Customer Reviews

Salvation (Oxford, November 11, 1992)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, earlier in 2005, we Bill Hicks fans saw a great book released earlier this year; Agent of Evolution, by long-time friend and producer Kevin Booth. Now, we see this wonderful two-disc set of Bill's complete set at Oxford November 11, 1992. Released on Rykodisc, this is a quality sounding set. Also, because it represents an entire full length unedited concert set in the UK --- it is historically important.

It is really interesting how Bill's material seems to be getting more and more pertinent to the times, as the many months had passed since his death. One would think that it would be less so, but here in America, we seem to be trapped and mired in the same issues as we were thirteen Novembers ago. There is a man named Bush in the White House, and we are at war with Iraq.

When us Bill fans get to the dreaded IF ONLY BILL WAS HERE TODAY line of thinking, we often wonder what might Bill think about our world of today? Well, Hollywood is still churning out garbage and corrupting the youth. Washington, DC is still lying to America, and the public is still believing the lies. Most of America are sleep-walking through life, which is disturbing for those of us who are awake.

This release replaces the now unnecessary SHOCK AND AWE: LIVE AT THE OXFORD PLAYHOUSE title, which was an edit of this show, which happens to be the complete performance.

Coming up in 2005: the year of Bill --- Sane Man FINALLY on DVD on December 6th!

This is my personal favorite of all the BH cds I've listened to (minus A-Bay + Dangerous). This is Bill at the top of his game, and the audience loves him. One of the key differences I've noticed between this and Rant is the audiences unhappy reaction on here to his non-smoking. The Ding Dong song has never been more appropriate for our times.
Between these two discs, you get a broad span of most of Bill's jokes that appear on the rest of his. The only odd thing about the production is that the tracks on disc one seem to be broken down more conveniently, the tracks on disc two are much longer and tend to blend into each other. Damn deadlines.
What I prefer in this over Rant is that there is no music between tracks, giving it a real live feel. What is most effective about Bill's presentation is that he is real, and he gets you to think. I hope people don't agree with everything he says. He's not even a role model, but I appreciate how he encourages the puppet people to wake up and smell the BS. If you don't think Bill is funny, check this out. There might even be a DVD of this out somewhere. Definately worth listening to, especially for dubya-haters.

I like to refer to Bill as the "John Lennon of comedy". It's easy to see his idealism turned upside down with repulsion toward the hypocrisy of the fanatical Christians, the insanity and lies of the government and some of the ridiculous rules of society. He truly gives us an important message presented perfectly in a comedy routine that fills up the belly with laughs! I love Bill and this cd has much of his best routines.

I wonder what he'd have to say about the current [...] regime if he were alive today.

Miss you Bill. RIP

I'll skip writing about what type of comic Bill Hicks was. You can read up on that elsewhere, besides, I couldn't do him justice.

This recording is not a five-star product, but it has nothing to do with Hicks' comedy per se. I've heard much of this material before (except the snooker/voting bit, which is brilliant), and I'm not sure where I heard it, but it was likely from his website, or possibly a bootleg. The specific performance I'm refering to was in England as well and is superior to this one for a couple reasons.

The audience in this recording doesn't really seem to be into Bill as much as the other recording. As a result, Bill seems (relatively) subdued. There's a lot less screaming, loud mocking laughter, satan-channeling and audience interaction. Those are the hallmarks of a Bill Hicks performance.

It's likely that this is the only CD on the market where you can get this material. If that is so, buy it. Just realize this isn't Bill Hicks turned up to 11.

It's funny with Bill Hicks how you go through phases of loving him & loathing him. At the moment, I'm just starting a love phase and this CD (which I thought was crude, puerile rubbish) has been overturned in my estimation.
Yes, there is a lot of Goat-Boy routines and his rather disturbing 'Satan's c.ck' routines, but these are mostly on the second CD and you can forgive the man (as he'd just given up cigarettes & hadn't been laid in 3 years).

The contents of the CD are very interesting as it is a full run-through of his entire act. Flying Saucer Tour Vol. 1 is the only thing comparable, but this is better as:
a) The audience is more lively and engaged.
b) The material is more advanced and wittier.

