''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' is the first album produced by the

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 ...

troupe, released in both the UK and US in 1970, with the US version featuring a back cover slightly different from the original UK version. It features newly recorded versions of sketches from the first ''

Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known ...

'' television series. Next to the television show itself, the album was the first piece of media the Pythons released. It is noted that Terry Gilliam was not included as a member of Python on the album's cast listing (in spite of his brief appearance in the sketch "The Visitors") and Graham Chapman's name is misspelled "Grahame". The album was recorded on a single day, 2 May 1970, in front of a live audience at the Camden Theatre in London. Recalling the rather muted response,

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadwa ...

would later claim "they were a particularly dead audience."'' The Pythons Autobiography by The Pythons'', p179, 2003, Orion The copyright to the record is still owned by the BBC, making it one of the few pieces of material the Pythons themselves do not own. This is also the reason why it did not gain a 2006 special edition release. One of the tracks makes specific mention to the album being in stereo, and Chapman demonstrates it by walking from one speaker to another. The effect was totally lost as the album was recorded in mono, which the Pythons did not know at the time. They felt disenchanted by the BBC's album-producing methods, and for their remaining albums sought very different approaches.

Audiobook

The album has been available on CD as an audiobook since 1996. (It was first released as an audiobook in 1994 on cassette.) In 2011, AudioGO Ltd. released a "Facsimile Edition," which is the only audiobook version with the original LP's artwork. Graham Chapman's name is spelled correctly on the cover of this edition. In 2012, the album was packaged with two discs of '' Fawlty Towers'' under the title ''BBC Comedy Greats!''. In June 2014, the album was included as bonus content with the expanded re-release of ' Monty Python Sings (again)" as a deluxe 2-CD set and digital download.

Track listing

Side one

# Flying Sheep # Television Interviews # Trade Description Act # Nudge Nudge #

The Mouse Problem "The Mouse Problem" is a Monty Python sketch, first aired on 12 October 1969 as part of '' Sex and Violence'', the second episode of the first series of '' Monty Python's Flying Circus''. Overview In the sketch, an interviewer (Terry Jones) an ...

# Buying a Bed # Interesting People # The Barber # Interviews

Side two

# More Television Interviews # Children's Stories # The Visitors #

The Cinema The Cinema is an American indie pop band from Tempe, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia. Members of the band include Lydia vocalist, Leighton Antelman, and producer and songwriter, Matt Malpass. The Cinema released its debut album titled ''My Blood I ...

# The North Minehead Bye-Election (sic) # Me, Doctor # Pet Shop # Self-Defence

BBC audiobook track listing

# Flying Sheep # A Man with Three Buttocks # Crunchy Frog # Nudge Nudge Wink Wink #

# Buying a Bed # Interesting People # Barber Shop Sketch #

Lumberjack Song "The Lumberjack Song" is a comedy song by the comedy troupe Monty Python. The song was written and composed by Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Fred Tomlinson. It first appeared in the ninth episode of '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', "The ...

# Interview # Arthur Two Sheds # Children's Stories # Visitors #

Albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacifi ...

# Mr Hilter # The North Minehead By-Election # Me, Doctor # Dead Parrot Sketch # Self-Defence

Personnel

* Graham Chapman *

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

* Terry Gilliam *

* Terry Jones * Michael Palin

Additional performers

* Carol Cleveland *

The Fred Tomlinson Singers Frederick Tomlinson (18 December 1927 – 17 July 2016) was a British singer, songwriter and composer. He founded the Fred Tomlinson Singers, who sang the music featured on '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', ''The Two Ronnies'' and other British ...

Distribution information

*LP: (1970) BBC Records REB 73M (UK) *CS: (1970) BBC Records REMC 73 (UK) *LP: (1970) BBC Records 22073 (US) *LP: (1975) Pye Records 12116 (US) *CD: (1985) BBC/Audio Visual International BBCCD73 (UK) *LP: (1986) Warner Brothers Records 88375 () (US) *CS: (1994) BBC Enterprises, Ltd. ZBBC 1508 (UK) (Canned Laughter series) *CD: (1996) BBC Audiobooks (UK) *CD: (2006) BBC Audiobooks (UK) *CD: (2011) AudioGO (UK) (Vintage Beeb series. ''Facsimile Edition.'') *CD: (2012) AudioGO (UK) (BBC Comedy Greats! with ''Fawlty Towers''.) *LP: (2014) BBC Records MPYTHONLP1 (UK) (Boxset ''Monty Python's Total Rubbish'')

References

{{Authority control Flying Circus 1970 live albums 1970 debut albums BBC Records albums