If you hear [Richard Pryor's album Is It Something I Said?] and find it offensive, outrageous, gross, unbelievable, and otherwise distasteful, you are perfectly normal. You probably will have to fight with your own tastes and the social conditioning that helped form them. The reason why you will listen is that your imagination will take over for your will. This record is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time…. [Pryor's] delivery is totally ethnic. His references are those of a portion of the Black community. His concepts are of a reality that only exists in his own head. But his messages are universal and universally funny. As long as you are familiar with American basic social elements and colloquial English, you will find Richard Pryor the funniest man alive! It must be something he said.

Fred DeVan, in his review of "Is It Something I...