Utterly Utterly Live Comic Relief

Louise Gold featured as Spitting Image’s portrayal of Sarah Duchess Of York, WEA Records recording of Comic Relief, live at The Shaftsbury Theatre, 4 5 and 6 April 1986.

Catalogue number: (LP) 240 932-1, (Cassette) 240 932-4

 

Cast

Afrodiziak, Rowan Atkinson, Chris Barrie, Frank Bruno, Kate Bush, Billy Connelly, Angus Deayton, Ben Elton, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Bob Geldof, Louise Gold, Howard Goodell, Lenny Henry, Howard Jones, Nigel Planer, Raw Sex, Cliff Richard, Jennifer Saunders, Midge Ure, Theophilus P Wilderbeast, and, The Young Ones

 

The Young Ones -  Rik Mayell, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, and, Christopher Ryan

Raw Sex - Simon Brint and Rowland Rivon

 

Cassette Extra Feature - Michael Palin

 

Production Team

Produced by - Stuart Colman and Geoffrey Perkins

A Rockmasters production

Writers - Lionel Bart, Kate Bush, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Billy Connolly, Richard Curtis, Adrian Edmondson, Ben Elton, Dawn French, Bob Geldof, Howard Goodall, Rob Grant, Lenny Henry, Ian Hislop, Howard Jones, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer, Doug Naylor, Nick Newman, Nigel Planer, Geoffrey Perkins, Christopher Ryan, Jennifer Saunders, William Shakespeare, and, Midge Ure

 

Track Listing

LP 240 932-1

Side 1

1. Spitting Image’s Royal Address (Grant, Naylor, Hislop, Newman, and, Perkins) - Chris Barrie and Louise Gold (as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson)

2. Big Love (Mckenzie, Fuller, and, Henry) - Lenny Henry present Theophilus P. Wilderbeast

3. A Dangerous Place (Connolly) - Billy Connolly

4. Breathing (Bush) - Kate Bush

5. Romeo and Juliet and Harry (The Frank Bruno Shakespeare Players) - Frank Bruno and Lenny Henry

6. The Young Ones/Living Doll (Elton, Mayell, Mayer, Curtis, Edmondson, Planer, Ryan, Bart) - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones with Raw Sex, Howard Goodall and Midge Ure

 

Side 2

1. A Bit Of A Downer (Trad. arr Planer) - Nigel Planer (as Neil)

2. The Train Set (Elton - Ben Elton

3. Life In One Day (Jones) - Howard Jones and Afrodiziak

4. Merchant Banker (Cleese, Chapman)- Stephen Fry, Bob Geldof, and, Midge Ure

5. Do Bears... (Curtis, Goodall)- Rowan Atkinson and Kate Bush with Howard Goodall

6. Friendly Advice (French, Saunders) - Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders

7. Fatal Beatings (Curtis, Elton) - Rowan Atkinson and Angus Deayton

8. Feed The World (Geldof, Ure)- Bob Geldof and Midge Ure

 

 

Cassette 240 932-4

Side 1

1. Spitting Image’s Royal Address (Grant, Naylor, Hislop, Newman, and, Perkins) - Chris Barrie and Louise Gold (as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson)

2. Big Love (Mckenzie, Fuller, and, Henry) - Lenny Henry present Theophilus P. Wilderbeast

3. A Dangerous Place (Connolly) - Billy Connolly

4. Breathing (Bush) - Kate Bush

5. Romeo and Juliet and Harry (The Frank Bruno Shakespeare Players) - Frank Bruno and Lenny Henry

6. The Young Ones/Living Doll (Elton, Mayell, Mayer, Curtis, Edmondson, Planer, Ryan, Bart) - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones with Raw Sex, Howard Goodall and Midge Ure

 

Side 2

1. A Bit Of A Downer (Trad. arr Planer) - Nigel Planer (as Neil)

2. The Train Set (Elton - Ben Elton

3. Life In One Day (Jones) - Howard Jones and Afrodiziak

4. Merchant Banker (Cleese, Chapman)- Stephen Fry, Bob Geldof, and, Midge Ure

5. Do Bears... (Curtis, Goodall)- Rowan Atkinson and Kate Bush with Howard Goodall

6. Friendly Advice (French, Saunders) - Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders

7. Fatal Beatings (Curtis, Elton) - Rowan Atkinson and Angus Deayton

8. Feed The World (Geldof, Ure)- Bob Geldof and Midge Ure

9. Biggles Goes To See Bruce Springsteen (Michael Palin) - Michael Palin

 

 

Note: There are some writers the webmaster has not managed to identify, who are: Fuller, McKenzie, Trad?

