| These days, Bill Cosby is such an established showbiz presence that it's easy to forget what a deeply influential figure he was in the '60s, when he released a wildly successful series of standup comedy LPs. At the time, an amiable, apolitical African-American comedian sharing warmheartedly-barbed observations on childhood, parenting, and other rites of passage was a gently revolutionary act. Cosby's effortless ability to address universal experiences transcended boundaries of race and economic class, uniting diverse audiences during one of the most divisive periods in American history. Wonderfulness, originally released in 1966, is Cosby at his best, with such memorable bits as "Tonsils," "The Playground," and the classic childhood reminiscence "Chicken Heart." --Scott Schinder |
