''How Sweet to Be an Idiot'' is the first solo album by

Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the pioneering comedy rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the Mon ...

, formerly of the

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde art, ...

, and was released in 1973.

Release

The title track was released as a single (with B-side "The Age of Desperation") but failed to chart. It was a more instrumented version than on the album, arranged by

Richard Hewson Richard Anthony Hewson (born 17 November 1943) is an English producer, arranger, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, who created the studio group RAH Band. Career Hewson began in the late 1960s as an arranger, and has worked with musicians s ...

. Its melody was borrowed by

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

for their single " Whatever", released in 1994; Innes claimed

plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...

and as a result received royalties and a co-writing credit. The album was re-released by United Artists in 1980 under the title ''Neil Innes A-Go-Go'' and by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

in 1994 with additional tracks – most of which had been released on singles – under the title ''Re-Cycled Vinyl Blues''. This edition of the album was dedicated to

Ollie Halsall Peter John "Ollie" Halsall (14 March 1949 – 29 May 1992) was an English guitarist best known for his role in the Rutles, the bands Timebox, Patto and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of t ...

, who had died in 1992, and former Bonzo Dog bassist

Dennis Cowan The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British Art school, art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelic music, psychedelia with surre ...

, who had died in 1972; it featured a guest appearance by

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

on the title track. Innes later said of this time the album was recorded, Innes performed the title song on ''

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl ''Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl'' is a 1982 British concert comedy film directed by Terry Hughes (with the film segments by Ian MacNaughton) and starring the Monty Python comedy troupe (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric ...

'' and on ''

Monty Python Live at Drury Lane ''Monty Python Live at Drury Lane'' is a live album released by Monty Python in 1974. It was recorded on the final night of their four-week run at the Drury Lane Theatre in London earlier that year and edited onto disc with new studio linking ...

''. Surviving members of

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

performed the song for

Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...

's funeral at Golders Green Cemetery.

Reception

Stewart Mason, reviewing the album for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, described it as "split between tongue-in-cheek parody and straight pop songs" and containing "solidly melodic

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

que pop", but was critical of the "unfortunate sterility to Innes' self-production". A review of the release by Mark Deming of Allmusic was more appreciative than that of his predecessor, saying that "most f the trackswalk a graceful tightrope between sly humor and solid pop-friendly rock & roll" and recommending that "anyone who digs a great hook played with heart should get to know the music of Neil Innes".

Track listing

*All songs written by Neil Innes *''How Sweet to Be an Idiot'' and ''Neil Innes-A-Go-Go'' have identical track listings

Side one

# "Prologue" – 0:49 # "Momma Bee" – 2:47* # "Immortal Invisible" – 4:04* # "Topless A-Go-Go" – 4:08 # "Feel No Shame" – 6:12

Side two

# "How Sweet To Be An Idiot" – 2:45 # "Dream On" – 3:04 isted as "Dream" on ''Neil Innes-A-Go-Go''# "L'Amour Perdu" – 2:10 # "Song For Yvonne" – 2:52* # "This Love of Ours" – 2:57* # "Singing A Song Is Easy" – 5:08

Track listing for ''Re-Cycled Vinyl Blues''

# "Re-Cycled Vinyl Blues" – 3:33 # "Angelina" – 2:50 # "Come Out into the Open" – 3:42 # "Prologue" – 0:51 # "Momma Bee" – 2:54 # "Lie Down and Be Counted" – 3:09 # "Immortal Invisible" – 4:12 # "Age of Desperation" – 2:34 # "Topless-A-Go-Go" – 4:04 # "Feel No Shame" – 6:24 # "How Sweet To Be an Idiot" – 2:51 # "Dream On" – 3:05 # "L'Amour Perdu" – 2:17 # "Song for Yvonne" – 2:57 # "This Love of Ours" – 3:04 # "Fluff on the Needle" – 5:36 # "Singing a Song Is Easy" – 5:04 # "Bandwagon" (Live) – 4:31

Personnel

* Neil Innes – vocals, guitar, piano * Andy Roberts – rhythm guitar *

Mike Kellie Michael Alexander Kellie (24 March 1947 – 18 January 2017) was an English musician, composer and record producer. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Kellie was a member of the rock bands the V.I.P.s, Spooky Tooth and the Only ...

– drums * Dave Richards – bass guitar *

– lead guitar, organ *

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...

– drums on * * The Mucrons – backing vocals * Dennis Cowan – guitar on additional tracks for re-release

Notes

External links

Neill Innes Solo albums page
{{Authority control 1973 debut albums United Artists Records albums EMI Records albums Neil Innes albums Albums produced by Neil Innes