Ultimate Bill Hicks

It's been over two decades since Bill Hicks died of pancreatic cancer, but his legacy and influence on comedy dwarves the achievements of his own lifetime. Indeed, it can be difficult to think of Hicks' stand-up before thinking of a tribute paid to him. After all, these tributes are sometimes written or voiced by other great comedians such as Patton Oswalt, or even by bands – both Radiohead and Super Furry Animals, among others, have dedicated albums to Hicks.

This box set of full shows, then, is a nice reminder of why Hicks became such an icon in the first place. And there can be no argument against these shows being some of the best and noteworthy Hicks ever recorded. Sane Man – recorded in Austin in front of an audience of fellow Texans in 1989 – is considered something of a legendary performance, but is actually more interesting for Hicks' relatively raw patches and misfires. For instance, a routine on George Michael is immature, at least from our present perspective, nonetheless Hicks still tries to couple it with a wider point about celebrity endorsement advertising products – the sort of material he later became so well-known for.

Four years later, Hicks is perhaps at his best at the Dominion Theatre, London. In Revelations, his eye for bunk is especially sharp with regards to American foreign policy. There is also the Just A Ride documentary, recorded after Hicks' death. It includes tributes from Jay Leno, David Letterman and Eddie Izzard, but it is the contributions of Hicks' parents, his brother and school friends which stand out. Hicks emerges as a man deeply loved by those around him, even if his standup often stemmed from the contrasting points of view he held from the very same people. 

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 American: The Bill Hicks Story reviewed

 Doug Stanhope interviewed: "How far is too far?"

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Despite all this, Ultimate Bill Hicks has major flaws which even a comedy giant cannot overcome. A particular problem is repetition. In the States, comedians tend to mix their fresh and older material like a band at a gig. Unfortunately, these three discs see Hicks cover much of the same ground. That's not to say there isn't a certain level of intrigue for comedy nerds watching the evolution of his art, but newcomers may feel short changed. The Revelations DVD, which features the excellent documentary, offers just as good an introduction to Hicks' work as the whole set and is available as a standalone item.

Another problem is the editing. At best it's dated; otherwise, frankly, it's just abysmal. The worst examples are the numerous superimposed clips of the offstage Hicks fading over footage of him onstage. Grainy sequences of Bill Hicks overlaying a live recording of Bill Hicks simply intrudes on the viewing and is a colossal distraction from the comedy. While these effects seem to have been added to the recordings long before this collection was put together, it only highlights the missed opportunity to remaster the classic shows for this release.

Meanwhile, as this is – for all practical purposes – reissues in fresh packaging, it is not only newcomers who this collection won't satisfy. Long-term aficionados of Hicks would be better advised to wait for the forthcoming The Complete Collection, which is from the same studio but advertises unreleased recordings with rare and unpublished photographs. 

Despite the strength of the artist, it's difficult to ascertain what value Ultimate has to offer – other than a new box.

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Ultimate Bill Hicks, released 9 Nov, Studio: PIAS comedy, certificate: 15.