Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still great after 40 years, 2 Aug 2007
For serious collectors of the Bonzos, CD reissues and compilations over the years have been a frustrating series of could-have-beens, often lacking in completeness and/or sound quality. This new (2007) series from EMI, remastering all five original albums, goes a long way towards rectifying the problem. They are all intact as originally released, the sound is great and there is an intelligent, very comprehensive assortment of bonus tracks. Even though I still don't believe these are the final, definitive versions of the Bonzos' recordings for us nerdy completists, by all means get them!
"Gorilla" starts brilliantly with the satirical "Cool Britannia" (a title which has since entered the language) complete with its dadaistic coda of a woman laughing hysterically at the sound of wood being chopped! From there on, the gems just keep coming: The very beatlesque "Equestrian Statue" (Neil's first "Rutles" song?), 20's novelty covers including "Jollity Farm", Viv's Mickey Spillane parody "Big Shot", the Elvis send-up "Death Cab for Cutie" (another title which has been appropriated), the sheer insanity of "Jazz" and "Sound of Music", and of course the classic "The Intro and the Outro". Like their friends in Monty Python, the comedy survives largely because it's based at least as much on attitude as on "jokes". One could mention such inspirations as The Alberts, Spike Jones or even Frank Zappa, but really the Bonzos created their own unique and inimitable territory.
The bonus tracks include previously unreleased tracks as well as their first two singles. Here I have one technical quibble: "My Brother..." still has its piano introduction omitted, just as in the Cornology version. Is this because of copyright problems? (The introduction quoted "Dance of the Cuckoos", the Laurel & Hardy theme.) Anyway, fans, if you ain't got this track on vinyl, you ain't got it!
Also, as with so many other '60s albums, there are some interesting varieties between the mono and stereo mixes, so one would like to see the mono mixes released sometime.
The cover booklets to this and the other four re-releases include only snippets of the original covers, and Viv's weird comments to each track are unfortunately omitted. On the plus side, Neil has written new commentaries with some interesting background info.
This CD ends on a glorious note with their hilarious radio special, "The Craig Torso Show".
All in all, this as great a version as you can get of "Gorilla", an essential part of any record collection, a millstone of 20th century culture! Bye-ceps for now...
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
look out, there's a monster coming..., 15 Mar 2008
At last, quality reissues of all the Bonzos' albums - it's hard to believe this was the only one previously issued separately on CD. The Cornology box valiantly collected (nearly) all the previously available material into one place but these reissues are the real deal - superbly remastered and packaged, augmented with bonus tracks that are worth listening to more than twice, and featuring extremely droll sleeve notes by surviving joint chief Bonzo Neil Innes.
The Bonzos started in fine form with this classic, with all the main strands of their act - covers of 20s & 30s novelty tunes, surreal lunacy, merciless parodies of trad jazz and contemporary pop and rock and general musical comedic genius. Standouts are many, including Neil Innes's first (of many) Beatles parody, The Equestrian Statue, a close relative of Penny Lane; The Intro And The Outro, in which Vivian Stanshall introduces an increasingly surreal cast of thousands, culminating in "J.Arthur Rank on gong..."; Big Shot, in which Stanshall plays a Humphrey Bogart wannabe whose banal reality gradually shows through his attempted cool dude patter; Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold, in which the mostly expert musicians of the Bonzos swap instruments and give the finger to terrible trad jazz revivalists in a hilariously inept one take outbreak of musical comic genius; the best cover here, Jollity Farm, a 20s novelty song of considerable charm and many animal noises, suitable for children of all ages; and their deranged butchering of The Sound Of Music. But there isn't a bad track here, and little that even qualifies as filler.
The bonus track selection is strong here as well; it includes two previously unissued tracks - a fine and extremely exuberant demo of Ali Baba's Camel and another novelty cover, On Her Doorstep Last Night (later covered by Bonzos member Roger Ruskin Spear on his solo album Unusual) plus all four sides of their two early singles, including the wonderful sound effects extravaganza My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies; and finally the The Craig Torso Show, a side-splitting sketch parodying "personality" radio djs, recorded for the BBC.
Clearly all concerned were having a ball recording Gorilla, and while arguably their songwriting improved later on (and we were yet to hear a song composed by the talented and extremely silly Roger Ruskin Spear), this marvellous debut remains one of their finest and funniest albums.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Oddly funny!, 30 Jul 2009
If you don't know the Bonzos this is a good start, wildly eclectic with a hint of clesma this is music based on 20's Vaudeville, and some rock and roll. If you can get your head round that AND the concept of Adolph Hitler playing the vibraphone start here...
No really it is meant to be amusing, the Equestrian Statue lives and the Monster coming is the late Michael Jackson to a tee! And if you think that is in bad taste you still might like the record.
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