Teddy Boys Don't Knit
Encyclopedia
Teddy Boys Don't Knit is the third solo album by Vivian Stanshall
. As with his 1974 debut solo album Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
it consists entirely of songs, rather than the comedy-narrative-with-integral-songs of its immediate predecessor Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
.
river houseboat
Searchlight with his second wife Ki Longfellow
, his stepdaughter Sydney and his infant daughter Silky, a period which Longfellow has described as Stanshall’s "first, real and only taste of family life." Consequently several songs on the album have domestic themes: "The Tube" (written for and about Silky Stanshall and her infant digestive process), "Fresh Faced Boys" (dealing with Stanshall’s struggle against his own father’s wishes for him to be well-groomed, well-behaved and socially presentable) and "Possibly an Armchair", in which Stanshall muses on ageing and on whether in old age he is likely to become the same kind of person as his elderly father had himself become.
The album was released in between Stanshall's two spoken-word comedy albums, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and Sir Henry at N'didi’s Kraal
(and shortly after the shooting of the film version
of Sir Henry at Rawlinson End). Although not part of the Rawlinson End sequence in itself, Teddy Boys Don't Knit does feature several songs written (and in some cases used) for the project: "Gums", "The Cracks are Showing" and "Terry Keeps His Clips On" (a song inspired by Terry clip
s). Several other songs emphasise Stanshall’s love of language and language games. The title of "Flung a Dummy" is taken from an unusual phrase which Stanshall heard a stranger use on a train as a synonym
for dying, while "Ginger Geezer" is written entirely in Cockney rhyming slang
. Other songs parody and mock the lifestyle of the rock-and-roll musician.
As he had on Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
, Stanshall made use of the musical talents of his fellow former Bonzo Dog Band members Neil Innes
and Roger Ruskin Spear
, his frequently-called-on musical director Pete Moss and multi-instrumentalist Jim Cuomo. Other contributors to the album include Yes
keyboard player Rick Wakeman
, guitarist Ollie Halsall
and Traffic
/Can
bass guitar
ist Rosko Gee
.
The album title is derived from Stanshall’s boyhood in the Thames Estuary
town of Westcliff-on-Sea
, when he was a member of a teddy boy
gang but baffled his fellow gang members with his chosen pastime of crocheting.
Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, painter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his surreal exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.-The great...
. As with his 1974 debut solo album Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead is the 1974 debut solo album by British musician, writer and comedian Vivian Stanshall.Stanshall had been the frontman of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a British rock group notorious for its riotous stage act, involving comedy and theatricality...
it consists entirely of songs, rather than the comedy-narrative-with-integral-songs of its immediate predecessor Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End may refer to:*Sir Henry at Rawlinson End , 1978*Sir Henry at Rawlinson End , 1980...
.
Background
Teddy Boys Don't Knit was recorded during Stanshall’s residency on his ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
river houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
Searchlight with his second wife Ki Longfellow
Ki Longfellow
Ki Longfellow is an American novelist, playwright, theatrical producer, theater director and entrepreneur. In Britain, as the widow of Vivian Stanshall, she is well known as the guardian of his artistic heritage, but elsewhere she is best known for her own work, especially the novel The Secret...
, his stepdaughter Sydney and his infant daughter Silky, a period which Longfellow has described as Stanshall’s "first, real and only taste of family life." Consequently several songs on the album have domestic themes: "The Tube" (written for and about Silky Stanshall and her infant digestive process), "Fresh Faced Boys" (dealing with Stanshall’s struggle against his own father’s wishes for him to be well-groomed, well-behaved and socially presentable) and "Possibly an Armchair", in which Stanshall muses on ageing and on whether in old age he is likely to become the same kind of person as his elderly father had himself become.
The album was released in between Stanshall's two spoken-word comedy albums, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and Sir Henry at N'didi’s Kraal
Sir Henry at N'didi’s Kraal
Sir Henry at N'didi’s Kraal is the fourth and final solo album by Vivian Stanshall. It is a return to the largely spoken-word, solo comedy format of Stanshall's second album Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and is a sequel to the same work.-Background:...