It includes the usual themes of drugs, pron, the LA riots, politics & Christianity, but has several interesting snippets that aren't available on the compilations he did later. For example, Bush being voted out is covered in great depth, along with material about the Gulf War (e.g. Saddam Hussein to the Arms Dealer who sold him Scuds: "I don't think you understood me when I said 'I need a weapon I can *aim*!'")

And the best thing is there is lots of material where he takes the rip out of England (which I always think is his best stuff). He takes on Snooker (on all 4 channels as it seemed in the 90's), our 'crime' ("Yesterday some Hooligans knocked over a Dustbin in Shaftesbury!") and the fact that we have Chips with everything ("I saw a Hooker offering "Head and Chips" in London; You haven't had good head unless you have a Piping-hot plate of fries with it!")

That being said, there are bits to avoid and Hicks seems to run out of steam in CD2. You also may get fed up with all the stuff you've heard before (e.g. Christians & Crosses), although thank God he spins the material slightly differently each time.

All in all, this CD is worth having and far from being a waste of time. It is one of only two CD's where the content hasn't been edited, abridged or played with and so offers the nearest approximation to a Bill Hicks gig outside of the DVD Totally Bill Hicks.

Incidentally, am I alone in hoping that Mr Hicks struck a 'cord' with some people at the concert?
Even now, I'm hoping that Bill's insistence that women should "f[] artists" bore fruit at this particular show & that maybe there is now a 17 year old novice-comedian playing Jongleurs in Oxford (who was born of a single mother and wears a curious goatee beard). Maybe Children aren't so bad after all...

P.S. Just to make it clear - this isn't the actual material for Rant in E-Minor (which was taken from several performances), but it is essentially the same routines you'd find on there.

You certainly get your money's worth with this double-disc performance. Some of the material is available on Bill's other CDs, but the excellent audience makes the material come alive in a way I've never heard before. They get the jokes that pass by idiot American audiences, and their laughter is genuine. It makes you think that there are people out there who understand the world like Bill does, that he's not alone, and neither are you.

I absolutely LOVE this CD set! It is Bill in his element on stage in a place where he was admired and adored! Oh if only WE, the people of his own country, had appreciated him the way the British did! We had such a TREASURE in this man and didn't realize it until it was too late! How SAD for America!

**Pick this CD set up--you won't regret it!!

It's not Relentless or Rant in E-Minor or the others in the Rycodisc top 5, but it's still very, very funny. If you're a Hicks fan, this will have you doubled over, cackling like a maniac at least once every five minutes.

My problem with some of Hicks' comedy routines is that he focuses so intently and viciously on preaching that the comedy is less prominent. "Salvation" is a great mix of strong comedy and strong preaching. One of the best Hicks albums you could buy.

I should begin with an admission. I was in the audience for this which makes this review partisan. That said, I had no concept of Bill Hicks at the time and was only there because a boyfriend dragged me along. I haven't listened to a recording of it since.

The first thing that struck me - other than how much more jaw ached from laughing - is how prescient Bill Hicks was. All the material about Bush and the evangelical right is as valid today as it was in 1992, if not more so. I can't imagine what he would have made of contemporary America with the so-called 'War on Terror' and Pop Idol etc. Sarah Palin would be an entire show!

Beyond the actual content, Bill's skill is in telling highly visual jokes. One can picture the vignettes, such as the scene with Jack Palance ('Pick up the gun') or grammy with Chuck Norris. His use of the microphone to make sounds - the ubiquitous gun shots, the monkeys - is inspiration itself!

Obviously not all the material works, though I'm sure this is a personal matter. I for one am less interested when he's talking about porn or drugs than the political stuff. Partisan or not, I do have a few criticism. There are quite a lot of visual gags that are dependent on Bill's facial expressions; obviously these don't work in this format. He also uses a strange Robin Williamesque British accent. And at 1 hour and 50 mins it's just not long enough! (As an aside, I'm sure the night I saw him, the show was longer. I seem to recall a whole section on gun control.)

Nevertheless, this is some of the finest, funniest, most savage stand-up comedy you will ever hear. If you've never heard the genius that is Bill Hicks, you should start here; if you know this show already, it's time to reacquaint yourself.