365 Days #2 - Peter Cook & Dudley Moore's The L.S. Bumble Bee (mp3)

MP3:
Peter Cook & Dudley Moore - The L.S. Bumble Bee (2:39)

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were more than just comedians.  They spearheaded the satirist movement that has dominated English comedy for more than a quarter century, and are responsible for some of the best comedic films and recordings to date.  From the brilliance of "Bedazzled" to the irreverent genius of Derek and Clive to this number.  The story goes that a few DJs played the record, "The L.S. Bumble Bee," claiming that it was an unreleased Beatles' track, or else an advance from their forthcoming, highly anticipated masterpiece "Sgt. Pepper's."  True or not, the song managed to sneak its way on to several Beatles bootlegs throughout the 1970s, convincing many more that it was an authentic outtake.

In a letter from December of 1981, Moore offered a bit of insight: "Peter Cook and I recorded that song about the time when there was so much fuss about L.S.D., and when everybody thought that "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was a reference to drugs. The exciting alternative offered to the world was L.S.B.!, and I wrote the music to, in some ways, satirize the Beach Boys rather than the Beatles. But I'm grateful if some small part of the world thinks that it may have been them, rather than us!"

But what really sticks with you is how perfectly this song captures the lollygaggery of the wondrous hippie fantasy machine that was the late 1960s.  Its sparse instrumentation, with distant shimmering pianos, screaming babies, and jangly, seagull-like guitar effects set it apart from other psychedelic satires, but it goes further still.   Its inviting lyric is more genuinely hallucinogenic than much of what has been labeled "psychedelic" throughout the years.  Strawberry Alarm Clock, Ultimate Spinach, the Partridge Family, Tool, Phish.  Blecch.  "Freak out, Baby... the Bee is coming."

- Contributed by: Clayton Counts

Images: Label, Cook & Moore, Beatles Cover 1, Beatles Cover 2

Media: 7" Single
Label: Decca
Catalog: F.12551
Credits: Cook, Peter and Moore, Dudley
Date: February, 1967

Comments

[Krys O.]

The Goons were almost too surreal to be understood as satire even though Spike Milligan sneaked it into his manic scripts. Beyond The Fringe featuring Cook & Moore along with Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller WERE the catalysts of the British satire wave in comedy. Check this: http://www.stabbers.org/ and this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Fringe.

[Clayton]

I agree. The Goons and The Young Ones were tremendously influential, as were Steptoe and Son. But as Derek and Clive, Moore and Cook set themselves apart. I suppose that, if I were to rewrite this entry, I would also have to include the genius of "Love Thy Neighbour" and "Mind Your Language." All right, just kidding.

This isn't so outsider, true, but over the months I promise to dig quite a bit deeper. It seemed a good starting point for me. If you want to hear some "Bedazzled" tracks, I've posted a couple to my blog. Maybe I'll stick the whole record up sometime.

http://claytoncounts.com/blog

[strictly kev]

'Bedazzled' is amazing, the film as well (NOT the remake with Brendan Fraser!) Also check Moore's '30 is a Dangerous Age Cynthia' soundtrack, not quite as kooky as Bedazzled but beautiful nevertheless.

[Clayton]

"30 is a Dangerous Age Cynthia" is great. But what I'd really like to hear are the outtakes from the final Derek and Clive recording, "Ad Nauseam." The record itself isn't so great, a bit sporadic, but apparently Moore abandoned the sessions barely halfway through due to Cook's drunken, invective-spewing tirades.

[Bobster]

The Point is my friends is that nothing Peter Cook wrote performed or acted in has dated. He is always acclaimed as the most influential comedian since the 60's (recent greatest list on Brit TV.) Further it took the US five years to catch up with Monty Python and then typically they went overboard in adulation.Is The Life Of Brian Dated?. Mind you I would concede nothing is funnier than accepting George as President and the X Factor for unearthing serious talent.

[Shoshana]

I loved it, AND I'd never heard of it before. Guess I'm out of the loop?

Love your blog, too.

[PanSkeptic]

If you ask any of these postwar comedians who was their greatest influence, it all goes back to the Goons. And the major influences on Spike Milligan were ITMA, Stephen Leacock, Beachcomber and Groucho Marx. So if you keep going, you'll keep going.

[strictly kev]

why play all your aces at once?

[Sean]

Maybe I'm out of the loop too. I've never heard of this either. "Outsider" or not, I think it's pretty friggin great. Great post, Clayton!

[Vic Perry]

<>

Oh gee c'mon, Strawberry Alarm Clock are like the Electric Prunes of fruit related household appliance name bands. Tool are like the Sugar of generic banality-named bands. The Partridge Family are like the Brady Bunch of fake television-family bands. Phish are like the Grateful Dead of deadhead bands. Ultimate Spinach are like the Popeye of spinach-related non-cartoon media phenomena. And Blecch simply shouldn't be castigated in any manner whatsoever.

[Vic Perry]

Still they had excellent taste in movie appearances: Psych-Out and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

[Jim C.]

Clayton wrote, "...apparently Moore abandoned the sessions barely halfway through due to Cook's drunken, invective-spewing tirades."

And this is different from the rest of Derek and Clive, how, exactly?

[Jim C.]

Lest I seem ungrateful, I have to say I appreciate this and the original project very much.

[Clayton]

Haha.

Thanks, Jim. Well, if the outbursts were enough to make Moore quit the project altogether, I'd really like to hear them.

[Floopy Doopy]

This track was featured on the Rhino LP "Beatlemania!" from the early 1980's. The record collected various songs influenced by, or about, The Beatles.