No Cure for Cancer?
I think I heard that Larry the Cable Guy’s recent album was the best selling comedy album ever.
I don’t remember a lot of the titles. I haven’t listened to one since I was a kid and they were all sort of “contraband”. Some kid at school would make you a tape of a tape his older brother had.
I remember listening to Eddie Murphy. I think it was “Delirioius”. The one with Mr. T. getting fucked in the ass. And Ed Norton fucking Ralph Cramden in the ass.
I had a Billy Crystal record with “I Hate When the Happens” on it.
I had a Smother’s Brothers with “Mediocre Fred” on it, and “Crabs Walk Sideways, Lobsters Walk Straight”.
We had a Bill Cosby where he talked about going to the dentist, and his wife giving birth “push him out, push him out. . .wayyy out.”
I college, I remember listening to a Dice Clay a lot, “your ass, your face. . .what’s the difference?”
Steady Eddy which won an ARIA award as best Australian comedy album and I was one of the 10 investors who financed it.
Oh sure, pick the the album that won the first Comedy Grammy.
For me, it was pretty much the Carlin FM & AM and all the '60s Casby albums.
Rant in E Minor and Arizona Bay - Bill Hicks.
The White Album, The End of the Universe and Rules of Enragement - Lewis Black.
Agree completely, this was my pick. Like you, I consider just about every version of the skits on this album to be superior to the TV versions. The timing is crisper, the stream-of-consciousness style flows more smoothly. The musical numbers on the album (Dennis Moore, Money Song, Eric the Bee) are also wonderfully performed and produced.
On a nyaaah, nyahhh, pthbbbththt note…I found a pristine original printing of the LP at a collector show for 1$ last year.
My favorite comedy album (not counting anything by George Carlin because he’s above all other comedians in my book) is Strategic Grill Locations by Mitch Hedberg.
–FCOD
There were many good comedy albums, most of which have already been
mentioned. Some were racy, for their time. I think the lady’s name was Rusty Warren
and she did several w/ “Knockers up” in the title.
There was a Jewish comedian named Shelly Berman who did one sided telephone
skits, ala Bob Newhart and Andy Griffith did a hilarious 1st person rendition of a
hillbilly, who had never heard of football, going to his first game.
Yow, I forgot about that… In high school, my then-girlfriend made me a tape of things that came from a tape her sister’s boyfriend had made HER, and one feature was an apparently Canadian group called The Frantics. It was called Tae Kwon Leep and segued directly into a song called Boot to the Head… I think there was another bit that involved the reading of a will…
Damn, that was too long ago. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?
-PLD
“Boot To The Head” was a staple on the Dr. Demento Show. You have the basics down. 
I have listened to Lewis Black’s White Album at least twenty times and it still makes me laugh to the point of tears every time.
Does any of Eleen Degeneres’ stuff come in album form?
Because if I had three wishes, one would be to have “Here and Now” constantly playing in my mind. The pain and embarassment bit makes me lose it every time…
I, too, want to boot some head.
Most of my favorites have been mentioned, I’ll just add:
"Stan Freberg presents: the United States of America."
Which is, I believe the first musical cmedy produced specifically for record album. And it had the Judd Conlin dancers! for a record!
I’ve had the whole thing memorized since junior high.
I have owned many of the albums listed. But right now my favorite comedy albums are
Ron White Drunk in Public. One of my bike riding buddies turned me on to this guy on a long road ride. I swear he could quote 80% of the lines off the CD. I damned near fell off my bike laughing.
Richard Jeni’s Greatest Bits. Warning do not put this CD in your car if you have never heard it before, you will probably wreck your car, cause you will laugh so hard, you can’t see.
Sam Kinison Live from Hell. What can I say, Sammy was just a whole different level than most. Maybe not your cup of tea, but the guy still breaks me up.
Actually, although *Button Down Mind * did win the Album of the Year Grammy in 1960, it didn’t win the Best Comedy Performance Grammy. That one went to Newhart’s sequel, Button Down Mind Strikes Back. Also in 1960, Newhart became the only comedian to win the Best New Artist Grammy.
Although the topics are very dated now, I’d go back to Tom Lehrer’s 1950s albums as being even funnier.
Not mentioned so far is the work of P.D.Q. Bach – parodies and satires of classical music that are accessible even to those of us who have never listened to classical music. Although, having seen his live performances, I have to say the albums are only about 1/10 as good as the real deal.
I do! Frantic Times and Boot To The Head are both gold. “Last Will and Temperment” is the skit you’re thinking of. It involves a man who leaves his family boots to the head in his will and ends something like, “And I leave my entire fortune of 10 million dollars to the people of Calgary so they can afford to move somewhere decent.”
They did the sketch on 4 on the Floor, a sadly short-lived TV show of theirs.
Bill Costy: 200 M.P.H.. I’ve always been a car guy and, thankfully, a CD version was released earlier this year.
Allan Sherman: My Son, the Nut
Live performances KICK A55!
I used to go to Carnegie Hall every December with a large group of friends - all armed with kazoos, which we would play during intermission (only)
We also did that at the Kennedy Center when PS performed there
So I can honestly say I’ve “played” both venues