I was apparently expecting to much, he may have bee funny back in his prime but not now. 

I was so disappointed, not funny at all.

i could have given a perfect five but SOMETIMES he isn’t that funny but, he is almost completely hilarious. There are jokes that just is missing that funny line so if give four out of five.

Bill Cosby: Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow, Right!
The time has come for me to rate the performer who turned me into a fan of stand-up comedy: Bill Cosby. As I have mentioned before, listening to his CDs in the car with my father is what turned me on to the art, and to this day I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Cosby, especially after seeing him live a few months ago, and let me just say, he’s still got it.

Bill Cosby is a man who needs no introduction, but to be safe, I’ll give a little bit of background information. He is regarded as one of the greatest stand-ups to ever perform. Comedy Central ranked him as the 8th greatest stand-up performer of all time. He has received dozens of mainstream awards, including 7 grammys for best comedy album, and 3 emmys as a groundbreaking character Alex Scott in the drama, I Spy. And every bit of his commercial fame started with his first album that became an instant hit: Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow, Right!

The album was released in 1963, only a year after he started performing regularly in night clubs. Considering he had been in the business for such a short period, this album is incredible. His timing is perfect, his voices are spot-on and appropriate, and his jokes are clearly well prepared. That being said, there are a few shortcomings in the album.

Cosby starts out with a subject that has been discussed and joked about countless times, but I have not been able to find any performed material on it prior to this cd, and that is women going to the restrooms in groups. Of course, we are all familiar with it. Every man notices it, and every woman is guilty of it, and that is the core of the joke. Cosby jokes about incidents that he’s encountered with it, and looks at the reversed situation, and its brilliant. The only problem is that these days, most people have probably already heard similar anecdotes and parodies along the same lines, so it wouldn’t have the same effect on today’s audiences as it would to those in 1963. Not Cosby’s fault, of course, you can’t expect every joke to stand the test of time, though many of his do. The best example on the cd being his bits about Noah.

Cosby starts off the joke admitting that EVERYBODY has heard the story of Noah, but he goes on to recreate events of the ark in way that still cracks me up after listening to it dozens of times. The best part about this is that he admits how common of a subject it is, and he STILL is able to set up the audience and knock them down. The only other comedian I can think of that can do this as well as he does is the Jerry Seinfeld. It’s no coincidence that these two are both among the greatest ever.

The biggest things missing from Cosby’s act at the time, though, are transitions. He can get the audience roaring with a punchline, but he goes on to the next joke without any sort of transition or play-in. He just throws the next subject at the audience and jumps in. Through his career he got much better at this, and nobody can expect perfection on the first album, this is simply one point to find a hole in his performance. The other of which being a few slow jokes with unsatisfactory (or missing) punchlines.

Fortunately, there aren’t many of these instances on this cd, though they are present. Oddly enough, these are two tracks which predominantly feature Cosby talking in a funny voice, an ability that has gained him quite a bit of fame, and even more laughs. The two jokes are him impersonating athletes trying to act in commercials, and being painfully terrible. Cosby does a decent job of acting poorly, but the jokes aren’t well paced and can easily lose an audience, especially today.

This CD is a must have for any Cosby lover, and anybody who enjoys listening to older comedy albums, which could explain why I enjoy it so much. But if you’re kind of humor is more fast-paced, joke after joke after joke, this may not be the best cd for you.

Worst tracks: Tiny Little Hairs, Greasy Kid Stuff
Best Tracks: Noah: Right!, Noah: And the Neighbor, Noah: Me and You, Lord

Overall rating: 7/10

He really isn’t that funny. Koo koo ka choo.

The best!

He is so much more than a comic. He SHOULD be the next Prez. He’s pure classic. I respect his work and laugh my azz off.