"Bob Newhart"

1. The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart
   When "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" appeared in 1960 it became the first comedy record ever to top the Billboard album charts. The result was that virtually overnight Newhart became, as this album title notes, "the most celebrated new comedian since Atilla the Hun."  

   There are six routines on this album, most of which use Newhart's trademark technique of being part of a conversation. The funniest bit is the opening routine of "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue" ("Hi, Abe, sweetheart, how are you kid?") when the president's press agent tries to keep Honest Abe on script for his appearance at Gettysburg. But "Driving Instructor" also qualifies as top-flight classic Newhart.

   From a historical perspective The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart has to be considered one of the Top 10 comedy albums of all time. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart is a classic for a reason - it's still funny.

   Bob Newhart is low-key (hence "button-down") and clean, so the whole family can listen, and listen they will, to this wonderful comedy album. Check it out for yourself, today!

2. Something Like This...The Bob Newhart Anthology
   By rights, 40-year old comedy albums, particularly those without a nasty word on them, should be about as entertaining as a rainy afternoon with Aunt Clara showing you her collection of porcelain cats. Bob Newhart's recordings escape that fate - they are as funny now as they were when they first came out. And that is VERY funny.  

   Newhart's monologues are hilarious because they allow the audience to use their imagination. Giving only one side of a telephone conversion, strategically providing just enough infomation for the audience to work out what the other person is saying. Bob Newhart plays the driving instructor, but lets the audience do the driving. He puts the ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, like the Empire State Building security guard asking his boss if there's anything in the manual to cover giant apes. Or puts the extraordinary man in a commonplace situation, like Abe Lincoln talking to history's first spin doctor.

   I can safely say that your money will be well spent pn this recording. From the first track - "You typed it...uh, Abe, how many times do we have to tell you? On the backs of envelopes!" - Newhart can get anyone still capable of conscious thought to snicker without the need for a Parental Advisory label on the case. Each track is a brilliant snowball of a gem that just keeps building toward a gleefully unrepentant punchline.

   The beauty of Bob Newhart's comic mannerisms is his ability to be totally acerbic and make it seem like it's a purely natural extension of his own sense of curiosity. He's never snide or aloof in his barbs. Something Like This is a must-have!