Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

[rcarlberg]

Have we done a Bonzo Dog Band thread before?

I've been a big fan since 'discovering' them in 1969. In their original form they put out only four albums:

• Gorilla (1967)
• The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse (1968)
• Tadpoles (1969)
• Keynsham (1969)

After which they broke up. However the inevitable "contractual obligation album," featuring just Viv Stanshall, Neil Innes and Dennis Cowan, appeared a couple years later:

• Let's Make Up and Be Friendly (1972)

That was it for the original set. Various "best of" and "anthology" and "history of" releases, and at least two Peel Sessions albums, kept the name active throughout the seventies.

In 1988 most of the band reconvened to record "No Matter Who You Vote For, the Government Always Gets In (Heigh Ho)" whose lyrics are still uber-appropriate today:

Oh great, great slumbering nation
Awake! Set yourself free
Oh! Smell the comforting bacon, taste the bromide tea
And give a little chirrup as I ladle on the syrup
Promises are cheap
Let me bear your crosses, make me boss of bosses
Then you go back to sleep (Ha ha ha)
Hey-Ho!

Don't worry! Pop your cross in the bin (Hey-Ho! Hey-Ho!)
No matter who you vote for, the government always gets in
Hey-Ho!

Stanshall, of course, died tragically in a house fire in 1995 (a whole thread about HIM could be possible!)

On January 28, 2006, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Bonzo's first single, all the surviving members (RIP Viv, RIP Dennis Cowan) put on a concert in London's Astoria theater. It was appropriately chaotic, under-rehearsed and full of gags. It was released on DVD in June of that year, and also as an audio CD "Wrestle Poodles... And Win!" Excerpts from that concert (on DVD), along with a new album (on CD) written mostly by Neil Innes and featuring everybody, called "Pour l'amour des Chiens" (For the love of dogs) was released the following year in 2007. The new album is really pretty darn good... though of course the Bonzos without Viv are somehow lacking.

In 2010 a collection called "Songs The Bonzo Dog Band Taught Us," featuring novelty numbers from the 1920s and 1930s that were later covered by the Bonzos, but appearing here in their original versions, was released. It's surprisingly Bonzoesque.

I've been geeking out to all of the above this week. Would love to hear anybody else's stories of seeing / hearing the BDD-DB.

[Steve F.]

In 1977, in London, I saw the Bob Kerr Whoopie Band, which was the remnants of the original Bonzo's who jumped ship for The New Vaudeville Band in 1966 (??) + the 'abandoned' (i.e. tossed out by Viv because they weren't young enough or cool enough) Bonzo's Sam Spoons and Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell.

I was a huge BDB fan at the time and I was thrilled to see all of this which was very much in the 1920s / vaudeville style of the Bonzos, minus the psychedelia and rock elements.

I still have all my original Bonzo albums and I still really like parts of all of them and basically really like ALL of Gorilla and Doughnut to this day. Which isn't bad for 50-some years later.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I only ever owned Tadpoles (the yellow one, right?), but I dug it. Not big time, but still. I think they were about as British as The Fugs were American.

It went soiled after I stacked a rack of records onto the window sill and the concentration of sun's heat throught the glass essentially bent a number of them, rendering the lot unplayable. I remember the Canterbury Tales 2LP comp by Caravan went the same way. Boy, was I ever foolish back in those days.

[NogbadTheBad]

I got into them via Monty Python (Neil Innes wrote a bunch of their music) and The Innes Book Of Records, on British television in the late 70's & early 80's. Been a big fan of the Bonzo's ever since. Gotta listen to the guitar solo from Canyons Of Your Mind to cheer yourself up .

[markwoll]

I had great fun listening to them back in the day, mostly on WGTB. I think I still have Doughnut somewhere.
My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe, Trouser Press, The Humanoid Boogie
or I'm The Urban Spaceman

[Mister Triscuits]

Back in the '70s I once made a "Wow, I'm really expressing myself!" word balloon to hold up at an improv gig.

[Steve F.]

Back in the '70s I once made a "Wow, I'm really expressing myself!" word balloon to hold up at an improv gig.

You dared to do something I only dreamed of.....

[Steve F.]

I also saw Neil solo in the early 80s. He was extremely entertaining. Told some good jokes, played some good songs and he introduced "I'm The Urban Spaceman" as his "golden medley of hit".

Wouldn't do any of the Ruttles John Lennon piss-take songs because he said it was too soon after John had died and he didn't feel good about it.

[rcarlberg]

That guitar solo is... EPIC.

[groon]

In more recent years, 3 Bonzos and a Piano kept the old songs going. Here's a gig I enjoyed back in 2012:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJHJf8hqDxE


Alas, Sam Spoons is no longer with us.

For those who are looking for a prog connection, I believe that Dave Glasson (the "Piano") is the father of Charlotte Glasson, who plays with Three Friends.

[rcarlberg]

In 1977, in London, I saw the Bob Kerr Whoopie Band, which was the remnants of the original Bonzo's who jumped ship for The New Vaudeville Band in 1966

According to my memory -- and backed up by Wikipedia -- Kerr was the only Bonzo who "jumped ship" for the touring version of NVB. The rest declined at the time.

