The band's only appearance on the UK Singles Charts was "I'm the Urban Spaceman", which reached #5 in October 1968. The single was produced by Paul McCartney under the pseudonym "Apollo C. Vermouth". The band disbanded in 1970. The band reunited briefly in 1972 and again in 1988, before reuniting permanently in 2002.
After the initial split, Innes provided songs for "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and the Monty Python troupe's subsequent films, and is often considered to be an "unofficial member" of the troupe. Stanshall died in a house fire in 1995.
The band's six albums are: "Gorilla" (1967), "The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse" (1968, released as "Urban Spaceman" in the US), "Tadpoles" (1969), "Keynsham" (1969), "Let's Make Up and Be Friendly" (1972) and "Pour l'Amour des Chiens" (2007).
The Intro and the Outro
The Bonzo Dog Band Lyrics
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Like to introduce `Legs' Larry Smith, drums
And Sam Spoons, rhythm pole
And Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell, bass guitar
And Neil Innes, piano.
Come in Rodney Slater on the saxophone
With Roger Ruskin Spear on tenor sax.
I, Vivian Stanshall, trumpet.
And Robert Morley, guitar.
Billy Butlin, spoons.
And looking very relaxed, Adolf Hitler on vibes.
Nice!
Princess Anne on sousaphone.
Mmm.
Introducing Liberace, clarinet
With Garner "Ted" Armstrong on vocals.
[Jazzy scat singing]
Lord Snooty and his pals, tap dancing.
In the groove with Harold Wilson, violin
And Franklin McCormack on harmonica.
Over there, Eric Clapton, ukulele.
Hi Eric!
On my left Sir Kenneth Clark, bass sax.
A great honour, sir.
And specially flown in for us, the session's gorilla on vox humana.
Nice to see Incredible Shrinking Man on euphonium.
Drop out with Peter Scott on duck call.
Hearing from you later, Casanova on horn.
Yeah! Digging General de Gaulle on accordion.
Rather wild, General!
Thank you, sir.
Roy Rogers on Trigger.
Tune in Wild Man of Borneo on bongos.
Count Basie Orchestra on triangle.
[CBO:] (Ting!)
Thank you.
Great to hear the Rawlinsons on trombone.
Back from his recent operation, Dan Druff, harp.
And representing the flower people, Quasimodo on bells.
[Q:] Hooray!
Wonderful to hear Brainiac on banjo.
We welcome Val Doonican as himself.
[V:] Hullo there!
Very appealing, Max Jaffa.
Mmm, that's nice, Max!
What a team, Zebra Kid and Horace Batchelor on percussion.
A great favourite and a wonderf
The Intro and the Outro by The Bonzo Dog Band is a satirical and humorous song that parodies the traditional way radio shows introduce their musical guests. The introduction starts with the voice of the band's frontman Vivian Stanshall, who welcomes the audience and then proceeds to introduce each band member, who comes in one by one, until the ensemble is complete. What makes the song unique is that each band member is introduced as playing an unusual instrument or engaging in an unusual musical activity, with a bit of wordplay and jokes thrown in.
For instance, Legs' Larry Smith is introduced as playing drums, and Sam Spoons as the rhythm pole player. Other members include a xylophone played by John Wayne, Adolf Hitler on vibes and Princess Anne on sousaphone. The Bonzo Dog Band also pokes fun at British politicians, such as Harold Wilson playing the violin and General de Gaulle on the accordion. The musicians and personalities introduced in the track become increasingly surreal as the song continues, adding to the absurdity.
Line by Line Meaning
Hi there, nice to be with you, glad you could stick around.
I am pleased to be here and grateful for your presence.
Like to introduce 'Legs' Larry Smith, drums
Introducing Larry Smith, the drummer.
And Sam Spoons, rhythm pole
Also on percussion, Sam Spoons playing the rhythm pole.
And Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell, bass guitar
On bass guitar, Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell.
And Neil Innes, piano.
Playing the piano, Neil Innes.
Come in Rodney Slater on the saxophone, with Roger Ruskin Spear on tenor sax.
On saxophone, Rodney Slater, and joining him on tenor sax is Roger Ruskin Spear.
I, Vivian Stanshall, trumpet.
Playing trumpet, I am Vivian Stanshall.
Say hello to big John Wayne, xylophone
On the xylophone, none other than big John Wayne.
And Robert Morley, guitar.
Playing the guitar, Robert Morley.
Billy Butlin, spoons.
Also on percussion, Billy Butlin playing the spoons.
And looking very relaxed, Adolf Hitler on vibes.
