Customer Reviews

Arizona Bay

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is probably the best Bill Hicks album to start with - it'sthe one I heard first, anyway. CLASSIC bits about the Rodney Kingtrial / LA riots, plus a lot more. There's also some good little musical interludes in between the blistering comedy bits featuring Bill Hicks on guitar. It may sound wierd, but the music works. 'Relentless' and 'Rant In E-Minor' are exceptional as well. Bill Hicks was a comedian for the thinking man. If you buy one of his CD's, you will NOT be sorry.

This is currently my only Bill Hicks album. My brother in law gave it to me. I guess he figured since I'm a pretty young and angry lad, that I'd probably be interested in it. I gave it a listen one night while I was cleaning up the house, and boy was I in for a treat! I pretty much fell in love with it immediately. Now, I haven't heard any of his other albums yet, but because of this one, I do have full intention on picking them up as well. Bill Hicks knew how to put energy and heart into his performances. He has a stance with every issue and he stupendously holds his ground for the most part. I must forewarn you, however, that this is not for everyone. Some of this leans way past the vulgar side of things, but that's what comedy is all about. Now, I will also warn you that this is not just a spoken comedy album. They incorporated music inbetween the tracks, so you get about of minute or so of music after every spoken bit. The music is okay. It's mostly just laid back guitar and drums, and sometimes there's some humming. Most of the time I skip through it. It was just something he was experimenting with. It's not that much of a nuisance in my opinion, just hit the 'next track' button and you'll be on the spoken bit. To sum this all up, Bill Hicks was a genius. He was considered "over the top" by most, and went out of his way to shatter the rules. His philosophies were set forth as aid for the free thinkers of the world. He was a great, and energetic speaker, and any fan of intelligent comedy should definately be familiar with Hicks and his material. Highly Recommended!

There is not one day that goes by that I don't quote at least one idea or philosophy of this man. There is not one day that I don't reflect on the joy that he has brought into my life. Arizona Bay is but a small piece of the HUGE gift that he offered us during his short time on this planet. Buy this and ANYTHING else you can get your hands on that this man created. Yes, he is funny. But, more important that that . . . he is right. I realize that right and wrong are entirely subjective concepts. But, Bill Hicks is the exception to that rule. And he knew it. But thankfully for us, he took it upon himself to remind people of this fact through comedy. I had already subscribed to many of the ideas he expresses in his comedy prior to ever hearing him speak, but, it was never so clear and so . . . funny. This CD and all his others will make you ache from laughter and then suddenly realize that what he is saying is not funny at all, but sad and disappointing. We aren't going about things the right way. In fact, we are truly messing it all up. Learn something. Get this man into your life RIGHT NOW ! ! ! It is a favor to yourself that you will never forget.

Bill Hicks is by far the greatest comedian of all time. Even though there are only 4 studio recordings available, each one is a masterpiece. And, Arizona Bay is by far the best work by Hicks. His poetry of hate is like a Shakespearian Sonnet. I recommend this CD over all other Hicks albums. It might distract some because of the mix of music over the comedy, but keep in mind both Hicks and his best friend Kevin Booth are the musicians. Later.

This CD features some of Hick's most scathing routines, but the music that constantly played in the background did nothing but work as a distraction. Perhaps it was meant to be incidental music, like a movie soundtrack. At any rate, I didn't like it. The music was too dramatic, and tended to overwhelm the Monologues. Without it, this CD would be a five.

"Arizona Bay," isn't Bill Hicks' best album. This is really due to the music playing in the background as Bill Hicks is performing really funny material. What's with that? I don't mind a little music in the beginning or at the end of a track, like heard in "Rant in E-Minor," but to continue playing in the background can kind of get on your nerves. It doesn't take away too much from the ablum, but that's why I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5.

But what IS great about this album.....it's Bill Hicks! How can you go wrong. I have only discovered this man a couple of weeks ago, and and within that short amount of time, I had found myself growing addicted to the man. He was funny....and yet, he makes you laugh AND think at the same time. This is a very rare thing.

