Truth is Funnier than Fiction?
General Breadbasket | 09/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
""It's True! It's True!" is a collection of standup comedy material by Bill Cosby, first released on vinyl in 1969, now on CD. It's not Bill's funniest, in my opinion, but it does have it's moments, plus Bill is always a great storyteller.
Among the things Bill talks about here: Adam and Eve, helicopters, ants, shining shoes, shoelaces, burlesque houses, gambling and the early days of television sets. A lot of material (the classic "Spanish Fly" and the 14 minute "Foreign Countries") focuses on the time when Bill was on location filming "I Spy" around the world.
It's not a perfect bunch of material. Bill sounds a little tired here. Not that his material is, just sounds like he's exhausted. They were busy times for him back then in the late 1960s, after all. Listen to the opening track "It's the Women's Fault", it takes a while for him to warm up. It's a very short CD, too, (roughly 34 minutes) which is a little disappointing. The booklet is equally brief, but it does tell you where and why Bill was when he was recording this, which was interesting.
It's worth picking up, but get some of the classic Bill Cosby CDs first like Revenge. Even the 2 disc Bill Cosby Collection (with material from 1977-1978) would be a decent pick. Three and a half stars for this one."
It's True, It's Really True!
J. Ausfahl | Peoria, Illinois United States | 10/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Bill Cosby at his creative best; brilliant insight into the human condition, with enough humorous sympathy to get a smille and a laugh out of anyone. This is a must for anyone who likes humor without being subjected to the risque."
What difference does that make?
Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 06/26/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This was the last album Bill Cosby recorded for Warner Brothers Records, thus ending the "Golden Age" of Bill Cosby albums. It was recorded at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe during a musicians strike, so Cos was asked to perform an extra 45 minutes to fill up the time that the musicians would normally be playing, which he did by ad libbing. It's not easy to tell which material on this album was pre-written and which was ad libbed, other than the obviously made up on the spot "Foreign Countries", where he talks about countries he visited while working on I Spy. This isn't Bill's funniest album, but it's still very funny."