Robin Williams - Live 2002
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.23 You Save: $12.76 (80%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.49 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Live 2002
Free Music Review: Bonus CD Makes this a Prize
Hit: 4 Stars
I have just written a review of the DVD version of this show, and the first disc is pretty much a mirror of that performance, if not mostly exact in places.There is a label on my copy of the double CD which states "NO performances from this CD appear on "Live on Braodway" DVD or VHS, which is very misleading. Perhaps they were not recorded at exactly the same locations, but they are almost word for word the same as the DVD performance, so please be warned.
The second disc however, is all different, and relates (by track) to different locations on the tour, where Mr Williams has tailored 3-6 minutes of material per location, to be locally topical. Even though I have not toured the USA a great deal, I found this CD to be very funny indeed, and it did make up for having felt cheated about the material on Disc 1. This having been said, my review of ALL the material remains the same. Great fun, but not for kids, some of the visual gags are obviously lost on the sound only version, but otherwise extremely funny. Too many expletives, but not offensive. A Comic genius at work.
Free Music Review: Surprising retro to his older days
Hit: 4 Stars
My initial response to this CD was of relative shock at the amount of profanity on these discs, but in comparing it to other albums he's made in the past, Robin has always cursed often in his standup; it's just been awhile since he was on tour. With all of the serious and children-oriented roles he's taken in the last ten years or so, it's easy to forget how he got started. All that being said, he hasn't lost the touch at all! I found that I was laughing despite myself at several points, and in awe of the raw amount of energy he still has. His format has not changed much, either, as he skewers politicians, terrorism, celebrities, and silly American practices and vanities.
The double disc format is a good one, as the listener gets a feel for the different crowds and cities that were played to over the course of the tour.
Free Music Review: Pretty good
Hit: 3 Stars
I thought the jokes were great on this album, but it falls apart somewhere near the end, probably when he gets in on the subject of Viagra. Maybe it worked better as a visual gag (haven't seen the DVD yet), but as audio alone it was lame. The regional jokes on Disc 2 were okay, but his rap song "The Grim Rapper" did nothing for me. So overall, the album was just middling, and nowhere near as solid as his "A Night at the Met" album from the late '80s.Free Music Review: Mediocre
Hit: 3 Stars
I really like Robin Williams but this disc was a bit of a let down. If you're a regular listener of comedy CDs, you'll detect a distinct lack of originality here. The comedy is -- dare I say -- kind of predictable. Williams needs to talk fast, because there isn't a lot worth dwelling on here. The low point is "The Grim Rapper" -- a musical number where Williams' comedy is set against a rap tune. Its the kind of [stuff] you hear on morning radio.Free Music Review: A triumph of mediocrity and shallow delivery
Hit: 2 Stars
I am sorry if I disappoint Robin's fans, but it seems those who like him as an actor somehow find it difficult to judge his stand-up act objectively. The truth is, writing is only average and Robin Williams' delivery is very one-dimentional. It is. Do not confuse his fast talking and sizzling on stage with comedy talent. Good stand up takes more, much more than very fast speech. He is a famous actor and all that, but so what? As comedian, he is not in the same league with the big boys.
Robin Williams struggles to get out of the beaten track of his acting (and occasionally succeeds); in his stand-up exercise, it's just the beaten track and nothing else.
Triumph of mediocrity, really: but then there are people who may like it (oh, and judging by the number of NOT HELPFUL comments that my previous reviews of Williams got, these are people a bit on the angry side, too...)