Massive Reorganization

I'm reformatting the list of material to review on this blog to include more Beatles and Monty Python works so I don't have to go on a long hiatus every time I need to look for new material to review. Although I have plenty of Beatles/Monty Python albums, book, films, shows, video games it's hard to decide what work to review and how to write it with something insightful to say. I have to wait until I've enjoyed a product enough to get and give a clear idea of whaty impression it has on me

Volume 3 (1990 album)

Two years must have seemed like forever. Original member Roy Orbinson died shortly after their first album's release and it probably seemed a little awkward making this album, but that's the only thing holding this album back. Nothing positive I say is to put Roy's contributions down as a musical icon as he made some great work on the first album and as an early rock star pioneering blue eyed soul "Lonely The Lonely" "Pretty Woman" etc. But George And Bob were great friends. Tom Petty was Bob Dylan's disciple and Jeff Lynne was George Harrsion's disciple and it makes me wonder if they included Eric Clapton and Neil Young together to amp the Harrison and Dylan factors. The result, as is, however is a country rock jam session type album that kicks off with a fierce start "She's My Baby" followed by "Inside Out." These first two songs sound equal parts Tom, Jeff, George and Bob making a group effort sound but as the album goes on you hear individual input more distinctly like George's "Devil's Been Busy" sounding like an updated, more detailed metaphor retreading of his 1987's "Devil's Radio." Tom also gives a fun rollicking tune "Cool Dry Place" about preserving our delicate treasures sort a literal "Handle With Care" tune. Bob's "If You Belonged To Me" is a typical loving unhedonistic if not though still possessive tone of a classic love song. The weak spot here is "7 Deadly Sins" which has a barber shop quartet feel which Bob does not belong in which weakens the album leaving one missing Roy but it is in the middle of the album and it picks back up to a closer "The Wilbury Twist" another great group rocker which leaves the listener in an up mood which for four fun musicians often taken so seriously is a must for any fan.

Splitting Heirs (1993 film)

First let me say it's funnier than it's posters imply. Secondly it has Eric written all over it. Of course it was written by Eric so that explains it. Lewd irreverent behavior all throughout it in the typical PG-13 Hollywood marketable kind of way but cleverly done so. I thought I would find the gold digging humor unbearable and John Cleese being an unwelcomed ham stealing everybody's else's scenes (Let me make it clear I hold unfair resentment to John Cleese for having more success than my favorite Python members). But watching it with a bias against the two most famous Pythons I still couldn't dislike it in fact I loved it of course Eric was one of the reasons I was drawn to the Pythons in the first place. And one of Eric's great jumping points in his comedy is the unfair effect of wealth and power, especially in one's sex life. And John plays the slimy conniving looney lawyer as only he could (or probably Michael Palin). Wondering what could of made this movie bomb I was dumbfounded. It had plenty of quotable lines ("People were sex mad in the 60's apparently doing it just for fun"), great stars with then currently successful comic actor Rick Moranis (Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Little Shop Of Horrors) and a safe rating in the states. Oh well I got it at a great price at a local used DVD store and waited awhile to watch it and wondered why I waited so long and even my sister enjoyed it and she's gotten less into quirky humor in recent years but is still Python fan but not the fanatic I am, sort of the John and Eric group of fans who love their more conventional work, whereas I love Terry Jones and Michael Palin the best, well to be specific here is how it breaks down
Best writers: Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Best performers: Michael Palin, Graham Chapman
Best performing duo: Michael Palin, John Cleese
Favorite masterminds leadership sort of personalities: Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
Cambridge Vs Oxford: Oxford wins
(And I still thought this movie was hilarious!)

The Concert For Bangladesh (1972 film)

This film was the victim of bad accountancy. The concert, its album and film was meant to generate proceeds that aid Bangladesh refugees as they try to win independence from Pakistan which had liberated itself from India which only 25 years earlier freed itself from Britain. What happened was the concert got the tax classification of a charity benefit, but the accountants forgot to classify the album and film as a tax deduction and it got taxed by the British government well out of 80% of its gross. People thought it was a tax hoax but he got taxed and no money as it was going to go Ravi Shankar's charity. Other than that it is an exceptional concert film. Not the multi-star event of Woodstock, Monterrey or Altamont but for being made on the quick it did well bringing celebrities tanks to George's friends in high places. John couldn't make it because Yoko wasn't welcomed and Paul didn't want to make the appearance as it would heighten reunion rumors. The other bad news was Eric Clapton and Badfinger made it but they didn't take center stage and sing for themselves. What you get is a 20 minute Ravi instrumental which is great but not a great opener. Then George goes into a few songs from his breakthrough album All Things Must Pass. Only the Beatles song "Something" and his duet with Bob Dylan are not from that album. Bob Dylan gets 5 songs. "Just Like A Woman" is the duet. The other 4 likewise came from 1963-1966 well established tunes except the Highway 61 Revisited album track "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." "Blowin' In The Wind" "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall" being the other 3. So from George and Bob you get what you probably already have. That makes the real treasure the song Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, and Leon Russell each got to bring along. Billy does a lively performance of his gospel favorite "That's The Way God Planned It" pure classic. Ringo hops into his 1971 megahit "It Don't Come Easy" (marking Ringo's triumphant return to music after going on a acting stint that would continues to the mid 70s and re-emerge in the early 80s). Leon Russell does a classic rock medley "Jumpin' Jack Flash/Youngblood" which didn't match the tone of the event. Could of had Eric play "Layla" and it would've fitted better. All the same film is good. A bit too rushed and one-sided and I cannot help but wonder how much better it would have been with a just a couple of more guests and a more even distribution of each and player and a broader song catalog.

