Another Monty Python Blog: 08/03/14

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Who'da thought, 40 year ago...

... we'd all be sittin' around talkin' about a new Monty Python record... sort of.

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It's actually a re-issue. But it's the kind of re-issue that includes new and/or never before released tracks. We love it when that happens, don't we fellow record lovers? Monty Python Sings (Again) is the title of the re-issue. It's a re-issue of, well, Monty Python Sings, the 1989 compilation album which gathered not quite all of Monty's musical cuts.

The new Monty Python cover features multiple rows of teeth
and tongue, representing the "again" aspect of the album.

Monty Python's previous Sings album cover, featuring one set of lips,
one set of teeth, no kangaroos, and a solitary tongue.
Also lacking the word "again."

TRACKLIST

Monty Python Sings (again)

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
The Meaning of Life
The Silly Walk Song (previously unreleased)
Penis Song (the not-Noel-Coward song)
Money Song
Oliver Cromwell
Accountancy Shanty
Finland
Medical Love Song
I'm So Worried
Every Sperm Is Sacred
I Like Chinese
The Naval Medley (previously unreleased)
Sit On My Face
Never Be Rude to an Arab
Eric the Half-a-Bee
Brian Song
Rudyard Kipling (previously unreleased)
Nudge Rap /Blackmail (previously unreleased)
Bruces' Philosophers Song (Bruces' Song)
Knights of the Round Table (Camelot Song)
All Things Dull and Ugly
Decomposing Composers
Henry Kissinger
I've Got Two Legs
Rainy Day In Berlin (previously unreleased)
Christmas in Heaven
Galaxy Song
Spam Song
Lousy Song (previously unreleased)
Lumberjack Song

Oh, and...

Monty Python Sings (again) is also available in a Deluxe 2-CD Edition (still waiting on news of a vinyl release). The deluxe set contains the full Monty Python Sings (again) tracklist shown above as well as a second disc containing -- for the first time on Virgin Records -- Monty Python's Flying Circus, the original 1970 BBC soundtrack once thought unavailable on CD then released as an audiobook and then re-released as a proper CD. Now it can be yours if you buy the Deluxe 2-CD Edition of Monty Python Sings (again)!

And that's not all!

foolsball

Also available is a new 12-inch vinyl single containing a new "Unofficial England Football Anthem" -version of Always Look On The Bright Side of Life, re-sung, with some slight editing, by its composer, Eric Idle. This version of ALOTBSOL does not appear on Monty Python Sings (Again). Side two of the 45 is a spoken word sketch featuring Michael Palin in An Apology From Bernard, a beleaguered record company executive. This too features not on the new LP. The package also comes with a set of six stickers, one featuring each Python in association foosball uniform. Follow this link if you are the least bit interested in purchasing this new Python record... I know I am...

More to come. You can bet on that. (again.)

Is the first Monty Python album available on CD?

Virgin Records, the current owner of the Python catalogue, has released all of the original albums on CD. Except the first one. The first one has always been kind of the "misfit" in the Python oeuvre, since it was created before the Python's had achieved creative control of their work. (For example, they wanted to record in stereo; they didn't want to record in front of a live audience; and they wanted real dramatic music to link bits together, instead of one guy with a Hammond Organ (no offence, Hammond). Their wishes came true on subsequent albums, but their debut remains what it is: a product of the BBC, and is still in their copyright possession to this day. However, like The Beatles' Decca recordings, the first Python album stands as an important piece of their overall history, and yes, it is available on CD. Look for it in the book shop as opposed to the record store, though, because, for some reason, BBC has issued it as an AudioBook, packaged in a papperboard slipcase, minus the original album cover, but sporting a "oh, this will do" rip-off of Gilliam's original design. At least they used the proper Foot of Cupid.

Monty Python's First Album Re-reissued... Again.

Wait a minute, I'm just getting.... I'm just getting... a loud buzzing noise in my left ear... Stop press! This just in! (And all the rest of it.) It seems as if, while I was writing this blog in 2011, someone's decided to re-issue Monty Python's Flying Circus on CD in an effort to sort of "catch it up" with the 2006 reissues of all their other albums. I have only seen this on the internet, so I've not inspected it myself, but it appears to be in a plastic jewel case containing an insert that replicates the original album cover. A major step up from the prior cardboard audio-book edition. However, it appears to feature the cover design from the 2nd vinyl generation with the white string tag and not the original 1st generation Gilliam design with the yellow string tag (see my entry on cover design in the main text for details). Again, I'm not complaining about it, I'm just reporting what I see. This is a fan blog, after all, not an official Python site. The CD itself is designed to replicate the original BBC label, and the disc looks like a little vinyl record, which is kinda cool. Kudos to whoever put this package together.

According to the internet, this album has been digitally remastered by AudioGo as part of a Vintage Beeb series of comedy records, including Dad's Army and I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again (a wonderfully silly album, by the way.)

Here's where I found out about it: Suite 101.com. (I hope they don't mind me spreading the good news to my two blog readers) (one of whom is me).

A couple more things of note on the new CD: Out of respect, they have corrected the spelling of Graham Chapman's name on the front cover. The first and second generation vinyl editions both had Graham's name misspelled as "Grahame". Omitted from both the vinyl editions and this newly remastered CD is Terry Gilliam's name as a performer. He does get credit on the back for creating the cover art, but only Cleese, Palin, Chapman, Idle, Jones, and Carol Cleveland receive front cover credit. Gilliam does indeed perform on the album, but as far as I know, he's only on one track, The Visitors on Side Two as the "poofy friend" of Mr Equator.

I suppose, when you're reissuing something in it's original packaging, you don't want to take too many liberties like adding Gilliam's name when it wasn't there before. Nice touch, though, correcting Grahame's name. I plan to order this disc so I'll prob'ly bore you (both of you) more once I've seen and heard it. Anyway, our thirty minutes is up. Goodnight. Baaaaahhh!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Who'da thought, 40 year ago...

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