"I lived in Los Angeles when Bob Hudson and Ron Landry had a morning show on FM radio. Listened to them on the way to work, great way to get the day started. Their ability to convey imagery thru voice, gestures and improvised sound effects is unparalleled by any other artist(s) in my experience. "I couldn't live like that" and "Sir Basil" are two of the funniest bits that I've ever heard. It's good clean humor and funny stuff."
"Where Bambi goes, nothing grows!"
Shades Below | Tacoma, WA U.S.A. | 10/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some great underrated comedy from two comedic genuises, Bob Hudson and Ron Landry, with some of their greatest routines all on one CD. What else can be said? Some of their routines can be a little racy, but without being dirty. Anyone got any video of these guys? (Some HAS to exist somewhere!)
To the guy who wondered why some of the rotuines were edited: Believe it or not, some of these were actually released as singles! "Ajax Liquor Store" was a huge hit on the radio (can you imagine hearing this on the radio today?), and so the success of it was tried a few times with singles from their following LP's. "Ajax Airlines" is a case in point where it was edited to keep the flow going, and probably was the only tape source they had for use on the CD. But, yes, that is one of their funniest routines, and Bob Hudson's "drunk" voice is at its best on here, and the other "Ajax" phone-calls.
They had four albums: "Hanging In There" (1971), "Losing Their Heads" (1972), "Right-Off!" (1973), "The Weird Kingdom Of Hudson & Landry" (1974) and two best-of collections. "Weird Kingdom" is their last and rarest (I didn't know it existed until 1994, after being a fan for years on end), and has some funny routines on it, despite poor recording and some very bad editing.
After they split, Bob Hudson teamed up with Bobby "Boris" Pickett ("Monster Mash") for one LP called "Hollyweird Squares", and then formed the duo Hudson & Judson. Bob Hudson passed away from diabetes in 1997 at the age of 66. Ron Landry retired from radio and wrote for various TV shows for years, but he too has since passed away from lung cancer in September 2002 at age 68. You guys will be missed, and I'm sure you're making them laugh out loud up there!"
Hudson & Landry Are Great!
Wally Ahlborn | Munising, MI | 09/30/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first heard H&L in the early 1970's and bought every recording of theirs that I could find. Their humor is fantastic and their delivery is priceless. In later years, I dubbed their works onto cassettes so I could listen to them as I drove throughout the midwest. I'm sure that I was instrumental in increasing their popularity to people in my sales territory (southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, eastern Iowa). Tonight (9/29/01), I was at a dinner party and the conversation got around to humor and one of the guests mentioned having heard Ajax Liquor Store years ago. I jumped into the conversation and told the group about the Obsene Phone Call bit and 'Bruiser' LaRue. When I got home, I searched for H&L on the internet, using 'AJAX' as my key word and up came the website. Shortly thereafter, I purchased the album 'Best of Hudson & Landry' and am anxious to be reaccuainted with these great artists. They are on par with Bob and Ray, Bill Cosby and Bob Newhart as for clean, humorous listening enjoyment. If anyone should read this tribute to H&L, I strongly recommend this album. You won't be sorry and the $15 purchase price will be returned many times over in laughter. You'll feel better each and everytime you listen to them......."
"Hi, Ace!!! Love your cufflinks!!!"
R. A. Leal | Denver, CO, USA | 07/26/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I remember seeing these guys live on stage in Pueblo, Colorado, of all places in 1972, and while some of the bits lost something in translation due to the technology of the time not allowing for full "sound effects", I do remember doubling over in laughter at the sight of "Bruiser Larue" (Hudson) sashaying onto the stage in a lavender football jersey with the number 69 on it. A *classic* bit!!! They have remained one of my all-time favorite comedy acts to this day.
