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This set has 4 discs.2 discs of audio, and more importantly 2 DVD's.The 2 audio discs are culled from all of Bill's previous releases, witha handful of tracks from a previously unheard tape.Bill's material is brilliant, however it could have used some clever editing.It seems like someone just made a 2-disc compilation at random.These 2 audio discs are beside the point. Consider the 2 discs as extra's.Now....The 2 DVD's are something I've been waiting many years to see.These are an absolute goldmine.I'm still absorbing all that is here. It's a lot of performance footage.First, we have a full 1981 performance from Houston.It's amazing that this footage exists at all.All of Bill's releases are from 1989 to 1993, so it'snice to get some balance to these early years.Then there's a long set from 1985. Maybe my favorite.Bill does an amazing Tom Waits impression....I haveread that Tom Waits is a fan, so I imagine himgetting a real kick out of hearing Bill talk about him.This is followed by more Houston performances from 1986.Bill seems dark and weary. There is also a long poolsideinterview with Bill on some of the details of theHouston Outlaw Comics.THEN, my friends...we have NINJA BACHELOR PARTY in excellent quality!The audio is perfect. The video is great. The Karate action preserved.I've had this on dubbed VHS for years, glad to have it in DVD quality.NINJA BACHELOR PARTY is the Citizen Kane of Ninja Bachelor Party movies.A sweeping epic. In the DVD notes, Kevin Booth mentions a future expandedNBP release. Thank Allah! Since there is an excellent promo for the film,tons of outtakes, a sequel that involves tennis...Can't wait....and we still have 4 long clips from 1991-1993 performances in Austin.All of them filmed by Bill's brother, Steve, at the Laff Stopwhere Sane Man was filmed.I am thrilled to see these. Although they aren't full performances, theyare mostly focused on material Bill didn't use on the albums.We finally get to see a great Elvis & Charlie Hodge routine.I really hope there is some viable way for these full performances tobe released some day. It's hand-held camera footage. I prefer itover expensive fixed-cam for some reason. Anyone with me on that?you also get access to a download of an album of Bill's music,via a cool card and the Bill HIcks website..Here's a side of Bill we haven't heard. If you know his Arizona Baymusic, or his Marblehead Johnson music - this is different.It's some gorgeous music. I have only had time to sample it, but"The Moon is Smiling" will really get you all flipped inside out.Buy this set. It's full of rare archival video.The sales may encourage more video releases.Please, bring on more audio and video recordings.This collection, masterfully compiled by Bill's friends and family, is stunning. I have all of Bill's original CD releases, but this collection is in heavy rotation on my playlist today. It is a tremendous overview of his career. The two CD's offer a start-to-finish compilation of his funniest material. And the DVD's...where do I start? It is fascinating to see a very young Bill starting out his career in comedy in the never-before-seen footage of a complete Bill performance from 1981. Amazing to see how he evolved from then to later in his career. Worth the price of admission alone. And the Origins of the Outlaw Comics provides a great insight into Bill's "inner circle" of comedic minds.Then we move on to the second DVD and Ninja Bachelor Party. What a great film. I'd seen this once, years ago, on VHS, and the quality of the transfer to DVD is pretty good. Follow that up with the Austin Bootleg Series of performances, and you have the icing on the Hicks cake. Finally, the music downloads present another side of Bill Hicks. The songs are so touching. I highly recommend this set, pair it with American: The Bill Hicks Story and you have the perfect starter kit for introducing someone else to Bill Hicks' amazing career and legacy.Bill Hicks is and will always be the most underrated comedian genius Dark Poet ever to set foot on this planet...... and this set is a "must have" addition for any fan !... I have all of his albums and all of his dvds , and this is a crown jewel addition to my audio and video collection !... The cd stuff is a "Best Of" from his audio collection , but the dvds have material not to be found is any of his prior dvd releases.... they contain a host of early performances and the weirdly hilarious Ninja Bachelor Party film , which every Hicks fan knows and loves..... get this immediately and enjoy some of Bills best !A very intimate look at one of comedy's unsung heroes. Ninja Bachelor party reminds me of my day trippin' on acid in the Faulkner dorms.This set is sort of a 'best of' combined with a rare + unreleased collection. The audio is a good place for new Hicks fans to start, and the DVD offers some rare glimpses into Bill's personal escapades. Also, it comes with a ticket to download some rare Bill Hicks composed music tracks from BillHicks.com entitled 'Lo-Fi Troubadour'. The tracks are sort of Dylan-esque.RIP Bill, you are missed.Huge Bill Hicks fan here. There's a review above that clearly states how ALL of the audio is old news, but that the DVD's hold the value. I would almost completely agree; the DVD's are EXCELLENT! In the audio, there are also some bonuses that I don't already own; not many, but a few. I would call this entire package a MUST-HAVE for all Hicks fans. I would even go further to say that for a EITHER newbie to Bill Hicks, OR a veteran, this is incredible stuff!This is marvelous, archival stuff -- but I would echo the advice of another reviewer: If you are new to Bill Hicks, start with "Philosophy", "Rant in E Minor", or "Flying Saucer Tour". This collection is for the