Rock Collections at Warwick Valley Dispatch
ank “Smokin” Truatt, we returned to the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey on Valentine’s Day to experience something outside of the usual musical concerts. This time, it was Jay Leno with a performance that left a smile on everyone’s faces. The theater was packed, and Jay delivered a fantastic show that had the audience laughing for about an hour and a half.
Reflecting on the concert, I began thinking about the collection of comedy albums I’ve amassed over the years. Among the hundreds of musical albums I own, there’s a select few comedy albums that I felt compelled to add to my collection. Unlike music albums that may be played repeatedly, comedy albums tend to be a one-time listen and set aside.
My fondness for comedy albums can be traced back to my childhood visits to the dentist’s office, where he would play Smother’s Brothers albums to ease the nerves of his patients. One of the first comedy albums I ever owned was Bill Cosby’s 1968 album “200 M.P.H.”, featuring a side-splitting tale about a car purchase from Carol Shelby. David Frye’s 1973 release “Richard Nixon: a Fantasy” offered a hilarious take on Nixon’s troubles during the Watergate scandal, although it faced resistance from New York radio stations.
Richard Pryor’s Grammy-winning 1974 album and George Carlin’s “Class Clown” featuring the infamous seven words that can’t be used on television were comedic gems of that era. However, the true comedic heroes of the 1970s were Cheech and Chong, whose albums revolved around the taboo subject of marijuana at the time. While humor is subjective and evolves over time, revisiting these timeless albums can still evoke a sense of nostalgia and amusement, transporting us back to a simpler age.
Despite the changing times and evolving comedic tastes, these classic comedy albums continue to bring a smile to my face, reminding me of the innocence and joy of discovering them in my teenage years. In a world filled with uncertainties, these albums serve as a reminder to take a moment and laugh at ourselves and the world around us. They provide a sense of reassurance that amidst the challenges of life, everything will be alright.