Vivian Stanshall - Dog Howl In Tune (2023)

During the last five years of his life, ex-Bonzo Dog Band solo artist Vivian Stanshall was working on a final album of music to follow up his much-loved 1981 album Teddy Boys Don't Knit. Stanshall had spent his time in the 1980's working on his 'English Comic Opera In The Grand Tradition' Stinkfoot, which first ran at the Old Profanity Showboat in Bristol Harbour in 1985, with a later revival in London. He had also found success writing material with his friend Steve Winwood co-writing the title track to 'Arc Of A Diver', working on Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells 2' (he had been an integral part to the original 'Tubular Bells' as the narrator) & various advertising campaigns including Lemsip, Cadburys & most famously Ruddles Beer. With money he earned from his advertising work, he funded various recording sessions & had interest from a major record label, but sadly he tragically died in a fire before an album could be completed. The twelve tracks on this album are taken from a selection of sixty or so finished or nearly completed recordings on the tapes left by Vivian Stanshall, as his hitherto unpublished legacy. Andy Frizell (The Wizards Of Twiddly, The Coral & Kevin Ayers) is a musician & producer who worked with Vivian briefly in 1994. Using the surviving recordings, he has pieced back together Vivian's final album adding where required, the missing instrumentation but, at all times paying reverence to the original vision. The collection includes the Beefheartian monster mash blues of 'Dog Howl In Tune' as well as the wistfully melancholic 'No Time Like The Future' on an album that wears it's heart fully on it's sleeve. It is by far the most biographical album Vivian ever made & draws on songs from 'Stinkfoot' & other projects. Musicians include Jack Bruce (Cream) Ollie Halsall (Pato) Susie Honeyman (The Mekons) Neil Innes & Rodney Slater (The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band), Mike Kellie (Spooky Tooth) & others.