Customer Reviews

Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album

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

 

 

Rock stars getting married to one of the donkeys by mistakes, death by falling off the back of a motorcycle (or off the back of a motorcyclist! oo-er), races to be eaten by a crocodile, muddy knees taking you to a newsagent, traffic lights that progress EXTREMELY slowly, more cultural irreverence than you could shake a tree branch at. Two stars! Not possible. Three stars! Ohh, that would be stingy. Only four stars because I'm a harsh grader. It's amazing what deadlines can do for your work: the contractual obligation brought out the beastliest best in Pythonesque stupidity. Buy it today and fatten up John Cleese's wallet even more.

I LOVE this album! This was my very first exposure to Monty Python 20 years ago and I've been a great fan of theirs ever since. As I love heresy, my favorite is "All Things Dull and Ugly", (it's SO true!) but I've always wondered just where they got the boys chorus. "The Martyrdom of St. Victor" is along the same lines. However, "Martyrdon", along with a several other cuts, are not musical. Most of these are absolutely hilarious, too, especially "String", "Bookshop", and "Bells". Aside from "All Things" I think the best musical numbers are "Never Be Rude To An Arab", "Chinese" and "Finland". I haven't heard any of their other albums, but if you like Monty Python, you'll enjoy this album.

After enjoying Monty Python's Flying Circus and their movies, you really should start sampling some of their music.

To the guy who only gave this two stars, go back to sitcoms and leave real humor for the rest of us. I only gave 4 stars because there are a couple of dumb ones, but between Bookshop, String, and all the rest, you will have to have a Kleenex to wipe the tears away. Some people may get offended, but then doesn't this group of guys always try to offend at least one group?

fast funny and somewhat naughty but i love this album. check out the medical love song and the sound of john denver being strangled. once youve listened to the complete album youll be singing monty python songs, especially in the car-i like traffic lights.......

Monty Python were contractually obligated to provide the record company with another album so they did. As such it could perhaps be viewed as less organic than some of those very early LP's they put out in the early 70's. Having said that there is some truly excellent stuff here, skits they probably couldn't or wouldn't have done in their earlier days when they were very much confined to what they thought they could get away with on British TV of the early 70's.

As such we get offensive offensives like Sit On My Face, I Bet You They Won't Play This Song On The Radio and hiliariously inappropriate stuff like Bells along with just plain weird stuff like Crocodile and Rock Notes. And the surreal Martyrdom of St Victor which I remember my mates and I laughing about until our sides hurt during our teenage years.

If you are a fan of Python you'll get a lot out of this. It WAS a contractual obligation but that seems to have basically inspired them to festoon it with some of their naughtiest and most biting satire outside of their feature films.

Unfortunately, this CD sounds like it was contractually obligated. Except for the hilarious "Bookshop", "Bells" and the song "I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio", a lot of this sounds uninspired. Some of it, like "Traffic Lights" is hard to listen to it's so stupid and unfunny. Many of the skits like "Rock Notes" and "Crocodile" are ok, but nothing compared to Python's classic bits. If you're a huge Python fan like me you'll listen to the good parts and skip the rest. If you're looking for a CD to get started on your Python journey, don't start here.

If you're fairly new to Monty Python, and you aren't a nutcase like me who already knows all of the songs by heart, then this CD would be a great addition to any learning fan. But if you're an age-old fan, this CD can be boring- you know the old already and have heard them a thousand times, and the the new songs on here aren't very interesting nor funny, either (except for perhaps Do What John?). So good for the less-extravagant fans, droll for the well-experienced.

You really should buy this album after you buy copies of all the television Monty Python episodes and watch them all seven times in a row! This is material from when comedy actually was funny. 'Henry Kissinger, how I'm missin' ya...', the suddenly relevant again 'Never Be Rude to an Arab', 'I Like Chinese, they're cute and their cuddly and their ready to please...', and the uncannily prescient 'Farewell to John Denver' are some of the few highlights to come out of the 1970s. Yeah, yeah, yeah ... there are some filler songs but, these are purposely put in at strategic locations to allow you to regain your composure from laughing so hard before the next funny one comes along! Buy it, listen, and laugh, laugh laugh!

Highlights: I like chinese, String, Bookshop, Bells, I bet you they won't play this song on the radio, finland, here comes another one, crocodile, rock notes, and the medical love song. Includes Muddy Knees and I'm So Worried, which aren't very good, but otherwise, it's a great album!