Jean Shepherd and Other Foibles

Jean Shepherd | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B00008ABQK
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,661 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Our customers loved our first Jean Shepherd release, "Will Failure Spoil Jean Shepherd?," so much that we’ve arranged to release Shep’s other record for Elektra, "Jean Shepherd & Other Foibles," which actually preceded the other one by two years, having been released in 1959. And, like his other record for Elektra, and indeed like Shep’s late-night radio shows, this album is an intimate interlude spent with one of the greatest storytellers of all time, sort of radio’s version of Mark Twain spinning yarns in his own unique, leisurely fashion. Includes "Peter Pain," "Judson-6," "The Fun Funeral," "For Men Only," "Fellow Americans," "Controversial/Non-Controversial," "Monkey on My Back," "Better Living," "Balls" (a hysterical meditation on Cubs fans vs. White Sox fans), "Credit Cards," and "The Human Comedy," of which Shep was definitely an A student. If you only know him for "The Christmas Story," you have to check this out. A Collectors’ Choice Music exclusive!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Representative of Shep's Greatness, October 5, 2003

By 

Robert - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jean Shepherd and Other Foibles (Audio CD)

Maybe I'm in a minority, but this disc really left me flat. While it had its clever moments, I found the presentation to be rather stagey, almost hoakey, like Shep wrote out his bits verbatim and gave them to Mister Rogers to read. Where's the inspired downtown 1950s hip ad libbing and quirkiness? You'll see what I mean if you compare this disc to the other Shep album that's been reissued on CD "Will Failure Spoil." That's the one to get.

Jean Shepherd was a radio genius, but you won't hear that here.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funnier If You Lose Yourself in the Time Period, August 11, 2006

By 

Greg Robertson (Historic Quincy, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jean Shepherd and Other Foibles (Audio CD)

A big part of what made this album such a hit in 1959 -- the timeliness of Shepherd's social commentary -- is unfortunately so far gone now that you need to either have lived during that era or be able to mentally put yourself in that time period to even "get" half of his humorous references. If you listen to this with an ear for that period, though, you'll definitely find some laughs here.

Don't misunderstand...I'm not saying that Shep isn't funny. He was and is. It's just that times have changed SO much since then that skits like "Judson-6," "For Men Only," and "Controversial/Non-Controversial" come across like listening to your grandfather tell a funny story about getting his tie caught in a pie compartment at the Automat. The humor is off-set somewhat by the number of questions you have to ask just to understand the story.

"Peter Pain," too, is almost funny, but because it's such an old and unrecognized advertising character, I'm not sure WHICH parts are being exagerated for humorous effect -- and I've been in advertising for over two decades.

On the other hand, "The Fun Funeral," "Fellow Americans," and "The Human Comedy" are comparatively timeless...although "The Human Comedy" gets old VERY fast. In part, that's because by now a lot of comedians have done material like Shepherd's. This unfairly paints his work as sounding a touch hackneyed, even though it was actually Shepherd who did it first.

All in all, this album will be enjoyed a lot more by avid fans of Shepherd's, who are able to put it in the context of the late 1950s, than by someone newly exposed to his humor. But if you are new to it, give him a chance -- read and listen to this and several other of Shep's works before you judge him. He's worth the effort.