[Dixielandjazz] Urban Spaceman

[Tony Orr]

Dave

thanks from another Bonzos fan for the website. The version of the Urban 
Spaceman on the website is played in a traditional jazz form unlike 
their one and only big hit version on the "I'm The Urban Spaceman" LP as 
the "Bonzo Dog Band". It would be interesting to know the personnel.

"Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold" is on the LP " Gorilla" as the 
"Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band" It is a great parody of some trad bands who 
think that they are the hottest thing around and sacrifice musicality 
for sheer speed and loudness. Trouble is, their large, enthusiastic 
followings tend to believe the hype as do the band. It can't have been 
easy for the Bonzos to cross the rhythm when playing on the offbeat 
behind the trumpet "solo" on "Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold". 
Brilliant!. I love playing the track to people to see the reaction. 
Quite a few don't notice the send-up aspect..Oh, well.....

"The Strain" should be piped into every public restroom instead of 
endless Kenny G and Muzak.

Tony Orr
Melb, Oz

tubaman at batnet.com wrote:

> I have been a Bonzo fan since waaay back (I even knew about them in 
> the late 60s despite their having next to no air play on US radio!)  A 
> very good website for them: 
> http://www.iankitching.me.uk/music/bonzos/index.html#Contents
>
> Since then I have done several radio specials on them at KFJC. Not 
> everything they did was OKOM, but a lot of it was, very much.
> There was a  relationship between the Temperance 7 and the Bonzos but 
> it was sort of a "Big Brother - Little Brother" thing. As I recall no 
> members of the T7 were in the Bonzos but they knew each other.
>
> Try listening to "Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold" for the 
> Absolute Worst Ever Trad Band sound ;-)
>
> There was a picture of some surviving members of the original band 
> playing "Skiffle" style instruments on a UK website a few years ago 
> but I have lost the link. I don't know if the musicians on Neil's 
> recording you link are the same folks.
>
> There is a relatively knowledgeable discussion list on Bonzo Dog 
> related topics at
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bonzo-dog-band/      You might ask there.
>
>
> Dave Richoux
>
> On Feb 16, 2005, at 12:19 PM, Ed Danielson wrote:
>
>> For some reason the tune "I'm the Urban Spaceman" popped into my head 
>> the other day.  It was done by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band back in the 
>> late 60s.  I remembered them as a kind of "Monty Python meets Frank 
>> Zappa in a British music hall" oddball act.
>>
>> I was genuinely surprised to find a very swinging version of the tune 
>> at this website:
>> http://www.neilinnes.org/I.htm#urbanspaceman
>>
>> Scroll down to the "audio" link.
>>
>> Does anyone know anything about who's playing on this? ... maybe some 
>> of the British listmates?  The musicianship seems much better than I 
>> what remember from that band.
>>
>> I'm also wondering about "The Temperance Seven," a band formed in the 
>> 50s that seems to still be active.  A recent album by them features 
>> liner notes by former Bonzo Dog member Neil Innes.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Ed Danielson
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Dixielandjazz mailing list
>> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz