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Monty Python's Flying Circus

 
Album Review: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Review

This debut long-player contains a composite of skits by British comedy troupe Monty Python. The personnel features the talents of writer/actors Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam (the sole Yankee), whose primary contributions were visual (most immediately evident being the iconoclastic "foot-through-the-telly" imagery adorning the front cover of this release). Keen-eared listeners familiar with the show will be able to instantly discern that the material on this platter has been re-recorded and is not simply audio lifted from the show's soundtrack. In addition to the occasional dialogue discrepancy, the use of canned laughter is noticeably different, if not at times a bit jarring. As the Pythons have become cultural icons since their demise in the early '80s, a few of the bits such as "Trades Description Act" (aka "Crunchy Frog"), the "Lumberjack Song" (which is included in the homicidal "Barber" sketch), and "Dead Parrot" (aka "Pet Shop") would go on to define the Dada-influenced surrealism that they would become most closely associated with. The vast majority of the Python catalog can be found on CD, and this title graced the medium for a very brief time in the mid-'80s as part of the BBC's Audio Visual International series. Oddly, and perhaps owing to legal rather than artistic reasons, Monty Python's Flying Circus (1970) remains unavailable to modern listeners on compact disc. While all of the characters may not be as fully-formed -- such as the sincere and butch Chapman persona used in "The Visitors" -- this is a worthwhile find, if not a somewhat compulsory primer for all enthusiasts. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Flying Sheep Monty Python Monty Python (2:20)
Television Interviews Monty Python Monty Python (2:30)
Trades Description Act (Chocolate Shop) Monty Python Monty Python (3:28)
Nudge, Nudge Monty Python Monty Python (1:42)
Mouse Problem Monty Python Monty Python (3:14)
Buying a Bed Monty Python Monty Python (3:56)
Interesting People Monty Python Monty Python (3:18)
Barber (Lumberjack Song) Monty Python Monty Python (3:43)
Interviews Monty Python Monty Python (3:05)
More Television Interviews Monty Python Monty Python (2:52)
Children's Stories Monty Python Monty Python (1:13)
Visitors Monty Python Monty Python (3:55)
Cinema Monty Python Monty Python (:49)
North Minehead Election Monty Python Monty Python (5:32)
Me, Doctor Monty Python Monty Python (1:18)
Pet Shop (Dead Parrot) Monty Python Monty Python (4:22)
Self Defence Monty Python Monty Python (5:58)

Credits

Terry Gilliam (Vocals), Eric Idle (Vocals), John Cleese (Vocals), Graham Chapman (Vocals), Terry Gilliam (Writer), Eric Idle (Writer), Eric Idle (Actor), Michael Palin (Actor), Michael Palin (Writer), Terry Jones (Vocals), Michael Palin (Vocals), Terry Gilliam (Actor), John Cleese (Actor), John Cleese (Writer), Graham Chapman (Writer), Graham Chapman (Actor)
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Wikipedia: Monty Python's Flying Circus (album)
Top
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Studio album by Monty Python
Released 1970
Recorded 1970
Genre Comedy
Length 53:13
Label BBC
Professional reviews
Monty Python chronology
Monty Python's Flying Circus
(1970)
Another Monty Python Record
(1971)

Monty Python's Flying Circus was the first album produced by the Monty Python troupe. It was released in both the UK and the US in 1970, with the US version featuring a back cover slightly different from the original UK version. The album featured new versions of sketches from the Monty Python's Flying Circus television series.

Next to the television show itself, it was the first piece of media the Pythons released. It is noted that Terry Gilliam was not included as a member of Python on the album's cast listing (in spite of his brief appearance in the sketch "The Visitors") and Graham Chapman's name is misspelled "Grahame".

It is the only Python studio album to have a laugh track, having been recorded in one day in front of a live audience at Camden Town Hall. Eric Idle stated in the book The Pythons, "They were a particularly dead audience."

The copyright to the record is still owned by the BBC, making it one of the few pieces of material the Pythons themselves do not own. This is also the reason why it did not gain a 2006 special edition release. One of the tracks makes specific mention to the album being in stereo, and Graham Chapman demonstrates it by walking from one speaker to another. The effect was totally lost as the album was recorded in mono, which the Pythons didn't know at the time. They felt disenchanted by the BBC's album producing methods, and for their remaining albums sought very different approaches.

Contents

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Flying Sheep"
  2. "Television Interviews/Arthur Frampton"
  3. "Trade Description Act/Whizzo Chocolates"
  4. "Nudge, Nudge"
  5. "The Mouse Problem"
  6. "Buying A Bed"
  7. "Interesting People"
  8. "Lumberjack Song"
  9. "Sir Edward Ross"

Side two

  1. "Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson"
  2. "Children's Stories"
  3. "The Visitors"
  4. "Albatross!"
  5. "The North Minehead By-Election"
  6. "Me Doctor"
  7. "Pet Shop (Dead Parrot)"
  8. "Self-Defence"

Distribution Information

  • LP: (1970) BBC Records REB 73M (UK)
  • LP: (1970) Pye Records 12116 (U.S.)
  • LP: (1970) BBC Records BBC-22073 (UK)
  • CS: (1970) BBC Records REMC 73 (UK)
  • CD: (1985) BBC/Audio Visual International BBCCD73 (UK)
  • LP: (1986) Warner Brothers Records 88375 (ISBN 0-87188-375-9) (U.S.)
  • CS: (1994) BBC Enterprises, Ltd. ZBBC 1508 ISBN 0-563-39481-1 (UK) (Canned Laughter series)
  • CD: (1996) BBC Audiobooks ISBN 0-56355-820-2 (UK)
  • CD: (2006) BBC Audiobooks ISBN 0-56355-820-0 (UK)

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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