The Rutles – The Rutles (1978)

One of rock's most enduring and insightful parodies, brilliantly mirroring The Beatles' career, “The Rutles” is the soundtrack to the spoof documentary television film “All You Need Is Cash,” which aired on NBC in the U.S. on March 22, 1978. The brainchild of Neil Innes and former Monty Python member Eric Idle, the film is beloved by Beatles fans worldwide and even features a cameo from George Harrison as a TV reporter. The Rutles themselves were Neil Innes as Ron Nasty (Lennon), Eric Idle as Dirk McQuickly (McCartney), Rikki Fataar as Stig O'Hara (Harrison) and John Halsey as Barry Wom (Ringo). The fifth Rutle, for recording purposes, was guitarist Ollie Halsall. It should be noted that Eric Idle does not perform on this CD. He lip-synched to Halsall’s vocals in the TV movie. This expanded CD issued in 1990 adds six tracks to the 14-track vinyl version first released by Warner Bros. in 1978. The soundtrack reached #63 on the Billboard album charts.

Musicians:

Neil Innes: Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Ollie Halsall: Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Rikki Fataar: Guitar, Bass, Sitar, Tabla, Vocals
John Halsey: Percussion, Vocals
Andy Brown: Bass


All songs written and produced by Neil Innes.

Tracks:

1. Goose-Step Mama*
2. Number Two
3. Baby Let Me Be*
4. Hold My Hand
5. Blue Suede Schubert*
6. I Must Be In Love
7. With A Girl Like You
8. Between Us*
9. Living In Hope
10. Ouch!
11. It's Looking Good*
12. Doubleback Alley
13. Good Times Roll
14. Nevertheless
15. Love Life
16. Piggy In The Middle
17. Another Day
18. Cheese And Onions
19. Get Up And Go*
20. Let's Be Natural

* bonus tracks for CD issue.

IVOR CUTLER : An Elpee and Two Epees (2005)

"Ivor Cutler's very earliest work was very hard to find in the decades after it was first issued. This compilation does an exemplary job of restoring it to wide availability, its 28 tracks combining everything from the 1961 LP Who Tore Your Trousers?, the 1959 EP Ivor Cutler of Y'Hup, and the 1961 EP Get Away from the Wall. Cutler's material would become more outrageously surreal on later recordings, perhaps, but these efforts are very much in step with the style for which he's beloved. With almost equal doses of spoken word and warbly singing with harmonium, these pieces take gentle pokes that subtly transform everyday experiences into something nearly surreal. It might be too gentle and subtle for those who like their comedy brash, or for Americans not attuned to his very British brand of humor. Still, it's easy to hear elements that the likes of the Bonzo Dog Band and Monty Python would take to more vivid (and more internationally accessible) extremes. And if it's not often laugh-out-loud funny, or too musically diverse, there's plenty of weird wordplay to generate amusement, such as his ode to a "Muscular Tree" and "Stick Out Your Chest," whose exhortative lyrics are totally undercut by Cutler's knowingly silly tone." - AMG

'Ivor Cutler plays "11 musical instruments including the harmonium, guitar, recorder, bamboo flute and 6 pianos". He has written 38 songs that might be described as a combination of Franz Kafka and the Goons.'

1. Here's A Health For Simon
2. Size Nine And A Half
3. Pickle Your Knees
4. Mary's A Cow
5. Gravity Begins At Home
6. Cowpuncher And A Bird
7. Boo Boo Bird
8. Steady Job
9. Obliging Fairy
10. First Love
11. Who Tore Your Trousers James
12. Are You Alright Jack
13. Red Flower
14. Do You Ever Feel Lonely
15. Warning To The Flies
16. Grass Seed
17. Market Place
18. Tooth Song
19. Egg Meat
20. Muscular Tree
21. Handymen
22. Sh Chi
23. Stick Out Your Chest
24. Turkish Bath Play
25. There's A Turtle In My Soup
26. Gruts For Tea
27. Get Away From The Wall
28. Tureen

jim said...
I thought you might like some Ivor Cutler...
THANKS, JIM!

