# Favorite Comedy Albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012 "2005-10-20T02:10:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/1 "2005-10-20T02:10:19Z")
Does anybody even do comedy albums anymore? Well, anyhoo… **FM & AM** \*George Carlin \* (1972) Worth the purchase price solely for _Shoot_ (described as a dry-run for his later bit _Seven Dirty Words You Can Never Say on Television_) wherein he deconstructs a four-letter word and it’s uses. I also appreciate the album being recorded in a small club (The Cellar Door in D.C.) as opposed to a theater or auditorium; more intimate, you feel like you’re there. **My Father Confused Me, What Must I Do? What Must I Do?** _Bill Cosby_ (1977) Not a well-known Cosby effort, though he did introduce his popular _Dentist_ bit on this album. Great bits all around; _The English Language, Glazed Donut Monster_ and \*Dudes on Dope \* (a rare instance of drug humor from the Cos) are standouts. **Monty Python’s Previous Record** _Monty Python’s Flying Circus \* (1972) If you’re like me, you were first introduced to Python through their record albums, not their television show. Thus I’ve always considered MPPR’s version of The Argument Clinic to be definitive and the TV version not quite as crisp. \* A Fairy Tale_, which was an utter failure on TV, is also quite good as an album track. Great album-only bits include\* Eclipse of the Sun, Australian Table Wines \* and _Wonderful World of Sounds._ **Reality: What a Concept** _Robin Williams_ (1979) Released at the peak of Morkmania, Reality presents Williams at his improvisational apex. Especially notable is \*Come Inside My Mind \* where we experience the thoughts of a comedian as he’s bombing. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/2 "2005-10-20T02:12:35Z")
Eddie Murphy - **Comedian** Steve Martin - **Let’s Get Small** ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/3 "2005-10-20T02:22:30Z")
George Carlin - Class Clown Eddie Izzard - Dressed to Kill Whatever the Denis Leary disk my brother had was called. \>\_\> ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/4 "2005-10-20T02:38:48Z")
**Don’t Crush that Dwarf, Hand me the Pliers** and **How Can You Be Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All** , both by the Firesign Theater. The funniest comedy group _ever_. The humor was so dense that could could listen to it a dozen times and still discover jokes you hadn’t noticed before. The latter has the truly great “Nick Danger” routine. **First Rush** – Chris Rush. Obscure comedy album by a guy who didn’t really get much recognition. It was by far the funniest standup I’ve come across. Rush had a way of setting up a situation and then rattling off six hilarious punchlines in a row, leaving you helpless with laughter. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/5 "2005-10-20T02:58:56Z")
Skanks for the Memories by Dave Attell - First comedian to make me laugh until it hurt Parental Advisory - Explicit Lyrics by George Carlin - I’ve always loved his take on words and euphemisms. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/6 "2005-10-20T03:01:10Z")
**Bill Cosby** has a lot of great stuff, but I’d like to single out _To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With_ for the long title routine, which may be Cos’s best (“Who told you that you was… the Jello Sheriff of the house?”), and _Himself_ (either the album or the concert video) for such classic stories as “Chocolate Cake For Breakfast.” I grew up with the **Smothers Brothers** ’ albums on LP, including “Curb Your Tongue, Knave!”; “Think Ethnic”; and “Mom Always Liked You Best.” They were wonderfully funny in a way not quite like anyone else. The original albums are no longer available, but Rhino has collected some of their best routines on a CD called [Sibling Revelry](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000063EI/ref=m_art_li_1/002-1303985-3054415?v=glance&s=music). ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/7 "2005-10-20T03:15:48Z")
_The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart_ ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/8 "2005-10-20T04:06:02Z")
I just about memorized \*\*Why is There Air? \*\* by Cosby as a kid; later was **Let’s Get Small** ---
**Author:** ![Whifton\_Polekitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/97f17d/32.png) [@Whifton\_Polekitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whifton_Polekitty)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/9 "2005-10-20T05:17:05Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Don’t Crush that Dwarf, Hand me the Pliers** and **How Can You Be Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All** , both by the Firesign Theater. I’d have to add **I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus** and **Everything You Know is Wrong** to that list, actually. “Man, Woman, Child, all up against… The Wall of SCIENCE!!!” > [@RealityChuck](#): > > The funniest comedy group _ever_. The humor was so dense that could could listen to it a dozen times and still discover jokes you hadn’t noticed before. I literally grew up on a steady diet of FST. Some of my earliest memories are of reciting lines to my father. Imagine a 3-year-old Whifton saying “Nick Danjah, t’ird eye” in perfect deadpan… Yes, I had a bizzare childhood. Firesign Theatre, Frank Zappa, and Bob Dylan in truly heroic doses. -PLD ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/10 "2005-10-20T05:19:32Z")
Cheech and Chong were classic. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/11 "2005-10-20T05:22:22Z")
