Monty Python's Previous Record


Monty Python's Previous Record is the third album by Monty Python. Released in 1972, it marked the group's first collaborations with regular sound engineer Andre Jacquemin as well as musician Neil Innes, who had previously appeared with future members of the Python team on Do Not Adjust Your Set. The album contains many sketches from the third series of Flying Circus, one from the second as well as an abridged version of "The Tale of Happy Valley" from the second German show. The album was released midway through the broadcast of Series 3, whose sketches featured on the album were all from its first half, with the exception of "Dennis Moore" which aired a month later and therefore made its debut here. The oldest sketch on the album, Eric Idle's "Radio Quiz Game", dates back to I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, where it was performed by Graeme Garden – Idle having subsequently performed the sketch himself on two editions of Do Not Adjust Your Set. The rest of the material was specially written for the album.
Among the proposed ideas for the record were a 'B' side consisting of four concentric tracks, all starting at different places on the first groove, so that the listener could get any of one of four different versions of the 'B' side". When this proved impossible, a three-sided 'B' side was attempted. But as Jacquemin later explained, "That's why you hear 'and now a massage from the Swedish Prime Minister' three times on it. Each groove was going to start with that, but unfortunately, the three grooves ran into each other towards the centre of the record. In the end, we cut all the bits together for a standard, single-groove side." A year later, a less ambitious version of the same idea, with just two concentric tracks, would be used on the next Monty Python LP, The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief.
The cover design, by Terry Gilliam, pictured an elongated arm which wrapped around both sides of the sleeve. Its hand can be seen trying to catch a six-breasted woman with butterfly wings. The inner sleeve pictured the covers of sixteen fictional albums on one side, with the other containing the album credits and lyrics to the "Yangtse Song".
The original British vinyl release included a separate 33rpm 7" flexi-disc entitled Teach Yourself Heath, housed in a sleeve featuring a picture of then Prime Minister Edward Heath.
The album was trailed three weeks earlier on 17 November 1972 by the 7" single Eric The Half-A-Bee/Yangtse Song, credited to "Monty Python With Niel Innes". These were alternate mono mixes of two tracks which would appear in stereo on the album. The latter song had an added karaoke section with additional linking from Michael Palin.
"Summarize Proust Competition" was recorded but cut from the album, although a reference to the Proust Song remains on the album's inner sleeve. The track was released five years later on the Instant Record Collection compilation. Another cut sketch, "Bells", eventually found its way onto 1980's Monty Python's [Contractual Obligation Album|Contractual Obligation Album].
As with the previous record, initial UK pressings had a unique label. Both sides featured the "Mad Hatter" Charisma design, with the first side listed as "'A' side and half 'B' side" and a list of contents by "a Harley Street Dentist". The second side was listed as "This side" and contained a series of teeth-cleaning instructions. Later pressings were issued with the standard Charisma label, omitting the dentally-themed text. The US version, released in 1973, had the "Harley Street Dentist" material from the UK A-side label switched to Side B, with the A side eschewing the teeth-cleaning instructions of the UK version in favour of a red label containing the actual track listing for both sides. This, too, was different from the UK version, removing the tracks "How To Do It" and "Radio Quiz Game" from Side 1 and placing them on Side 2.
The album reached No.39 in the UK album chart.
The track "Wonderful World of Sound" features the earliest known citation of the phrase "something for the weekend", a euphemistic reference to condoms used by barbers when offering them to their clientele.
The bonus tracks on the 2006 CD reissue feature many previously unreleased out-takes from the album's sessions, with newly added music and sound effects, alongside outtakes from the 1980 Contractual Obligation Album sessions and 1971 promos for Monty Python's [Big Red Book].
The 2014 vinyl reissue by Virgin Records Limited contains the UK version of the album and does not include any bonus tracks.

UK Track listing

Side one

  1. Introduction
  2. Are You Embarrassed Easily?
  3. A Book at Bedtime
  4. Dennis Moore
  5. Money Programme
  6. Money Song
  7. Dennis Moore
  8. Dennis Moore Song
  9. Australian Table Wine
  10. Dennis Moore Song
  11. Argument Clinic
  12. How To Do It
  13. Dennis Moore Song
  14. Pepperpots
  15. Personal Freedom
  16. Dennis Moore Song
  17. Fish Licence
  18. Eric the Half-a-Bee
  19. Radio Quiz Game
  20. Travel Agent

    Side two

  21. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  22. Silly Noises
  23. Anne Elk
  24. Yangtse Sketch
  25. Yangtse Song
  26. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  27. A Minute Passed
  28. Eclipse of the Sun
  29. Alistair Cooke
  30. Wonderful World of Sound
  31. Funerals at Prestatyn
  32. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  33. Happy Valley

    US Track listing

Side one

  1. Introduction
  2. Are You Embarrassed Easily?
  3. A Book at Bedtime
  4. Dennis Moore
  5. Money Programme
  6. Money Song
  7. Dennis Moore
  8. Dennis Moore Song
  9. Australian Table Wine
  10. Dennis Moore Song
  11. Argument Clinic
  12. Dennis Moore Song
  13. Pepperpots
  14. Personal Freedom
  15. Dennis Moore Song
  16. Fish Licence
  17. Eric the Half-a-Bee
  18. Travel Agent

    Side two

  19. Radio Quiz Game
  20. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  21. Silly Noises
  22. Anne Elk
  23. Yangtse Sketch
  24. Yangtse Song
  25. How To Do It
  26. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  27. A Minute Passed
  28. Eclipse of the Sun
  29. Alistair Cooke
  30. Wonderful World of Sound
  31. Funerals at Prestatyn
  32. Massage From The Swedish Prime Minister
  33. Happy Valley

    2006 Bonus tracks

  34. Baxter's
  35. Meteorology
  36. Blood, Devastation, War & Horror
  37. The Great Debate
  38. Mortuary Visit
  39. Flying Fox Of The Yard
  40. Is There
  41. Teach Yourself Heath
  42. The Book Ad
  43. Big Red Bowl
  44. Pepperpots
  45. Pellagra

    Personnel

The following is the list of musical works included on the album. They comprise a mixture of Studio G library music, self-penned Python songs and specially composed music by Neil Innes.
  1. Fashion Parade
  2. Alla Handel
  3. Sporting News
  4. Money Song
  5. Dennis Moore
  6. Happy Movement
  7. Eric The Half A Bee
  8. Holiday Time
  9. Beethoven's Fifth
  10. Comic Giggles
  11. Beachy Head
  12. Yangtse Song
  13. Medieval Fanfares
  14. Great Adventure Suite
  15. Fairytale Music
  16. Ya De Bucketty
  17. Television Tensions