| Music World News |
| CD Review: A Brief Discography of Richard Pryor |
| by Joe Nolan |
That Nigger's Crazy!
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I recently watched the Soul Music documentary “Wattstack”. The film tells the tale of the 1972 African-American music review that took place in Los Angeles as a sort of funked-up, Black Power bookend to the free-and-easy, hippie-go-lucky happenings at Yasger’s Farm.
The music is great and the sights and sounds fascinate, but the highlight is Richard Pryor. Loose, looney and presented informally, behind-the-scenes, Pryor’s commentary proves to be infuriating, illuminating, side-splitting and proof positive of his immense talent; affirming his rightful claim to the title of the most important American comedian after (maybe since) Lenny Bruce.
On Saturday, December 10, Richard Pryor died of a heart attack, but there is little chance that his raging rap will go lightly into that good night. What follows is a brief discography in memory of a man who made us laugh.
“That Nigger’s Crazy”
Pryor’s break-out album, “That Nigger’s Crazy”, was released in 1974. Peppered with profanity, “Crazy” encapsulated two of the central characteristics Pryor’s material would include throughout his 30 year career. Firstly, “Crazy” spotlighted Pryor’s vivid, masterful ability to tell a story. Pryor’s tales were filled with Dostoyevskian detail and, much like that old Russian master, Pryor chose to tell the stories of the drunks, bums, cops, robbers, poor and marginalized people he had known his whole life. The other revelation in this release was Pryor’s use of the word “Nigger”. In his title and throughout his album, Pryor used the word “Nigger” in every possible shape and form: appellation, insult, exclamation and evocation. Pryor had stated that he used the word as much as possible to take away its ugly power. In that spirit, I have made the choice to add to that legacy rather than substitute that simple-minded, adolescent form “The N-word”.
“Live on the Sunset Strip”
“Live on the Sunset Strip” is Richard Pryor’s finest hour. This soundtrack, to the film released in 1982, finds Pryor at the pinnacle of his powers. Not only has his storytelling become as sharp as ever, but Pryor is consistently disarming with his ferocious personal vulnerability and self-deprecation. Speaking openly about his troubled love life and the infamous cocaine-smoking incident that resulted in a blaze that nearly killed him, “Live” sees Pryor transcending stand-up comedy and realizing the kind of shamanic power that would not be seen again until the likes of Bill Hicks ten years later. “Live on the Sunset Strip” remains the invaluable introduction for neophytes interested in Pryor’s incendiary comedy.
“And It's Deep Too: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings”
By the time this box set was released in the year 2000, Pryor’s body and his voice had been ravaged by MS. Aside from the occasional cameo on TV and in film (notably as an auto mechanic in David Lynch’s creepy masterpiece, “Lost Highway”), Pryor’s career was over and a set like this was a welcome retrospective of a groundbreaking career. “Deep” is exhaustive and includes the first appearance of Pryor’s self-titled debut album on CD. A must-have for anyone who loves comedy. |
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