Why Is There Air? Review

07/13/2005 6:27 AM, AMG


Bill Cosby was a pretty busy fellow in the mid-'60s -- juggling college, marriage, fatherhood, and standup appearances that spawned several successful albums. Recorded live at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in front of a subdued but spirited crowd, Cosby's delivery is more like a close friend relating funny stories than oft-recited scripted material. Switching gears on a dime, "$75 Car" covers everything from his time at Temple University as a phys. ed. undergraduate to kissing hazards, big dogs in small apartments, and, lastly, a bright student seemingly wasting time to ponder, "Why is there air?" Cosby proudly presents the answer on the album's back cover: How else would we blow up volleyballs? "Driving in San Francisco" and "Hofstra" offer up more silly personal observations and exaggerated situations enjoyed by any audience. Perhaps not his strongest outing, it nonetheless won a Grammy award for best comedy performance in 1965, as Cosby began his highly respected acting career on the television series I Spy. ~ Craig Curtice, All Music Guide