| Archaeology | |
|---|---|
 The main cover, released in 1996. | |
|
Published |
Rutle Songs |
|
Released |
October 1996 |
Archaeology is a 1996 album released to celebrate The Rutles. Featuring special recordings and re-releases of several previous songs, it also included several original Rutles songs written by Ron Nasty for the album.
Background
When The Rutles first split up in 1970, numerous songs and fragments were left unfinished in the wake of the chaos. These recordings were then locked in a time capsule and buried somewhere secret. At the time, Eric Manchester explained that this was done to "thwart bootleggers. And tax authorities." He furthermore added the time capsule would not be opened for "a thousand years," and that they would likely sooner be discovered by archeologists. Fans, thus, dubbed these "the Archaeology tapes," which were generally thought to be entirely lost.
However, on July 27, 1996, a press release from the band revealed that the tapes would be dug up, roughly 974 years before the intended date of 2970. Ron Nasty was quoted as saying, "Things change." [1]
For a time, it was not known if Archaeology would be entirely new material, or if it would just be archival recordings. However, a press release from August 26, 1996 explained that not only would the band record new music but that they would gather to record a star-studded music video for "Shangri-La." A demo of the song had previously only been available via low-quality bootlegs and a brief release on Vast Bastards.
However, not all members would be present, as Nasty noted that Dirk McQuickly was "no longer with us" because he had "gone into comedy." [2]
On September 3, they did indeed record the video, at a private event featuring such guests as Taylor Negron, Marsha Warfield, Nancy Sinatra, Paul Williams, Pat Boone and Graham Nash. Several celebrity impersonators also joined the, including Rutle tribute band The Mop Tops. At the same event, the full album was played for guests. [3]
Track list
Universal
- Major Happy's Up And Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band
- Rendezvous
- Questionnaire
- We've Arrived! (And to Prove It We're Here)
- Lonely-Phobia
- Unfinished Words
- Hey Mister!
- Easy Listening
- Now She's Left You
- The Knicker Elastic King
- I Love You
- Eine Kleine Middle Klasse Musik
- Joe Public
- Shangri-La*
- Don't Know Why*
- Back in '64*
Japanese exclusive tracks
2007 Reissue bonus tracks
* Non-archival, written for release [4]
Covers
Alongside the classic "black" cover, numerous other covers were released. Three were intended to be placed side-by-side, meaning one would need to buy three copies to see it all. The Rutland Esquire stated: "It's a waste of money, but a damn satisfying waste of money."
The final cover, released in 2007, featured the three Rutles together in a group-shot.