(and shortly after the shooting of the film version
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (film)
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End is a 1980 British film based on the eponymous character created by Vivian Stanshall. It starred Trevor Howard as Sir Henry and Stanshall himself as Henry's brother Hubert. Unusually, the film was released in sepia-toned monochrome. After a long wait, while the film...
of Sir Henry at Rawlinson End). Although not part of the Rawlinson End sequence in itself, Teddy Boys Don't Knit does feature several songs written (and in some cases used) for the project: "Gums", "The Cracks are Showing" and "Terry Keeps His Clips On" (a song inspired by Terry clip
Terry clip
A Terry clip is a spring metal clip used to hold a cylindrical object. For example, to secure a bicycle pump onto a bicycle frame. The object to be held is pushed into the clip to secure it, and pulled out to release...
s). Several other songs emphasise Stanshall’s love of language and language games. The title of "Flung a Dummy" is taken from an unusual phrase which Stanshall heard a stranger use on a train as a synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
for dying, while "Ginger Geezer" is written entirely in Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
. Other songs parody and mock the lifestyle of the rock-and-roll musician.
As he had on Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead is the 1974 debut solo album by British musician, writer and comedian Vivian Stanshall.Stanshall had been the frontman of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a British rock group notorious for its riotous stage act, involving comedy and theatricality...
, Stanshall made use of the musical talents of his fellow former Bonzo Dog Band members Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
and Roger Ruskin Spear
Roger Ruskin Spear
Roger Ruskin Spear is a multi-instrumentalist who was a founding member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, staying with it until its end.-Career:...
, his frequently-called-on musical director Pete Moss and multi-instrumentalist Jim Cuomo. Other contributors to the album include Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
keyboard player Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, guitarist Ollie Halsall
Ollie Halsall
Peter John 'Ollie' Halsall was a left-handed guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone in rock music...
and Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
/Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Rosko Gee
Rosko Gee
Rosko Gee is a Jamaican bassist who has played with the English band Traffic on their albums When the Eagle Flies and The Last Great Traffic Jam , with the supergroup Go conceived by Stomu Yamashta, which also included Steve Winwood, Al Di Meola, Klaus Schulze and Michael Shrieve, and with the...
.
The album title is derived from Stanshall’s boyhood in the Thames Estuary
Thames Estuary
The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...
town of Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of Southend-on-Sea, a seaside resort in the East of England and unitary authority in Essex. It is situated on the northern bank of the Thames Estuary and about 34 miles east of London.-Geography:...
, when he was a member of a teddy boy
Teddy Boy
The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes that were partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, styles which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after World War II...
gang but baffled his fellow gang members with his chosen pastime of crocheting.
Track listing
- "King Kripple"
- "Slave Valse"
- "Gums"
- "Bewilderbeeste"
- "Calypso to Colapso"
- "The Tube"
- "Ginger Geezer"
- "The Cracks are Showing"
- "Flung a Dummy"
- "Possibly an Armchair"
- "Fresh-Faced Boys"
- "Terry Keeps His Clips On"
- "Bass Macaw & Broken Bottles"
- "Nose Hymn"
- "Everyday, I Have the Blows"
- "Smoke Signals at Night"
- "Nouveau Riffe"
Personnel
- Vivian Stanshall
- Neil InnesNeil InnesNeil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
- Roger Ruskin SpearRoger Ruskin SpearRoger Ruskin Spear is a multi-instrumentalist who was a founding member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, staying with it until its end.-Career:...
- Jim Cuomo
- Rosko GeeRosko GeeRosko Gee is a Jamaican bassist who has played with the English band Traffic on their albums When the Eagle Flies and The Last Great Traffic Jam , with the supergroup Go conceived by Stomu Yamashta, which also included Steve Winwood, Al Di Meola, Klaus Schulze and Michael Shrieve, and with the...
- Ollie HalsallOllie HalsallPeter John 'Ollie' Halsall was a left-handed guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone in rock music...
- ”Admiral” John Halsey
- Pete Moss
- Lennox Langton
- Charmain Sheenhan
- Richard Thompson
- John Kirkpatrick
- Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...