Customer Reviews

Wonderfulness

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once Upon a Time, standup comedy was a storytelling art form rather than just someone standing on stage cracking jokes. And in his heyday, nobody told funnier stories than Bill Cosby. This was Cosby before he became a megastar, when he still had a warm, regular guy kind of appeal. As much as any entertainer, he managed to break down racial barriers in the entertainment inductry. The universal nature of his tales of childhood and other observation were likely a big reason why.

"Wonderfulness" contains three Cosby classics "Chicken Heart," "Go Karts," and "Tonsils." All three are lengthy childhood tales that resonate as much today as they did when they were first recorded live four decades ago. Along the way, he introduces us to characters he would later refine on the Saturday morning cartoon show "The Cosby Kids."

Overall, "Wonderfulness" is one of the best stand up comedy albums ever recorded.

We grew up on Bill Cosby records. We had several of his records at our house and never got tired of listening to them. This is his best album ever. The three best cuts on this are Go Carts, Tonsils and Chickenheart.

Cosby has a great talent for telling stories from a kid's perspective, much like Mark Twain did with Tom and Huck. These are mostly stories about his childhood and they still crack me up after all these years. When they finally put his records out on cd, I had to rush out and buy this one right away.

The problem with most comedy albums is that they get old after you hear them a few times, but Cosby is such a great story teller, that it's fun to hear these records over and over. While most comedy records are just recordings of jokes, Cosby tells funny stories that you can enjoy hearing repeatedly. You really can't go wrong with any of his records, but if you haven't heard any of them and want a real treat, do yourself a favor and buy this one.

If you enjoy this one be sure to check out "To Russell, My Brother, With Whom I Slept." If you ever shared a room with a brother or sister when you were growing up, this will probably bring back a lot of memories of the good old days.

The Chicken Heart is one of the funniest stories I have ever heard. Attach other great tracks like Tonsils, The Playground, Go Carts, and Special Class and you've got yourself an ideal Bill Cosby album! If you like Cosby or you just love to laugh, "Wonderfulness" is the album for you! Kids'll like it, too!

I have loved Chicken Heart since a friend played it for me over 15 years ago...I have been dying to let my spouse listen to it...the whole CD is a marvelous piece of work! My father has been playing Cosby since before I was born and I hope to instill a deep love of it in my own children!

Wonderfulness opened my young eyes to the many facets of humor as it applies to day-to-day living. I was nine years old when I first heard this album in 1966. My older brother brought it home during his college breaks. Being very inquisitive, when he left the house I would rumage through his stuff and his album collection. One day I discovered Wonderfulness. Seeing Bill Cosby in I Spy, I didn't know he was a comedian. I listened to the album and became hooked. Having to listen several times to catch some of the meaning behind the humor, I could put myself in the situations and could see the characters he described. Old Weird Harold, Crying Charlie, the black snakes under the bed, Dad slipping on Jello, Sheldon Leonard jokes -- this album set the stage for the rest of my life. My 10 year old daughter has just discovered Bill Cosby through syndicated TV. I will surprise her with Wonderfulness and watch her beam.

This album by Bill Cosby was released in 1966. It's very funny, as Cos always is. Especially good are a couple of long routines; a 15 minute routine about when he had his tonsils out and a 12 minutes routine about when he got scared by an old time radio program. Also very funny is a shorter bit about go-carts. Cosby fans will be sure to enjoy this one.

Just under 12 years ago, I came across a bunch of Bill Cosby records in a local used music store and I believe that this album is probably the most touching of all of Bill's old records. Mostly, because of how much he focuses on childhood. "Tonsils" is a story all of it's own. The listener gets caught up in little Bill's most important goal: ICE CREAM!! We're gonna have ICE CREAM!! Can you beat that? "Lumps" is equally insanely funny; (And I remember how she tried to kill me off with the cream of wheat). Also very good are the tracks "Chicken Heart" & "Go Carts"( Mine was the green hornet- na-na-na-na-neh!). Along with "Revenge" and "200 MPH", I think this is Bill Cosby's best comedy album.

This is my very favorite CD!! I saw it at [a local store] and thought
"Bill Cosby is a funny guy so, why not?" I LOVED it!!! I want to
get as many Bill Cosby CD's as possible now! A must have for
ANYONE!! Bill Cosby fan or not.

I remember when I first became aware of Bill Cosby. I was sitting on the carpeted steps of the library floor in third grade, back in 1968. I was so enamored with it that I asked my parents to buy it for me. "Wonderfulness" became the first record I ever owned.

This album directly influenced the way I look at comedy and life. It developed my sense of humor and how I learned how to make people laugh. When I tell stories, I use some of the exact voices and inflections that Cosby uses on this album. I find the same thing is true of some professional comedians I hear nowadays. I'll bet they listened to this album, too.

This album is pure Americana. It should be in the Smithsonian.

I've listened to Bill Cosby for YEARS! My mother has the original recording of Wonderfulness on a 33 1/3 record album. I can't wait to get a CD so my children can hear it. Its "Brand New" again!! Great for the whole family. Very Funny!!