The Best and the Second Best of Car Talk - Book Review

Kliatt, Sept, 2002 by Carol Reich

THE BEST AND THE SECOND BEST OF CAR TALK. 1995/2002. Read by Tom & Ray Magliozzi. 2 cds. 2 hrs. HighBridge Audio. 1-56511-664-x. $22.95. Plastic; content notes. JSA *

CAR TALK: WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER WHEN IT COMES TO CARS. 1995/2002. Read by Tom Ray Magliozzi. 1 cd. 1 hr. HighBridge Audio. 1-56511-564-3. $13.95. Plastic; content notes.

It seems slightly dangerous heartily recommend these cds ... it induces visions of multiple car wrecks caused by drivers wiping tears from their eyes while doubled over their steering wheels with laughter. Fans of public radio's Car Talk compilations, and new converts will be made. The "best of" disks are terrific and contain lots of high-quality material in the 2-cd set. The father-themed disk is a lot of fun, too, but the hour flies by for this single cd. The narration provided by Click and Clack is just as wild and crazy as it is for their radio program and their raucous laughter is contagious. They wisely did away with the tinny fade-ins and fade-outs used for the first "best of" collection, and overall the engineering is good. It's an easy listening experience. Titles such as "Emasculation by Minivan' and "Old Moses Blew Beets" are evocative enough to readily identify the episodes and they're each on a separate track, so it's easy to find your spot if the cd is ejected along the way. Carol Reich, Youth Svcs., Hillsboro P.L., Hillsboro, OR