Bill Engvall – A Decade Of Laughs

Bill Engvall
A Decade Of Laughs
CD
WB Nashville / Jack Records
2004
74 minutes

A Decade Of Laughs is a greatest hits stand-up comedy CD by Blue Collar Comedy alum Bill Engvall. It features what are, arguably, the best tracks from his five previous comedy CDs: Here’s Your Sign (1996), Dorkfish (1998), Now, That’s Awesome (2000), Cheap Drunk, An Autobiography (2002), and the very short Here’s Your Sign Reloaded (2003).

Arguably the best tracks because many Bill Engvall fans will bemoan the fact their personal favorite from one of this Blue Collar comic’s comedy CDs is not on this particular album. Honestly, though, it must have been a rather Herculean task to pick the best from what are, with the exception of Reloaded, some absolutely solid releases.

Engvall is, next to Jeff Foxworthy, probably the best known of the Blue Collar Comedy group that also includes Larry The Cable Guy and Ron White. Bill Engvall A Decade Of Laughs is probably not something you want to play in the minivan with the entire family in it as some of the material although perfectly clean in terms of language is certainly more adult oriented (such as In Vitro about Engvall’s adventures a fertility clinic).

Now, That’s Awesome!, the third comedy CD by this very good stand-up comic is unrepresented on this greatest hits collection. It would have been nice to include Too Much Information (cause I’m the dad) but considering A Decade Of Laughs includes as much material as you can put on a single disc I guess some hard decisions had to be made.

Personally, the musical tracks on A Decade Of Laughs do not tickle my comedic fancy. This is purely a matter of taste really. Of course, these tracks are there because there is good money and exposure (not that Engvall needs the latter and everybody wants more of the former) from getting airplay on country western stations and these tracks, which also feature Travis Tritt and John Michael Montgomery, will most certainly get air time.

Musically, these sung stand-up comedy bits are interesting. Basically, these bits are Bill Engvall doing one of his stand-up comedy bits over a musical track and some back-up singers. Although I would have preferred A Decade Of Laughs to be all stand-up comedy, I did get used to the songs at the end of this comedy CD so why the hell not.

Bill Engvall is the most consistent of the Blue Collar stand-up comics. All the others have had a disappointing comedy CD release under their belt and this includes Jeff Foxworthy and the badly recorded Have Your Loved Ones Spayed Or Neutered.

A Decade Of Laughs is perfect if you know someone not familiar with Engvall’s work and want to introduce him to this person. It is also a nice compromise over having to bring along all five of Bill Engvall‘s releases on the road with you.

A Decade Of Laughs: the title says it all.

Track List:

1- Factory Outlet Malls (from Dorkfish)
2- Flying (from Dorkfish)
3- Bungee Jumping and Parachuting (from Dorkfish)
4- Grading Your Biological Output (from Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography)
5- “Nice” Stops At Midnight (from Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography)
6- Old Fashioned (from Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography)
7- When Did Shrapnel Become A Fashion Accessory? (from Now, That’s Awesome!)
8- Cigarettes Equal Pain (from Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography)
9- After Twenty Years Of Marriage (from Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography)
10- The Differences In Years  (from Here’s Your Sign Reloaded)
11- Dorkfish (from Dorkfish)
12-Nobody Disciplines Their Kids Anymore (from Here’s Your Sign)
13- I.G. Joe (from Here’s Your Sign)
14- In Vitro (from Here’s Your Sign Reloaded)
15- Tell Me What I’m Thinking
16- Going To The Fair (from Here’s Your Sign)
17- Here’s Your Sign (from Here’s Your Sign)
18- Here’s Your Sign Reloaded (from, well, if you gotta ask, here’s your sign)
19 Hollywood Indian Guides (musical track)
20 Here’s Your Sign (Get The Picture)  (musical track)
21 Warning Signs (musical track)
22- It’s Hard To Be A Parent (musical track)

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