Album Review

Rob Theakston [allmusic.com]

By the time Eddie Murphy's Comedian was released, he was already on top of the comedy world, as well as one of Hollywood and television's most important stars. He was already known for taking standup comedy and pushing it to the limit, but on Comedian he takes it one step further and in the process influenced an entire generation of aspiring young comedians to develop standup in a similar fashion. None of the topics Murphy covers here are necessarily groundbreaking, but the manner in which he sets up and executes joke after joke is almost like a machine gun: while one joke has unfolded and the audience is recovering, he's firing off the next round with excellent timing and accuracy. Comedian is a classic and one not easily bested in the comedy album world.