Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Live Albums

The qualities most demonstrated by Monty Python's live albums are (a) just how visual much of their humor really is--take away the sight gags, and half of the punch is gone; and (b) how the relatively polite audiences of their TV series gave way to live shows with whoops and hollers their fans made, apparently hoping to get themselves heard on the albums.

Much of both live albums' material is the same, but the superior one is Live at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Live at City Center was hastily recorded at the last of Python's 1976 New York shows; if you took their concert movie Live at the Hollywood Bowl and added a bunch of screaming yahoos, it would sound like the City Center album. Still, it has some Neil Innes material unavailable elsewhere and is worth a listen if you can find it.

***

Monty Python Live at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

(1974)

Contents: Introduction* / Llamas / Gumby Flower Arranging / Secret Service* / Wrestling / Communist Quiz / Idiot Song / Albatross / The Colonel / Nudge, Nudge / Cocktail Bar* / Travel Agent / Spot the Brain Cell* / Bruces / Argument / I've Got Two Legs / Four Yorkshiremen / Election Special / Lumberjack Song / Dead Parrot

Our rating:

***


Monty Python Live at City Center

(1976)

Contents: Introduction* / Llamas / Gumby Flower Arranging / Short Blues by Neil Innes* / Wrestling / World Forum / Albatross / The Colonel / Nudge, Nudge / Crunchy Frog / Bruces Song / Travel Agent / Camp Judges / Blackmail / Protest Song by Neil Innes* / Pet Shop / Four Yorkshiremen / Argument Clinic / Death of Mary, Queen of Scots / Salvation Fuzz / Church Police / Lumberjack Song

Our rating:

(* denotes material not available in any other Python movies or TV episodes)

***

Click on the appropriate link to:

Return to our record-albums page

Return to our home page

© 2004, Sit on My Monty Python Website.