“You Christians have created a beast that cannot be fed.”

This Comedy Central collection contains all three stand-up performances Lewis Black did for the channel prior to the release of the DVD, as well as the special “Lewis Black is Taxed Beyond Belief” and the “on location” spots he did for Comedy Central’s Indecision 2000 Republican and Democratic Presidential nominating convention coverage. All in all, just under two hours of material, which is pretty generous.

Granted, the three standup routines are the only bits worth the effort — but nevertheless, those eighty minutes make it well worth the $15 price tag.

There are angry comics, and crazy comics, and snide comics, and sarcastic comics — but none of them quite manage to convey tooth-grinding, last-nerve irritation quite the same way as Lewis Black. The material is not always original. For example, his gripes about unreliable weather forcasts could have come from just about any comedy club’s open mic night. But it’s the delivery that sells even these tired gags; and most of the standard standup material is in the first half of the first routine.

LB explains the finer points of tax law to these college students.

The routines are from 1998, 2000, and 2002. In 1998’s routine, Lewis Black captures the frustration and irritation many of us felt during the Clinton impeachment, the disappointment of the 2000 presidential candidates, and the role of humor after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And it’s obvious Lewis Black has some Daily Show chops — much of the material is highly satirical in nature.

The rest of the disc isn’t much to get exicted about, however. The “tax special” is very uneven. It consists mainly of filmed clips of Lewis Black doing Daily Show “on location” reporter shtick (which always feels forced and is frequently embarassing) tied together with a somewhat wooden lecture-type presentation in front of a lecture hall full of college students. The result feels cheap, rushed, and over-edited. It’s all the more dissappointing because there’s so much to be outraged over these last few years, picking on the confusing tax code seems a little like ignoring the main dish to chew on some parsley.

On location (sort of) at the 2000 Democratic Convention.

Likewise, the disc includes only Lewis Black’s short-spot coverage of the 2000 presidential nominating conventions. Stripped of all context and far too short for Black to really get into his tooth-grinding, these also feel posed and forced. Clearly Black’s best work happens in front of a night club audience or behind the desk as the Daily Show’s Andy Rooney.

Nevertheless, the disc is cheaply priced and has enough funny material in it to bear repeated viewing. Here’s hoping Lewis Black returns to more night-club oriented work and the second volume delivers on the promise of the first.