Before Eddie Murphy, there was Richard Pryor. And, in terms of stand-up and a legacy, one has to admit that Richard Pryor was a god among those doing this. His sets were groundbreaking, with the comedian taking the sort of risks, personal and political, no one had taken before, and few since. Now, Omnivore Recordings have reissued two of the legendary Pryor's first albums, Richard Pryor (1968) and 'Craps' (After Hours) (1971). Both are loaded with bonus tracks, and both reveal the best stand-up comedian the world's ever likely to see at the start of his career, and as he takes the first formative steps towards realizing his power as a performer.
Richard Pryor is more fascinating than it is absolutely hysterical. Make no mistake, material like "T.V. Panel" is very funny, but there's something here in Richard's delivery that still echoes earlier records by Bill Cosby, only with the addition of profanity. Far better is "Prison Play" and a brief bit about Frankenstein taking LSD where Pryor seems more willing to swing for the fences and do something wildly original. Richard Pryor is a fairly short album so the bonus tracks here, including a full second CD of material, make this a worthy purchase. "Jail" and "Black Power" should feel familiar to those who know the albums that would come after this.
From 1971, 'Craps' (After Hours) is a riot. Just absolutely hysterical, the album finds Richard Pryor going full-speed ahead, doing an astonishing number of characters and voices throughout. The whole second half of this, starting from about "I Spy Cops" and going forward, is like hearing a funny movie being brought to life by one person. As he describes the black and white cops, "Cool Breeze", and "Big Black Bertha", a listener is really taken to a funny place and immersed in the culture of the era. 'Craps' (After Hours) is, I'd say, the first real, great Richard Pryor album. Loaded with bonus cuts, the album's even funnier than it was before, with an early version of "Wino & Junkie" revealing the genesis of one of my favorite Pryor bits as a kid, and "Attica (Behind Those Walls)", a poem, offering up further proof of the heart and genius of the best comedian the stage is ever likely to see. I'm old enough to remember when a comedy album would be an event, where you and a friend or two would sit down and play the record with real anticipation. And these two reissues take us back to that time, and provide a whole lot of pleasure for a listener.
Richard Pryor and 'Craps' (After Hours) are out now via Omnivore Recordings.
[Photo: Omnivore Recordings]