The unrestrained silliness of Monty Python either delights or enrages. For some reason the American experience just don't produce comedy like the Monties and their ilk. Listening to a soundtrack of songs, disassociated from the visual only drills this down even further. Many/most of the songs impose the most ridiculous lyrics (often featuring perfectly inoffensive words you won't here on any other songs) superimposed over (usually) very serious music. I mean, without the lyrics, most of the songs here would pass for fairly competent serious music. ("Oliver Cromwell" would change from a bizarre history lesson to the Polonaise, for instance.) Monty Python was blessed to work with excellent musical composers, so you never really feel like they punt on the music just to get a comedic point across in the lyrics.
Monty Python Sings was just a random gag gift I received years and years ago and many of the songs I heard before I actually saw them performed. This compilation covers a wide spread of Monty Python material, from the middle of the Flying Circus era to the three major movies. A few of the songs appear in a different form than when they were featured visually and I believe this was the debut of the song "Oliver Cromwell" on any Python album. I think I redefined irony when I played "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" on the way to church, then "Every Sperm Is Sacred" on the way to work (I work at a Catholic seminary).
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