Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead

Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead is the 1974 debut solo album by British musician, writer and comedian Vivian Stanshall.

Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead
Studio album by Vivian Stanshall
Released	1974
Studio	The Manor, Oxfordshire
Genre	Rock music Comedy music
Length	41:49
Label	Warner Bros. Records (1974) Harkit Records (2010) Poppydisc Records (2012)
Producer	John Darnley, Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall chronology
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (1974) Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1978)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Mojo	[2]

The initial LP pressing was deleted by Warner Bros. Records soon after release, having sold only the initial vinyl pressing of 5,000 copies. The album remained out of print for over 35 years.

In 2010, an unauthorized CD reissue was made available by Harkit Records. The CD featured notes by Dutch dada-ist Freek Kinkelaar and featured two bonus tracks not on the original LP: "Baba Tunde" and "Lakonga".[3] This edition is a sourced from a vinyl copy and is a "bootleg" not authorized by the Stanshall estate.[4] The bonus tracks come from a rare 1974 single.[5]

Poppydisc Records released a remastered edition, on LP and CD, on 21 May 2012. These are the first re-issues to be authorized by the artist's estate, with a note in CD booklet stating (in bold uppercase) "Do not buy the Harkit Records CD as it is a poor quality bootleg, unauthorized by the Stanshall family".[6] The remastered CD contains the two bonus tracks, while the vinyl version is the same as the original vinyl LP.[7]

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Vivian Stanshall, except where noted:

Side 1

1. "Afoju Ti Ole Riran (Dead Eyes)" (Vivian Stanshall, Gaspar Lawal)
2. "Truck-Track"
3. "Yelp, Bellow, Rasp Et Cetera"
4. "Prong"
5. "Redeye"

Side 2

1. "How The Zebra Lost His Spots"
2. "Dwarf Succulents"
3. "Bout of Sobriety"
4. "Prong & Toots Go Steady"
5. "Strange Tongues"

Bonus tracks on 2010 and 2012 CD reissues

11. "Lakonga" (single A-side)
12. "Baba Tunde" (single B-side)

(Both tracks written by Stanshall and Lawal)[8][9][10][6]

Personnel

• Vivian Stanshall - vocals, recorder, euphonium, ukulele, Chelonian pipes
• Anthony "Bubs" White - electric guitar
• Steve Winwood - bass guitar, organ
• Gasper Lawal - talking drums, congas, xylophone, drum kit ("How The Zebra Got His Spots")
• Neil Innes - piano, slide guitar, organ ("How The Zebra Got His Spots")
• Jim Capaldi - drum kit, lesser log
• Deryk Quinn - cabassa, Nigerian coffee tables, greater log
• Ric Grech - violin
• Rebop Kwaku Baah - congas ("Prong & Toots")
• Doris Troy, Madeline Bell, Barry St. John - backing vocals
• Ayus Ape, Gani, Gasper Lawal - male Yoruba chorus
• unidentified West Indian taxi driver - bass guitar ("Lakonga" and "Baba Tunde")
• unidentified West Indian taxi driver's friend - drum kit ("Lakonga" and "Baba Tunde")

References

1. AllMusic review
2. Irvin, Jim (November 2010). "Unsettle down now: Vivian Stanshall Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead". Mojo. p. 120.
3. "Vivian Stanshall – Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead". Harkit Records. 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
4. https://www.discogs.com/Vivian-Stanshall-Men-Opening-Umbrellas-Ahead/release/3926869
5. http://www.45cat.com/record/k16424-2
6. Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (booklet). Poppydisc. 1974. p. 10. POPPYCD015.
7. "Vivian Stanshall: Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead" at piccadillyrecords.com
8. "Vivian Stanshall: Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (Harkit Records)"
9. "Vivian Stanshall: Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (Poppydisc)"
10. "Vivian Stanshall: Lakonga"

External links

• Men Opening Umbrellas page on Ginger Geezer website