Brian Parker back with more comedy......check this one for certain

It's a hard thing to try to relate Monty Python to anyone who might not be familiar. Python has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. My dad was a Brit, and I inherited his taste for English comedy. I remember we had a VHS tape of The Meaning of Life when I was a kid, and I must've worn it clear through. To me, Python is more than a comedy troupe; their like this funny group of long-lost uncles.

Everyone knows the movies and the TV show, but no one seems to know that they made albums. I remember when I was young, I bought a cassette of "Matching Tie & Hankerchief". It was a surreal first listen, but I knew it would pay off. Python records are dense, and just as stream of consciousness as the shows and movies. And in some cases - "Bruces" from "Matching Tie" comes to mind - the bits work better on record than on the show, without the stilted BBC recording and the audience response.

Two things that are rare in this post - and which you never see put together with these other albums - are the original "Flying Circus" BBC album from 1970 and the 1981 "Hastily Cobbled Together" bootleg. I've never owned "The Final Rip Off", so that's not here. Can anybody help with a link for that? I don't have "Monty Python Sings", so I put together a disc of my favorite single songs along with some interesting Eric Idle stuff I came across.

NOTE: Some of these albums came from my "Instant Monty Python CD Collection" box set, and only have a Track 1 and a Track 2. This applies to "Another Monty Python Record", "Monty Python's Previous Record", "Drury Lane", and the three film soundtracks. The other ones are sequenced into separate tracks - "Matching Tie", "Live at City Center", and "Contractual Obligation" being the 1997 remasters.

MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS (1970) Download

Researching this one, apparently it's much maligned because it uses canned laughter. I don't see why - many parts of the TV show had a laugh track. To me it just sounds like a good live gig. Contains many funny bits from the first season: "Nudge Nudge", "The Lumberjack Song", "Dead Parrot", and several others.

The rights to this belong to the BBC (it's the only release the Pythons don't control at all) and it's only seen intermittent release over the years...so enjoy, Python fans. Took a lot of digging to find this!

ANOTHER MONTY PYTHON RECORD. Download

Contains "Spanish Inquisition,""World Forum", "Piranha Brothers", "Spam", and many other great bits from the first two seasons.

MONTY PYTHON'S PREVIOUS RECORD. Download

This one is hilarious. Starts out great with the "Embarassment Test". "Australian Wines" is funny too. And the version of "Argument Clinic" here beats the one from the show. In fact, the whole things flows like a great episode. And Cleese's "Anne Elk Interview" always makes me laugh my ass off. Drags a little towards the end, but a surreal classic was coming next...

THE MONTY PYTHON MATCHING TIE & HANDKERCHIEF Download

For me, this is Python's ultimate moment on record. It's just perfectly sculpted. Has some bits familiar from the show, as well as new ones. Many classic routines, including John Cleese's genius minute-long "Word Association", which I'm still figuring out 25 years later. Interesting story about the vinyl of this...the second side was made up of two locked concentric spirals - hence "Side 2" and "Side 3".

MONTY PYTHON LIVE AT DRURY LANE. Download

Their first live album, well recorded in a theater. I like this one. NOTE: a lot of this material was repeated on the U.S. "Live at City Center", but given the fidelity of that release, this is the one to go for...but I am including both.

THE ALBUM OF THE SOUNDTRACK TO....(HOLY GRAIL). [Link will be up soon]

While one might think these are just recorded bits from the movie, that's not the case. They used this opportunity to make another great comedy album. The second half barely involves the movie. There's hilarious digressions - the commentator inside the theater and the professional logician come to mind. A really funny listen for fans of the film (which is like, everyone....)

EXTRA: Monty Python & the Holy Grail of Library Cues DOWNLOAD

For the truly hellbent Holy Grail fan. These are all the music cues used throughout the movie, in their complete versions. I don't know the origin of any of these tracks, or if this is an actual release or an online comp. There are song titles and artist names, so enjoy anyway. Some of this is really beautiful music if you can separate it from the movie in your head.

LIVE AT CITY CENTER. DOWNLOAD

I wish this one was a video instead of an album. Shares a lot with "Live at Drury Lane", but recorded in front of a louder U.S. audience, who would've clearly laughed at anything the boys did. It's kind of like The Beatles'"Live at the Hollywood Bowl": the nuance of Python is lost in front of such a big,
rapturous crowd.

LIFE OF BRIAN. Download

Brian is my name, so how can I not love this movie? It is pretty much a straight recording of the film soundtrack, with some good linking bits by Graham Chapman.

MONTY PYTHON EXAMINES THE LIFE OF BRIAN. Download

This is an American radio interview from around the time of "Brian"s release. Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman do everything in their power to sabotage the interview. An interesting listen. There's also a promo record like this for "The Meaning of Life", but I can't get ahold of any of it...

MONTY PYTHON'S CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION ALBUM. DOWNLOAD

[I like this tape art more than the LP/CD cover]

Given the title, one would think this is just throwaways. Some of it is, but many bits are classic: "String", "Bookshop", "Rock Notes", the "Being Eaten By a Crocodile Event", "Bells"... And some of Eric Idle's songs aren't slouches either: "Sit On My Face", "Decomposing Composers", "All Things Dull & Ugly"...good stuff.

NOTE: This '97 remaster contains "Farewell to John Denver", which was cut from some other editions.

THE HASTILY COBBLED TOGETHER FOR A FAST BUCK ALBUM DOWNLOAD

Another I only discovered lately, and the impetus behind this post. This is a bootleg that consists of things cut from "Contractual Obligation" ...apparently given to a member of Mötorhead (!) by Michael Palin years ago. So, leftovers of leftovers, but strange bootleg Python? Who's bitching?

THE MEANING OF LIFE DOWNLOAD

Plays like a tighter version of the movie. And since it's my favorite Python, don't know what else to say. I wish this was indexed track by track, some of their best songs are here.

PYTHON MISCELLANEOUS. DOWNLOAD

Just threw together a bunch of random good stuff I found on mp3 sites. A few of the movie themes, some good Eric Idle solo stuff...the "FCC Song" is hilarious. Enjoy!

There you are, folks. Everything is here except for "Sings", "Rip Off", and the Meaning of Life Press Kit release. If you like this post, drop a comment, please. You'll never find this stuff put together anywhere else!