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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. It 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 album was released midway through the broadcast of Series 3, whose sketches featured on the album were all from it's first half, with the exception of "Dennis Moore" which aired a month later and therefore made it's debut here. 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.

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 cover design, by Terry Gilliam, pictured an elongated arm which wrapped around both sides of the sleeve. It's hand can be seen trying to catch a six-breasted woman with butterfly wings. The inner sleeve pictured the covers of sixteen fictional albums on one side, with the other containing the album credits and lyrics to the "Yangtse Song".

The original British vinyl release included a separate 33rpm 7" flexi-disc entitled Teach Yourself Heath, housed in a sleeve featuring a picture of then Prime Minister Edward Heath.

The album was trailed three weeks 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. Another cut sketch, "Bells", eventually found it's way onto 1980's Contractual Obligation Album.

As with the previous record, initial UK pressings had a unique label. Both sides featured the "Mad Hatter" Charisma design, with the first side listed as "'A' side and half 'B' side" (in reference to the album's single release) and a spoof list of contents by "a Harley Street Dentist". The second side was listed as "This side" and contained a series of teeth-cleaning instructions. Later pressings were issued with the standard Charisma label, omitting the dentally-themed text. The US version, released in 1973, had the "Harley Street Dentist" material from the UK A-side label switched to Side B, with the A side featuring a red label containing the actual track listing for both sides. This too was different to the UK version, removing the tracks "How To Do It" and "Radio Quiz Game" from Side 1 and placing them on Side 2.

The album reached No.39 in the UK album chart.[4]

The track "Wonderful World of Sound" features the earliest known citation of the phrase "something for the weekend",[5] a euphemistic reference to condoms used by barbers when offering them to their clientele.[6]

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. 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 Sketch
  5. Yangtse 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. Funerals at Prestatyn
  12. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister (Part 3)
  13. Happy Valley

US Track listing

Side One

  1. Introduction
  2. Are You Embarrassed Easily?
  3. A Book at Bedtime
  4. 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. Dennis Moore Song (Part 3)
  13. Pepperpots
  14. Personal Freedom
  15. Dennis Moore Song (Part 4)
  16. Fish Licence
  17. Eric the Half-a-Bee
  18. Travel Agent

Side Two

  1. Radio Quiz Game
  2. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  3. Silly Noises
  4. Anne Elk
  5. Yangtse Sketch
  6. Yangtse Song
  7. How To Do It
  8. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister (Part 2)
  9. A Minute Passed
  10. Eclipse of the Sun
  11. Alistair Cooke
  12. Wonderful World of Sound
  13. Funerals at Prestatyn
  14. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister (Part 3)
  15. Happy Valley

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

Personnel

Additional performers

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. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/monty%20python's%20previous%20record/
  5. ^ "something for the weekend (noun, earlier than 1972)". OED Appeals. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Something for the weekend sir?". Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
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