Steve Martin: Steve In A Box: The Warner Years 1977-1981

Steve Martin skyrocketed from stand-up comedian to national sensation in the late 70s, redefining comedy for a new generation. STEVE IN A BOX: THE WARNER YEARS (1977-1981) captures Martin’s meteoric rise across four albums, showcasing his absurdist humor, surreal routines, and banjo skills.

The set includes four albums: Let’s Get Small (1977), A Wild And Crazy Guy (1978), Comedy Is Not Pretty! (1979), and The Steve Martin Brothers (1981).

Comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff charts Martin’s journey from small clubs to packed arenas in the set’s liner notes. He also explains how Martin’s self-aware humor was a fresh departure from the political satire of the time. “Rather than deconstruct politics like his contemporaries had been doing, Martin deconstructed showbiz itself. It was comedy at the expense of comedy.”

Martin’s breakthrough came in 1977 with LET’S GET SMALL, an album that remarkably captured his visual, physical comedy through audio. “The uninitiated heard clanks and spaces that brought forth laughs, and this minus turned into a plus as the transitions seemed more surreal than they already were,” Martin says. The album was a Top 10 hit and certified platinum.

His second album, A WILD AND CRAZY GUY (1978), peaked at #2 and was certified double platinum. The album introduced the hit “King Tut,” which reached the Top 20 on the singles chart. The popularity of the album’s titular ‘wild and crazy guy’ was amplified by Martin’s recurring appearances on Saturday Night Live alongside Dan Aykroyd as the Festrunk Brothers. Their catchphrase, “We are two wild and crazy guys!” became a cultural phenomenon.

In 1979, when he released his gold-certified third album, COMEDY IS NOT PRETTY!, Martin was performing to stadium-sized crowds – an unprecedented feat for a stand-up. As comedian Steve Allen remarked, “For the first time in the history of comedy, the crowd was reacting like a rock music audience...as if he were The Beatles or The Rolling Stones.”

The set concludes with THE STEVE MARTIN BROTHERS, which marked a shift in his career. This album featured not just Martin’s stand-up material but also an entire side of bluegrass banjo performances, hinting at his transition from stand-up to music and film.

Rhino/Warner Records - STEVE IN A BOX: THE WARNER YEARS 1977-1981

1. Ramblin Man / Theme from Ramblin' Man
2. Vegas
3. Let's Get Small
4. Smoking
5. One Way to Leave Your Lover
6. Mad at My Mother
7. Excuse Me
8. Grandmother's Song
9. Funny Comedy Gags
10. Closing
11. I'm Feelin' It
12. Philosophy / Religion / College / Language
13. Creativity in Action / I'm in the Mood for Love
14. A Wild and Crazy Guy
15. A Charitable Kind of Guy
16. An Expose
17. Cat Handcuffs
18. You Naive Americans
19. My Real Name
20. King Tut
21. Born to Be Wild
22. The All Being
23. McDonald's / Men's Underwear
24. Drop Thumb Medley
25. Googlephonics
26. Hostages
27. Cruel Shoes (From the Book "Cruel Shoes")
28. Comedy Is Not Pretty
29. How to Meet a Girl
30. Rubberhead
31. Jackie O. And Farrah F
32. You Can Be a Millionaire
33. Cocktail Show Vegas: American Photography / a Scientific Question / What I Believe / a Show Biz Mome
34. Comedy Store Hollywood: The Real Me / Love God / Make the Rent / the Gospel Maniacs
35. Sally Goodin'
36. Saga of the Old West
37. John Henry
38. Saga of the Old West (Reprise)
39. Pitkin County Turn Around
40. Hoedown at Alice's
41. Song of Perfect Spaces
42. Freddie's Lilt Parts I and II
43. Waterbound
44. Banana Banjo

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