Though later, in 1971 when the Bonzos went kaput, several of them joined Bob in his Whoopee Band.

[Baribrotzer]

In more recent years, 3 Bonzos and a Piano kept the old songs going. Here's a gig I enjoyed back in 2012:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJHJf8hqDxE


Alas, Sam Spoons is no longer with us.

For those who are looking for a prog connection, I believe that Dave Glasson (the "Piano") is the father of Charlotte Glasson, who plays with Three Friends.

She appears in that video, wearing a porkpie hat and playing tenor sax.

[alanterrill]

Their first album was passed around at school and seemed to be universally liked. A group of us from my school went to see them when we were 14 and they were the first live band I'd seen. I saw them again about a year later supported by the Scaffold. On this occasion it was snowing hard and we struggled to get to the gig. The Bonzos turned up, but Roger Spear had to come by train and so couldn't bring all his robots with him. They were excellent both times and there was so much going on, on stage -it wasn't just a matter of watching Stanshall, the others would be hurling rubber chickens across the stage or making faces and trying to interrupt each other. Each member took centre stage at some point - Legs Larry Smith would come out from behind the drums and do a tap dance for example, or Rodney Slater take a mad sax solo. I saw them for a final time at the Plumpton festival in 1969. I've never seen another band like them.
A couple of years later myself and a group of friends performed their 'Music for the Head Ballet' at the school talent show. We didn't win.

[rcarlberg]

I've never seen another band like them.

There's a reason for that.

[Steve F.]

The Bonzos turned up, but Roger Spear had to come by train and so couldn't bring all his robots with him.

Has a sadder sentence than this ever been written??

P.S - Alan! Thank you for your memories of seeing them!

[NogbadTheBad]

Their first album was passed around at school and seemed to be universally liked. A group of us from my school went to see them when we were 14 and they were the first live band I'd seen. I saw them again about a year later supported by the Scaffold. On this occasion it was snowing hard and we struggled to get to the gig. The Bonzos turned up, but Roger Spear had to come by train and so couldn't bring all his robots with him. They were excellent both times and there was so much going on, on stage -it wasn't just a matter of watching Stanshall, the others would be hurling rubber chickens across the stage or making faces and trying to interrupt each other. Each member took centre stage at some point - Legs Larry Smith would come out from behind the drums and do a tap dance for example, or Rodney Slater take a mad sax solo. I saw them for a final time at the Plumpton festival in 1969. I've never seen another band like them.
A couple of years later myself and a group of friends performed their 'Music for the Head Ballet' at the school talent show. We didn't win.

Great story, thanks!

[Halmyre]

I was watching a repeat of a Morecambe and Wise Show (I think) and one of the guest acts was Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen (I think). I don't know how if the show dated from before or after the 'Gorilla' album but their piece was so similar to 'Jazz: Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold' that I almost burst out laughing.

I've always though the intro to 'Rhinocratic Oaths' resembles the intro to 'A Passion Play'.

[Kavus Torabi]

Rhinocratic Oaths is one of my favourite tunes by anyone, I always felt the ‘hook’ inspired the wonderful end section of They Might Be Giants’s Where Your Eyes Don’t Go.

Eleven Moustachioed Daughters is another favourite.

[Baribrotzer]

"Rhinocratic Oaths" is one of my favourite tunes by anyone

Their songwriting isn't recognized as much as I believe it should be. Yes, a lot of it involved comic impersonations of other styles - particularly music-hall - but when Innes and Stanshall just let themselves be themselves, the results were the equal of almost anybody from the psych era.

I always felt the ‘hook’ inspired the wonderful end section of They Might Be Giants’s "Where Your Eyes Don’t Go."

The end of "Where Your Eyes Don’t Go" sounds more to me like a slightly rewritten version of "Park Avenue Beat" by Fred Steiner - known to most Americans as "the Perry Mason theme". But I'll agree it's also reminiscent of "Rhinocratic Oaths".

[Lopez]

Been a gargantuan fan of the band since 1971 when I first heard "The Intro and the Outro." I had homemade buttons that read, "Princess Anne, Sousaphone" and put ping pong ball halves over my eyes. When I went to grad school in 1976, I had a professor who was from England. I had him tell me who all the British folks were who were, like Max Jappert, mentioned in that number. A old girlfriend saw them at the Boston Tea Party in 1969. Said the performance was nuts with band members doing all sort of things on stage (as mentioned above). What impressed her was that Legs Larry Smith's drum stool was a toilet bowl.

[JJ88]

Going on ten years ago I was very lucky to get hold of Cornology for £1. This set is close to complete in that it includes all their 1966-72 albums and non-album singles, although I believe there are a few errors and single mixes not there. Perhaps the omission of single mixes couldn't be helped with regard to disc length though, I guess.

