Search - Bill Cosby :: Bill Cosby Collection

Andy D. (caveman) from DUNLAP, TN
Reviewed on 4/18/2007...

This is a great album! I have like it more than any of the other albums of his that I have had!

"...And the Dude Ate It!"

General Breadbasket | 08/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Bill Cosby Collection" is a double CD containing two Bill Cosby comedy records: "My Father Confused Me..." (1977) on the first CD and "Bill's Best Friend" (1978) on the other. Though it's not the best bunch of Bill Cosby routines I've heard, they're still pretty decent and the package is good value. I picked up my copy at a locally, here in Australia, and for a rock bottom price.



Bill, in these stand-up routines talks about everything from intellectuals, languages, parents and parenthood, marriage, Chinese restaurants and cars, as well as a story or two from his childhood. He also speaks about puberty, drugs and alcoholism, which came as a surprise to me, though it's still funny stuff. Bill puts on voices, makes sound effects, and really gets you involved in the stories he's telling. The way he describes everyday activies (like going to the dentist) is really accurate too.



I have a couple of minor quibbles to make about this collection. First of all is the presentation of the tracks. Every track fades out before the end, which kind of disturbs the flow and the rhythm of Bill's material. Sometimes (like in "Puberty" on the second disc) it fades out in the middle, suspiciously like it was two routines from two different nights stuck together. I don't know if that was the case, just bugs me is all.



The CD booklet, though very thin, is rather interesting, as it has two covers to choose from, one on the front of the booklet (the purple one with a little cartoon Bill Cosby head and the title) and one on the back (an orange one with a big Bill Cosby head and no title). I prefer the orange version of the cover, so I keep it flipped that way on my CD rack.



Overall, worth a listen, but if you're a newcomer to Bill Cosby, I'd recommend one of his earlier records, like "Revenge"."

LITTLE KNOWN BILL COSBY GEM BURIED IN THIS SET...; READ ON C

stryper | Canada | 02/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As has been stated by a previous reviewer, this CD set consists of two Cosby albums, one of which is kind of a throw away, but the other, is a GEM that deserves it's place in the pantheon of Cosby classics.



The album in question is called, "Bill's Best Friend", and I prefer to think of it as Bill's, "Sound Effect", album, as it has the most vocal sound effects done by Bill, per routine, then any other of his albums (with, "Wonderfulness", being a close second).



The fun starts with, "Roland and the Rollercoaster", were, on Bill's 11th birthday, armed only with his cool walk, eyelid-turning-inside-out, soap chip carrying (to put in his mouth, to make people think that he's got, "The Rabies") buddy Roland, and the grand sum of $2 (one dollar for each one, of his 11 years) the Cos' sets out to ride a rollercoaster for the first time, and of course, all manner of silliness ensues (not to mention a plethora of very well done rollercoaster sound effects, done with nothing more then Bill's mouth and a microphone).



Trust me on this one; if you're not laughing yourself silly by at least the middle of this skit, you'll need to check yourself for a pulse... :)



The next big sound effect extravaganzas are, "Cars" and, "Illegal Drugs", with, Cars having the most sound effects per capita, but with, Illegal Drugs having one of the funniest and most complicated, mouth created, sound effect section, ever done.



First Cosby shows you in sound, several sounds associated with a person smoking a joint, then he proceeds to show you in sound, what it would sound like if a bunch of ripped pot smokers, where attempting to share a joint, and all of the ensuing noises that this would entail.



***Now before anyone decides to take offence to Bill doing a routine on pot smoking, let me assure you that this is just Bill's crazy observations on the subject, and in no way glorifies the use of drugs, in fact, it does just the opposite, by showing people just how silly people are, who use them (no Cheech & Chong here, but funny as all get out :)



Cars, on the other hand, is chock full of amazingly done car sounds (done again, with only Bill's mouth and a microphone) and pertains to Cosby's youth, driving around in his friends, crazily designed, hot rods.



The highlight of this set, is his drivers test, where he uses his buddies car, which has a plane engine installed in it (Driving Instructor: "well how do you keep the engine cooled down?" Cosby: "you just gotta keep moving").



Of course, even though I've only highlighted only a few of the tracks on this CD, all of the tracks are side splittingly funny (Bill trying Chinese mustard for the first time, is a riot) and are sure to have you laughing even after repeated listenings.



Enjoy :)"