Why Is There Air?

Performer: Bill Cosby
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: As the comedian's star continued to ascend, Bill Cosby's third long-player, 1965's Why Is There Air?, became his first to crack the Top 20. Family-friendly humor -- along with increased exposure on the mid-'60s TV talk and variety show circuit -- gave Cosby an edge that many of his contemporaries weren't privy to. Captured live at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, this 40-minute outing is packed with more classic ripping yarns that draw upon Cosby as a child and young adult. The stories become all the more riveting and relatable in great part due to his off-the-cuff and conversational delivery, which ultimately draws the listener in. For practically anyone growing up stateside in the '50s, '60s, or early '70s, Cosby's reminiscences of "Kindergarten" will assuredly conjure memories of being fed a "snack" of an "old, dried-up, brown, nasty-tastin', gag-ya, stick-in-the-throat graham cracker" with milk "that has been sitting on the radiator for about 80 years" to wash it down. Indeed, as Cosby concludes, "there's nothin' in the world better for a bunch of five-year-old kids than good ol' lukewarm, curdling milk." The artist also defines "idiot mittens" and provides insights regarding children who suffer from their first bouts of separation anxiety. "Personal Hygiene" and "Shop" give his audience a peek into Cosby's junior high school antics, including the comedian's experiences of the eternal vagaries, not to mention the awkward nature, of gym class and the relatable despondency of "...anything I every tried to make always turned out to be an ashtray." Cosby addresses his current state of affairs on "Baby" -- which finds our hero discussing the joys and paranoia of expectant fatherhood -- and one of his all-time classic routines, describing his observations when "Driving in San Francisco." Continuing with tales of his pre-showbiz days , both "$75 Car" and "Hofstra" deal with college life. The former includes the great philosophical debate of "Why is there air?" -- the answer of course being, to inflate volleyballs and basketballs. ~ Lindsay Planer 1965's WHY IS THERE AIR? is part of the classic string of comedy albums which helped make Bill Cosby's name in the mid-'60s. Cosby first came to national prominence as the co-star of the TV series I SPY. However, he was first and foremost a sharp, clever nightclub comedian, spinning stories based on his Philadelphia childhood and adolescence into comedy considerably more clever and occasionally more acerbic than people who know him from his '80s and '90s TV work might expect. The highlights of this album include the schooldays remembrances of "Kindergarten," "Personal Hygiene," and "Shop," but the final track, the eight-minute "Hofstra," is a Cosby classic. Painting vivid word pictures of a college football team's humiliating defeat, Cosby delivers one of his all-time classics, up there with "Noah" and "200 M.P.H."

From the 1960s into the 21st century, Bill Cosby's family-friendly comic routines and accessible "everyman" persona have made him one of the most recognized and admired performers in the United States (and perhaps the biggest television star of the 1980s). His comic themes are universal, ordinary experiences delivered in Cosby's trademark rhythmic, relaxed style, with a healthy dose of self-mockery. Cosby scored an unlikely top 10 hit with a parody of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight."

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