Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead

Last updated

Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead.jpg
Studio album by
Released1974
Studio The Manor, Oxfordshire
Genre Rock music
Comedy music
Length41:49
Label Warner Bros. Records (1974)
Harkit Records (2010)
Poppydisc Records (2012)
Producer John Darnley, Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall chronology
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
(1974)
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
(1978)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead is the 1974 debut solo album by the very English musician, writer, poet and comedian Vivian Stanshall.

Contents

Releases

The initial LP pressing was deleted by Warner Bros. Records soon after release, having sold only the initial vinyl pressing of 5,000 copies. The album remained out of print for over 35 years.

In 2010, an unauthorized CD reissue was made available by Harkit Records. The CD featured notes by Dutch dada-ist Freek Kinkelaar and featured two bonus tracks not on the original LP: "Baba Tunde" and "Lakonga". [3] This edition is sourced from a vinyl copy and is a "bootleg" not authorized by the Stanshall estate. [4] The bonus tracks come from a rare 1974 single. [5]

Poppydisc Records released a remastered edition, on LP and CD, on 21 May 2012. These are the first re-issues to be authorized by the artist's estate, with a note in CD booklet stating (in bold uppercase) "Do not buy the Harkit Records CD as it is a poor quality bootleg, unauthorized by the Stanshall family". [6] The remastered CD contains the two bonus tracks, while the vinyl version is the same as the original vinyl LP. [7]

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Vivian Stanshall, except where noted:

Side 1

  1. "Afoju Ti Ole Riran (Dead Eyes)" (Vivian Stanshall, Gaspar Lawal)
  2. "Truck-Track"
  3. "Yelp, Bellow, Rasp Et Cetera"
  4. "Prong"
  5. "Redeye"

Side 2

  1. "How The Zebra Got His Spots"
  2. "Dwarf Succulents"
  3. "Bout of Sobriety"
  4. "Prong & Toots Go Steady"
  5. "Strange Tongues"

Bonus tracks on 2010 and 2012 CD reissues

  1. "Lakonga" (single A-side)
  2. "Baba Tunde" (single B-side)
(Both tracks written by Stanshall and Lawal) [8] [9] [10] [6]

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Vivian Stanshall English musician and author (1943–1995)

Vivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for acting as Master of Ceremonies on Mike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells.

GRIMMS was an English pop rock, comedy and poetry group, originally formed as a merger of The Scaffold, the Bonzo Dog Band, and the Liverpool Scene for two concerts in 1971 at the suggestion of John Gorman.

<i>Jesu</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Jesu

Jesu is the first full-length album by British experimental music band Jesu, released through Hydra Head Records on 8 December 2004. Unlike the Heart Ache EP, where Justin Broadrick executed all instrumentation himself, this release features Ted Parsons on drums, Diarmuid Dalton on bass, and a guest appearance by Paul Neville on guitar on the track "Man/Woman". The album was released in Japan by Daymare Recordings and contains two additional instrumental remixes on a bonus disc. In February 2005, a double vinyl picture disc set was released by Hydra Head, limited to 1000 copies. The picture disc pressing contains an alternate, cleaner mix than the CD or standard LP editions.

<i>Feeling the Space</i> 1973 studio album by Yoko Ono

Feeling the Space is Yoko Ono's fourth solo album, her last one on Apple Records.

<i>Lotus</i> (Santana album) 1974 live album by Santana

Lotus is a 1974 live album by the Latin rock band Santana, recorded at the Osaka Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan, Osaka, Japan in July 1973, during their Caravanserai Tour. The Welcome album recording sessions were completed shortly before this concert, and that album was later released in November. Lotus was originally released in 1974 as a triple vinyl LP in Japan only. This version of the album was later released internationally.

<i>Gorilla</i> (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band album) 1967 studio album by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

Gorilla is the debut album by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, originally released by Liberty Records, LBL 83056, in 1967. In 2007, EMI reissued the album on CD with seven bonus tracks.

<i>Lets Make Up and Be Friendly</i> 1972 studio album by Bonzo Dog Band

Let's Make Up And Be Friendly was the fifth and, until 2007, final original album by the Bonzo Dog Band. The group had already disbanded when United Artists Records informed band members that the group owed the label one more album. This 1972 farewell album was the result. In 2007 the album was re-issued on CD by EMI with six bonus tracks, some of which were solo recordings by the members of the group.

