''The Birthday Party'' was the first album by The Idle Race, a psychedelic pop band, released in 1968 (see

1968 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1968. Specific locations * 1968 in British music * 1968 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1968 in country music * 1968 in jazz Events *January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is ja ...

). This quasi-concept album was the first to be composed almost entirely of songs by a young Birmingham guitarist/singer named

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock music, rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, h ...

. The LP came in a gatefold sleeve. The inside sleeve art included a mock birthday feast attended by many British celebrities, including most of the Radio 1 disc jockeys,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, the Duke of Windsor, actor Warren Mitchell in his role as

Alf Garnett Alfred Edward "Alf" Garnett is a fictional character from the British sitcom '' Till Death Us Do Part'' and its follow-on and spin-off series '' Till Death...'' and ''In Sickness and in Health''. He also appeared in the chat show ''The Thoughts ...

, and group leader

as an eight-year-old schoolboy. In the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

the cover art was different with a rather

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

-styled paisley pattern behind the band. While warmly received by critics, the record failed to chart in the U.K. or the U.S. The album was re-issued in 1976 by

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

on their budget-price label Sunset, although in a non-gatefold sleeve with different design, to capitalise on

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

's success. A further re-issue came in 2014 by Parlophone, as the Liberty back catalogue had long since been acquired by

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

, for Record Store Day, in a limited edition on gold vinyl.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jeff Lynne, except where indicated. Side 1 # "Skeleton and the Roundabout" – 2:26 # "

Happy Birthday Happy Birthday may refer to: * "Happy Birthday", an expression of good will offered on a person's birthday Film, theatre and television * ''Happy Birthday'' (1998 film), a Russian drama by Larisa Sadilova * ''Happy Birthday'', a 2001 film featu ...

" ( Patty Hill,

Mildred J. Hill Mildred Jane Hill (June 27, 1859 – June 5, 1916) was an American songwriter and musicologist, who composed the melody for "Good Morning to All", later used as the melody for "Happy Birthday to You". Biography Mildred Jane Hill, born in Louisvil ...

) – 0:23 # "The Birthday" – 3:00 # "I Like My Toys" – 2:12 # "Morning Sunshine" – 1:48 # "Follow Me, Follow" – 2:48 # "Sitting in My Tree" – 1:59 (mono) Side 2 # "On With the Show" – 2:22 # "Lucky Man" – 2:38 # "(Don't Put Your Boys in the Army) Mrs. Ward" – 2:14 # "Pie in the Sky" (Dave Pritchard) – 2:23 # "The Lady Who Said She Could Fly" – 2:22 # "End of the Road" – 2:09

Personnel

;Idle Race *

- vocals, guitar, piano *Dave Pritchard - guitar, vocals *Greg Masters - bass guitar, vocals *Roger Spencer - drums, vocals {{DEFAULTSORT:Birthday Party Birthday Party, The Birthday Party, The Albums produced by Eddy Offord