Captain Beaky and His Band
Captain Beaky & His Band (Not Forgetting Hissing Sid!!!) (commonly shortened to Captain Beaky & His Band or Captain Beaky) is the title of two albums (volumes 1 and 2) of poetry by Jeremy Lloyd, set to music by Jim Parker and recited by various British celebrities. The albums generated two books of poetry, BBC television shows, a West End musical, a pantomime ("Captain Beaky and His Musical Christmas" performed by Twiggy, Eleanor Bron, Keith Michell, and Jeremy Lloyd at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London in December 1981), performances by the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain, and a gala in aid of UNICEF performed by Roger Moore, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Lloyd and the National Youth Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall, London in December 2011. The first album was released on vinyl in 1977 and the second in 1980. Both were re-released on compact disc in 2002.
Captain Beaky's band consist of Timid Toad, Reckless Rat, Artful Owl and Batty Bat. The title track from the first album, "Captain Beaky", was released as a 7 inch single with "Wilfred the Weasel" and "Blanche" on the B-side by Polydor in 1980; it reached Number 5 in the UK pop charts. The song informs us that:
