Customer Reviews

Monty Python Sings

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
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And now, for something completely different. There are 25 songs taken from Monty Python's TV series, movies, and other comedy albums, some that are so memorable, it isn't surprising to hear someone singing them at a whim, other obscure ones that are downright hilarious and/or gross, and those featured in their TV show and movies. But others are like, "Gordon Bennett, this is so naff! What'd they include it in 'ere for?" Consequently, I'll not go through every song, but be warned if I do get silly--Python tends to do that to people.

"Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life", sung by Eric Idle and the crucified prisoners at the end of Life Of Brian, starts out the album. Basically: "life's a piece of ****, when you look at it/life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true/you'll see it's a show/keep'em laughing as you go/just remember that the last laugh is on you." A breezy, humorous, but pointed look at "the final word."

"The Lumberjack Song" is by far THE classic Python song. In this rendition, Michael Palin leads off by a weather report, before he sings, "I didn't want to do this for a living. I wanted to be... a lumberjack!" and the rest is history. Note: if anyone hears me singing "I cut down trees/I wear high heels/suspenders and a bra", PLEASE don't take me seriously. I'm an environmentalist and would NOT cut down trees. Yours etc. D.J. Hamlow, Mrs.

The brief "(Not the Noel Coward Song)" from Meaning Of Life is a 41 second laugh-out-loud ditty on "your wife's best friend", the one sung before Mr. Creosote comes into the restaurant.

"Oliver Cromwell" sung by John Cleese, is set to Frederic Chopin's Polonaise No. 6 and is a delight for English history buffs. The twisted tone they give is apparent in the spoken intro: "The most interesting thing about King Charles I is that he was 5'6" tall at the start of his reign, but only 4'8" tall at the end of it... because of..." and the song begins, listing the key events of the English Civil Wars.

"Medical Love Song" is so disgusting, I won't mention it, but it is funny, and the chorus is a list of medical conditions.

"Every Sperm Is Sacred" is a latter day classic that needs to be sung a lot more. This hilarious parody on the Catholic mindset of conception was a highlight from The Meaning Of Life. I wonder if the kids in the movie knew what they were singing, especially the little girl who sings "Let the heathens spill theirs/on the dusty ground/God will make them pay for/each sperm that can't be found."

The brief "Never Be Rude To An Arab" is a guilty pleasure ditty for these PC times. After a nice first verse extolling the virtues of respecting a "Saudi, Israeli, or Jew", the next verse includes some derogatory racial words before an explosion sounds, cutting off Terry Jones.

Those who have or are taking a philosophy course right now will enjoy the "Bruces' Philosopher's Song" by those lovable Australian Bruces. You know, "Immanuel Kant was a real p----ant, who was very rarely stable..." and how different philosophers drank. And remember what Rene Descartes said. "I drink therefore I am."

"All Things Dull & Ugly" is a bitterly cynical but funny take on the British choir song "All Things Bright And Beautiful." Yes, it is true, isn't it, "All things scabbed and ulcerous/All pox both great and small/putrid, foul and gangrenous/The Lord God made them all."

The other Meaning Of Life songs are included, and those are among my favourites, such as the title track sung outrageously by Eric Idle: "What's the point of all this hoax?/Is this the chicken and the egg time, are we just yolks?", the Vegas-style "Christmas In Heaven" number and the contemplative "Galaxy Song." Yes, "pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space/because there's bu--er all down here on Earth."

The "Spam Song" ends the album to please the hardcore fans. If you want something affordable that's just songs and without sketches, such as the Final Ripoff double CD, then sing with Monty Python Sings. However, be warned that there are a number of naff songs that may warrant hitting the fast-forward button. Yours etc. Brigadier DJ Ham-And-Cheese, with shallots, aubergines, and a double scoop of lemon curry.

I was so happy to find this collection. I've loved Monty Python series and movies and admired the multi-talented group. Nothing was too holy for them to be laughed at - and so should it be, laughing at something makes even the most horrible and difficult things shrink down to a size, where we can look at them and deal with them. And yet they always maintained quality in their work.

This record is a good example: it has songs from the series and such movies as 'The meaning of life', 'The life of Brian' and 'The quest for the holy Grail'. Of course, Eric Idle shines here with his 'Always look on the bright side of life', hilarious 'Penis song' and 'Bruces' philosophers song' being the author and composer of all these and many others. And as a performer... well, you can't listen to his voice without bursting into a huge smile. 'Always look on the bright side of life' really saves the day, no matter how bad things look.