Dudley Do-Right (1999 film)

Did I ever tell you why as comedians I preferred the Do Not Adjust Your Set, Monty Python members over the At Last The 1948 Show cast members John Cleese and Graham Chapman? It's because Eric, Terry and Michael could just as easily master clever/dumb children's humor as they could crude and/or satirical adult oriented work. And Dudley DoRight fits the former perfectly. And Eric had the greatest knack for giving a Pythonesque tone for a movie in just a short cameo remember National Lampoon's European Vacation and South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. Well this is the family friendly version of that. Goofy narration and thin plot to carry absurd situational humor in all it's dumb glory and Eric doesn't even have to do it alone as Brendan Fraser has already proven his talents as a comedic actor as well as working with fellow MP alumni John Cleese in the other 1950's cartoon tv kid show made into a family film of the 90's George Of The Jungle. I have not seen that one yet as I felt it was more natural to watch this one first as Eric doing live comedy trumps John phoning in voice overs for me. The greatest treasure in this film is watching Eric (the lone prospector; it's a bigger role than his film credit implies he's in half a dozen scenes) trains Brendan (Dudley DoRight) to fight dirty against Alfred Molina (Snidely Whiplash). If you're not laughing by then, then it's apparent the movie is just not your taste but I couldn't imagine why because if nothing else it's something amusing you can watch with your kids.

Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976 album)

It was the mid 1970's and George had found a new love in between his more musical and spiritual days of the early 70's and his film producer days of the 80's and subsequent return to musical focus with the Traveling Wilburys in the late 80's. It was Monty Python. Like his early 80's film producer days with Shanghai Surprise and Time Bandits his late 70s work is sometimes categorized as his lost period in between Living In The Material World and Cloud Nine. But this is a misconception, as his work at from what I can say on this album is just fine. It just goes in a different direction. Instead of overtly spiritual it has humor and tender love songs. The songs "It's What You Value" and "See Yourself" though do plenty enough to give the album moral reflection which George certainly had a knack for at any point of his solo career. But the treasure of this album is the tongue in cheek songs "Crackerbox Palace" and "This Song" with videos featuring his new pals from MP. A deluxe CD/DVD reissue would give this album justice, not that the videos are needed to enjoy the songs but it would lure comedy fans to enjoy what music critics couldn't for some reason. Opening with a rollicking fun track "Woman Don't You Cry For Me" and ending with "Learning How To Love You" it is an easy 40 minute coasting of radio listening as any George album usually is

Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969 television)

How freakishly overwhelming! 45 classic episodes. Okay so here's the math because my opinions mean nothing without empirical evidence so I'm backing it up, but there's too many funny bits to list everyone that never fails and then explain why so I'll mention 2 sketches per episode and then you can watch them on youtube or at your public library (if you still have one) and assuming both sketches make you laugh in all 45 episodes we can probably assume it is the most consistent sketch comedy show ever.
1) Arthur Two Sheds Jacksons/Funniest Joke In The World
2) Marriage Guidance Counselor/The Mouse Problem
3) Restaurant Sketch/Nudge Nudge
4) Self Defense Against Fresh Fruit/Secret Service Dentists
5) Confuse A Cat/Police Raid
6) Crunchy Frog/Twentieth Century Vole
7) Camel Spotting/Science Fiction Sketch
8) Buying A Bed/Dead Parrot
9) The Lumberjack Song/The Visitors
10) Bank Robber In A Lingerie Shop/Vocational Guidance Counselor
11) Literary Football Interviews/Interesting People
12) Upper Class Twit Of The Year/Ken Shabby
13) Restaurant Abuse/Albatross
14) The Ministry Of Silly Walks/Piranha Brothers
15) Spanish Inquisition/Court Charades
16) Flying Lessons/Hijacked Plane
17) Architect's Sketch/Chemist Sketch
18) Blackmail/Accidents Sketch
19) Raymond Luxury Yacht (Throat Warbler Mangrove interview)/Election Night
20) Killer Sheep/The Idiot In Rural Society
21) Poofy Judges/Beethoven's Mynah Bird
22) Bruces/Exploding Penguin on the TV Set
23) Scott of the Sahara/Conrad Poohs and His Dancing Teeth
24) Crackpot Religions/How Not To Be Seen
25) Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook/Spam
26) Lifeboat/Undertaker's Sketch
27) Multiple Murder Court Scene/Eric Njorl Court Scene
28) "Life of Tschaikowsky"/Fish Slapping Dance
29) Money Song/Argument Sketch
30) Merchant Banker/Mary Recruitment Officer
31) Language Laboratory/Travel Agent
32) Gumby Brain Specialist/Molluscs - "Live" TV Documentary
33) Biggles Dictates A Letter/Cheese Shop
34) Trotsky/Firing Squad
35) Mystico and Janet - Flats Built by Hypnosis/Bull-fighting
36) Pornographic Bookshop/Thripshaw's Disease
37) Dennis Moore/Prejudice
38) Frontiers of Medicine - Penguins/Spot the Looney
39) The Oscar Wilde Sketch/Blood Donor
40) The Montgolfier Brothers/Zeppelin
41) Buying An Ant/Ant Poetry Contest
42) Trivializing the War/Woody and Tinny Words
43) Bogus Psychiatrists/Piston Engine (a Bargain)
44) Teddy Salad/Bombing
45) Most Awful Family In Britain/Patient Abuse