Customer Reviews

Back in Town

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From his heyday in the 1970s through the 1980s, Carlin seemed to have been searching for his comedic voice - or re-searching. "Jammin' in New York", the album that precedes this one, found Carlin developing his smart social and political commentary that was hinted at in "Parental Advisory" and which comes into full bloom on "Back in Town." Here, Carlin expertly exposes thoughts about pro-lifers in deceptively simple observations: "You don't see many white women offering to have black fetuses transplanted into their uterus, do you? No, that might be something Christ would do!" Irrefutable brilliance.

From the opening rant on abortion into a brilliant shredding of the concept of sanctity of life, Carlin doesn't miss a single step, slowing only long enough to throw in the occasional one-liner, to make sure he doesn't lose anybody in the process of getting his points across. The third bit, about balancing the budget by televising capital punishment, doesn't move nearly as quickly as the first two pieces of material, but it is concise and poetic in its own way.

The second half of the routine is much lighter fare, focusing on farts, common phrases and annoying people, themes that Carlin skewers expertly. And - aside from his tendency to repeat a punchline over applause - he doesn't miss a step here either. Whereas some Amazon reviewers have decried this return to safer turf for the second half of the disc, I couldn't imagine an entire album of the philosophical humor that dominates the first half. His subsequent albums, "You Are All Diseased" and "Grievances", suffer a bit from using a similar type of humor throughout (the majority of "Grievances", in fact, is an absurdly elongated version of `Free-Floating Hostility').

"Back in Town", with its variety of material and - not to overstate it - poetic delivery, is by far the best Carlin disc of the last 20 years. Highly recommended.

let's face it folks,you don't have to agree with everything carlin says in order for it to be funny.the great vocal stylings are intended for you to think about how screwed up things are in this country as well as the world.this album in particular made me laugh out loud,as do most of his albums.but this particular one stands out along side "complaints and grievances" as two in the top 5 of his albums.great stuff here,even if some of it is immature,such as his bit about "farts",but i would expect nothing less from carlin as that is what makes his material work so well,his ability to mix the immature with the down right genius of his material.no other comedian,ever,can vocalize so well as carlin does.if you want some great laughs than i definitely suggest this album.

Never before in the history of comedy, has a man been so right about the horrific habbits of Americans. His topics are thorough and his beliefs and observations are the truth and inspirire many thoughts. On this album, Mr. Carlin attacks anti-abortionists, guilty white liberals, and my favorite...the death penalty. The death penalty is perfectly acceptable and we need to enforce it to reduce our nation's violence-rate. if you want big laughs and great observations by the voice of multiple generations...pick this one up.

Probably his best work for the 90's. Just a classy album. If you ever need a good laugh as this will do it, as the stuff he talks about is timeless and clever.

Call it the "Air Marshall Carlin" period. Far from the days of the hippy-dippy weatherman, this is George Carlin the statesman of digusted cynicism. By taking the foibles of American culture and exaggerating them, Carlin has hit on a winning brand of topical humor: witty, on-target, and ruthless... In the liner notes, Carlin claims this is his best album... But for my money, his previous JAMMIN' IN NEW YORK features the best balance of harsh social commentary and timeless humor. On this offering, "free-floating hostility" upsets the balance and makes for an album angrier than it is funny. But it's still pretty funny.

This may be one of his best works! "The sanctity of life" part is one of his most hilarious routines, as is "Farting in Public." He is incredibly cynical, as always, but there is a bit more of his rampaging sarcasm.

The only thing I didn't like about it is that every so often, ruffly every two minutes, there two over excited guys who are sitting too close to the mikes and they keep shouting things! It gets distracting!

Other than that, this is classic Carlin!

Carlin just gets better with every album. His insights into the human condition are 'bang on target'. He's mad, he's frustrated, he's intelligent...and he's damn funny. I highly recommend this to anybody in the need for a good laugh.

hands down the best Carlin disc available. the delivery is slicker, sharper, and funnier than Jammin' in New York, and the material more focused and engaging than You Are All Diseased.

Before listening to Back in Town, I listened to his latest CD, You Are All Diseased. I then listened to this CD and laughed twice as much as I did listening to You Are All Diseased. This is a great comedy album and reccomend it to anyone who likes Jerry Seinfeld or Joe Pesci, the person George Carlin prays to.

George Carlin has always had a way with words. This is no exception here. From babies to abortion, to things he just cannot stand (and there are a lot of them). Check this album out. It is a hilarious tribute to true American Society. Beware- you might recognize yourself in his monologues.