Bill Hicks - Shock & Awe: Live at Oxford Playhouse
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CD Details
Artist: Bill HicksEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2003-07-29
Music Label: Invasion
Soundtracks:
- Hello Oxford
- Jimmy White
- Hooligans
- Sniper's Nest
- More About Smoking
- Vote For Labour
- Madonna's Sex Book
- English Porno
- Basic Instinct
- Back To Bed America
- Christians For The Death Penalty
- Wrong Crowd?
- Satan Starmaker
- I Love Film
- Children
- Back In My Room
- American Horseshit
- I Need To Get Laid
- On The Bright Side
- Fuck Artists Only
- Is There A Message
Music reviews of Shock & Awe: Live at Oxford Playhouse
Music Review: Not as good as the unabridged recording ('Salvation').
Rating: 3 Stars
I'm one of those Hardcore Bill Hicks fans (see profile) & this is one of two CD's of his that I hadn't tried. If you read the other reviews of this CD, you will know that this recording is a shortened version of Bill's performance in the Oxford Playhouse (the full version being Salvation: Oxford - November 11, 1992).
It was released in 2003 in time for the second Gulf War as the 2003 war was a classic example of history repeating itself (i.e. in both 1990 & 2003 Kylie was at Number One, Bush was President & there was a war in Iraq, etc).
Although using another eloquent voice to speak out against the 2nd Gulf War is a good idea (albeit a dead one), I got the impression that this was a bit of a cash-in.
The problem is that it isn't an official release (from the Hicks' estate) & was actually just the result of a few former students cashing in their piece of Bill Hicks legacy.
Yes: the content is awesome & lacks some of the worst excesses of 'Salvation', but it is essentially a fake - the same material released solely to profit from Hicks' resurgent popularity.
Don't get me wrong - it is one of his best performances - but it seems to me to be a similar category to Denis Leary's thieving of Bill Hicks' material (e.g. No Cure for Cancer). Talented people often get stolen off & watered down by people cashing in on their efforts.
Hence I think Bill himself (judging by his 'sucking Satan's c.ck' routine on here) would tell you not to buy this CD as it is a cash-in & a wan imitation of the real thing.
If you want the real Bill Hicks, get Arizona Bay or Rant in E-Minor first. If you want a live performance, then get Salvation & Relentless or the DVD's Sane Man & Totally Bill Hicks. By all means listen to this, but save your money & get the better, longer version - it's even 6p cheaper!
P.S. As an afterthought, am I alone in hoping that Mr Hicks finally did find a woman at this concert who digged Goatboy (& wasn't just into weird poetry)?
Even now, there could be a 16/17 year old young comedian just starting his career in Oxford (born of a single mother & with a taste for porn), who one day may take over the mantle of his dad. Here's hoping...
Description of Shock & Awe: Live at Oxford Playhouse
Bill Hicks was the last great social satirist, the true descendent of comedians like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and Mort Sahl. The self-described 'Prince of Darkness,' his work confronted the hypocrisies of late-20th century American life, divining comedy from the more evil impulses of the government and the mass media while assaulting the soulnessness of mainstream culture. An alcoholic, coke addict and chain smoker, Hicks also experimented heavily with hallucinogenic drugs, and his monologues addressed issues of expanded consciousness and spirituality rare to the comedy format; for all of the rage inherent in his stand-up, his message was one of transcendence - as he frequently reminded audiences, 'The truth will set you free.' This release was recorded live on stage in 1992 at Oxford Playhouse Theater, Shock & Awe presents Bill Hicks in full flow with his views on the war and English culture.Miscellaneous CDs
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