Let it be said: Bill isn't for everyone. His material is very edgy, he gets very controversial and pollitical, and he was never afraid of voicing his opinions. He uses foul language, but I really don't think it's that bad, compared to some of the other guys I have heard.

But if you love edgy comics who make you laugh and think the same time, then you will ABSOULTLEY love Bill Hicks. He should've recieved the recognition he deserved when he was alive.

This album, like his others, is very funny. (With the exception of what I have mentioned in the first paragraph.) He talks about how much he hates L.A., England and hooligans, Dinosaurs in the Bible, and problems with the Church, government, and much more.

If you love Bill Hicks, then you will love this album. If you are now just learning about this brilliant comic, then I recommend purchasing "Rant in E-Minor" first, because that was the one I bought first, and it really hooked me in to buying the others. Bill is a genius who is dearly missed by all. I wish there were more like him. But, it's up to us now to make sure that his name lives on.

Ok, well I heard about Bill Hicks much like many of my age did, through Tool. I started out with Relentless(because I couldn't find Arizona Bay), and loved it. It was SO funny, but there was an underlying genius to it. So I went out and found Arizona Bay. This is the best by far. I really like Rant, but there are a few conscutive tracks on it in which it picks up half way through what he's saying, and is annoying. This is more intelligent than Relentless and Dangerous, and many parts of it aren't laugh out loud funny, but rather you find yourself nodding your head and smiling. The dinosaurs in the bible skit, Officer ____ hater and as long as we're talking shelf life are the best. The musical interludes don't bother me, and if its a wohle music song I'll usually just skip it, no big deal. This is the best Hicks, and has the most longevity of any of them. Buy Arizona Bay, it will change your perspectives.

It's really a shame Bill Hicks isn't around these days, especially with all the current tragedies. Bill took a stand on everything and often turned them into what he calls a "gut laugh".

And he was probably the best stand up I've ever heard. He could make you laugh, pi$$ you off, then make you laugh again. This CD is an excellent testament to his genius.

"Arizona Bay" is a great CD. It's admirable that someone could make you laugh but make you think at the same time instead of going the route of cheap laughs. He was a social commentator that always told the truth, so true sometimes that it either made you laugh nervously or laugh hysterically. This CD is a 66 minute prayer for L.A. to fall into the ocean. It stays L.A. themed throughout the whole album. From the Rodney King Beatings to the "real" bullies of the world, it keeps you in stitches. But the one fault that prevented me from giving this a five star rating is the annoying music. Sometimes too annoying (a track consisting of bill only saying "Don't speak for me" then breaking out to southern/bluesy rock is too much for me to stomach). But that's only a minor fault and takes nothing away from making this a brilliant album.

It's sad that Bill had to leave us so quickly. Getting back to what I said before, it would be interesting to hear Bill's thoughts on the present war. He was one of those comedians that, if there were problems he saw in the world, he would always have fresh material to give us. His own unique brand of comedy/philosophy and social commentary is what makes him such a genius. It made him original, and now in days, originality is very hard to find in the repetitive world of comedy. He will be missed.

In a word: Brilliant. Hicks' tirades are refreshing to those of us sickened by the wasteland of crass commercialism and hypocrisy we're surrounded by. He refused to compromise his work which is why few have heard of him. He was ahead of his time, and died too young, a double tragedy. Yes, the music is annoying, but it's a minor complaint in the face of great accomplishment. All four albums are great, but this is my favorite. Enjoy it while you conjure up subverise plans!

Bill Hicks's secret weapon was that he wasn't a comedian. Comedians are harmless guys who tell jokes and roguishly poke fun at our oh-so-silly human foibles. Ah me! This was not Hicks. Hicks was a very serious and fiercely intelligent social critic and moralist who just happened to be extremely damn funny at the same time. He told the hardest of hard truths and was totally uncompromising. All his CDs are brilliant, but I have to dock this one a notch for the frequent musical interludes,which I find obtrusive and distracting. They do the same thing on Rant In E Minor, where it gets really ridiculous, music rising between practically every sentence out of Hicks's mouth, sometimes obscuring his voice for a while. If they wanted to release some of Bill's music, they should have added it on at the end in the form of bonus tracks or devoted a separate CD to it.