Richard Pryor - Richard Pryor (RSD)

Originally released in 1968, Richard Pryor’s cover art (shot by legendary photographer Henry Diltz) should have been enough to let the buyer know this was not your average comedy release. Pryor was at a career crossroads that year, when the earliest tracks for the release were recorded at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. He’d already become a regular on The Merv Griffin Show and The Ed Sullivan Show, and was signed to the same agency that handled The Beatles and The Supremes. But it wasn’t just his love of artistic freedom that pulled him toward what many looked at as defiance. Pryor wanted to not only change comedy, but how we look at ourselves and those around us. Richard Pryors original 8 tracks make up disc one of this new edition, while the second disc contains 21 tracks from the out-of-print Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974) collection—originally compiled by producers Reggie Collins & Steve Pokorny, the former of whom helms this new set along with Jennifer Lee Pryor and Grammy®-winning producer, Cheryl Pawelski.

Format / LP, limited edition for record store day
Label / Omnivore
Cat No / OPVD-415
Genre / Pop
Release date / 17 July 2021