Father Guido Sarducci: Breakfast in Heaven

If you’ve read Don Novello’s series of Lazlo Letters books, which compile all the sweetly deranged letters he wrote under the pen name Lazlo Toth to a variety of celebrities covering them in softball praise that’s only subtly pimientoed with satirical digs, you’ll understand why his two LPs recorded under another character’s guise, the hip and quietly insane Father Guido Sarducci, haven’t been reissued since they came out in the 1980s; Don’s humor, and that of his characters, is too understated ever to set the world on fire. There’s still a lot to enjoy here, though, so if you’re in the mood for an hour of laid-back fun I recommend you give this a taste.

Father Sarducci is welcomed to the University of Notre Dame and recalls the early years of the institution
Doo Dah - History, Folklore and Myth
The pros and cons of singing about beer on buses are examined
How singing the short version of "Happy Birthday" can add six to seven minutes to your life, the candles on the cake and a look at Reagan's neck
Central American Policy is discussed and arguments are made to bomb Canada
Father Sarducci looks forward to the 90's and unveils plans for the upcoming Columbus Cinquecentennial in 1992
Divorced lookalikes, emergency umbrellas and the missing commandments are highlighted in a preview of The Vatican Enquirer
Breakfast in Heaven
Father Sarducci answers questions from the audience about wearing black, the confessional and birth control for dogs
A medley of Beatles' tunes

Album audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.

Paul Dallas: Dallas in Wonderland

"Peter [Bergman] shuffled even when seated. When walking, he kept his head down as if looking for a tiny hole in the ground which might lead him to Mu."

As far as I know, no one's ever scanned Paul Dallas' hilarious & incendiary history of the Summer of Love at KPFK-FM in Los Angeles, Dallas in Wonderland, which contains chapters dedicated to the history of Peter Bergman's seminal hip radio show "Radio Free Oz". Happily Firesign Theatre's dear friend Edgar Bullington donated a consumable copy to our archive, so I used it to create a searchable PDF. Thanks Edgar! Here it is for your reading pleasure.

Alexei Sayle: Cak!

Really aggressive and really surreal...here's the first full-length album of standup material by Alexei Sayle, from 1982.

Sausalito
Happy Days Part I
Dr. Marten's Boots
Stoke Newington Calling
The Ballad of Chris and Judith
Some Stuff
Hello, How Are You?
Some More Stuff
The Wine Bars of Old Hampstead Town
Happy Days Part II
Cak!
Song for Len
Commercial Break
Radical Posture
Long Distance Information
Das Kap Rap
Say Hello Mr. Sweary
'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor?

Album audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.

Alexei Sayle: 'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? (Parts III & IV)

Here's the second single version of this song, a 12" to follow the 7", now with profanity! Seriously, nothing this dirty had made it to British vinyl since Derek and Clive recorded "The Critics". This 12" and the previous 7" were released in 1982 but didn't chart; by the following year Sayle had increased his public profile thanks to appearing in "The Young Ones" and "Gorky Park" so Springtime reissued the song, which peaked at #15 in the UK singles chart in March 1984.

'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? (Part III)
'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? (Part IV)

12" single audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.

Alexei Sayle: 'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? (Parts I & II)

Oi that Cortina's a sweet ride innit?

'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? (Part I)
'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? (Part II)

7" single audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.

Various Artists: The Comic Strip

This 1981 live album recorded at the club of the same name in Soho and released on the Springtime label contains a startling number of comics who proceeded to devour British comedy as we know it in the 1980s. Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders bust out the American accents for "Psychodrama"; Nigel Planer does his Neil character (soon to hit the airwaves on "The Young Ones") performing a song at Wembley; stand-up Arnold Brown does a set; Nigel and his comedy partner Peter Richardson do a number of bits as the team The Outer Limits; two other future Young Ones, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, rip the place apart performing as 20th Century Coyote; and Alexei Sayle is the M.C., performing stand-up between the other acts and closing the night with the "song" that became an unexpected hit single, "Ullo John! Got a New Motor?" This is a truly great compilation, and Rik Mayall's performance simply must be heard to be believed; the "Dangerous Brothers" bit is basically a vaudeville sketch on amphetamines and is one of the funniest, most insane things ever recorded.


Alexei Sayle "Introduction"
The Outer Limits "Commercials"
The Outer Limits "Lenny Flowers"
20th Century Coyote "Rik's Poems - First Attempt"
Alexei Sayle "Alternative Childhood"
Arnold Brown "Why Not?"
The Outer Limits "Page 3 Girls"
20th Century Coyote "Rik's Poems - Second Attempt"
Alexei Sayle "Break"
The Outer Limits "The Cabaret Biz"
Alexei Sayle "Some Jokes"
French & Saunders "Psychodrama"
The Outer Limits "Neil at Wembley"
Alexei Sayle "Dayjob"
20th Century Coyote "I'm Evil"
20th Century Coyote "The Dangerous Brothers"
Alexei Sayle "Stream of Tastelessness"

Album audio & artwork

DISCLAIMER: To the best of my knowledge, this work is out of print and not available for purchase in any format. If you are the artist and are planning a reissue, please let me know and I’ll remove it from the blog. Also please get in touch if you’ve lost your art &/or sound masters and would like to talk with me about my restoration work.

Vlog #1: Misprinted LPs and the Stickers That Love Them

Here's the first Vlog from yours truly for this Fuji Puzzle Box blog, and it's all about LP covers that were misprinted and then fixed with stickers - one before sealing, one after! Featuring Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 by Chick Corea (ECM, 1971) and Reads Peter and Paul by August Plinth (Vox, 1973). August Plinth? Who could that be? Why that's a poet who recorded at least seven private press LPs of spoken word, whose work I hope to be sharing with you very soon!