Bob & Ray the Lost Episodes, Volume 1

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Summary: The world's greatest dead-pan comics!
Review: Bob and Ray's dry humor will send you to dizzying heights of laughter. Anyone who doesn't know the work of this brilliant comedy team must start with CLASSIC BOB AND RAY, VINTAGE BOB AND RAY, or THE LOST EPISODES.

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Summary: The Two and Only!
Review: THE LOST EPISODES, VOLUME 1 (4 cassettes) is a must-have for any Bob and Ray enthusiast. Here you can enjoy dozens of choice cuts from the great comedic duo's live radio work on station WOR in (I believe) the 1970's, many of which show them at top form. The highlight is the episodes of their mock soap opera "Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife". Join "America's favorite family of the footlights" as they tour New England towns with their Broadway show, WESTCHESTER FURIOSO, the centerpiece of which is "In Your Hat" - an appallingly bad production number worthy of "Springtime for Hitler". There are also such delightful nuggets as The Trophy Train, Charles the Poet, "The Gathering Dusk", "Elmer W. Litzinger, Spy", and more. Bob and Ray spoofed the snail's-pace of soap operas to perfection. Their wizardry with voices, sound effects, and music is enthralling. Bob and Ray INHABITED their characters, imbuing them with layers of reality and with interior lives - witness the wonderful Studio Talk bits. This is radio at its best. Buy these tapes and travel to dizzying heights of laughter!

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Summary: Bob and Ray take aim at commercials - and much more.
Review: This collection is an odd mix of Bob and Ray's live radio routines, from early in their career on Boston's WHDH, to New York on CBS and NBC. It's interesting, and funny, to hear them take aim at the local merchants paying for airtime on WHDH. Some "Mary Backstayge" routines are included as well, and just a few routines were previously released. It's interesting to hear how their style evolved from rambunctious to rehearsed - but almost always hilarious if not just plain funny. While this isn't the best collection to serve as an introduction to their large body of work, it's a "must have" nevertheless. Even though the sound quality ranges from fair to good, and just plain awful in one old commercial, it doesn't seem to matter when Bob and Ray are on the air.