A somewhat different tack from the usual Making Time CD review. The Bonzo Dog Band was a group of individuals who mixed pop with jazz and Vaudeville and, to some extent, psychedelia. They had a major hit the I'm The Urban Spaceman, produced by Paul McCartney under the pseudonym Apollo C Vermouth. The band also appeared in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour. 

This collection of three CDs is the complete works of the Bonzo Dog Band. Originally known as the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, the first few singles are included on the third CD. The single My Brother Makes the Noises for the Talkies and I'm Going To Bring A Water Melon to My Girl Tonight brings the jazz tradition to the fore and fuses this with deep meaningful lyrics. The jazz style continued into the first album Gorilla. This contains the classic Intro and the Outro as well as Big Shot and Cool Britannia (so you didn't invent it My Blair!) 

The other three albums included here continued the comedy theme with Vivian Stanshall and Neil Innes well to the for. Innes penned the classic I'm the Urban Spaceman and later was the driving force behind the prefab four, the Rutles. The Tadpoles album contained "the hit" Also included on Tadpoles is the Bonzo's cover of Boris Pickett & the Cryptkickers' Monster Mash. The final Bonzo Dog Band album of the 1960s was Keynsham. As a former resident of the town I have to admire this album. the best track on this album is Mr Slater's Parrot, a Stanshall special later resurrected for a Cadbury's chocolate commercial. 

Let's Make and Be Friendly was released during the early 1970s for contractual reasons but was a bit of a disappointment compared with earlier Bonzo Dog Band work. A hint of the Rutles is evident in Fresh Wound while Stanshall's Rawlinson End had an outing.

Many of the tracks can be viewed as pastiche and parody rather than pure comedy although Keynsham is more of a concept album, not at all "funny haha" but building prisons for ourselves. It was released at a time when many bands were looking to push into unchartered territory and the Bonzos were no exception to this. 

The CD booklets have an extensive biography of the band that is well-worth reading. This is also illustrated with many photographs of the band. The Bonzos were much more than a 1920s revival band and they became accomplished satirists. 

The band went on to other things, Innes has already been mentioned and he was also extensively involved with Monty Python notably in The Holy Grail. Stanshall underook a number of projects including the musical Stinkfoot. "Legs" Larry Smith became very friendly with Keith Moon.

Essential Tracks:

• The Intro and the Outro

• I'm the Urban Spaceman

• Monster Mash

Track Listing:

1. Cool Britannia
2. The Equestrian Statue
3. Jollity Farm
4. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
5. Look Out, There's A Monster Coming
6. Jazz, Delicious Hot, Delicious Cold
7. Death Cab for Cutie
8. Narcissus
9. The Intro and the Outro
10. Mickey's Son and Daughter
11. Big Shot
12. Music for the Head Ballet
13. Piggy Bank Love
14. I'm Bored
15. The Sound of Music

The Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse

1. We are Normal
2. Postcard
3. Can Blue Men Sing the Whites
4. Hello Mabel
5. Kama Sutra
6. Humanoid Boogie
7. Trouser Press
8. My Pink Half of the Drainpipe
9. Rockaliser Baby
10. Rhinocratic Oath
11. 11 Mustachioed Daughters

Tadpoles

1. Hunting Tigers Out in India
2. Shirt
3. Tubas in the Moonlight
4. Dr Jazz
5. Monster Mash
6. I'm the Urban Spaceman
7. Ali Baba's Camel
8. Laughing Blues
9. By a Waterfall
10. Mr Apollo
11. Canyons of Your Mind

Keynsham

1. You Done My Brain In
2. Keynsham
3. Quiet Talks and Summer Walks
4. Tent
5. We Were Wrong
6. Joke Shop Man
7. The Bride Stripped Bare by "Bachelors"
8. Look at Me I'm Wonderful
9. What Do You Do?
10. Mr Slater's Parrott
11. Sport (The Odd Boy)
12. I Want To be With You
13. Noises for the Leg
14. Busted

Dog Ends

1. My Brother Makes the Noises for the Talkies
2. I'm Going to Bring a Watermelon to My Girl Tonight
3. Alley Oop
4. Button Up Your Overcoat
5. Mr Apollo (German version)
6. Ready Mates

Let's Make Up and Be Friendly

1. The Strain
2. Turkeys
3. King of Scurf
4. Straight From the Heart
5. Rusty (Champion Thrust)
6. Rawlinson End
7. Don't Get Me Wrong
8. Fresh Wound
9. Bad Blood
10. Slush