The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief - Double Grooves

Double Grooves

The album's original LP edition (on Charisma Records in the U.K., catalog no. CAS 1080, released 1973, and on Arista Records in the U.S., catalog no. AL 4039, released 1975) is particularly notable in that it was mastered with two concentric grooves on side two, so that different material would be played depending on where the stylus was put down on the record's surface. For this reason it is sometimes referred to as a "three-sided" record. The cutting was carried out by George "Porky" Peckham. To further confuse the listener, both sides of the LP are labelled "FREE RECORD Given away with the Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief - Side 2" - only the matrix numbers identify which are the first and second sides.

The album did not have a track listing, so that this feature would come as a complete surprise to the listener, who might on a second listening hear material he or she had never heard before, creating genuine confusion.

Since the record had two concentric grooves, they were spaced considerably apart, halving the length of the playing time. Subsequent editions of the vinyl incorporated both grooves sequentially as separate tracks, eliminating the double groove. CD reissues provide the full contents of the album and every track on one side.