''Craps (After Hours)'' is the second album by American comedian Richard Pryor, released in 1971 on the

Laff Records Laff Records was a small American independent record label specializing in comedy and party records originating on the West Coast of the United States during the 1970s. Amongst their artists were Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, LaWanda Page, George Ca ...

label.

History

''Craps (After Hours)'', like his other early-1970s albums '' Richard Pryor'' and '' Live At The Comedy Store, 1973'', captures Pryor during his most transformative period as a comic, when he evolved from a family-friendly comic in the mode of Bill Cosby into the challenging, politically aware comedian of his most famous albums. In the early 1970s, Pryor moved to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, and had begun to consciously immerse himself in black culture and history, educating himself through conversations with writers and revolutionaries such as Angela Davis,

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

Huey Newton, and

Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known work is '' M ...

. In contrast to his earlier career performing for mostly white audiences, he began working at

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

's club in a black neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he felt free to talk about issues of politics and race without restraint.

Reception

On its initial release, ''Craps (After Hours)'' was a cult success, heard mostly by a black audience, but clearly laid the groundwork for his breakthrough album, 1974's '' That Nigger's Crazy''. A 1971 review in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said that "Pryor's funky material not only tickles the laugh centers on taboos between black and white, sex and the city, cops and politics, but also brings humor to subjects that people find difficult to laugh at."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Steve Kurutz called the album a "perfect example" of how Pryor "honed his more raunchy material in black comedy clubs, road-testing the controversial act about sex, racism, and his own screwups that he would use to great effect later in his career", adding that "though his monologues and segues aren't as razor-sharp and seamless as they would become on records like ''

Bicentennial Nigger ''Bicentennial Nigger'' is the sixth album by the American comedian Richard Pryor. David Banks produced the album, while Warner Bros. Records released the album in September 1976. It is often considered one of his most influential recordings. The ...

'', they're still pretty damn funny." Reviewing the album in 2023, Den of Geek writer Tony Sokol said that despite Pryor's "casual and loose" delivery, his evolution is unmistakable: "The tone is more aggressive, the attacks are direct, the confessions are intimate and relentless. Pryor is unafraid to get naked, admitting to extreme paranoia and horrific bouts of jealousy. Listening to it now, he’s harder on himself than anyone he aims his jabs at." Joe Marchese of The Second Disc noted that the freedom Pryor felt in performing in front of a largely black audience at Redd Foxx's club allowed him to take "his art to the next level, freed of expectations and censorship."

Releases

''Craps (After Hours)'' was originally released in 1971 on

. Some of the original LPs were accidentally mispressed with another comic's album on the B-side, Detroit comedian and musician Cha Cha Hogan's ''Brother Eatmore & Sister Fullbosom'', which was released on Laff the same year as Pryor's album. Laff also released ''Craps (After Hours)'' under the name ''Blackjack'' with different cover art, and side two was re-released in a 1973 split LP with Redd Foxx, ''Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting''. The album was re-released on CD in 1994. Omnivore Recordings released an expanded edition in 2021 with bonus material selected from the box sets '' Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years'' and ''No Pryor Restraint: Life in Concert''. Liner notes for the reissues were written by Scott Saul, author of the biography ''Becoming Richard Pryor'', with an introduction by '' Dolemite Is My Name'' screenwriter Larry Karaszewski. It was re-released on vinyl by

Stand Up! Records Stand Up! Records is an American independent comedy record label founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. It has been called "the country's most respected indie comedy label." Stand Up! has released more than 20 ...

on May 26, 2023 as a double LP, with side four featuring an engraving of the original cover art.

Track listing

*Tracks 1-32 from ''Craps (After Hours)'' ( Laff Records, 1971) Recorded at the Redd Foxx Club, Hollywood, California, December 1970 *Tracks 33-36 from '' Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974)'' and ''No Pryor Restraint: Life in Concert''.

Credits

*Executive producer: Louis Drozen *Original producer: David Drozen, Richard Pryor * Original album art direction/cover design: Howard Goldstein * Known original producer (bonus tracks): Richard Pryor * Compilation produced by Reggie Collins & Steve Pokorny (bonus tracks) *Reissue producer:

Jennifer Lee Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

, Reggie Collins and Cheryl Pawelski *Remastered by Michael Graves *Booklet design by Greg Allen *Liner notes by Scott Saul and Larry Karaszewski

References

{{Authority control Richard Pryor albums 1971 albums 1971 live albums Laff Records albums Omnivore Recordings albums Stand Up! Records albums 1970s comedy albums 1970s spoken word albums Live comedy albums Richard Pryor live albums Stand-up comedy albums Spoken word albums by American artists