I particularly like the more psych-leaning tracks such as 'Equestrian Statue', 'Mr Apollo', 'We Are Normal', 'Humanoid Boogie', 'Busted' etc. And of course the better known tracks like 'The Intro And The Outro', 'Death Cab For Cutie', '...Urban Spaceman' and 'Canyons Of Your Mind'. I have a soft spot for the delightful mock-vox-pop silliness of 'Shirt'.

Didn't know anything about that 90s single!

[JJ88]

I was watching a repeat of a Morecambe and Wise Show (I think) and one of the guest acts was Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen (I think). I don't know how if the show dated from before or after the 'Gorilla' album but their piece was so similar to 'Jazz: Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold' that I almost burst out laughing.

There was a 'trad jazz' strain to them, particularly on those earliest Parlophone singles. 'Jollity Farm' is another one in that vein.

[Halmyre]

Been a gargantuan fan of the band since 1971 when I first heard "The Intro and the Outro." I had homemade buttons that read, "Princess Anne, Sousaphone" and put ping pong ball halves over my eyes. When I went to grad school in 1976, I had a professor who was from England. I had him tell me who all the British folks were who were, like Max Jappert, mentioned in that number. A old girlfriend saw them at the Boston Tea Party in 1969. Said the performance was nuts with band members doing all sort of things on stage (as mentioned above). What impressed her was that Legs Larry Smith's drum stool was a toilet bowl.

Max Jaffa, not Jappart

Peoples mentioned in the song , starting with the band members:
'Legs' Larry Smith
Sam Spoons
Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell
Neil Innes
Rodney Slater
Roger Ruskin Spear
Vivian Stanshall

John Wayne - actor
Robert Morley - UK character actor
Billy Butlin - founder a chain of UK holiday camps
Adolf Hitler - former German leader
Princess Anne - member of the UK royal family, daughter of Queen Elizabeth
Liberace - flamboyant US entertainer
Garner "Ted" Armstrong - US evangelist
Lord Snooty and his pals - characters from the UK comic paper 'The Beano'.
Harold Wilson - former leader of the Labour party and Prime Minister of the UK
Franklin McCormack - US radio presenter and performer
Eric Clapton - guitarist
Sir Kenneth Clark - UK art historian and broadcaster
the session's gorilla - a replacement for UK politician Quintin Hogg, who objected to being made fun of
Incredible Shrinking Man - film character
Peter Scott - UK naturalist/ornithologist and 'wildlife impersonator'
Casanova - 18th century Italian author and womaniser
General de Gaulle - former President of France
Roy Rogers on Trigger - film stars
Wild Man of Borneo - any suitably crazy person of colour or outrageous appearance
Count Basie Orchestra - jazz musicians
the Rawlinsons - fictional characters created by Viv Stanshall
Dan Druff - joke name
Quasimodo - eponymous character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Brainiac - villain from the Superman mythos
Val Doonican - Irish MOR singer and entertainer
Max Jaffa - UK bandeader and musician
Zebra Kid - professional wrestler
Horace Batchelor - UK gambling pundit
J. Arthur Rank - founder of the UK entertainment business Rank Organisation, and rhyming slang for another bit of personal entertainment

Some sources say that Eric Clapton is the actual Ukulele player on the song.

[Steve F.]

Some sources say that Eric Clapton is the actual Ukulele player on the song.

"Hi, Eric!"

[alanterrill]

Max Jaffa, not Jappart

John Wayne - actor
Robert Morley - UK character actor
Billy Butlin - founder a chain of UK holiday camps
Adolf Hitler - former German leader
Princess Anne - member of the UK royal family, daughter of Queen Elizabeth
Liberace - flamboyant US entertainer
Garner "Ted" Armstrong - US evangelist
Lord Snooty and his pals - characters from the UK comic paper 'The Beano'.
Harold Wilson - former leader of the Labour party and Prime Minister of the UK
Franklin McCormack - US radio presenter and performer
Eric Clapton - guitarist
Sir Kenneth Clark - UK art historian and broadcaster
the session's gorilla - a replacement for UK politician Quintin Hogg, who objected to being made fun of
Incredible Shrinking Man - film character
Peter Scott - UK naturalist/ornithologist and 'wildlife impersonator'
Casanova - 18th century Italian author and womaniser
General de Gaulle - former President of France
Roy Rogers on Trigger - film stars
Wild Man of Borneo - any suitably crazy person of colour or outrageous appearance
Count Basie Orchestra - jazz musicians
the Rawlinsons - fictional characters created by Viv Stanshall
Dan Druff - joke name
Quasimodo - eponymous character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Brainiac - villain from the Superman mythos
Val Doonican - Irish MOR singer and entertainer
Max Jaffa - UK bandeader and musician
Zebra Kid - professional wrestler
Horace Batchelor - UK gambling pundit
J. Arthur Rank - founder of the UK entertainment business Rank Organisation, and rhyming slang for another bit of personal entertainment

Some sources say that Eric Clapton is the actual Ukulele player on the song.

Thanks for that -I knew most of them but I had no idea who Zebra KId or Garner Ted Armstrong were so know I do. Lord Snooty seesm to have been recently reincarnated as politician Jacob Rees Mogg.