Nigel Planer (vocals) revives "Neil" from the short-lived yet highly influential BBC-TV program The Young Ones on Neil's Heavy Concept Album (1984). Although the show was set in the 1980s, Neil's lifestyle centers around the mid- to late-'60s hippie culture, an exceedingly antiquated notion directly contrasting his ultra-mod housemates. This explains the inclusion of the fairly wide selection of psychedelic and progressive nuggets amidst the spoken links and occasional originals. The idea for the long-player stemmed from his version of Traffic's early side "Hole in My Shoe" -- which came out as a single. When Planer appeared in character to promote it on BBC 2's Top of the Pops, he lost his footing, resulting in the backdrop falling apart and causing general mayhem on live television. The tune is given a lighthearted romp with notable session musician Rick Biddulph (guitar) working in phrases of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" during the waning moments. Other fun covers are Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle," Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd on "The Gnome," Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man," and "The Amoeba Song," aka the Incredible String Band's "A Very Cellular Song." Caravan's "Golf Girl" is worth additional mention, as it features a cameo voice-over from Dawn French -- half of the comedy team French & Saunders -- as (of all things) a policewoman. Instrumentally, Planer is supported by an all-star cast that includes Dave Stewart (keyboards/bass/drum/guitar), Barbara Gaskin (backing vocals), Pip Pyle (drums), Jakko M. Jakszyk (guitars), and jazz heavy Annie Whitehead (trombone), as well as Jimmy Hastings, who at one time was a primary contributor to the aforementioned prog rock outfit Caravan. "Lentil Nightmare" is a tremendously amusing Planer-penned composition that, among other things, quotes "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson amidst the proto-heavy progressive metal madness. The connecting bits of dialogue provide an outlet for Planer's quirky and earthy humor. Also of note is "Neil the Barbarian," a parody of a movie advert where Neil -- a strict vegan -- eats a hamburger, which transforms him into this superhero-type character. All said, Neil's Heavy Concept Album is thoroughly entertaining and recommended for inclined parties. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
Neil's Heavy Concept Album is a 1984 recording of songs and spoken comedy routines by British actor Nigel Planer, in character as the long-suffering hippie Neil from the BBC comedy series The Young Ones. Production, arrangements and keyboards are by famed Canterbury keyboardist Dave Stewart, who also debuts on guitar, bass and drums.
The album followed the success of the Neil single "Hole in My Shoe" — a cover version of Traffic's 1967 hit — which reached number 2 in the United Kingdom.
The album starts with a spoken apology in which Neil apologizes for the album's quality. Additional spoken tracks include Neil having a conversation with a potato in a sewer, reciting a poem to his rubber plant, and experiencing a flashback. Also included is a parody horror movie commercial, which sees vegetarian Neil being turned into a carnivorous monster after accidentally eating a hamburger.
Among the originals is the Planer composition "Lentil Nightmare", a dark metal number that quotes from King Crimson's "The Court of the Crimson King" and features Planer singing in an uncharacteristic loud, high falsetto. In "Bad Karma in the UK", Neil's mum (played by musician Barbara Gaskin) admonishes him to watch his I Ching, chew his food eleven times, and remember his expectorant.
The album was heavily promoted by MTV, who had embraced The Young Ones and served as the sole outlet for the original LP in the US. A television commercial for the album had Neil in character talking about his "really beautiful" album, displaying a hole in his shoe, and hitting his head on a table.
"The Amoeba Song (From 'A Very Cellular Song')" – 1:19
The cassette version of the album is very similar but features the track "Cassette Jam" following "Cosmic Jam" where Neil does an impression of the album being broken on tape like in "Cosmic Jam". After "The Amoeba Song" It also features a track called "Go Away" where Neil tries to explain the album has finished and after that another track "Brown Sugar" where Neil discovers some buskers performing the track by The Rolling Stones and joins in with them.
Note that there is an inconsistency on the listing of track 9. The LP has "Paranoid Remix" but the vinyl cover has "Paranoia Remix"
