Monty Python's Flying Circus (album)

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Live album by Monty Python
Released	1970
Recorded	1970
Genre	Comedy
Length	53:13
Label	BBC
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Monty Python chronology
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1970) Another Monty Python Record (1971)

Monty Python's Flying Circus was the first album produced by the Monty Python troupe. It was released in both the UK and the US in 1970, with the US version featuring a back cover slightly different from the original UK version. The album featured new versions of sketches from the Monty Python's Flying Circus television series.

Next to the television show itself, it was the first piece of media the Pythons released. It is noted that Terry Gilliam was not included as a member of Python on the album's cast listing (in spite of his brief appearance in the sketch "The Visitors") and Graham Chapman's name is misspelled "Grahame".

It is the only Python studio album to have a laugh track, having been recorded in one day in front of a live audience at Camden Town Hall. Eric Idle stated in the book The Pythons, "They were a particularly dead audience."

The copyright to the record is still owned by the BBC, making it one of the few pieces of material the Pythons themselves do not own. This is also the reason why it did not gain a 2006 special edition release. One of the tracks makes specific mention to the album being in stereo, and Graham Chapman demonstrates it by walking from one speaker to another. The effect was totally lost as the album was recorded in mono, which the Pythons didn't know at the time. They felt disenchanted by the BBC's album producing methods, and for their remaining albums sought very different approaches.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Flying Sheep"
2. "Television Interviews/Arthur Frampton"
3. "Trade Description Act/Whizzo Chocolates"
4. "Nudge, Nudge"
5. "The Mouse Problem"
6. "Buying A Bed"
7. "Interesting People"
8. "Lumberjack Song"
9. "Sir Edward Ross"

Side two

1. "Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson"
2. "Children's Stories"
3. "The Visitors"
4. "Albatross!"
5. "The North Minehead By-Election"
6. "Me Doctor"
7. "Pet Shop (Dead Parrot)"
8. "Self-Defence"

Distribution Information

• LP: (1970) BBC Records REB 73M (UK)
• LP: (1970) Pye Records 12116 (U.S.)
• LP: (1970) BBC Records BBC-22073 (UK)
• CS: (1970) BBC Records REMC 73 (UK)
• CD: (1985) BBC/Audio Visual International BBCCD73 (UK)
• LP: (1986) Warner Brothers Records 88375 (ISBN 0-87188-375-9) (U.S.)
• CS: (1994) BBC Enterprises, Ltd. ZBBC 1508 ISBN 0-563-39481-1 (UK) (Canned Laughter series)
• CD: (1996) BBC Audiobooks ISBN 0-56355-820-2 (UK)
• CD: (2006) BBC Audiobooks ISBN 0-56355-820-0 (UK)
• CD: (2011) AudioGO ISBN 978-1-408-46820-3 (UK) (Vintage Beeb series)