What does it sound like?:
HOW SWEET TO BE AN IDIOT was Neil’s debut solo album, first issued on United Artists in 1973, its title and cover design reflecting Neil’s eccentric sense of humour.
‘Despite the poor sales and lack of chart activity How Sweet To Be An Idiot serves as yet another reminder of what a remarkable talent Neil Innes was. Reflecting on the album in 2013 Neil told the blog Transatlantic Modern “I am one of the shrinking violets in this business because I’ve never been that keen on being famous. I like to share observations and feelings and things like that, but I can’t stand the idea of being popular.”
A couple of confessions, I planned to review this relaxing on my holiday unfortunately this enforced ‘ holiday’ scuppered those plans. I also planned to listen to this with a duck on my head, alas that plan also went awry.
Plus I have had to listen monaurally as due to build up of cerumen in one ear and I have no hope of having it cleared at the moment.
(You didn’t get this with the Melody Maker).
Neil left this planet in December last year but left this his first solo album which is now rereleased by Cherry Red records. Cherry Red were working with Neil on this project prior to his tragic death.
The CD does feel like two albums the HSTBAI proper and a collection of either unreleased singles or singles proper and b sides. I confess to playing ‘What Noise Annoys a Noisy Oyster’ with astonishing frequency in the students’ common room at Leeds Poly back in the seventies.
HSTBAI being Neil’s outlet for his ‘proper songs’ after what he called ‘the albatross of comedy’ some of these would not sound out of place on a contemporary Elton John album, (in the Innes Book of Records he spoofed EJ with the song Godfrey Daniels) the song ‘Feel No Shame’ sounds like something by solo McCartney and L’Amour Perdu has some wonderful French (or more probably Franglais) puns ‘ Je t’adore .. and windows too’.
Neil was a master of pastiche (non of it corny either).
Of course the title track gained additional fame when Oasis borrowed the opening for ‘Whatever’ Neil received a writing credit, in 96 Oasis were due to appear in the Rutles video for ‘Shangri-La’ (which references ‘Whatever’). Unfortunately an in-band disagreement by Oasis (unsurprisingly) put paid to that idea.
Some of the songs that appear would later return in The Innes Book of Records a follow on from Rutland Weekend Television that Neil appeared in with Eric Idle with whom he would form the Prefab Four; the fabulous Rutles. One of the highlights of the last few years was seeing the Rutles live and a deep sadness that we shall not look upon their like again or hear Neil perform solo again.
It would be interesting to hear Neil’s take on the strange times we are living through now..
What does it all *mean*?
Dada, Ducks and Duchamp
Goes well with…
Ducks on the head,
Release Date:
I believe it’s today
Might suit people who like…
Songs
“It would be interesting to hear Neil’s take on the strange times we are living through now”
Well, he seems to have a coronavirus molecule in front of him on the cover!
Speaking of the cover, I bought a copy of this album in the 80s (long since, stupidly, sold with the rest of my vinyl) and it had a different cover to this, but I can’t find a copy of the cover I had on Discogs, eBay or Google images. It wasn’t the repackaged Neil Innes A Go-Go one either. I think it was a white sleeve with Neil leaning forward, wearing colourful dungarees or something like that. I’m sure I didn’t dream it. I’m not going to rest now until I find a picture of it.
Not this one?
https://www.discogs.com/Neil-Innes-Neil-Innes-A-Go-Go/release/3754090
No, there were no masks/face paint involved. Okay, this is a quest, I am going to find this record!!
Thanks for the heads-up – I’ve been meaning to get a copy of this at some point. The dodgers have the release date as May 22nd.
A lot of dates on Amazon have been pushed back, but some releases are still available from other sources on the original date, eg the Marillion set. This one is still showing as being available on the original date of 24 April via Cherry Red’s site.
I have vague memories of Neil Innes making regular guest musical appearances on a BBC show in the 70s or 80s. It might have involved Richard Stilgoe or Peter Skellern. Or was it Victoria Wood, or Jasper Carrot? You can see I’m fumbling here.
Extensive googling reveals that the BBC commissioned three series of The Innes Book of Records in 1979. This is the show I’m thinking about. Never released on DVD.
According to an interview in the Radio Times, Innes bought the duck in Woolworths, made some modifications (removed the wheels) and used it as a prop throughout his career.
Neil also had a couple of appearances on 321.
The impenetrable nature of those clues must surely have appealed to his sense of the absurd (and just plain daft)
Unresolvable licensing issues with The Innes Book Of Records, due to the daftness of the contract terms at the time. A shame because I remember (some of) it very fondly.
Believe at least some of it is on youtube.
There may be some DVDs about.
Last time I read up on it (admittedly some years ago) Neil was pessimistic about the series ever being officially released on DVD or repeated, because of contract issues.
Too many people with rights to different parts of the whole and not all of them prepared to be reasonable.
He implied everyone involved (or their heirs) would have to agree terms and he just didn’t have the resources to make it happen.
Perhaps others can link to the video (I am having trouble) – but George Harrison’s Crackerbox Palace has a film directed by Eric Idle/featuring Neil Innes. The ducks on the head feature halfway through.
I remember watching this on TV at the time – wiki says it was 1976 – there was an interview with George on a US chat show. They played the Crackerbox Palace film and This Song.
Oddly enough this was just posted on the Viv Stanshall appreciation page on Facebook.
Modest little gaff.
Here’s an update from Rutling Ken Thornton on his Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/100011544364541/posts/1063945330666936/