Monty Python Live at City Center
Monty Python Live at City Center (1976)
Originally recorded live at the New York City Center in Manhattan in April, 1976, this collection of often brilliant sketches includes the original Python lineup of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
Recorded in April 1976 during the group’s four-week New York engagement. In what must have seemed like a record, the album was released on Monday, May 3, 1976, the day after their final performance. The group managed to sign copies of “Monty Python Live! at City Center” at an in-store appearance at Sam Goody’s record store in Rockefeller Center on their way to the airport.
In order to get the album out in the shops quickly, the recordings were made early on in the run where some of the performances were affected by faulty microphones. The team were joined onstage by regular actress Carol Cleveland and musician Neil Innes, who also performed in some sketches.
- 01 Introduction :39 Intro
- 02 Llamas 2:00 Llamas
- 03 Gumby Flower Arranging 1:21 Gumby
- 04 Short Blues :41 Blues
- 05 Wrestling 3:06 Wrestling
- 06 World Forum 3:45 World Forum
- 07 Albatross 1:30 Albatross
- 08 Nudge Nudge 2:31 Nudge
- 09 Crunchy Frog 3:55 Crunchy
- 10 Bruces 4:12 Bruces
- 11 Travel Agent 6:31 Travel
SIDE ONE
SIDE TWO
- 12 Camp Judges 1:49 Judges
- 13 Blackmail 3:48 Blackmail
- 14 Protest Song 4:10 Protest
- 15 Pet Shop 4:53 Pet Shop
- 16 Four Yorkshiremen 3:32 4 Yorkshiremen
- 17 Argument 3:46 Argument
- 18 Death of Mary Queen of Scots 1:42 Mary Queen of Scots
- 19 Salvation Fuzz 3:29 Bishop
- 20 Lumberjack Song 3:22 Lumberjack
CREDITS
Performers – Carol Cleveland, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Neil Innes, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Producer – Nancy Lewis
Monty Python Live at City Center was also broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show on 9 May 1976, with an introduction by John Cleese and Dave Herman.
The album was not released in the UK, due to its similarity to Live at Drury Lane. As with that album, Michael Palin provided new linking material.
SIDE ONE
01 Introduction :39 Intro
Announcer: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention, please? The taking of photographs, the use of recording devices and smoking are strictly prohibited in this theater…
(interrupting)
John Cleese …but are encouraged nevertheless.
Both Thank you.
02 Llamas 2:00 Llamas
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 1 episode 9 skit 1
03 Gumby Flower Arranging 1:06 Gumby
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 2 episode 12 skit 8
04 Short Blues :41 Blues
Singer Neil Innes
(spoken)
One, two… I’d like to sing you a new song, a new song that I’ve written… between here and the curtain… it’s kind of a short blues… thank you
(sings)
I woke up this morning
(spoken)
Right on
05 Wrestling 3:06 Wrestling
Announcer Michael Palin
Ringside Announcer John Cleese
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Graham Chapman
Announcer Hello, good evening and welcome to the Ronald Reagan Memorial Bowl, here in the pretty little L.A. suburb of Hollywood. Well, we’re about to go in all for wrestling, brought to you tonight, ladies and gentlemen, by the makers of Scum, the world’s first ever combined hair oil, foot ointment, and salad dressing. And the makers of Titan, the novelty nuclear missile! You never know when it’ll go off! Surprise your friends, amuse your enemies, start the party with a bang! Introducing, ladies and gentlemen, tonight, all the way from a mudwrestling tour of the OPEC countries…in the red corner: Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris!…and, ladies and gentlemen, in the blue corner…all the way from a mudwrestling tour of the OPEC countries…Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris!
Ringside Announcer Well, now, ladies and gentlemen, this is the first time that Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris has met himself. A few formalities now, any moment now, we’ll be ready for the start of Round One. There goes the bell! Colin moves to the middle of the ring there, he’s looking for an opening, going for the handhold…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer He’s got it! Into the headsqueeze…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer A headsqueeze there…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer A favorite…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer …a favorite move of Colin’s —-…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer …flying there…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer …and already Colin is…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer …working on that weak left knee of his!
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer A half nelson…a half nelson and a Philadelphia Half-lotus and Colin bit himself on purpose there, and he has been given a public warning by the referee, and Colin did not like that one little bit!
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer Double overhead nostril…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer …backkick and into the, ah, Boston crayfish, no, it’s a crawlfish, or is it a longestine, no, it’s a longestine! A lovely move there! He’s caught himself by surprise and this is the first fall to Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris! Swell! A lovely move there! And Colin must be pretty pleased with himself having put himself up with that one! A strawberry whip, a vanilla whip, a chocolate whip…there it is, Colin’s most famous hold: the one-leg-over-shoulder-Gerry Ford and Colin’s in real trouble! He’s just made it to the rope…just a little lucky there…
Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris Augh!
