Bonzo Dog Band Biography
Besides, perhaps, the Mothers of Invention (with whom they were sometimes compared), the Bonzo Dog Band were the most successful group to combine rock music and comedy. Starting off as the Bonzo Dog Dada Band, then becoming the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, and then finally just the Bonzo Dog Band, the group was started by British art college students in the mid-'60s. Initially they were inclined toward trad jazz and vaudevillian routines, but by the time of their 1967 debut album, they were leaning further in pop and rock directions. A brief appearance in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film bolstered their visibility, and Paul McCartney (under the pseudonym Apollo C. Vermouth) produced their single "I'm the Urban Spaceman," which reached the British Top Five in 1968. The Bonzos really hit their stride with their second and third albums, which found them adding elements of psychedelia to their already-absurdist mix of pop, cabaret, and Dada. The Bonzos could be side-splitting, but their records held up well because they were also capable musicians and songwriters, paced by Neil Innes and Viv Stanshall (both of whom wrote the lion's share of their best material). The group attempted to move into more serious and musical realms with their 1969 LP Keynsham, which, unsurprisingly, was acclaimed as their weakest effort. They broke up shortly afterward; Viv Stanshall made some obscure solo recordings (he was also the grandstanding narrator on Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells"). Neil Innes collaborated with members of Monty Python, upon whom the Bonzos were a large influence, as well as writing the songs for and performing in the Beatles documentary spoof, The Rutles. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Nebula Biography: Guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano formed Nebula in 1997 after breaking away from desert rock pioneers Fu Manchu, eventually recruiting bassist Mark Abshire. This power trio specializes...
Falkenbach Biography: Falkenbach is the one-man black metal project of multi-instrumentalist Vratyas Vakyas (formerly guitarist with Crimson Gates), who is based in Düsseldorf, Germany, but reportedly hails from...
Strike anywhere Biography: Strike Anywhere emerged in 1999 from Richmond, VA. Vocalist Thomas Barnett (ex-Inquisition), guitarists Matt Smith and Matt Sherwood, bassist Garth Petrie (ex-Count Me Out), and drummer Eric Kane...
Lollies Biography: Pop never dies, it just finds various fun forms to mutate into. The Lollies embrace that particular principle, tackling everything from girl group sass to Britpop irony and distilling it through...
London after midnight Biography: London After Midnight formed in 1990 by songwriter and instrumentalist Sean Brennan. Brennan gained a quick foothold in the LA club scene with a well-received demo, and in 1992 issued his full-length...
Temple of the dog Biography: Temple of the Dog was a one-album project conceived in 1990. The purpose of Temple of the Dog was to pay tribute to the late Andrew Wood, the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, who died of a heroin...
In aeternum Biography: Led by singer/guitarist David Larsson, In Aeternum is among the many underground death metal/black metal bands that came out of Sweden in the early '90s. In Aeternum fits the stereotypical death...
Mad season Biography: Quite a few side projects containing members of renowned Seattle-based rock bands appeared through the '90s. Most failed to expand past a small cult following comprised mainly of fans of their main...