Playing the vibraphone, Adolf Hitler looks very laid back.
Nice!
What a great group!
Princess Anne on sousaphone.
Adding to the brass section, Princess Anne is playing the sousaphone.
Mmm.
Very nice addition.
Introducing Liberace, clarinet, with Garner 'Ted' Armstrong on vocals.
On clarinet is Liberace, with Garner 'Ted' Armstrong handling the vocals.
[Jazzy scat singing]
Performing some scat singing.
Lord Snooty and his pals, tap dancing.
Bringing some lively tap dancing, it's Lord Snooty and his friends.
In the groove with Harold Wilson, violin, and Franklin McCormack on harmonica.
Keeping things smooth, Harold Wilson is playing the violin, and Franklin McCormack is on harmonica.
Over there, Eric Clapton, ukulele.
Playing the ukulele, Eric Clapton is situated over yonder.
Hi Eric!
Greetings to Eric Clapton.
On my left Sir Kenneth Clark, bass sax.
Sir Kenneth Clark is to my left, playing bass saxophone.
A great honor, sir.
It is a great privilege to have you here, Sir Kenneth Clark.
And specially flown in for us, the session's gorilla on vox humana.
Joining us just for this occasion, we have a gorilla playing the vox humana.
Nice to see Incredible Shrinking Man on euphonium.
Performing on the euphonium, it is great to have the Incredible Shrinking Man with us.
Drop out with Peter Scott on duck call.
Taking a break, Peter Scott is playing the duck call.
Hearing from you later, Casanova on horn.
We will hear from Casanova later, playing the horn.
Yeah! Digging General de Gaulle on accordion!
We are really enjoying General de Gaulle playing the accordion.
Rather wild, General!
Quite a lively performance from General de Gaulle.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you for that terrific display, General de Gaulle.
Roy Rogers on Trigger.
Performing on Trigger the horse, it's Roy Rogers!
Tune in Wild Man of Borneo on bongos.
Switching gears, we have the Wild Man of Borneo playing the bongos.
Count Basie Orchestra on triangle.
Adding some percussion, it's the Count Basie Orchestra on the triangle.
[CBO:] (Ting!)
Rendering a bright 'ting' sound.
Thank you.
Much obliged.
Great to hear the Rawlinsons on trombone.
Playing the trombone, we are thrilled to have the Rawlinsons.
Back from his recent operation, Dan Druff, harp.
Making a comeback after surgery, Dan Druff is playing the harp.
And representing the flower people, Quasimodo on bells.
Playing the bells, representing the flower children, it's Quasimodo.
[Q:] Hooray!
Exclaiming with excitement.
Wonderful to hear Brainiac on banjo.
Playing the banjo, it is a pleasure to have Brainiac with us.
We welcome Val Doonican as himself.
Joining us as himself, please welcome Val Doonican.
[V:] Hullo there!
Saying hello to the audience.
Very appealing, Max Jaffa.
Playing the violin, Max Jaffa's music is very charming.
Mmm, that's nice, Max!
Expressing appreciation for Max Jaffa's performance.
What a team, Zebra Kid and Horace Batchelor on percussion.
On percussion, what a great duo we have in Zebra Kid and Horace Batchelor.
A great favourite and a wonderful...
A beloved performer who is sure to impress.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: VIVIAN STANSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gclanman2216
This still just kills me. Heard it at a friends house in the 70's, they were a warm up band for Frank Zappa.
@PIPEHEAD
That's a joke in itself, it should have been the other way round.
@oleggorky906
Frank definitely appreciated humour in his and others music, so although I didn’t know this, it doesn’t surprise me.
@iadorenewyork1
“looking very relaxed”. So funny!
@ailurophile17
@@PIPEHEAD Oh yeah, I was gonna get on here and say that myself. The Bonzo's humor was far superior to that of the always infantile Zappa.
@terryplatt
This one always used to corpse me every time - but now to see the video of all the characters appearing at their precise moments, and some of the text comments laid over the top - well, I was reduced to hysterics with tears rolling down my cheeks well before the end! Brilliantly well done - thank you!
@emilyoshiro
One of the greatest bands of all time! Saw them open for The Who n 1969, I was 14 yrs old, bean a basket case ever since!
@Whofan1000
Well, with the same last name as Keith's, no wonder! Why not just go all the way and call yourself Vivian Moon? Viv and Keith were best friends and fellow pranksters, you know!
@soarornor
You’re so lucky. That must have been one extraordinary show!
@colinglass1342
Holy moly They definitely gave the phythons a run for the money shere comic lunacy a genious in every song thank god I fount the bonzos.