Mega Dodo Records
Review by Jason Barmard
The name biG GRunt may not be familiar to you but the genius of former Bonzo, Vivian Stanshall, surely will. biG GRunt was one of the early projects Stanshall embarked on after the Bonzos fractured following the release of their album, Keynsham, in late 1969.
Featuring two fellow Bonzos, dependable bassist Dennis Cowan and eccentric saxophonist Roger Ruskin Spear, the first official release of biG GRunt’s historical John Peel session will delight Bonzo and Stanshall enthusiasts alike.
Of the four tracks featured here biG GRunt’s ‘Blind Date’ saw release as the b-side Viv’s ‘Suspicion’ single. With conventional country-esque backing tied to Viv’s humorous talking blues it’s typical Stanshall.
Of particular delight is a barnstorming version of ’11 Mustachioed Daughters’ from 1968’s ‘The Doughnut In Granny’s Greenhouse’ Bonzos album.
The blues-tastic ‘The Strain’ debuted here would eventually open 1972’s Bonzo reunion ‘Let’s Make Up and Be Friendly’. It’s a track that proved there were no limits Viv’s lyrical parody.
The instrumental ‘Cyborg Signal’ was, until now, previously unreleased in any form. A good track it is too, it would have made an excellent template for film soundtrack or with Stanshall’s vocal overlay. Alas it was never to be, sadly soon after Viv had a breakdown and all biG GRunt left behind was this superb BBC session.
So buy one of the 500 copies from 26 August and savour the short moment where biG GRunt played over the airwaves:
