Wikipedia

A Star Is Bought

A Star Is Bought is an album by the American comedian Albert Brooks, released in 1975.[1][2] It is a concept album about the creation of the album itself, with tracks that are produced to attract the attention of various 1970s radio formats, in an attempt to obtain airplay and generate a hit.[3] A Star Is Bought was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Comedy Recording".[4] It peaked at No. 205 on the Billboard 200.[5]

A Star Is Bought
Studio album by
Albert Brooks
Released1975
GenreComedy
Length45:58
LabelAsylum
Producer
Albert Brooks chronology
Comedy Minus One
(1973) 		A Star Is Bought
(1975)

Production

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The album was written and produced by Brooks and Harry Shearer.[6] Brooks was in part inspired by stories about Motown's business model for making hit records.[7] The disc jockey Charlie Van Dyke provided the narration.[8] Albert King duetted with Brooks on "The Englishman-German-Jew Blues", a track that spoofs progressive FM stations.[9] "The Albert Brooks Show # 112 (August 4, 1943)", a takeoff on The Jack Benny Program, is a bid for nostalgic radio listeners; Brooks attempted to have Benny guest on the track, but the former host thought that Brooks was asking him to participate in a radio program.[9][10] "Phone Calls from Americans" parodies radio talk shows.[11] "Love Song" adds sexual lyrics to a portion of Maurice Ravel's Boléro.[12] Peter Tork, Alice Cooper, Bill Ballance, Micky Dolenz, Asylum Records label head David Geffen, and Linda Ronstadt, Brooks's girlfriend at the time, were among the many contributors to the album.[8][13]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Robert ChristgauB+[14]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide     [15]

The Journal-Herald praised Brooks's "sophisticated, childish, [and] absurd insights".[16] The Daily Press dismissed the album as "poorly conceived and nearly boring".[17] The Record admired the concept but concluded that "the album never gets off the ground."[18] The Los Angeles Times labeled A Star Is Bought "one of those rare comedy/social comment albums that improves with each listening."[19] The Miami Herald opined that "the 'A' side is explosively funny; the 'B' side, at its worst, is fascinating listening."[20]

In 1987, the Chicago Tribune called A Star Is Bought a comedy classic.[21] In 1993, Spin included the album on its list of "Ten Comedy Albums You Need to Have".[22] The Austin American-Statesman, in 2003, considered it "a hysterical tour de force".[23] Cinéaste, in 2017, stated that it is "noteworthy for being unusually cognizant of the importance of the 'business' in show business."[24]

Track listing

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A Star Is Bought track listing
No.TitleLength
1."In the Beginning"2:45
2."Phone Call to Americans"3:27
3."Near the Beginning"1:41
4."Party from Outer Space (Featuring Phony Hits)"1:37
5."In the Middle"1:25
6."Phone Calls from Americans"5:43
7."An End in Sight"2:06
8."Love Song"4:19
9."The End of the First Beginning"1:17
10."A New Beginning"1:15
11."Promotional Gimmick"0:34
12."Call This Cut Three, Side Two"1:18
13."The Englishman-German-Jew Blues"4:39
14."The Beginning of the End"1:26
15."The Albert Brooks Show # 112 (August 4, 1943)"10:43
16."The End"1:43
Total length:45:58

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Jacob (2011). Spoken Word: Postwar American Phonograph Cultures. University of California Press. p. 184.
  2. ^ Jarvis, Zeke, ed. (2015). Make 'em Laugh! American Humorists of the 20th and 21st Centuries. ABC-CLIO. p. 89.
  3. ^ Selvin, Joel (July 27, 1975). "Pop Records". This World. San Francisco Examiner. p. 23.
  4. ^ "Albert Brooks". Grammy Awards. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Bubbling Under the Top LPs". Billboard. Vol. 87, no. 32. August 9, 1975. p. 24.
  6. ^ Bouis, Jean-Claude (March 19, 1979). "Comic says Jack Benny has 'real life' influence". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. AP. p. 5C.
  7. ^ LaFrance, Adrienne (November 11, 2023). "Albert Brooks Everlasting". Culture. The Atlantic.
  8. ^ a b "American comedy albums provoke laughter, thought". The Daily Illini. Publishers-Hall Syndicate. January 14, 1976. p. 29.
  9. ^ a b Anthony, Michael (July 31, 1975). "Records". Star Tribune. p. 8B.
  10. ^ Zoglin, Richard (2009). Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America. Bloomsbury USA. p. 119.
  11. ^ Moran, Mark (September 21, 1975). "Records in Review". Close Up. Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 14.
  12. ^ Lowery, Raymond (January 18, 1976). "Comics Invoke Mad World". The News & Observer. p. 3V.
  13. ^ "Into comedy?". Sunday Gazette-Mail. Charleston. September 7, 1975. p. 21M.
  14. ^ "Albert Brooks". Robert Christgau. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  15. ^ The Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1979. p. 48.
  16. ^ Scheidt, Tom (August 9, 1975). "New records". The Journal-Herald. Dayton. p. 30.
  17. ^ Diana, Mike (August 17, 1975). "Hear Say". Daily Press. Newport News. p. E6.
  18. ^ Atkinson, Rich (August 24, 1975). "Recording for laughs". The Record. Hackensack. p. B24.
  19. ^ Rensin, David (September 7, 1975). "Pop Album Briefs". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 66.
  20. ^ Huddy, John (September 21, 1975). "These Guys Are a Joke". Miami Herald. p. H1.
  21. ^ Kart, Larry (March 22, 1987). "10 Out-of-Print Albums Worth Snapping Up". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 13.
  22. ^ Mandel, David (February 1993). "Ten Comedy Albums You Need to Have". Spin. Vol. 8, no. 11. p. 81.
  23. ^ Gross, Joe; Salamon, Jeff (October 23, 2003). "15 great albums that have never been released on CD". XL Ent. Austin American-Statesman.
  24. ^ Porton, Richard (Winter 2017). "Lost in America". Cinéaste. Vol. 43, no. 1. pp. 62–63.
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