A Word or Two From Neil

I have known the "charmingly persistent" Danny Barbour for more than 15 years and he is a true friend indeed. Quite simply, this CD would not exist without his tireless energy and effort. For years now he has been listing and cataloguing my songs - a task made all the more tedious because of my complete lack of organisation.

Danny has put together this compilation with wit and insight. He chose the tracks and the running order - I would not know where to begin - and made everything possible. All I had to do was oversee the final mastering and make sure he didn't edit out any of this gushing praise he so clearly deserves.

Many of these songs are aimed at the funny bone, but if you look beneath the shrink-wrap of tomfoolery, it is still possible to find all the soppy moodiness and pretentious shoe-gazing essential to any popular song in a modern consumer society. You have been warned!

So, I do hope you enjoy this first collection of odds and ends for what it is - a retrospective exhibition of ideas that seemed good at the time, above warts and all, a bit of fun in the shallow end of the music business.

Once again, thank you Danny - and very, very special thanks to the profoundly wise and generous Janice Simpson, for putting up with him.

NEIL INNES
February 2000
SUFFOLK