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The Intro and the Outro


"The Intro and The Outro" is a recording by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. It appears on their debut album, Gorilla (1967). It is not so much a song as a comic monologue in which the speaker introduces the musicians who ostensibly appear on the recording. The recording fades out before the emcee completes the introductions and without the "orchestra" being able to play anything more than a vamp. The piece was written by Bonzo member Vivian Stanshall, who also provides the vocal. Stanshall first introduces the seven members of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, who are credited with their actual instruments, over a vamp that resembles Duke Ellington’s "C Jam Blues".

Following that, the imaginary line-up turns toward comedy. Some of the “musicians” named are actual performers credited with instruments that they did not play or typically were not associated with. Others are actors, politicians and other public figures not generally linked with musical performance in any way. Some of those named are likely unfamiliar to listeners outside of mid-20th century Britain, such as Billy Butlin, Val Doonican, Max Jaffa and Lord Snooty. Peter Scott, credited as playing the duck call, was a well-known British ornithologist. The Rawlinsons makes reference to "Rawlinson’s End", a radio programme created by Stanshall, while Wild Man of Borneo may refer to Bonzo member Fred Munt, whose nickname was "Borneo".

Discounting fictional characters, all of the "performers" mentioned were alive at the time of the recording, with the exceptions of Casanova and Adolf Hitler.


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