hardcore devotee, and Hicks is not everyone's cup of tea. He's a bit like the Grateful Dead -- or licorice: Many people don't like licorice, but those who like licorice REALLY like licorice. So don't pop for the expensive collections until you know which category you are in. If you find that you are a fan, though, you will definitely want this set for your collection.Listen up!! This an essential Bill Hicks item. American doesn't have public figures like Bill Hicks anymore. Few have the guts to put it all on the line to challenge the injustices that surround us. The only way to keep Bill alive is to purchase this stuff. Don't just order this, go back online and order every Bill Hicks item that is listed. If his products stop selling, his voice will dissapper and the world won't be a better place for it. If you love Bill Hicks buy this.Artists who die prematurely & who have enduring fame (e.g. Bruce Lee & James Dean) tend to be followed by a spate of amazing material that seals their legacy. This is very much true of Bill Hicks as his posthumourous material IS what made him famous (with the sobriquet 'the funniest dead guy in the world').Regrettably these releases can dilute the legacy & each subsequent release has less & less of the good, new stuff to go on. This has happened a little with Bill Hicks, as is evident by the CD release: This set has 4 discs. Two discs of audio, and more importantly two DVDs.The two audio discs are culled from all of Bill's previous releases, with a handful of tracks from a previously unheard performance (San Ramon, California). Bill's material is brilliant, as you know, but it could have used some better editing. The discs play somewhat randomly, but it's still nice to get some new material in there.These two audio discs are beside the point, though, because the two DVDs are filled with things fans have been waiting many years to see. It's an absolute goldmine!The first disc is all early performances from 1981 to 1986. These are COMPLETE, unedited performances with a total running time of over two hours! As all of Hicks's famous releases are from 1989 to 1993, it's wonderful to finally be able to go back and watch his evolution as a performer. Not to mention see new material.There are five performances, they are:Houston, TX 1981 (21 mins)Houston, TX 1984 (19 mins)Indianapolis, IN 1985 (40 mins)Houston, TX 1986 (20 mins)Houston, TX 1986 (26 mins)There's also one of Hicks's performance as part of the infamous Texas Outlaw Comics (5 mins) and an interview with Bill discussing the group's origins (13 mins).There's also a brief 1985 TV interview with Bill (2 mins) and a collection of photos from the Hicks's family collection. (It's surprisingly poignant to see Bill with his family.)It's wonderful to finally to be able to see this rare footage!THEN we have disc four! NINJA BACHELOR PARTY in the best quality! (30 mins) This classic home movie made by Bill and his friends in the 80s. Sure, it's VHS and completely homemade, but it's fantastic fun. The audio is perfect. The video is what you'd expect for a homemade VHS movie, but the Karate action preserved. As one review succinctly put it: NINJA BACHELOR PARTY is the Citizen Kane of Ninja Bachelor Party movies.On the rest of the disc are clips from different performances from 1991 to 1993. Some of these were actually used for Rant in E Minor and Arizona Bay. It's fascinating to actually see Bill perform these moments, having heard them so many times over the years.They are all from the Austin Laff Stop (one of Bill's favourite venues -- the audience loved him there), and were recorded by Bill's brother, Steve:November 1991 (11 mins)December 1992 (20 mins)June 1993 (19 mins)October 1993 (40 mins) (Hicks's last performance there)Although they aren't full performances, they are mostly focused on material Bill didn't use on the albums. Plus we finally get to see a great "Elvis & Charlie Hodge" routine.I really hope there is some viable way for these full performances to be released some day. It's hand-held camera footage, but it's still great to watch. (Maybe iTunes?)Finally, we also get access to an entire album of Bill's music, via a cool card and the Bill Hicks website. It's essentially demos for an album he never properly recorded, but it's great to listen to. Here's a side of Bill we haven't heard. If you know his Arizona Bay music, or his Marblehead Johnson music - this is different.In all, I'd have to recommend that you buy this set. It's full of rare archival video and other Hicks goodies, and the sales may encourage more video releases. It's a must for any Hicks fan -- thanks to his family for helping put it together!Please, RykoDisc bring on more audio and video recordings! Put all of Hicks's performances on iTunes at a reasonable price, or something!It is hard to believe it is 19 or so years since Bill Hicks died and since the recent death of George Carlin there is no comedian around these days who want's to touch the serious subjects that they did. I really miss Bill Hicks, just think of all the funny routines he would be writing now about 911 and all these mediocre politicians . Bill was completely aware of everything that was happening in the world and tried to tell us about it through comedy, a lot of us got it but not everyone did and he suffered a few hard knocks along the way because of this. This product ''Bill Hicks The Essential Collection'' is a fine product but personally I buy everything I can by the great man so I can while away the time while I am waiting for the new Bill to come along but in my experience people like Bill Hicks, George Carlin, JFK, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, only pass this way one time and you never see their like again,Sad but True.Good quality and happy with my purchase.