Vivian Stanshall - Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal (1984)

Former Bonzo Dog leader Stanshall continued his Sir Henry "epic" with Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal, a record that probably raised hackles on its release in 1983, and maybe even more so now, with its portrayal of the white Englishmen and his superior attitude toward the black South Africans working for him -- at one point, he even paints letters of the alphabet on them (in white gloss) because he can't pronounce their names. But the thing to be remembered is that it's meant to be funny, a parody of those colonials who trampled unwittingly all over native customs in the name of Empire and civilization. On that level, it certainly succeeds, although following the narrative (assuming that's actually possible) is like finding your way out of the labyrinth; after so many twists and turns, it becomes almost impossible. Apart from one song, it's all spoken word, a vehicle for Stanshall's remarkable stream-of-consciousness wit and wordplay, while the musicians (including future Mekon Suzi Honeymoon) remain generally unobtrusive -- which is just as well, since the tale and its telling are quite mesmerizing without any accompaniment. So long as you don't ask what it's about, and take it as a gleeful exercise in the surrealism of the English language, you'll love this disc by the late Stanshall. - AMG

01 N'Didid's Kraal - Part One
02 N'Didi's Kraal - Part Two
03 N'Didi's Kraal - Part Three

The Bonzo Dog Band - Cornology (1992 compilation box set)

Cornology is a 1992 compilation box set of the complete recorded output of The Bonzo Dog Band issued on the Parlophone, Liberty and United Artists labels.

The three CDs each have subtitles. Volume one is titled The Intro and contains the albums Gorilla and The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse. Volume two is subtitled The Outro and contains the albums Tadpoles and Keynsham. Volume three is titled Dog Ends and contains their final original album Let's Make Up And Be Friendly along with early Bonzo Dog singles, odds and ends and solo material.



* 1 Track listing
o 1.1 Disc one--The Intro (DADA is normal--normal is nice)
o 1.2 Disc two--The Outro (The noises of your bodies are a part of this CD)
o 1.3 Disc three--Dog Ends (Mothers with children please note: this CD is inedible!)

Track listing:

All tracks by Neil Innes and/or Vivian Stanshall except were noted
Disc one--The Intro (DADA is normal--normal is nice):

Tracks 1-15 from the album Gorilla. Tracks 16-27 from the album The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse

1. "Cool Britannia" (Traditional) – 1:00
2. "The Equestrian Statue" – 2:44
3. "Jollity Farm" (Les Sarony) – 2:28
4. "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" (George Cory, Douglass Cross) – 1:04
5. "Look Out, There's A Monster Coming" – 2:54
6. "Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold" (Ash, Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell, Innes, Rodney Slater, Legs Larry Smith, Roger Ruskin Spear, Stanshall) – 3:10
7. "Death Cab For Cutie" – 2:56
8. "Narcissus" (Ethelbert Nevin) – 0:23
9. "The Intro And The Outro" – 3:03
10. "Mickey's Son And Daughter" (Connor, Edward Lisbona) – 2:43
11. "Big Shot" – 3:29
12. "Music For The Head Ballet" – 1:45
13. "Piggy Bank Love" – 3:03
14. "I'm Bored" – 3:07
15. "The Sound Of Music" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 1:23
16. "We Are Normal" – 4:50
17. "Postcard" – 4:22
18. "Beautiful Zelda" – 2:27
19. "Can Blue Men Sing The Whites" – 2:47
20. "Hello Mabel" – 2:46
21. "Kama Sutra" – 0:39
22. "Humanoid Boogie" – 3:04
23. "Trouser Press" – 2:20
24. "My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe" – 3:33
25. "Rockaliser Baby" – 3:29
26. "Rhinocratic Oaths" – 3:21
27. "11 Mustachioed Daughters" – 3:49

Disc two--The Outro (The noises of your bodies are a part of this CD):

Tracks 1-11 from the album Tadpoles. Tracks 12-25 from the album Keynsham.

