''The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief'' is the fourth album by the comedy group

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 ...

, released in 1973. Most of the material was newly written for the album along with a handful of sketches from the third series of ''

Flying Circus Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

'', one from the second (" Bruces") and another from the first ("Pet Conversions"). The team were once again joined 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 ...

, who provided a trio of rock music parodies for "The Background to History". The album was famously mixed and edited in a garden shed belonging to the father of producer Andre Jacquemin.

Background

The initial pressings were designed to resemble a box containing a tie and handkerchief, the concept being that the record was merely a 'free gift' included with the package. It was also notable for its inner artwork, which was visible through a cutaway hole in the album's outer sleeve. It appeared to be a simple

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 ...

artwork of a tie and handkerchief, but when the card insert was pulled out it revealed that the tie and handkerchief were actually on a man hanging from a gallows. A second insert featured the album credits and the text to "The Background to History" sketch. The US release had a different cover design with the two insert sheets printed on either side of a card inner sleeve. Later releases of the album would have just a picture of the clothing on the front cover, without the inserts. The album's original LP edition is particularly notable in that it was mastered with two concentric grooves on side two, so that different material would be played depending on where the

stylus A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more precision w ...

was put down on the record's surface. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as a "three-sided" record. The cutting was carried out by George "Porky" Peckham, who became known for etching messages into runout grooves. This was the first of many Python albums to bear one of these so-called "Porky Prime Cuts" – a brief message on Side 2 which reads: "PORKY – RAY ADVENTURE". To further confuse the listener, both sides of the record label were labelled "FREE RECORD Given away with the Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief – Side 2" – only the

matrix numbers A matrix number is an alphanumeric code (and on occasion, other symbols) stamped or handwritten (or a combination of the two) into the run-out groove area of a phonograph record. This is the non-grooved area between the end of the final band o ...

identify which are the first and second sides. The album did not have a track listing, so that this feature would come as a complete surprise to listeners, who might on a subsequent listening hear material they had never heard before, creating genuine confusion. Since the record had two concentric grooves, they were spaced considerably apart, halving the length of the playing time. Subsequent editions of the vinyl incorporated both grooves sequentially as separate tracks, eliminating the double groove. Likewise with promotional copies for radio stations, as they were banded for airplay. However, when Virgin reissued the album in the UK in 1985, the double groove was retained, but with the "Great Actors" sketch cut from the end of Side 1 and moved onto the start of the second side which previously began with "The Background to History". This meant the two B-sides no longer had equal length, resulting in a long silence following the "Phone-In" sketch at the end of the second Side B.

Release

The album reached No. 49 on the UK album chart. No single was released from the album in the UK but the belated US release (the group's first on Arista) in 1975 was promoted by a 7" single entitled "The Single" (AS 0130) which consisted of three excerpts from the album tracks "Elephantoplasty", "Mrs Niggerbaiter" and "Pet Conversions". Both sides of the record were labelled Side B, with the other side containing "The Cheese Shop" in its entirety. The 2006 reissue featured new sound effects on some sketches as well as four previously unreleased bonus tracks, although these date from the 1980 '' Contractual Obligation Album'' sessions. The 2014 LP reissue by Virgin Record Ltd. contains the original version of the album without bonus tracks. It also restores the two concentric grooves on Side 2. The new lacquer has been cut by

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

engineer Sean Magee.

Legacy

Post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band Department S took the name of their 1981 hit single "

Is Vic There? "Is Vic There?" is a song by post-punk band Department S, released by Demon Records on 29 December 1980. It was their first single under the name Department S, after their debut single "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight" under ...

" from a line of dialogue from the album's closing "Phone-In" sketch.

Track listing

The following sketches are from the TV series: "

Dead Bishop ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' 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 as "Monty Python", for BBC1. The series s ...

", " Bruces", " Cheese Shop", "Boxing Tonight", "Mrs. Niggerbaiter", "Oscar Wilde", and "Pet Conversions". The remainder are exclusive to this album.

Side One: Single-Groove

# Election Forum #

# Elephantoplasty # Novel Writing # Word Association # Bruces # Bruces Song # Ralph Mellish # Doctor Quote # Cheese Shop # Wasp/Tiger Club # Great Actors

Side Two: Groove One

# The Background to History # Record Shop # First World War Noises # Boxing Tonight

Side Two: Groove Two

# Mrs. Niggerbaiter # Oscar Wilde # Pet Conversions # Phone-In

2006 bonus tracks

# Psychopath # TelePrompter Football Results # Radio Tuning Radio 4: Announcer Graham Chapman / Radio Time Announcer Terry Jones # Radio Shop

Charts

Personnel

Graham Chapman Graham Chapman (8 January 1941 – 4 October 1989) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two P ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Additional performers

Carol Cleveland Carol Cleveland (born 13 January 1942) is a British-American actress and comedian, particularly known for her work with Monty Python. Early life Born in East Sheen, London, she moved to the United States with her mother and U.S. Air Force step ...

(music and vocals on "The Background to History")

Music credits

The following is the list of musical works included on the album. They comprise a mixture of

Keith Prowse The Keith Prowse company originated from a partnership in 1830 between two musical instrument makers who opened a shop selling their goods. It later became a theatre ticket agency and music publisher; after a merger with the Peter Maurice company ...

and De Wolfe library music, self-penned Python songs and specially composed music by Neil Innes, Andre Jacquemin and Dave Howman. #

All Things Bright and Beautiful "All Things Bright and Beautiful" is an Anglican hymn, also sung in many other Christian denominations. The words are by Cecil Frances Alexander and were first published in her ''Hymns for Little Children'' of 1848. The hymn is commonly sung ...

( C F Alexander/ W H Monk arr. Python) # Saturday's Game (L. Stevens) # Bruces Song (Eric Idle) # Voodoo Victim (G. Vinter) # Terror by Night (H. Clifford) # Crowning Glory (K. Papworth) # Place Omadia (M. Plessas) # Days Work (M. McNought) # Sir Thomas Mortimer's Almand (G. Walters) # Oxon Song 1-3 (Neil Innes) # Funk Roll (Andre Jacquemin & Dave Howman) # Harmonica Solo "Trench Music" (Eric Idle)

Awards

Grammy Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief 1973 albums Matching Tie and Handkerchief Arista Records albums Charisma Records albums