The Monty Python Instant Record Collection The Monty Python Instant Record Collection The Monty Python Instant Record Collection is actually the title of two compilation albums released by the Monty Python troupe - the first in the UK in 1977 drew from the group's first five Charisma albums, and the other in the US in 1981 which comprised tracks from their four Arista albums. It was billed as "the pick of the best of some recently repeated Python hits again, Vol. II." The record sleeve's original design was done by Terry Gilliam. It featured packaging that folded out into a cardboard box resembling a large stack
Monty Python settled on "Python". On other occasions, Idle has claimed that the name "Monty" was that of a popular and rotund fellow who drank in his local pub; people would often walk in and ask the barman, "Has Monty been in yet?", forcing the name to become stuck in his mind. The name Monty Python was later described by the BBC as being "envisaged by the team as the perfect name for a sleazy entertainment agent". "Flying Circus" popularised innovative formal techniques, such as the cold open, in which an episode began without the traditional opening titles or announcements. An example