1. "Hunting Tigers Out In INDIAH" (Stanley Damerell, Evans, Hargreaves) – 3:06
2. "Shirt" (Spear) – 4:27
3. "Tubas In The Moonlight" (Spear) – 2:22
4. "Dr. Jazz" (Walter Melrose, Oliver) – 2:40
5. "Monster Mash" (Leonard Capizzi, Bobby Pickett) – 2:59
6. "I'm the Urban Spaceman" – 2:23
7. "Ali-Baba's Camel" (Noel Gay) – 3:31
8. "Laughing Blues" (Bradley) – 3:44
9. "By A Waterfall" (Fain Kahal) – 3:08
10. "Mr. Apollo" – 4:20
11. "Canyons Of Your Mind" – 3:03
12. "You Done My Brain In" – 1:41
13. "Keynsham" – 2:22
14. "Quiet Talks & Summer Walks – 3:37
15. "Tent" – 3:06
16. "We Were Wrong" – 2:32
17. "Joke Shop Man" – 1:23
18. "The Bride Stripped Bare By 'Bachelors'" – 2:39
19. "Look At Me, I'm Wonderful" – 1:46
20. "What Do You Do?" – 3:12
21. "Mr. Slater's Parrot" – 2:27
22. "Sport" – 3:30
23. "I Want To Be With You" – 2:16
24. "Noises For The Leg" – 1:54
25. "'Busted'" – 5:47

Disc three--Dog Ends (Mothers with children please note: this CD is inedible!):

Tracks 7-17 from the album Let's Make Up And Be Friendly

1. "My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies" (Amberg, Bernauer, Raymond) – 3:02
2. "I'm Going To Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight" (Conrad) – 2:03
3. "Alley Oop" (Dallas Frazier) – 2:32
4. "Button Up Your Overcoat" (Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Ray Henderson) – 2:53
5. "Mr. Apollo" – 4:13 (Single Version) (German Version)
6. "Ready Mades" – 3:08
7. "The Strain" – 3:23
8. "Turkeys" – 2:10
9. "King Of Scurf" – 5:00
10. "Waiting For The Wardrobe" (Spear) – 2:47
11. "Straight From My Heart" – 3:06
12. "Rusty (Champion Thrust)" (Tony Kaye, Legs Larry Smith) – 7:05
13. "Rawlinson End" – 9:07
14. "Don't Get Me Wrong" – 4:53
15. "Fresh Wound" – 4:26
16. "Bad Blood" – 5:32
17. "Slush" – 2:20
18. "Labio-Dental Fricative" – 3:08 (Performed by Vivian Stanshall Sean Head Showband)
19. "Re-Cycled Vinyl Blues" – 3:32 (Performed by Neil Innes)
20. "Trouser Freak" (Spear) – 2:18 (Performed by Roger Ruskin Spear & His Giant Orchestral Wardrobe)

RE-POST: Neil Innes Book Of Records.....

Apparently, I Missed A Few In My Last Neil Post. Here It Is Again, With The Proper Corrections and a BIG BONUS!

Syd Barrett - Wouldn't You Miss Me? The Best of Syd Barrett (2001)

01 - Octopus
02 - Late Night
03 - Terrapin
04 - Swan Lee (Silas Lang)
05 - Wolfpack
06 - Golden Hair
07 - Here I Go
08 - Long Gone
09 - No Good Trying
10 - Opel
11 - Baby Lemonade
12 - Gigolo Aunt
13 - Dominoes
14 - Wouldn't You Miss Me (Dark Globe)
15 - Wined And Dined
16 - Effervescing Elephant
17 - Waving My Arms In The Air
18 - I Never Lied To You
19 - Love Song
20 - Two Of A Kind
21 - Bob Dylan Blues (Previously Unreleased)
22 - Golden Hair (Instrumental)

ROKY ERICKSON - I Have Always Been Here Before - The Roky Erickson Anthology (2005)

43 track comp of the 13th Floor Elevator's career. The later stuff is really great as well, despite his mental state.

