A very Rutle-y Christmas present!

[TheLazenby]

Thought someone here might enjoy this........ I decided recently to use Rutles, Bonzos and Flames material to try and construct a full length "Sgt. Rutter's Only Darts Club Band" LP.  (Other Beatle fans suggested I should make it crackly and mono, to add an air of legitimacy!  )  The goal obviously being to find an equivalent for every Beatles song.  Well, in time for Christmas, here's a complete side one!
http://www.mediafire.com/?8lqtvow1la4v63e

01) Major Happy's Up and Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band [Nasty/McQuickly]
02) Nevertheless [Nasty/McQuickly]
03) Good Times Roll [Nasty/McQuickly]
04) The Knicker Elastic King [Nasty/McQuickly]
05) Equestrian Statue [Nasty/McQuickly]
06) She's Leaving Home [trad. arr. Nasty/McQuickly]
07) Being For The Benefit Of Mankind! [Nasty/McQuickly]

And in case you're curious, here's the track list of side two (which I haven't completed yet, still a bit of work to be done....)

01) Solitude [O'Hara]
02) Nevertheless [O'Hara]
03) Back In '64 [Nasty/McQuickly]
04) Rockaliser Baby [Nasty/McQuickly]
05) Major Happy's Up and Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band - reprise [Nasty/McQuickly]
06) Cheese and Onions [Nasty/McQuickly]

Do I have to spell it out? 

[Dudd]

Good to see there's another Rutles fan about! I guess Rockaliser Baby sort of does sound like Lovely Rita, heh 

[ontor pertawst]

Awww, fantastic! Those songs always put me in such a great mood, they really are brilliant bits of songwriting. All hail Neil!

Here's a fun video I shot of Innes & Friends performing... RUTALOT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErCQ9nQAglg

... and at no additional cost, Neil lecturing one of my imaginary bands on the realities of the music biz:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFLMzTmg1w8

[OneEar/OneEye]

love me some rutles   

[Michael Edwards Love]

Lazenby- it's great.  Did you ever complete side 2?

[RangeRoverA1]

First off, thank you, Lazenby, for such a tremendous Christmas present! Second off, dare me say Sgt. Rutter is vastly superior to Sgt. Pepper, despite that I dig few songs from the latter such as my absolute fave With A Little Help, Lovely Rita & Mr. Kite. For someone who are not professional singers, The Rutles did quite an impressive vocal work. The music is great! I liked everything, except for Good Times Roll, though the chorus repeating the title is cool, much cooler than its equivalent "Lucy in the Sky"'s one. Track-by-track:

1) Major Happy's Up & Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band (what a title!) - it starts off exactly as Track 1 of Sgt. Pepper, i.e. with the background banquet intro. I'm glad they decided to leave it, coz it kind of sets the mood in a positive way. Plus, I like the sound of violin. Of course, no one can rival with Paul's rocking singing but that doesn't mean it is less groovy & dynamic. Btw, speaking of Paul, the song's sung by a John's impersonator, not his definitely.
2) Nevertheless - now, we've got the cutest song if there ever was one. No less warm & sweet than Ringo's tune. The harmonies are beautiful & I like the pessimistic, "loser" tone of the singer. He just begs for a friendly hug & kind words.
4) The Knicker Elastic King - I used to be a big fan of Getting Better, then it gradually started to bore me. However, it is after hearing this Rutles "copy" GB became finally & totally forgettable. With that being said, the "oooh-la-la" bit on "...Elastic King" is corny.
5) Equestrian Statue - another gem that is better than The Beatles' song. By a wide margin. The orchestration on here is simply great! The whole idea with marches is right on the money, I always loved that genre. Lastly, the vocals are excellent - one of the best, in fact. The only thing I'm not fond of is the discofied outro.
6) She's Leaving Home - utterly entertaining shortie! Girl's cheerful "I'm free!" screaming cracked me up a little, as if she's happy for leaving home. The operatic style of singing adds the comedic feel as well. Good job overall!
7) Being for the Benefit of Mankind! - it sort of similar to Lily the Pink by The Scaffold (the band featuring Michael McCartney, brother of you-know-who) which I very like. Great closing of Side A. Tongue-twisters are fun. In short, deserved thumbs up from me!

Thanks again for this generous gift! Look forward to get the 2nd side; maybe you'll be in time with it for the next Christmas.

[Dudd]

I went to see Neil Innes last week! An amazing guy - fantastic showmanship.