Of course, the various "Ajax" bits are timeless, except for the political correctness police having issues with the portrayal of the drunk, and of course, the "Obscene Phone Bust." These were bits that my college buddies and I would listen to along with Cheech and Chong, and soon phrases such as "Hi Ace!" and "Boy, I couldn't live like that" became part of our vocabularies.
Their humor, while slightly racier than what you would see from comics on TV at the time (early 70's), was probably overshadowed by the emerging rawness of Carlin, Pryor and others, so by today's standards Hudson and Landry could probably be considered extremely tame. But being "tame" doesn't mean it's not funny, and this stuff is hilarious.
The only reason I give this collection only 4 stars instead of 5 is for the disc itself and NOT the humor. The edited versions are a disappointment, and I think the collection could have included tracks such as "Ajax Pet Store" ("Here, Fred!") and the pair of Kearsarge bits.
If you're interested in discovering some truly underrated comedy, treat yourself to Hudson and Landry. This collection is a good place to start, but if you can find the original issues, by all means buy them and take a nice ride on "Ajax Airlines.""
Beyond hilarious!
crossfire905 | Temple City, CA United States | 02/18/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I became a fan of Hudson & Landry in 1984 when I received a "comedy classics" compilation tape which happened to have "Ajax Liquor Store" on it. So, that was the first H&L bit I ever heard, and I later acquired a dub of the absolutely hysterical album "Losing Their Heads," from which many of the tracks on this CD were taken. Having played my dub of that album dozens of times, I noticed immediately when I first played this CD that at least two of the tracks - "Ajax Airlines" and "Bruiser La Rue" - have been edited, chopped down slightly from their original versions in what I can only assume were completely unnecessary attempts at squeaky-clean humor and political correctness. This is one of the reasons why I give this CD 4 stars instead of 5. WHY, I ask, was this exchange removed from Ajax Airlines? "Well, just remember, I'm a V.I.Q." "P!" "Huh?" 'P! P! You're a V.I.P!" "Well, then, TREAT me like one, you Communist!" You'd have to hear the original unedited version to appreciate how funny it really is and how much it is missed in the edited version, especially after you've gotten used to it being there. And the lines which were removed from "Bruiser La Rue" were of the spit-your-drink-all-over-the-floor-and-laugh-yourself-silly kind of funny. Just SLIGHTLY off-color, but still very, very funny, and conspicuously absent to my ears. Why edit? Time was not an issue; the complete original tracks still would have fit easily.Aside from complaints about edited routines - how many edits am I not aware of in routines I had never heard before? - there also are issues of sound quality. There must have been some rather aggressive digital noise reduction applied to some of these tracks, and that kind of heavy processing leaves artifacts in the sound. Some of these tracks have sonic characteristics which are - in a word - odd.Now, a note about the track "Obscene Phone Bust": The packaging states that "bad words" in that track are "bleeped out." In fact, they are NOT bleeped out - this bit has always contained an EXTREMELY funny sequence of riotous, cartoonish sound effects in place of what probably are purely imaginary profanities. Decide for yourself what "bad words" were replaced by squeaking, slamming doors, gunshots, xylophones, and assorted horns and rasping noises. I DARE you not to hypeventilate with laughter when you hear this bit for the first time. If you have ever heard the old W.C. Fields "Dirty Old Man" crank call bit, which was obviously an inspiration for "Obscene Phone Bust," then you get the idea.One minor complaint I have about the selection of tracks is that they did not include "Astronut" from the "Losing Their Heads" album. In my opinion, it's one of their best.Summary: This is an incredibly funny collection of material, well worth a listen by old fans as well as those aren't fans yet [but WILL be!], but it is marred by somewhat poor sound, excessive digital processing, and what I consider to be unnecessary editing of certain tracks. Terrific classic comedy, strictly second-rate production from what seems to be a small fly-by-night studio which has licensed the legendary Dore label's name for this collection. The package design is distinctly cheap and amateurish, making it seem like a bootleg disc, but buy it - DEFINITELY BUY IT! - for the comedy."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
