Bill Cosby Albums (27)
What The Critics Say
With a hit TV show, numerous variety and talk show appearances, regular stints in some of the more upscale nightclubs around the country, and five long-players in under three years, there didn't seem to be such as thing as too much Bill Cosby in the mid-'60s. The material here returns Cosby to familiar territory, with the storyteller reminiscing about his childhood and -- more so than in the past -- making modern observations on a wide range of topics. Perhaps owing to the continued success that his records were having on the album charts, 1967's Revenge was mined from the same run of shows at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe that had yielded the previous year's Wonderfulness. In the title work, Cosby recounts the lengthy and methodical steps in getting "Revenge" on his slushball nemesis, Junior Barnes, only to find that his mother had unwittingly put the kibosh on his plans. Other monologues incorporating tales of the comedian's childhood include his recollections of life as an only child before having to deal with "Two Brothers." Even when retelling occurrences involving his own children in "Two Daughters," he finds a common touchstone back to experiences that will come full circle on "The Tank" -- as both attempt to unravel the mystery of why children are so fascinated with the toilet bowl. The tale of having to walk across the "9th St. Bridge" and the classic "Buck, Buck" are unquestionably the impetus for Cosby's continuing saga of Fat Albert. Albert and the rest of the gang would continue to pop up throughout the remainder of Cosby's late-'60s and early-'70s career, even turning their youthful exploits into a long-running animated edutainment show, Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids -- which would run well into the '80s. Revenge concludes with "Planes," a short piece in which Cosby discusses the so-called "elephant in the living room" with regard to air travel -- adding that self-preservation is the first thing on his mind when confronted with facing the inevitable. Stories with a similar adult point of view would incrementally replace the popular fables and yarns of Fat Albert on future comedy projects. However, before releasing his next LP of standup, Cosby would take advantage of his celebrity status and indulge himself with two music-related platters: 1967's Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings (which contained the hit single "Little Ole Man [Uptight, Everything's Alright]") as well as 1968's Bill Cosby Sings Hooray for the Salvation Army Band! ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
'Why Is There Air?'
Release Date 4/28/1998
Tracks 8
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
As the comedian's star continued to ascend, Bill Cosby's third long-player, 1965's Why Is There Air?, became his first to crack the Top 20. Family-friendly humor -- along with increased exposure on the mid-'60s TV talk and variety show circuit -- gave Cosby an edge that many of his contemporaries weren't privy to. Captured live at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, this 40-minute outing is packed with more classic ripping yarns that draw upon Cosby as a child and young adult. The stories become all the more riveting and relatable in great part due to his off-the-cuff and conversational delivery, which ultimately draws the listener in. For practically anyone growing up stateside in the '50s, '60s, or early '70s, Cosby's reminiscences of "Kindergarten" will assuredly conjure memories of being fed a "snack" of an "old, dried-up, brown, nasty-tastin', gag-ya, stick-in-the-throat graham cracker" with milk "that has been sitting on the radiator for about 80 years" to wash it down. Indeed, as Cosby concludes, "there's nothin' in the world better for a bunch of five-year-old kids than good ol' lukewarm, curdling milk." The artist also defines "idiot mittens" and provides insights regarding children who suffer from their first bouts of separation anxiety. "Personal Hygiene" and "Shop" give his audience a peek into Cosby's junior high school antics, including the comedian's experiences of the eternal vagaries, not to mention the awkward nature, of gym class and the relatable despondency of "...anything I every tried to make always turned out to be an ashtray." Cosby addresses his current state of affairs on "Baby" -- which finds our hero discussing the joys and paranoia of expectant fatherhood -- and one of his all-time classic routines, describing his observations when "Driving in San Francisco." Continuing with tales of his pre-showbiz days , both "$75 Car" and "Hofstra" deal with college life. The former includes the great philosophical debate of "Why is there air?" -- the answer of course being, to inflate volleyballs and basketballs. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
'Hello, Friend: To Ennis with Love'
Release Date 11/4/1997
Tracks 8
Label Verve
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What The Critics Say
Hello, Friend: To Ennis With Love is a touching, moving tribute to Bill Cosby's murdered son that chooses to celebrate instead of mourn. Cosby produced the album, enlisting Lester Bowie (trumpet), Philip Harper (trumpet), Bobby Watson (alto saxophone), Craig Handy (tenor saxophone), Cedar Walton (piano), Peter Washington (bass), Billy Higgins (drums) and Steve Kroon (percussion) to play songs by Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Eddie Harris and Bobby Timmons. The result is a swinging, friendly set of hard bop and soul-jazz that is tastefully played, robust and engaging -- it's a fitting salute to a departed friend. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'My Father Confused Me, What Should I Do?'