Tracklisting
1. We Sell Soul - (with The Spades)
2. It's A Cold Night For Alligators - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
3. Your Gonna Miss Me - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
4. Creature With The Atom Brain - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
5. Stand For The Fire Demon - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
6. Reverberation (Doubt) - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
7. Bloody Hammer - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
8. Tried To Hide - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
9. Wind And More
10. Fire Engine - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
11. If You Have Ghosts - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
12. She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own) - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
13. Song To Abe Lincoln - (with Roky Erickson & Blieb Alien)
14. Slip Inside This House - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
15. Anthem (I Promise)
16. Splash 1 - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
17. Dust - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
18. Warning (Social And Political Injustices)
19. Beast
20. I Had To Tell You - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
21. Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) - (with 13th Floor Elevators)
22. You Don't Love Me Yet
23. Clear Night For Love
24. Right Track Now - (featuring Roky Erickson & Clementine Hall)
25. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - (with Roky Erickson & Blieb Alien)
26. Don't Slander Me
27. Starry Eyes - (with Roky Erickson & Blieb Alien)
28. Nothing In Return
29. Burn The Flames
30. Bermuda
31. Interpreter
32. When You Get Delighted
33. True Love Cast Out All Evil
34. Mine Mine Mind - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
35. For You (I'd Do Anything)
36. I Have Always Been Here Before
37. Click Your Fingers Applauding The Play - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
38. Please Judge
39. We Are Never Talking
40. I Think Up Demons - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
41. I'm Gonna Free Her
42. Don't Shake Me Lucifer - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)
43. White Faces - (with Roky Erickson & The Aliens)

Captain Beefheart - The Early Years 1959 - 1969 (European Bootleg, 1995 )

A nicely packaged European bootleg bringing together a whole bunch of rare and unavailable Magic Band goodies. Much of the content has since been included on the Grow Fins box set and Zappa's Mystery Disc CD but there are a couple of items here that are still not available commercially.

Overall the sound is pretty good although the Avalon tracks are not as good as they could have been (still great to get the very rare 'Blues Jam' track included though).

For a change this is a boot that has been compiled by a real fan and this shows in the sleeve notes which I'll include here:-

"The first track in this collection is probably the earliest recording of Don Van Vliet, recorded in a classroom at Antelope Valley College/High with Zappa on guitar and Beefheart on Vocals.

'Teenage Maltshop': believed to have been recorded circa 1963/4 at Zappa's Cucamonga studio Z, as part of a Teenage Opera, offered to Dot Records but turned down because of the distorted guitar. 'Metal Man...' also recorded in Studio Z in the main studio, but with Beefheart outside in the corridor to the studio singing whatever words were scribbled on the walls!

'Avalon Ballroom' 1966 was the first CB & Magic BAnd, probably CB, Doug Moon, Jerry Handley & Paul Blakely. This shows the influence of Howlin Wolf - he even says people have requested a Wolf song before singing 'Evil'.

'Frying Pan Acetate': An alt version. predates release on A&M.

'Almost Grown': Is an unreleased variation of a Chuck Berry song, & 'Call On Me': A much slower version than as released on Safe As Milk.

The 'Moody Liz Acetate', although very similar to the recently located Strictly Personal OT found by Sequel, is a White Label test Pressing with a similar as released version of 'On Tomorrow'. An item this fan would give my right arm to own.

Possibly more exciting is 'Korn Ring Finger'. Why this was not included on the Sequel CD amazed me ... An excellent track that you hope will never end.

This brings us up to the 'Trout Rehearsals' - they sound if they were made to be a part warm-up to the actual recordings. You can hear Don in the back throughout blowin his Sax from different parts of the room experimenting with the sound on 'Hair Pie' Variations. It was said by Beefheart that although the album was recorded very quickly, the amount of work that must have been put in by all the band members; to get to a stage where the instrumental backing was rteady for Beefheart to sing over these complex rhythms is awe inspiring ... & how he actually managed to add the vocals only he knows.

The immediate contrast between 'Moody Liz' & 'Korn Ring Finger' from the S. Personal Ots is extraordinary especially considering there is barely a year between the recordings ... 'Ella Guru' is a sheer delight to hear in its instrumental form, as are others on the CD.

These are not the digital recordings of the 90s ... But to be 'a fly on the wall' whilst one of the most amazing albums was being prepared for an unsuspecting public, & to hear some of the Early Years of Mr Don V Vliet playing with an equally very young Mr Zappa is a treat. We have included hopefully some of the rarities that maybe, just maybe will entice someone to try to dig into the vaults & find these hidden gems.

Next will be a look into the years 1970-1980.

'Ha Ha! That's Right...Just Dig It!!' D.V.Vliet 1969"

This was one of the great Beefheart boots when it was released. Unfortunately the projected Early Years Volume 2 never appeared.