Richard Pryor - Richard Pryor: ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992)
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Free Music Notes for Richard Pryor: ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992)
Free Music Review: This Nigger's Funny!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I've always been a fan of Pryor and his movies, catching any of his stand-up performances whenever they came on TV. But I've never owned any of his albums/CDs. Glad I saw this set so I could get them all.
Taking us from the beginning to the end, this collection has it all from the Warner Brother archives. You get to hear the genius of Richard Pryor as he talks about growing up in the ghetto, the wino's, Mudbone, and his frequent use of the word nigger. Then we hear Pryor's relationships with his wife, dealings with drugs, the police, and jail, going to Africa, and (sadly) getting multiple sclerosis. Pryor was one of those comedians who took us along with them as they experienced life, pointing out things they felt were odd to make us laugh. Pryor did that with such grace and style that no one has been able to do since. He learned from the best (Redd Foxx) and was able to pass that along to others whose lives he's influenced (Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock).
Since I haven't had any comedy albums from back in the day, I thought these recordings were shorted, meaning that the pauses between tracks were a way for the label to edit out stuff. But from what I've learned that's how all albums were made, since all the albums were records, not tapes or CDs. That was my only gripe with these.
The set comes with a great booklet filled with photos and various texts, detailing Pryor's life and legacy in the entertainment industry. And probably coolest of all is that each CD is sleeved with the original cover art from the album. So glad they didn't decide to alter that at all.
Such a great gift for anyone who's a fan of comedy. Never regretted getting this at all. And for the price, it's a pretty nice deal!
Free Music Review: "Richard Pryor"--first album (where it all started)
Hit: 5 Stars
Glad to see that his first, self-titled album is finally on CD, even if you have to buy the whole set to get it. It seems to be in mono, though. If you haven't heard the original record, you're not missing much. It suffers from usual late 60's mixing, typical of comedy records of the period, where the comedian is in one speaker, and the audience in the other (and sometimes the audience was recorded better than the comedian, such as on "Craps (After Hours)"). There's some great stuff on this first album, though it seems very tame and totally different than his later work. The best thing to do is to compare it to what Bill Cosby was doing at the time. No-one else was talking about farting or saying "nigger" on stage or on a comedy album before, but here's where it all started!
Routines like "Prison Play" and "TV Talk Show" have Richard doing about five different characters in them each. The former has a hilariously bad one-act play staged in a prison, and the latter a late-night talk-show discussing the origin of Man. Pretty complex stuff for the time, let alone on a first album. The early stuff has a naivete and innocence about it that still makes his early material still listenable (check out "Are You Serious???" and "Who Me? I'm Not Him!" on Laff Records' CD's). I'm hoping for a straight reissue of this album by itself, perhaps with some bonus material, and more photos from Henry Diltz's shot of Richard out of something from "National Geographic (the album cover is a laugh-riot alone!).
Free Music Review: To set the record straight...
Hit: 5 Stars
Maybe I shouldn't be chiming in since I co-produced the box set. And my five-star rating is not a self-congratulatory pat on the back, but my honest assessment of the quality of Richard's material--which is the very reason I adamantly wanted to be involved in this project in the first place. That being said, I just wanted to give a quick reply to the recently posted review from the "music fan from Ft. Worth, Texas": There is no difference between the recordings that appear on the box set and what appeared on vinyl. Everything was done from the original master tapes, and, when there was any doubt, we compared them to the original vinyl. The only difference is that we added "Ali" to the album "...Is It Something I Said?" as a bonus track (a bit that up to that point had only been available on "Richard Pryor's Greatest Hits," and was recorded during the same gigs from whence "...Is It Something I Said?" came); we tacked a 1983 interview to the album "Here And Now" that was originally recorded for use in the concert film of the same name; and, of course, "That 'African-American' Is STILL Crazy: Good S**t From The Vaults," an entire disc of previously unreleased material that was compiled from tapes from the Warner Bros. vaults and Richard Pryor's personal archives.Free Music Review: Worth Its Weight in Gold...
Hit: 5 Stars
This boxed set contains every album released by Richard Pryor on the Warner Brothers record label. Only one of these is currently in print, "Is It Something I Said?", which is a shame. However, the fact that all his work is finally available in one place is a blessing. Richard Pryor was more than just a stand up comic. I don't doubt that he was (and is) the greatest stand up comedian of all time and the funniest man on the planet, but there was so much more to him than that. The first time I heard the track "God" off the rarities disc in this collection, I was blown away. In it, Richard describes God returning to Earth and one by one asking to see Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, Emmett Till, and finally his Son, only to find out that each one had been killed. The message he delivers at the end was needed then as much as now: LOVE IS ALL WE'VE GOT. The delivery was so amazing that it left the crowd hushed and obviously taken aback...this STILL isn't standard fare at any comedy club I've ever been to. And then as only Richard could, he apologizes for getting serious on everybody and offers to tell a dirty joke. This collection is full of the humanity, wit, and wisdom of Richard Pryor, and nothing has ever made me laugh so hard. Thank you Richard, for rubbing some sunshine on my face!Free Music Review: A superb collection that is long overdue.
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally, a record company does something right. This long overdue compilation will catch you up to the genius of Richard Pryor. If all you have are now-scratchy vinyl Pryor LPs, the excellent remastering of these CDs will overwhelm you. If you only thought Richard Pryor was a movie star, this collection will startle you. The four-letter words are flying a mile a minute, but I dare you not to laugh at his priceless take on the human condition.The box set has each individual comedy album on one CD (except the double album which is on 2 CDs) with the original album artwork. It comes with a very well researched booklet and it all fits nicely into a beautiful and easy to handle box.
My only complaints: Because they decided to make the booklet the length of the box (instead of one or two CD-shaped booklets), it is hard to open and handle as you are listening to the albums. Some of the photos are also spread across two pages, and I hate when they do that. And, while I like the idea of the neat reproductions of the album covers, it would have been a lot cheaper for consumers if they had just put two albums on each CD.
This set is a goldmine for Pryor fans who have had to wait far too long for this superb collection. Do yourself a favor and splurge. You'll be happy you did.