There can be no equal to Don Rickles, the gold standard of stand-ups. His legendary appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson are the stuff of legend, and continue to be talked about.

Don is a combustible fireball comic, who is like our collective sub-conscience's gone wild. You know, like if we had too many cocktails with Dean, Sammy and the guys. Don Rickles is simply, the funniest human being on the planet, in my opinion, and probably yours as well.

If there is any doubt about that, then all you need to do is check out this reissue CD, "Don Rickles Speaks!! This album, the follow-up to his landmark tour de force "Hello Dummy!!" album from the year before. "Speaks" was recorded in front of a panel of "experts," mostly in-crowd pals of Rickles who threw all the right targets at him, like "Show Biz and Travel," "Names In The News, and of course the mandatory shredding of his friend and mentor Frank Sinatra.

While Rickles was not the first comic of the "insult" genre, Shecky Greene and Shelly Berman were also known to incorporate the audience into their acts, Rickles was the first to turn his hostility towards the audience, and they loved him for it. They still do, nearly 60 years later.

Rickles came up through working the blue collar Supper clubs in New York, Chicago, and eventually, in Los Angeles. He was a working class guy, with a Naval background, and he used his personal life, particularly his time spent in the service for great comic inspiration. Don Rickles is not only one of the greatest Jewish comedians, he is one of the most gifted spokespersons for the Jewish angst movement.

Rickles was able to take his personal frustrations, his views (which were incredibly controversial and politically incorrect, even back then) and make them palatable. Don Rickles did material on TV that no one else could get away with, then or now.

"You hockey puck!!" was Rickles trademark phrase, which he used with aplomb when skewering anyone from the little guy to the Hollywood's elite. Rickles played no favorites. He appeared to have open-mouthed and sweat on the brow contempt for just about everyone, including his wife Barbara, a constant foil in his act.

On Don's first album for his pal Frank Sinatra's Reprise label, "Hello, Dummy!" Don's trademark nightclub act was captured for posterity. I saw Don perform last year at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas and the man simply rocked the house. As hilarious as ever. Even doing bits and schtick from the '60s 'heyday,' it still works brilliantly. You see Rickles going up against the everyday schlemiel, but still has no mercy for the big shots, either.

Rickles is a man who could lacerate Johnny Carson for his marriage go-round, Frank Sinatra for his carousing and later his hairpiece, ("All that's missing from that thing is the word Welcome!") Ed McMahon always looked like he was about to lose his Maalox when Don would go on a tear.

I think the most interesting thing about "Don Rickles Speaks!" aside from the fact it is in great demand by collectors, is the fact that it shows how savvy Don Rickles was about world events of the day. Today he still does political humor in his act, without ever revealing his true political leanings, other than to appear highly dissatisfied with whomever is in charge or in the Oval Office.

Most of the truly sensational comics of any decade, like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, or even Howard Stern of today were all known for being both groundbreaking and controversial. Rickles was always adept at managing to stay out of the controversial category by constantly poking fun at himself and his own inadequacies. He was no schlepper , but he was no big wheel either. Don Rickles beat Peter finch to the window in the movie "Network" screaming, "I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore!"

On "Speaks”, we hear Don Rickles addressing a prestigious panel of political and social climbers who want to know his thoughts and take on many serious and pop culture subjects. ("What do you think of the Electric Prunes?" "I think they should all go suck on a lemon and go to a fruit festival!" “What about the Nixon’s?” “Richard Nixon is a lot of fun if you like to go to Whitier and watch oranges go bad.” “I think Pat Nixon could make some changes, oh say, a rubber mask.”

On Sammy Davis, Jr.: “”Hey it’s not often that you can have a guy come over to your house and sing and dance…and dust.” Today, some of these remarks would be considered very politically incorrect, if not blasphemous. Now, Don, even in his current stand up act, has a genuine charm about him. His nickname “Mr. Warmth” has a touch of irony, but is actually quite apropos. Lots of fun cultural references of the day here on this album.

At the end of Don’s set, he would always thank his audience in a very serious way, and thank his wife and mother. He would, for a moment, become a softie. This album shows Don’s uncanny ability to take on the most varied of subjects. You actually can learn a great deal about what was popular in the news and entertainment culture for adults in the late ‘60’s by listening to this CD. It is one of the crowning achievements in a long and successful career.

And the best news is, things haven't changed for Don RIckles in all these years. I just saw him on TV this last week on the Conan O' Brien Show and he is still masterful. Now, why can't he go on the Tonight Show more often and rattle that too tame cage? It seems the times we live in dictate more political correctness.

Fortunately, this album captures Don Rickles when his ID and sub-conscious thoughts were free from the filtered water mentality of today's TV standards. Hey, and who remembers "The Electric Prunes?" (By the way, they were on Reprise Records too, along with Dean Martin, Sammy, and Nancy Sinatra. Ah, the halcyon days of the '60s live on with ”Don Rickles Speaks!”