Ringside Announcer …and there it is, a double Edie Gorme, should be able to twist out of this, and he does…but he’s looking pretty groggy…and I think he’s caught himself there with two forearm smashes, and that is it!! Colin ‘Bomber’ Harris has knocked himself out and so he is the winner and he goes on next week to meet himself in the final!
06 World Forum 3:45 World Forum
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 2 episode 12 skit 3
07 Albatross 1:30 Albatross
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 1 episode 13 skit 3
08 Nudge Nudge 2:31 Nudge
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 1 episode 3 skit 9
09 Crunchy Frog 3:55 Crunchy
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 1 episode 6 skit 3
10 Bruces 4:12 Bruces
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 2 episode 9 skit 2
11 Travel Agent 6:31 Travel
SIDE TWO
12 Camp Judges 1:49 Judges
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 2 episode 8 skit 13
13 Blackmail 3:48 Blackmail
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 2 episode 5 skit 2
14 Protest Song 4:10 Protest
Singer Neil Innes
(Terrible harmonica playing)
All the prophets of doom
Can always find room
In a world full of worry and fear
Tips, cigarettes
And chemistry sets
And Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
So I’m goin’ back
To my little ol’ shack
And drink me a bottle of wine
That was mis en bouteille
Before my birthday
And have me a fuckin’ good time!
Rain on a tin roof sounds like a drum
We’re marchin’ for freedom today … hey!
Turn on your headlights and sound your horn
If people get in the way
(Terrible harmonica playing)
Let me turn you on
To the Cromium Swan
On the the nose of a long limousine
Even hide for the day
It is somethin’ to say
But what the hell does it mean?
I may be accused
Of bein’ confused
But I’m average weight for my height
My phil-o-so-phy
Like color TV
Is all there in black and white
RAI — Rain on a tin roof sounds like a drum
We’re marchin’ for freedom today … hey!
Turn on your headlights and sound your horn(honk honk)
If people get in the way
(Long harmonica note to end of song.)
15 Pet Shop 4:53 Pet Shop
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 1 episode 8 skit 5
16 Four Yorkshiremen 3:32 4 Yorkshiremen
1st Yorkshireman Michael Palin
2nd Yorkshireman Graham Chapman
3rd Yorkshireman Terry Jones
4th Yorkshireman Eric Idle
(Four well-dressed men are sitting together at a vacation resort. ‘Farewell to Thee’ is played in the background on Hawaiian guitar.
1st Yorkshireman Aye, very passable, that, very passable bit of risotto.
2nd Yorkshireman Nothing like a good glass of Château de Chasselas, eh, Josiah?
3rd Yorkshireman You’re right there, Obadiah.
4th Yorkshireman Who’d have thought thirty year ago we’d all be sittin’ here drinking Château de Chasselas, eh?
1st Yorkshireman In them days we was glad to have the price of a cup o’ tea.
2nd Yorkshireman A cup o’ cold tea.
4th Yorkshireman Without milk or sugar.
3rd Yorkshireman Or tea.
1st Yorkshireman In a cracked cup, an’ all.
4th Yorkshireman Oh, we never had a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled up newspaper.
2nd Yorkshireman The best we could manage was to suck on a piece of damp cloth.
3rd Yorkshireman But you know, we were happy in those days, though we were poor.
1st Yorkshireman Because we were poor. My old Dad used to say to me, “Money doesn’t buy you happiness, son”.
4th Yorkshireman Aye, ‘e was right.
1st Yorkshireman Aye, ‘e was.
4th Yorkshireman I was happier then and I had nothin’. We used to live in this tiny old house with great big holes in the roof.
2nd Yorkshireman House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, ‘alf the floor was missing, and we were all ‘uddled together in one corner for fear of falling.
3rd Yorkshireman Eh, you were lucky to have a room! We used to have to live in t’ corridor!
1st Yorkshireman Oh, we used to dream of livin’ in a corridor! Would ha’ been a palace to us. We used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip. We got woke up every morning by having a load of rotting fish dumped all over us! House? Huh.
4th Yorkshireman Well, when I say ‘house’ it was only a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of tarpaulin, but it was a house to us.
2nd Yorkshireman We were evicted from our ‘ole in the ground; we ‘ad to go and live in a lake.
3rd Yorkshireman You were lucky to have a lake! There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t’ shoebox in t’ middle o’ road.
1st Yorkshireman Cardboard box?
3rd Yorkshireman Aye.
1st Yorkshireman You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t’ mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi’ his belt.
2nd Yorkshireman Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o’clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of ‘ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!
3rd Yorkshireman Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to ‘ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o’clock at night and lick road clean wit’ tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit’ bread knife.
4th Yorkshireman Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o’clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.
1st Yorkshireman And you try and tell the young people of today that … they won’t believe you. They won’t!
17 Argument 2:46 Argument
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 3 episode 3 skit 8
18 Death of Mary Queen of Scots 1:42 Mary Queen of Scots
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 2 episode 9 skit 10
19 Salvation Fuzz 3:29 Bishop
From Monty Python’s Flying Circus season 3 episode 3 skit 3