By: George Carlin Average Rating: Binding: Audio CD Format: Explicit Lyrics, Original recording reissued Label: Atlantic / Wea Number of Discs: 1 Release Date: September 12, 2000
The First use of "Seven Words" This is where George rolled out "The Seven Word you can't say on Television". Need I say more?
happier than... it arrived very quickly and was in perfect condition. i laughed like i did in the 70's!
"I wanna tell you something about words..." If you're only familiar with George Carlin through his aggressive, vitriolic, and occasionally vicious latter-day material, early work like Class Clown may come as something as a surprise. On first listen, the album seems almost mild mannered. Not only is it free of the machine gun profanity that would come to mark the comedian's style, but the material itself is a far cry from the raw cynicism that would inform You Are All Diseased and Brain Droppings: The first track, for example, is an epic recollection of Carlin's schoolboy antics, full of cheeky observations on knuckle cracking, funny voices, and armpit noises. The whole thing captures him in a seemingly friendly, genial mood. Of course, Carlin was never innocent. He always had a dirty mind and a darkly sarcastic sort of charisma. Class Clown is every bit as subversive as the guy's later stuff. It's just a bit more subtle: "Muhammad Ali/ America The Beautiful," for example, is an an engaging, hilarious, and absolutely scathing indictment of the Vietnam war, while "Values (How Much Is That Dog Crap In The Window?)" is an early jab at what Carlin would go on to call America's "over-the-counter culture." Tracks 4-7 comprise a cheekily innocent stab at organized religion. And that goofy opening track I mentioned? Well, listen to it a couple times, and you'll find a gut-bustingly funny celebration of the joys of resisting authority. And then, of course, there's the masterful "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," a gloriously perverse assault on politically correct language. Rarely has the counterculture been as hilarious, as playful, and as quietly edgy. Gotta love it.
Carlin's Best Pure Comedy! This was the best of George's pure comedy albums before his humor started having a lot of political commentary mixed in. This was the the album that established Carlin as the best comedian since Lenny Bruce. Is is amazing that when this was released his Seven Words You Can't Say on TV sent shockwaves throughout the industry. Compared to some of the comedians appearing on HBO, this is extremely tame. Also extremely gut wrenching funny!
I loved the bits about the novelty shop with the artificial vomit and the Catholic school stories are hilarious even for those of us who went to public school. A true masterpiece!
Great Stuff This is when Carlin was at his best, pointing out the ridiculousness (sp?) of modern life without falling into angry rants every couple of secons. The "7 Words" segment is one of the best bits of comedy EVER! Listen to this and his other material that pre-dates "You're All Diseased". Here we can listen to a comic genius in his prime, before he became a preacher. I rank this CD up there with "No Cure for Cancer" and other comically brilliant stand-up routines.
Anything Goes Trivia
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