Search - Monty Python :: The Final Rip Off

Uh... I Remember it Better

Marshall Vandruff | Laguna Niguel, CA United States | 05/17/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I memorized the three famous Monty Python albums of the early 1970's but I haven't listened to them in years and I just got this CD collection. Some of the routines hold up well (Novel Writing). Some seem tired to me. Some of them seem to have been re-mastered and made to sound worse (The Cheese Shop?). And having them taken out of their original flow and contexts makes me feel like I've visited an old neighborhood that has changed more than I want. Maybe it's a good introduction for you fresh young folks to whom it's new. I feel sorry for you to hear the live versions with the actors shouting all their lines and the audience so predisposed to laughter that all the subtlety of the original versions is lost. But it's an overview..."

Great compilation if you're getting just one CD

Jean E. Pouliot | Newburyport, MA United States | 06/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The classics are all here -- the Parrot Sketch, the Cheese Shop, the Spanish Inquisition and more. And they are produced for audio, which is an improvement on simply capturing the TV sketches on tape. I happen to love the Four Yorkshiremen, all trying to outdo the others' growing-up-in poverty stories. Also, there's something about Aussie sketches (Australian table wines and the Bruces) that hits my funny bone particularly hard.



Not a bad choice if you are planning to by exactly one Python CD. Otherwise, spend $40 on The Instant Monty Python CD Collection for the best bang for your buck."

Mixed bag of Python

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 01/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This double disc of Monty Python is a safe bet for the initiated. If you're already familiar, you'll get plenty of sparked funny-bone reminders. The tricky part is that some of the better known skits are performed live, and lose the nuance. The "Dead Parrot" sketch in particular comes off as strident, with the audience primed to laugh and holler out at the precise moments. There are a couple other bits that are not as good without the visual component ("Election Special" being one such example).



However, the best bits and the musically parodies are brilliant. "Spam Spam Spam" is even a cultural touchstone at this time, and "Sit On My Face" still cracks me up. (If you're upset that "Always Look On The Bright Side of Life" is missing, I recommend Sings.) But this is the stuff that set the template for comedy in the last three decades. Everyone from Steve Martin to Robin Williams to SNL has roots to these performances. Take out the fluff, substitute original studio work for the live bits and you might have had a five star set. That caveat inserted, you do still have a highly recommended set of laughs here."