The subjects are varied, some of them laugh casually at sex, such as 'Sit on my face'. It wasn't at all awkward to listen to them, because the ambitious, very serious way everything is arranged with violins, flutes, male choirs and symphony orchestras lifts the songs from being a bit naughty to something absolutely irresistible. You can only laugh and sing along. And can anybody go to church and listen to hymns seriously after hearing the lovely boy choir singing Eric Idle's 'All things dull & ugly'?

'Bruces' philosopher's song' and 'Knights of the round table' weren't technically as good as others, unfortunately. I was going to give four stars, but had to give the fifth one for Michael Palin for making 'Finland', even if it's clearly made by someone who's never been here - and I understood that's just the point. Sorry, Michael, we don't have mountains. Only some fells, none of them even a mile high.

Have a laugh, get this. The songs are so well made, that you can listen them still, when you already know the joke.

If you consider yourself a Monty Python fan, you must buy this cd. It has all the classics- The Lumberjack Song, Eric the Half-a-Bee, and many more favorites of the best comedy group of all time!

This a record with something for everyone. Obviously first and foremost it's a convenient collection of Monty Python's best-known songs, many of which have become comedy classics. If you don't have any other Python in your collection, then this is a good place to start, with all the familiar songs from the films mingling with lesser-known items from the studio LPs.

But even if you're a fanatic who's already got all the "proper" Python albums, it's still worth getting this compilation as it's the only place you'll find the full-length "Medical Love Song" (previously featured on "Contractual Obligation Album", but only in a shortened form), a studio recording of Terry Gilliam singing "I've Got Two Legs" or the marvellous exclusive track "Oliver Cromwell" (sung hilariously badly by Cleese). Best of all, the version of "The Lumberjack Song" included here is actually the George Harrison-produced single version, which is (a) brilliant, and (b) pretty much impossible to find anywhere else.

In brief, then: an essential purchase for all Python lovers.

In this 25 song collection of both the Monty Python TV series and their movies, they start out with world famous songs on track 1-3:
Always look on the bright side of life (Life of Brian's favorite song, and the closing of the Graham Chapman's eulogy);
Sit on my face (recently heard a lot on the radio)
Lumberjack song (tv version, not the one from Live at the Hollywood Bowl)

Although I am a fan of the series, the songs from the TV series on this collection were unfamiliar to me, and it was wonderful finally hearing them. A new favorite of mine became "Every sperm is sacred".

The only song I miss on this collection is "You can't say *PEEP* on the radio", but for your money this is good value.

The classic combination of satire, ribaldry, and hilarity makes this a favourite CD - especially for dreary afternoons, when it brings me to inevitable laughter. Of course, being a very religious medievalist, I can justify my guilty pleasure by comparing the work to the miracle plays of the Middle Ages... I never cover the naughty bits...

The only drawback is that the tunes are guaranteed to stick in one's mind (a problem only if, like myself, one finds oneself singing "Every Sperm is Sacred" in the narthex of one's church).

Brilliant, hilarious, raunchy, and with some of the most clever lyrics ever. Who else, besides the Python troupe could get away with singing songs about penises, sperm, gonorrhea, balls and scrotums? The answer is no-one. At least not in a way that you'd feel comfortable playing it around your elderly relatives. But Monty Python does it in a way and with such tongue-in-cheek humour, that no-one could be offended, except those who have no sense of humour anyway. And, to those folks, I say "Get a Life, lighten up, and get this cd. It'll put some fun into your lives."

Everyone with a brain knows that Python is the funniest troupe ever. The songs are just as good. This is the best feel good, cheer you up album EVER recorded. Has Monty's best songs from "The Lumberjack Song" to little kids singing about the wonders of reproduction... Has the classic "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" as well. Buy it sing to it and laugh and enjoy!

This CD contains the majority, albeit not all, of Monty Ptyhon's best known songs. Some of them come from the three great Python films - the Holy Grail, the Life of Brian and the Meaning of Life. Others are drawn predominantly from the Flying Circus comdey series. All of them display the absurdist comedy that the Monty Python troup were famous for with the talents of John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Graham Chapman all utilized in various ways. If you are a fan of Monty Python I would highly recommend purchasing this CD so you can appreciate their musical repetoire over and over again.

Essential listening is what this album is. The Python team's individual and ground-breaking treatment of British society and history is exemplified in this album and it therefore serves as a perfect introduction, and summary, of the team's oeuvre. Python should be part of the national school curriculum of every country that feels is has something to brag about (and which doesn't think that?)

The most entertaining, and accurate, British history lesson you could imagine on one album, plus a world view relevant to everyone.

Buy it and worship at the shrine of the great god Python!