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Monty Python's Previous Record

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Allmusic [1]

Monty Python's Previous Record is the third album by Monty Python. Released in 1972, it marked the group's first collaborations with regular sound engineer Andre Jacquemin and musician Neil Innes. Among the proposed ideas for the record were a 'B' side consisting of four concentric tracks, all starting at different places on the first groove, so that the listener could get any of one of four different versions of the 'B' side".[2] When this proved impossible, a three-sided 'B' side was attempted. But as Jacquemin later explained, "That's why you hear 'and now a massage from the Swedish Prime Minister' three times on it. Each groove was going to start with that, but unfortunately, the three grooves ran into each other towards the centre of the record. In the end, we cut all the bits together for a standard, single-groove side."[3] A year later, a less ambitious version of the same idea, with just two concentric tracks, would be used on the next Monty Python LP, The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief.

The album contains many sketches from the third series of Flying Circus, one (Fish Licence) from the second as well as an abridged version of The Tale of Happy Valley from the second German show. The oldest sketch on the album, Eric Idle's "Radio Quiz Game", dates back to I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again where it was performed by Graeme Garden - Idle having subsequently performed the sketch himself on Do Not Adjust Your Set. The rest of the material was specially written for the album.

The track "Wonderful World of Sound" features the earliest known citation of the phrase "something for the weekend",[4] a euphemistic reference to condoms used by barbers when offering them to their clientele.[5]

The original British vinyl release included a separate 45rpm flexi-disc entitled Teach Yourself Heath, whose sleeve was a picture of a smiling Edward Heath (then Prime Minister).

The album was trailed a month earlier on 17 November 1972 by the 7" single Eric The Half-A-Bee/Yangtse Song (CB.200), credited to "Monty Python With Niel (sic) Innes". These were alternate mono mixes of two tracks which would appear in stereo on the album. The latter song had an added karaoke section with additional linking from Michael Palin.

"Summarize Proust Competition" was recorded but cut from the album, although a reference to the Proust Song remains on the album's inner sleeve. The track was released five years later on the Instant Record Collection compilation.

The US edition of the album had the tracks "How-To-Do-It Lessons" and "Radio Quiz Game" removed from Side 1 and placed on Side 2.

The 2006 CD reissue features many previously unreleased out-takes from the album's sessions as bonus material, with newly added music and sound effects.

UK Track listing

Side one

  1. Introduction
  2. Are You Embarrassed Easily?
  3. A Book at Bedtime
  4. England 1747 Dennis Moore
  5. Money Programme
  6. Money Song
  7. Dennis Moore (Part 2)
  8. Dennis Moore Song
  9. Australian Table Wine
  10. Dennis Moore Song (Part 2)
  11. Argument
  12. How To Do It
  13. Dennis Moore Song (Part 3)
  14. Pepperpots
  15. Personal Freedom
  16. Dennis Moore Song (Part 4)
  17. Fish Licence
  18. Eric the Half-a-Bee
  19. Radio Quiz Game
  20. Travel Agent

Side two

  1. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  2. Silly Noises
  3. Anne Elk
  4. Yangtse Kiang Sketch
  5. Yangtse Kiang Song
  6. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister (Part 2)
  7. A Minute Passed
  8. Eclipse of the Sun
  9. Alistair Cooke
  10. Wonderful World of Sound
  11. Certified Stiff
  12. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister (Part 3)
  13. Happy Valley

US Track listing

Side one

  1. Embarrassment/Book At Bedtime (2:55)
  2. England 1747 - Dennis Moore (1:00)
  3. Money Programme (1:55)
  4. Dennis Moore Continues (1:10)
  5. Australian Table Wines (1:45)
  6. Argument Clinic (3:40)
  7. Putting Budgies Down and so forth (1:40)
  8. Eric the Half-a-Bee (4:55)
  9. Travel Agency (3:56)

Side two

  1. Radio Quiz Game (1:30)
  2. A Massage/Silly Noises Quiz (1:30)
  3. Miss Anne Elk (2:50)
  4. We Love the Yangtze (2:40)
  5. How-To-Do-It Lessons (1:05)
  6. A Minute Passed (1:20)
  7. Eclipse of the Sun/Alistair Cooke (2:25)
  8. Wonderful World of Sounds (2:30)
  9. A Fairy Tale (6:45)

2006 Bonus tracks

  1. Baxter's
  2. Meteorology
  3. Blood, Devastation, War & Horror
  4. The Great Debate
  5. Mortuary Visit
  6. Flying Fox Of The Yard
  7. Is There
  8. Teach Yourself Heath
  9. The Book Ad
  10. Big Red Bowl
  11. Pepperpots (Part 2)
  12. Pellagra

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Palin, Michael Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years, p.85, 2006, Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
  3. ^ "And Now For Something Completely Different: The Recorded Works Of Monty Python", Record Collector, No.193, September 1995
  4. ^ "something for the weekend (noun, earlier than 1972)". OED Appeals. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Something for the weekend sir?". Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
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