<i>Secret Story</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Pat Metheny

Secret Story is an album by Pat Metheny released in 1992 that won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 1993. All of the music is composed by Metheny, and it is one of his most ambitious studio ventures, integrating elements of jazz, rock, and world music. On the performing side, it includes collaborations with the Pinpeat Orchestra of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, the London Orchestra and its conductor Jeremy Lubbock, the Choir of the Cambodian Royal Palace, legendary harmonica player Toots Thielemans, and keyboardist Lyle Mays from Pat Metheny Group.

<i>A Screw</i> 1986 EP

A Screw is the third EP by the New York City experimental rock group Swans. The EP's three songs were later appended as bonus tracks to the CD release of Holy Money.

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band British band led by Vivian Stanshall

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelic pop with surreal humour and avant-garde art, the Bonzos came to public attention through a 1968 ITV comedy show, Do Not Adjust Your Set.

<i>Between My Head and the Sky</i> 2009 studio album by Plastic Ono Band

Between My Head and the Sky is an album by Yoko Ono's band Plastic Ono Band released on Chimera Music in September 2009. It is her first studio album to be released as "Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band" since 1973's Feeling the Space. This Plastic Ono Band lineup featured Cornelius, Yuka Honda, and Ono's son Sean Lennon as band leader and producer.

The Stripes were a German pop music ensemble founded on 2 July 1979 in the town of Hagen by Rainer Kitzmann, who played guitar. The lead singer was Gabriele Susanne Kerner, before she became known as Nena Kerner, who would later form the band Nena. Another future member of the band Nena, Rolf Brendel, played the drums. Frank Röhler played bass. The band was known for singing exclusively in English. They released five singles and one studio album, after which they split up on 3 March 1982. Their song "Ecstasy" was a minor hit.

<i>Teddy Boys Dont Knit</i> 1981 studio album by Vivian Stanshall

Teddy Boys Don't Knit is the third solo album by Vivian Stanshall. As with his 1974 debut solo album Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead, it consists entirely of songs, rather than the comedy-narrative-with-integral-songs of its immediate predecessor Sir Henry at Rawlinson End.

<i>New York Cake</i> 1981 studio album by Kano

New York Cake is a 1981 Italo disco album by Italian band Kano, recorded for Full Time Records and released in the United States by Mirage Records. It was produced by Luciano Ninzatti, Matteo Bonsanto, and Stefano Pulga. The album features Italian top 3 hit "Baby Not Tonight" and American No. 89 Hit "Can't Hold Back ".

<i>Dung 4</i> 1989 demo album by Inspiral Carpets

Dung 4 is a demo album by the British indie rock band Inspiral Carpets. It was first released in May 1989 on Inspiral Carpets' own Cow Records and only on cassette. The name refers to the catalogue number.

<i>Afreaka!</i> 1970 studio album by Demon Fuzz

Afreaka! was the first album released by the English band Demon Fuzz. It was initially issued in 1970 by Dawn Records, to which the group was signed. The following year, a U.S. pressing was made by Janus Records. It was a Billboard "4-STAR" selection in June 1971. In the 21st century, another pressing on vinyl was made by Janus under the same catalog number as the 1971 edition.

<i>Secret Rendez-Vous</i> 1987 studio album by Cindy Valentine

Secret Rendez-Vous is the second album by Cindy Valentine and a single by the same name, both records were distributed on vinyl and cassette tape. Secret Rendez-Vous was Valentine's second album, working with composer and producer Tony Green, the pair composed all of the music. "Secret Rendez-Vous" peaked at #43 on Billboard Magazine's, Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Robert Görl German musician (born 1955)

Robert Görl is a German musician, best known for his work with Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (D.A.F.) and for his solo recordings, particularly Night Full Of Tension and "Darling Don't Leave Me".

Gasper Lawal is a Nigerian drummer, griot, and composer who has publicized traditional African percussive languages in the West. As a performer, his "Afriki" sound created a fusion of Nigerian percussion styles with rock and jazz.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Vince Guaraldi album) 1980 compilation album by Vince Guaraldi

Greatest Hits is the second compilation album of songs by American jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi released in 1980 in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

References

  1. "Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead - Vivian Stanshall | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. Irvin, Jim (November 2010). "Unsettle down now: Vivian Stanshall Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead". Mojo . p. 120.
  3. "Vivian Stanshall – Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead". Harkit Records. 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  4. "Vivian Stanshall – Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (2012, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  5. "Vivian Stanshall - Lakonga". 45cat.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (booklet). Poppydisc. 1974. p. 10. POPPYCD015.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Vivian Stanshall – Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (2010, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  9. "Vivian Stanshall – Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (2012, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  10. "Vivian Stanshall - Lakonga". Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.