Eddie Murphy

Back in the 1980s, several popular movie and TV stars released solo albums. Some of those LPs were mildly successful (Don Johnson's), while others swiftly made their way into dollar bins and car wash cassette piles (Phillip Michael Thomas'). In 1985, long before the transsexual prostitute flap and string of box-office stinkers, Eddie Murphy was riding high in Hollywood, thanks to blockbuster action comedies like 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop. He also scored a huge hit with his debut single "Party All The Time" (written and produced by super-freaky funk icon Rick James), off Murphy's first musical LP, How Could It Be. The comedian's stint as a pop/R&B singer was thankfully brief, but his comedy albums are another issue entirely. After blowing up on Saturday Night Live, he released several excellent standup collections which brought his hilariously raw, politically incorrect humor to home stereos around the world. Nowadays, Murphy's known mostly for his PG-rated films, but these comedy albums recall his glory days as an uproariously raunchy comedian with a knack for putting into words what many people think but would never say. His first two recordings, Eddie Murphy and Comedian, are comedy classics.