For something newer, try: **Dane Cook** - Retaliation or **Mitch Hedburg** - Mitch All Together ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/12 "2005-10-20T05:48:49Z")
I love comedy records, and have collected many of them over the years. I have all the Cosbys and all the Newharts and all the Pythons (including “Matching Tie And Handkerchief” with the two sets of concentric grooves on one side), all of George Carlin, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Cheech & Chong and National Lampoon. I also have several albums by each of the other artists mentioned. Including Chris Rush! A 1981 album called “Beaming In”. Stan Freberg is a genius. I have all of his recordings. A lot of people did satire and parody, but not like Freberg. His recordings are in a class all by themselves. Two of my earliest memories are of hearing “Comedy In Music” and “Caught In The Act” by Victor Borge. I could recite these albums by heart. I took my late mom to see Mr. Borge in 1994 at Hamilton Place in Hamilton, Ontario. I arranged beforehand to get us backstage to meet him. He autographed my copy of his first 78 RPM album on Columbia from 1942. I have a photo of him writing on the inner sleeve. Special mention must be made of Jonathan Winters. I love this guy! I could listen to him as long as he wanted to talk. And I need to include Del Close and John Brent, whose album “How To Speak Hip” is somewhat of a counterculture classic. “A Child’s Garden Of Grass”, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/13 "2005-10-20T06:19:43Z")
“Philosophy,” by **Bill Hicks** ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/14 "2005-10-20T06:25:57Z")
> [@Whifton\_Polekitty](#): > > … Yes, I had a bizzare childhood. Firesign Theatre, Frank Zappa, and Bob Dylan in truly heroic doses. > -PLD Not exactly in my childhood (more like my 40’s and 50’s) but WOW! The concept of actually equating comedy & music with THINKING was a relevation! ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/15 "2005-10-20T06:29:12Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > Not exactly in my childhood (more like my 40’s and 50’s) but WOW! The concept of actually equating comedy & music with THINKING was a **relevation** ]! Damn - so much for the high brow concept of SPELLING! As he slinks away and mutters “It should have been revelation” ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/16 "2005-10-20T09:52:24Z")
> [@Hung Mung](#): > > “Philosophy,” by **Bill Hicks** Purely subjective of course, but **Rant in E-Minor** by Hicks is widely considered to be his best. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/17 "2005-10-20T11:02:56Z")
> [@Suburban Plankton](#): > > _The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart_ Agreed, especially the “Lincoln vs Madison Avenue” bit. Also Tom Leher’s **That Was The Year That Was** _But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week, Lena Horne and Sheriff Clarke are dancing cheek to cheek. It’s fun to eulogize The people you despise, As long as you don’t let 'em in your school._ Anna Russell’s **Anna Russell Sings. Again?!** “Our story opens in the River Rhine. _IN_ it. If this were in New York, it would be like the Hudson. And swimming around in it are three Rhine Maidens…a sort of aquatic Andrew Sisters.” Andy Griffen’s **What It _Was_, Was Football** ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/18 "2005-10-20T12:40:32Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > I grew up with the **Smothers Brothers** ’ albums on LP, including “Curb Your Tongue, Knave!”; “Think Ethnic”; and “Mom Always Liked You Best.” They were wonderfully funny in a way not quite like anyone else. The original albums are no longer available, but Rhino has collected some of their best routines on a CD called [Sibling Revelry](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000063EI/ref=m_art_li_1/002-1303985-3054415?v=glance&s=music). I have several Smothers Brothers albums on absolutely pristine vinyl. I bought them at an estate sale, and some of them were in their origininal unopened plastic wrap. When I get around to it, I intend to burn them to MP3. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/19 "2005-10-20T12:56:15Z")
Lilly Tomlin **"On Stage"** I still think about my brother every time I listen to “Ludd and Marie Meet Dracula’s Daughter” “STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT CAAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEE!!!” Makes me smile just writing it. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012/20 "2005-10-20T13:04:53Z")
I agree with: All of \*\*Carlin’s \*\* '70’s albums Steve Martin’s **Let’s Get Small** Tom Lehrer’s - **That Was The Year That Was** **The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart** **Don’t Crush that Dwarf, Hand me the Pliers How Can You Be Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All** and I have to add Allan Sherman’s **My Son, the Folksinger My Son, the Nut My Son, the Celebrity** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-comedy-albums/327012.md?page=2)