The Big Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band Thread

[Jemble Fred]

An idle idea for a truly great Bonzos tribute album: (To me, anyway, don't give a french fig for anyone else's dreams)
•New track from Neil
•New track from Larry (without those fucking warbling women)
•George Harrison's offering, perhaps with a bit of Lynne work on it
• Covers by Neil Hannon, Vic & Bob, PSB, Stephen Fry, Paul McCartney and anyone else I like who's a Bonzos fan, or inspired by the Bonzos in some way.
•No input from Yoakum, or anyone remotely like him.

All proceeds to go to a charity for valium-addicted alcoholic ginger people.

[difbrook]

Won't it be a bit cruel to put Yoakum's album tracks up here? After all, none of us has done anything to deserve it.

Could have been SO GOOD as well...

now, I know about the Chapman thing, but Bonzo-related Yoakum antics? I am mystified... time for me to do a site keyword search, I think!

[SurferGhost]

And now for some music:

Sport (the Odd Boy)

Sport, Sport, masculine sport/Equips a young man for society
Yes sport turns out a jolly good sort/It's an odd boy who doesn't like sport

...Mallarme? That's what Gooooooooogle's for, innit.

You Done My Brain In (demo)

[alan strang]

For anyone who hasn't heard these... well, I bloody envy you. You're in for a right old treat:

http://rapidshare.de/files/2090067/Vivian_Stanshall_-_Nine_Peter_Gabriel_Radio_Spots.mp3.html

[Darrell]

Let's Make Up And Be Friendly Rehearsal Sessions (1971)

One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen

Delicious.

[SurferGhost]

I'm in there like a ferret.

[Darrell]

For anyone who hasn't heard these... well, I bloody envy you.

These are magic!

They sound like they were produced by Kenny Everett. Presumably they weren't, but they're very much in the spirit of things.

[GoochDogHigh5s]

Great thread for a great band

Interview by Danny Baker  with Neil Innes (he talks about The Bonzo's , I am only 5 minutes in to a 21 minute interview, talking about how he first met Viv)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/insideldn/dannybaker/archive1_clipoftheday_2005.shtml

[GoochDogHigh5s]

Interesting that he has just mentioned that  Winchester Cathedral made them change their direction.
God bless the New vaudaville Band

[SurferGhost]

Let's Make Up And Be Friendly Rehearsal Sessions (1971)

That was well worth waiting for, easily the most entertaining twenty minutes I've enjoyed this year. It's particularly brilliant from track seven onwards with all that Abnormal, Dambusters and Douglas Bader stuff. Especially pleasing to hear "Twyford's Vitromant" in there, as well...
I'm sure that this is what VS once described as "Forty-five minutes of Dadaist shouting". So hopefully there's another twenty-five minutes that will turn up some day, somewhere!

"Inedible muck, and there's not enough of it."

[Banana Woofwoof]

I love you all dearly.  This is going to keep me busy for a while.

[alan strang]

These are magic!

They sound like they were produced by Kenny Everett. Presumably they weren't, but they're very much in the spirit of things.

Indeed. I imagine they'd have been played on Capital Radio too. I wish I had more info about exactly when they were recorded - and for which LP: Gabriel released three consecutive eponymously-titled albums.

At a pinch I'd suggest that it was advertising the second one in 1978 - which would coincide with Stanshall's Rawlinson End LP (also released on the "Char-is-ma lab-i-el" that year) so the appearences of all the Rawlinson characters would have an ulterior function!

I wonder if there was ever a series of radio ads for the Rawlinson End LP, sung completely straight by Peter Gabriel. If not there bloody should have been.

[TJ]

Interesting that he has just mentioned that  Winchester Cathedral made them change their direction.
God bless the New vaudaville Band

They get a bad rap to be honest - a lot of their stuff makes for quite pleasant listening. Obviously not quite in the same league as The Bonzos, but certainly worth lending an ear to.

[Darrell]

Especially pleasing to hear "Twyford's Vitromant" in there, as well...

Not to mention a brief snatch of 'Intermission' from Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

[Banana Woofwoof]

This isn't a rarity but everyone should hear this song.  It's so beautiful!

Ready-Mades

[Catalogue Trousers]

The Bottom theme tune is actually a cover of a 60's record called "Last Night" by the Mar-keys.

Well,yes, the end credits are: but the opener is a slower, less perky piece which has definite similarities to the "der-der-der-der-der-der, der-der-der-der-der-der, DUH!" rhythm which underpins "Canyons Of Your Mind". So therrrrrrreeeeee.......

[TJ]

The Bottom theme tune is actually a cover of a 60's record called "Last Night" by the Mar-keys.

Well,yes, the end credits are: but the opener is a slower, less perky piece which has definite similarities to the "der-der-der-der-der-der, der-der-der-der-der-der, DUH!" rhythm which underpins "Canyons Of Your Mind". So therrrrrrreeeeee.......

Well, that's BB King's 'BB's Blues', innit?

[Catalogue Trousers]

Ah, but which came first, "Canyons..." or "BB's Blues"? This one could run and run, ooh, for at least one more post!

[Banana Woofwoof]

Here is the Rawlinson End LP, which is the best introduction to Viv's spoken word output.  Listen and enjoy.  And, er, don't kill me for uploading it.  If it's not allowed, let me know and I'll edit the links out.

Part One

Part Two

[SurferGhost]

^
Now more than half a dozen people might understand what the Cramlington End thread was [supposed to be] about.

The aforementioned
Twyford's Vitromant [Peel session]

EDIT: Neil Innes solo, innit.

[Banana Woofwoof]

I love this thread.

Here is something from a solo BBC session in 1975 (thank you, SurferGhost!) by Vivian.  I find it a bit heartbreaking, and I'm not sure why.

The Final Analysis- Vivian Stanshall, 1975

[SurferGhost]

There's a streak of bleakness running throughout all of his work so far as I'm concerned, which if I'm pushed is probably why I prefer his stuff to Neil Innes'.

Future

Very short, but very affecting (it appears in the also-available-from-this-thread Essex Teenager). Allegedly not autobiographical, but you can't escape the feeling, especially as it turned out to be practically his last recorded work (although it was written around 1985 apparently).


EDIT: Is it time to dig out Breath From The Pit yet?

[SurferGhost]

I'll take that as a yes then.

The British Brainwashing Corporation Presents Vivian Stanshall and Keith Moon as Colonel Knutt and Lemmy in:

BREATH FROM THE PIT - episode one

A bit rough, and yes there are better copies in circulation, but this is the only one I had to hand as an mp3 and it gives you the idea. And yes that really is Keith Moon, patent exploding drummer of The Who.
From VS' Radio Flashes BBC Radio One shows of 1971.

[Paaaaul]

I'd like to say a big Thank you to everyone who has posted rare and interesting stuff in this thread. It's all been great. I thought I had a pretty good Bonzo's collection until this thread kicked off.

[Paaaaul]

mp3 of Viv's Ruddles Ads

[SurferGhost]

Oooh, ta for those, I've never even heard those last two before.
BREATH FROM THE PIT - episode two

[Paaaaul]

A bunch of Viv ditties for download from a nice site , mostly about Viv's radio sessions.

[SurferGhost]

BREATH FROM THE PIT - episode three

[TJ]

*cough*


Breath From The Pit is covered in the latest chapter of Fun At One, my history of comedy programming on Radio 1. So there.

[SurferGhost]

Oh really? And where would we get hold of a copy?

*cough*

Great that as usual, by the way, lovely pics as well. Sorry about losing that Keith Moon Show I had, did you manage to get hold of any others?