Rare Richard Pryor Recording from 1973 Set for First-Ever Release
The recording is pulled from the first of a four-night run at the legendary Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
Nearing 50 years since it was originally recorded, a 1973 stand-up set from the late Richard Pryor is finally getting a proper release.
Titled Richard Pryor Live at The Comedy Store, 1973, the 20-track set is taken from the opening show of a four-night run at the legendary Comedy Store in West Hollywood, where the comedic icon workshopped new material for his residency. Though the jokes from the set were never meant to be heard outside of the now-essential Los Angeles stand-up institution on that October 1973 evening, the tapes survived and have been featured in segments across a number of box sets and collections over the last 20 years. 14 tracks were previously featured on a promo CD included in the 2013 box set, No Pryor Restraint: Life in Concert, while the six bonus tracks can be heard And It’s Deep Too!: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992) and Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974). However, this is the first time the show will be released in its entirety.
Cory Frye contributes new liner notes for the show. "As time has shown, there’s no death with Richard Pryor. He may have left us in 2005 (after whole decades that would have killed lesser men), but his own afterlife’s proven immense, minus the eight billion harp-happy m***********s he once described practicing on some distant cloud. Here’s a chance to catch him just as he begins to live—again," Frye writes.
Watch a brief trailer for the release below. Scroll on for the full tracklist for Richard Pryor Live at The Comedy Store, 1973, along with the cover art. Pre-order your copy of the album via Omnivore today ahead of its July 26th release.
Live at the Comedy Store, 1973 Tracklist:
01. Introduction
02. Street Corner Wino
03. Wino & Junkie
04. Fighting
05. Masturbating
06. Dope
07. Sex
08. Religion
09. Acid
10. Black Movie Stars
11. Cops
12. The Line-up
13. Nixon
14. Celebrities in the Audience
Bonus Tracks:
15. Death
16. N****** & Italians
17. Jim Brown (Alternate version)
18. Black Films
19. Jesus Saves
20. Steve Corner Wino (Evolution/Revolution edit)