This is the tenth installment of "Highlights from My Vinyl Collection," an appreciation of great music, not necessarily rare finds or expensive imports. This is not about "deleted Smiths singles and original, not rereleased - underlined - Frank Zappa albums," as Rob Gordon so eloquently put it, though a small few select gems might appear every now and again.
Bill Cosby - Wonderfulness
Those of you who have read this blog with any kind of regularity (which would be amazing since I have a problem writing with regularity) know that I am a comedy nerd ... in the best way. I've always been a fan, from SNL to SCTV, Kids in the Hall to the Young Comedians Specials, and frankly everything in between. It seems to be a golden age of comedy, with great podcasts, wide recognition of innovative institutions such as the UCB, and the return of television comedy (Parks & Rec, Community, Childrens Hospital, The Green Room, etc.) after everyone thought reality shows had long since left the genre for dead. I have my parents to thank for my comedy nerddom. Bill Cosby's Wonderfulness is just one of a handful of albums I liberated from my parents. It was the perfect introduction to stand-up comedy: family friendly, observational, and universal. Two long bits open up each side of the album. The first side features "Tonsils," about his own experiences getting his tonsils out and being promised all the ice cream he could eat. The second side featured one of my favorite Cosby bits, "Chicken Heart," about listening to a scary radio show called "Lights Out." I'm not sure I've ever heard a comedian present such a riveting, detailed, captivating, and hilarious piece since. Listening to "Chicken Heart" reveals a true master at work. Someone once said about comedy that you don't have to be funny for every second on stage, just interesting, and Cosby manages both. The shorter bits are just as good, with the dangers of "The Playround," an overview of "Shop" and "Special Class," but one that always stays with me is alluded to on the cover, called "Go Carts," in which Cosby does an amazing, breakneck speed bit, with great theme music for each go-cart. It was hilarious, yet incredibly innocent and nostalgic. Want to relive your childhood all over again? Listen to Wonderfulness. Later, I would be exposed to the incredible with of the Smothers Brothers, and the daring genius of George Carlin. Whoa.
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