Customer Reviews

Another Monty Python CD

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judging the material itself, I'd give this album five stars. I agree that it's Monty Python at the height of their powers. But the CD I have has exactly two tracks on it: Track 1 represents Side A of the original LP; Track 2 represents Side B. This is very annoying because, unless you have a good fast forward button on your CD player, you have to listen to an entire side just to hear one bit. How hard would it have been to include tracks?

This CD includes some classics as the Spanish Inquisition, and some new ones (at least to me) like Gumby Theater (it's as funny as it should be) and the man who contradicts people! Much better than some of their latter albums (Matching Tie & Handkerchief) because this was specially designed for audio.

This recording is an great companion to the television series, presented in the same stream-of-consciousness style. This was before Monty Python recordings became little more than structured repositories of sketches and songs without the links and segues that mark the visuals. Standout sketches include (the continuous) Spanish Inquisition, Ethel the Frog (the Pirhana brothers), The Death of Mary, Queen of Scots; Gumby Theater, and Be a Great Actor (in your own sitting room).

One of Python's best, funny from beginning to end. There are classics here like The Spanish Inquisition that runs throughout the CD, The Death of Mary Queen of Scots, Be a Great Actor, Gumby Theater and one of my favorites, The Architects. The mock documentary on the Piranha Brothers, Doug and Dinsdale is one of the longest bits Python has done and is hilarious. Some of the ten second connectors are as funny as the skits surrounding them. This was Monty Python at their gloriously deranged peak.

I'm confused over the review stating your kids will not laugh...

My 10 and 11 year-olds howl whenever they hear this recording. The Death of Mary, Queen of Scots is their favorite. But they play this cd over and over and laugh uncontrollably every time.

There are classic Python routines on this cd, just like all of their recordings. Plus, they round them out nicely with material unique to the recordings, so it is not just rehashing TV material.

This cd was funny 30 years ago when it was an LP, and it's still funny today.

This CD, like many of the original CD releases, has been superseded by later versions with a few extra bits 'n' pieces on. And being the anorak I am I'll probably score those versions at some point in the future.

As to the release at hand however, it is full of great Python material from their early days when all of the troupes members were firing on all cylinders. As such there is a whole swag of anarchic comedy some of which is admittedly a bit self indulgent but most of which is just very funny.

As has been pointed out by another reviewer, there is a bit of an issue with this album being separated into only two tracks, each track representative of a side of the old LP release from the 70's. This smacks of laziness on the part of the record label and does make it hard to find your absolute favourite skits. Hopefully this has been corrected in later versions of the release.

That complaint aside, this is very good Python stuff from the early 70's and no real rehash (the compilations come later in the story).

There are few albums -- music or humour -- which have given me as much sheer enjoyment as this one. This was their second LP, and arguably the Python team's writing was at its height. (Yes, yes all right, the Parrot Sketch is on the first album, but that is simply a transfer by the BBC of the TV sketches to audio.)

Besides the constantly interfering Spanish Inquisition, this album also features the Piranha Brothers spoof documentary, which was very tightly based on the Kray case of the time. Episodes 1 and 2 of the Death of Mary, Queen of Scots, are also here in their magnificent entirety.

Buy it before it gets deleted.

Not funny, August 20, 2001
Reviewer: lamb@hallevans.com (see more about me) from littleton, colorado United States
Yes, it was funny in 1976, or whenever it came out, but it is not very funny today. Your kids will not laugh and you will lose credibility that is oh so hard to preserve

In response to the above, the monty pythons have already said it best in their sketch "Penultimate Supper" and it goes like this "bloody facist!!"

Sorry. I meant for that to be humourous not rude. I cannot see how the intellectual comedic talent of the pythons can escape any generation, except for the prudish few who think its not funny to laugh at in public, but crack open when no one is around.