Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead is the 1974 debut solo album by the English musician, writer, poet and comedian Vivian Stanshall.

Releases

The initial LP pressing was deleted by Warner Bros. Records soon after release, having sold only the initial vinyl pressing of 5,000 copies. The album remained out of print for over 35 years. In 2010, an unauthorized CD reissue was made available by Harkit Records. The CD featured notes by Dutch dada-ist Freek Kinkelaar and featured two bonus tracks not on the original LP: "Baba Tunde" and "Lakonga". This edition is sourced from a vinyl copy and is a "bootleg" not authorized by the Stanshall estate. The bonus tracks come from a rare 1974 Warner Bros. single. Poppydisc Records released a remastered edition, on LP and CD, on 21 May 2012. These are the first re-issues to be authorized by the artist's estate, with a note in CD booklet stating (in bold uppercase) "Do not buy the Harkit Records CD as it is a poor quality bootleg, unauthorized by the Stanshall family". The remastered CD contains the two bonus tracks, while the vinyl version is the same as the original vinyl LP.

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Vivian Stanshall, except where noted:

Side 1

Side 2

Bonus tracks on 2010 and 2012 CD reissues

Personnel