Release Date 7/16/1991
Tracks 14
Label Capitol
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What The Critics Say
Bill Cosby released only a small number of albums on Capitol, starting with two musical parody albums; this one was his first standup album in at least four years (he had been managing one or two a year before that point). You would think that a layoff that long would produce fresher results, but this album is really more of an indication of why it had taken so long -- there's some new material here, but there's also much repetition from previous albums, including childhood memories of his name being "Jesus Christ," talk about his father's flatulence, and more. There's some good new material here, though, including speculation on how the FCC would regulate his mother's threats of violence, ruminations on language, and your new duties when you get married. There's also a hilarious early take on the dentist bit that would later appear on the soundtrack to the film Bill Cosby, Himself. This mixed bag means that Cosby fans won't regret the purchase, but it's by no means essential. ~ Sean Carruthers, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After signing with Uni Records in 1970 and issuing several albums' worth of material dealing in primarily adult themes, Bill Cosby triumphantly returns to weaving yarns about his youth and childhood acquaintances: Fat Albert, Dumb Donald, and of course, his brother Russell. This would also become the basis for his Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids animated series that became mandatory viewing for millions on Saturday mornings between 1972 and 1985. The continuity of story lines featuring his family which commenced with I Started out As a Child (1964) are virtually seamless with those told on this disc. This is evident in "My Father" and "My Brother Russell," highlighting the silly nature of kids and the often too-serious nature of adults. If anything, the intervening years seem to have given Cosby a degree of empathy conspicuously absent from his earlier monologues. Undoubtedly, this can be traced to the birth of Cosby's own children and the correlation between being a kid and having one. With his off-the-cuff delivery style, Cosby retains a freshness when verbally retracing incidence such as "My Hernia." "Buck Jones" hearkens back to the familiar "9th Street Bridge" saga from Revenge (1967), recalling "the gang" at the movies. The shorter observational pieces on "Snakes and Alligators" as well as "Dogs" and "Frogs" are less about children and sound like extensions of tracks such as "Dogs and Cats" from 200 M.P.H. (1968). The success of reviving this timeless cast of characters spawned the LP Fat Albert (1973). Sadly, though, Cosby very rarely incorporated these timeless and ageless characters into his latter-era standup. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
'Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby'
Release Date 10/17/1990
Tracks 10
Label MCA
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What The Critics Say
By the time 1972 rolled around, Bill Cosby was big news; with an ultra-popular standup career, a few TV shows under his belt, and a couple more on the go, it seemed he could go nowhere but up. This release features Cosby in front of yet another appreciative crowd doing short standup bits, but unlike the earlier and more inventive bits, this shows Cosby in a bit of a rut. There are husbands versus wives parts 12 and 13, kids versus parents parts five through eight, and Cosby versus strange food and various bits of anatomy. Even if he spends much of the album re-exploring familiar themes, it's still quite funny. ~ Sean Carruthers, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A Redd Foxx adult comedy album, sure, but Bill Cosby? That's right. For Adults Only isn't at all a record of foul-mouthed comedy, darn it! It is "for adults only" because it is about parenting, which the comedian believes is a job only done by, and only of interest to, adults. Isn't that so typically Bill Cosby? These live performances date from the early '70s, and the audience is, of course, the Las Vegas crowd. It was well before the rhythms of a television situation comedy took over the workings of this man's inner mind, so what you hear is still the bristling energy of a stand-up comic who had already mastered the question of timing as well as the medium of the phonograph record as a mode of communication with legions of fans. By sticking just to family humor, and once again, it is the subject being described and not the language, the comedian limits his subject matter to the point of narrowing the possible audience. It is also an area in which listeners may agree with what he is saying while at the same time lamenting that it is a subject that makes this comedian go a bit soft and sappy, resulting in less than his funniest material. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
'Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow Right!'
Release Date 10/17/1990
Tracks 12
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
Those who only know Bill Cosby as an '80s television star and product pitchman don't know how truly funny and edgy he used to be when he first started out. Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow is his first album, and it's as good a place to start as any, with the "Noah" trilogy included. A story about the free entertainment on New York subways, a trash-talking Noah, a parody of television commercials, and a karate dissection are included. ~ Sean Carruthers, All Music Guide
'I Started Out as a Child'
Release Date 10/17/1990
Tracks 15
Label Warner Bros.
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What The Critics Say
By sidestepping racial humor and the "sick" comedy of Lenny Bruce, Bill Cosby was able to reach a wide audience through keen and endearing portraits of his Philadelphia childhood. And even though he mostly bypassed civil rights issues in the '60s, Cosby, in many ways, was still able to de-stigmatize black culture by presenting his story without the more clichéd and tragic descriptions of ghetto life: He was a kid just like any other, with idiosyncratic family members, neighborhood friends, favorite TV characters, and a love of sports. And while on this, his Grammy-winning second album from 1964, Cosby certainly doesn't shrink from detailing his impoverished childhood, he often turns things around by imagining the flapping sound of a pair of worn-out shoes to be part of his own one-man band ("Sneakers") or by deftly shifting from mentioning he shared a bed with his brother to telling stories of their Christmas Eve high jinx ("Christmas Time"). He continues with this affecting blend of reality and fantasy by hilariously casting his alcoholic father as a lumbering, storybook giant. More often than not, though, Cosby uses humor to chronicle his pure imagination: He ranges from dressing down the Lone Ranger and incompetent doctors to telling surreal tales about his pet rhinoceros and the Wolf Man's awkward family life. And thanks to an incredible array of sound effects and imitations, Cosby transforms his live routine into a series of cartoon shorts (the lively, fast-paced dialogue and unique character sketches would eventually make their way into the comedian's popular animated series, Fat Albert). For those interested in Bill Cosby's early days as a standup comic, this album makes for a perfect introduction. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