All of the performers heard on this album took part in Comic Relif 1986

Voice-artists Louise Gold and Chris Barrie, and writers: Rob Grant, Ian Hislop, Doug Naylor, Nick Newman and Geoffrey Perkins, represent Spitting Image on this recording. They were also all involved in their respective guises on the album Spit In Your Ear.

Louise Gold, Chris Barrie, Ian Hislop, and, Nick Newman went on to speak about their work on Spitting Image on Spitting Image: Must See TV.

Adrian Edmondson has also worked on Spitting Image .

Ben Elton worked on the Spitting Image Pre-Pilot.

Richard Curtis has written on both, the Spitting Image Pilot and  Spitting Image itself.

WEA records also produced Spitting Image’s first single, Da Do Run Ron , which also features to voice-artistes Louise Gold and Chris Barrie, and the work of writers Ian Hislop and Nick Newman

Louise Gold and Chris Barrie also helped out, on occasion, with the politically-minded semi-professional Fall Out group’s shows.

Nigel Planer went on to appear in Man Of La Mancha, and at Shopping With The Stars 2009, his recording credits include The Greatest Musicals of the 20th Century.

Michael Palin may have gone on to appear in Comedy Tonight. He went on to take part in A Celebration Of The Life And Work Of Dick Vosburgh.

Stephen Fry may have gone on to appear in Will Aid.

Christopher Ryan had previously appeared in Rachel And The Roarettes, and went on to appear in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and, Alice In Wonderland.

Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis, and, Howard Goodall were all worked one way or another on BlackAdder.

Rick Mayall went on to appear in A Kick Up The Archive.

John Cleese’s film credits include The Great Muppet Caper.

Billy Connelly and Jennifer Saunders’s film credits include Muppet Treasure Island.

Adrian Edmonson’s television credits include Rita Rudner.

John Cleese had previously been a Guest Star on The Muppet Show.

 

Rowan Atkinson has gone on to appear in Oliver!  and sings on the associated cast album Oliver! (Recording).

 

Review

by Emma Shane

This is really a record for people who are keen on classic 1980’s alternative comedy, ranging from French and Saunders to Lenny Henry, with spoofs from Spitting Image’s Royal Family to The Young Ones’s adaptation of Living Doll.

Spitting Image’s leading puppeteer Louise Gold’s contribution to the recording is to voice Fergie, Duchess of York, looking for her hair slide in Prince Andrew’s jockey shorts “Well that’s where it was last time”. As Prince Andrew, Chris Barrie does most of the talking on their track, although Gold gets in a few characteristic shrieks.

Cliff Richard and The Young Ones did an adaptation of Living Doll, which starts off with some jokes about John Craven. At first Cliff Richard might appear out of place with all these Political-Satirical comedy people, however, he is singing a hit song written by Lionel Bart who actually got his start in showbusiness, in the early 1950’s, via the world of political satire (the International Youth Centre, Unity Theatre, and, Stratford East Theatre Workshop).

Of the rest of the album: The Merchant Banker sketch is quite amusing, but then it does appear to have originated with The Pythons. Meanwhile Curtis and Elton’s Fatal Beatings is rather amusing if you have a dark sense of humour and is read masterfully by Angus Deayton and Rowen Atkinson. And I particularly liked French and Saunders’s very funny sketch about two schoolgirls supposedly discussing “contraception”.

 

Links about Utterly Utterly Live Comic Relief

Some of The Corpses Are Amusing http://corpses.comedynetuk.com/?u=http://www.corpses.comedynetuk.com/editnews/comicrelief.html  page about the album and the video.

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