monty python s flying circus_《Monty Python's Flying Circus》专辑 - Monty Python - 虾米音乐

by Lindsay Planer

This debut long-player contains a composite of skits by British comedy troupe Monty Python. The personnel features the talents of writer/actors Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam (the sole Yankee), whose primary contributions were visual (most immediately evident being the iconoclastic "foot-through-the-telly" imagery adorning the front cover of this release). Keen-eared listeners familiar with the show will be able to instantly discern that the material on this platter has been re-recorded and is not simply audio lifted from the show's soundtrack. In addition to the occasional dialogue discrepancy, the use of canned laughter is noticeably different, if not at times a bit jarring. As the Pythons have become cultural icons since their demise in the early '80s, a few of the bits such as "Trades Description Act" (aka "Crunchy Frog"), the "Lumberjack Song" (which is included in the homicidal "Barber" sketch), and "Dead Parrot" (aka "Pet Shop") would go on to define the Dada-influenced surrealism that they would become most closely associated with. The vast majority of the Python catalog can be found on CD, and this title graced the medium for a very brief time in the mid-'80s as part of the BBC's Audio Visual International series. Oddly, and perhaps owing to legal rather than artistic reasons, Monty Python's Flying Circus (1970) remains unavailable to modern listeners on compact disc. While all of the characters may not be as fully-formed -- such as the sincere and butch Chapman persona used in "The Visitors" -- this is a worthwhile find, if not a somewhat compulsory primer for all enthusiasts.