''Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck'' is the name of a bootleg of an unreleased album by
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 ...
, mostly made up of outtakes from the 1980 sessions for their ''
Contractual Obligation Album''. The album was compiled by producer Andre Jacquemin in 1987 but pulled from release in favour of a compilation of previously released material, ''
The Final Rip Off''.
As with material that made the final cut of the ''Contractual Obligation Album'', the outtakes include re-recordings of material which predates Monty Python. “Bunn, Wackett, Buzzard, Stubble and Boot”, the title of which was among the many rejected suggestions for the name of ''
Monty Python’s Flying Circus'', dates back to
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 ...
’s college days. “Adventure” originates from ''
The Frost Report
''The Frost Report'' is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March 196 ...
'', while ''
At Last The 1948 Show
''At Last the 1948 Show'' is a satirical television show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes), in association with Rediffusion London. Transmitted on Britain's ITV network in 1967, ...
'' was plundered for “Freelance Undertaker” and “Memory Training”, the latter featuring a newly written coda containing a list of the towns where ''
Monty Python's Life of Brian
''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (also known as ''Life of Brian'') is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin). It wa ...
'' was banned. Another sketch, “Indian Restaurant”, was revived from the TV special ''
How To Irritate People
''How to Irritate People'' is a US television broadcast filmed in the UK at LWT on 14 November 1968 and written by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Cleese, Chapman, and Brooke-Taylor also feature in it, along wit ...
''. Despite its name, “Accountancy Shanty” is not an early version of the song which would feature in ''
The Crimson Permanent Assurance
''The Crimson Permanent Assurance'' is a 1983 British swashbuckling comedy short film that plays as the beginning of the feature-length motion picture '' Monty Python's The Meaning of Life''.
Having originally conceived the story as a six-minu ...
'' but a re-recording of a song from ''
Rutland Weekend Television
''Rutland Weekend Television'' (''RWT'') was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series were broadcast, the first consisting of six episodes in 1975, and the second series of seven episodes in ...
'', with
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 ...
performing the lead vocal originally sung 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 ...
.
The album also features material from the early drafts of ''
Life of Brian
''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (also known as ''Life of Brian'') is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin). It wa ...
'', some of which was published in the film’s accompanying
scrap book
Scrapbooking is a method of preserving, presenting and arranging personal and family history in the form of a book, box or card. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequ ...
. These include “Psychopath” (adapted to a modern-day setting) and “Headmaster”. The "Otto" sketch and accompanying song are from the soundtrack of a deleted scene from the film.
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including ''Time Bandits'' (1981), ''B ...
’s 1974 studio recording of "
I've Got Two Legs
"I've Got Two Legs" is a song by the British comedy troupe Monty Python that was composed by Terry Gilliam. It most prominently appears in the concert film '' Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl'', the concert LP ''Monty Python Live at Drury La ...
" was the first track from the album to get an official release when it featured on the 1989 compilation ''
Monty Python Sings
''Monty Python Sings'' is a compilation album of songs by English comedy troupe Monty Python. Released in 1989 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, it contains popular songs from their previous albums and films. The album was dedicated to the me ...
'' (with an added introduction from
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 ...
). In 1997 two further tracks, “Mrs Particle and Mrs Velocity” and “Psychopath”, were featured on the ''
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'', also known simply as ''The Meaning of Life'', is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. ''The Meaning of Life'' was the last f ...
'' video game, alongside a further previously unreleased sketch.
In 2005 it was announced that Jacquemin was preparing an expanded version of ''Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck'' for official release.
However, this was once again cancelled. The following year saw the release of special edition CDs of eight Monty Python albums, with added bonus tracks which included “I’m So Worried (Country & Western Version)”, “Otto Sketch", "Otto Song”, “Psychopath”, “Baxter's”, "Freelance Undertaker" and “Radio Shop”, among further previously unreleased tracks. In 2014 the songs "Rainy Day In Berlin" and “Rudyard Kipling” appeared as two of three outtakes added to ''
Monty Python Sings (Again)''. The remaining tracks on the album remain unreleased.
Track listing
Side one
#An Announcer
#Here Comes Another One (Vocoder Version)
#I'm So Worried (Country & Western Version)
#Mrs. Particle and Mrs. Velocity
#Otto Sketch
#Otto Song
#Rooting Around in My Attic
#Psychopath
#Olympic Shopping
#Bunn, Wackett, Buzzard, Stubble and Boot
#Talking Science
#School Song
#Headmaster
#Laughing at the Unfortunate
Side two
#Rainy Day In Berlin (not included on most bootlegged version)
#
I've Got Two Legs
"I've Got Two Legs" is a song by the British comedy troupe Monty Python that was composed by Terry Gilliam. It most prominently appears in the concert film '' Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl'', the concert LP ''Monty Python Live at Drury La ...
#Amputation
#Adventure
#Accountancy Shanty
#Indian Restaurant
#Baxter's
#Freelance Undertaker
#Rudyard Kipling
#Apology
#Memory Training
#Acronyms
#Radio Shop
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hastily Cobbled Together For A Fast Buck Album, The
Monty Python albums
Unreleased albums
Bootleg recordings