Customer Reviews

Sir Henry At Rawlinson End

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Vivian Stanshall "Sir Henry At Rawlinson End" Started as a track on the Bonzo Dog Band's final album Let's Make Up and Be Friendly from `72, later Vivian extended the concept a bit through a series of appearances on John Peel's radio program. In `78 He recorded this full length album dedicated to Sir Henry the Lord of Rawlinson End, and his moribund clan, which inspired the film starring the late Trevor Howard and Stanshall himself as Sir Henry (if you can find a video let me know, I have looked high and low.), Trevor said it was his favorite film performance. In `83 he recorded Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal, which takes our titular "hero" on an incredibly disgusting and hilarious safari. Sir Henry At Rawlinson End is a series of extended narrative descriptions in some of the most hallucinatorily delirious celebrations of the English language this side of Mervyn Peake, intermixed with songs sung from the POV's of the extremely weird cast of characters. Taking the concept of the English eccentric to it's illogical extreme, we're taken inside the minds and lives of an extended family of completely disfunctional lunatics. Great short stories and songs all delivered by one of the most thoroughly British voices and visions ever recorded, with tasty multi-instrumental assistance from his pal Steve Winwood (Stanshall returned the favor by writing lyrics to several songs for Winwood).

The finest 20th Century English poet is yet to be realised as thus. Vivian Stanshall, very sadly missed, had such a magical grasp of his native language, changing yet changeless as canal water, that no matter how inebriated, one cannot hope to compare. My only enduring hero from my teenage years. Please, do yourself a favour, buy this sublime work of art.

It is almost inconceivable that one person could have crafted this work of genius, yet Stanshall did. Rawlinson is one of the few recorded pieces in which virtually every line is indispensible. Even Sir Henry's throw away expressions such as "Filth Hounds of Hades", "God's teeth and trousers" and "God's turban and tutu" carry with them all the weight of the hekau or Power Words of the ancient cultures.

I had the good fortune to catch the Bonzos farewell tour, and even for a battle-hardened Bonzo Dog nut such as myself, Rawlinson was a revelation. The richness and uniqueness of the many colourful characters gives tremendous depth to this hilarious creation from the mind of the late and truly great Viv Stanshall.

No review, however detailed, could possibly do justice to this complex masterpiece, although George Thomas Parsons came dang close. I shall merely humbly beseech you to buy it on trust. One word of caution, however... If you are an asthmatic, you MUST have a Salbutamol inhaler at the ready!

Blast this leg, by cracky...

This little gem is really the former Bonzo's very own 'Under Milk Wood', a versatile, hilarious, and hugely inventive gallop through the happenings in the village of Rawlinson, where Sir Henry drinks and roars his way oblivious to terrorise his family and acquaintances. Indeed, by 1980 Sir Henry had much of Viv himself in his make-up - there are other characters here though just as memorably drawn (Florrie, the long-suffering lady wife of Sir H, who dreams of England and pretends she's Boadicia; Philippa, with her Scots brogue and her dentures; Hubert, in his forties and still unusual; Old S, the wrinkled retainer from the West Country; and the camp interior designers, Nice and Tidy; not to mention Reg the most boring man in the village and on and on, dot dot dot ..). My favourite lines? I quite like 'Mummy, my teddy bear's stopped breathing!' and Sir Henry's disparaging opinion of Lady Staines' 'Gorgonzola legs' ('I wouldn't have even liked to have been the *first* man ...').

Steve Winwood helps out in the musical bits alongside a small gaggle of others, although the vast majority of the musical accompaniments you hear are Vivian alone, and all the vocals are his. A garbled plot from a scrambled brain this CD may be, but it is truly excellent and highly recommended.

One of the funniest recordings I have ever heard. Outrageous lampoon of the British upper crust. Classic Vivian Stanshall, which remains fresh even after hearing it dozens of times. I especially like the bit about the garden gnomes (For any Americans who may listen to this part and be bemused. Think modelling clay when you hear the word "Plasticine"!)

Vivian Stanshall serves a feast for the ears that I seem to need to hear over and over again. Each listening deepens the appreciation of the poetry and humor of the badly-missed Bonzo. If you Laughed at "Rawlinson End" from the final Bonzo Dog Band album you will surely enjoy this rich work as well.

I bought this because I can't find a copy of the film,my third generation video is in poor repair. I was not disappointed in this recording. First class use of words so seldom found these days and you will notice something new each listening. Classic lines of the "so inbred even the bulldogs got a club foot" nature make for pleasing car journeys and the consumption of cheap red wine heightens the enjoyment. Splendid.

Vivian Stanshall is one of England's national treasures. Gone now, his voice and his music and his talent live on in a few amazing records. This is the most amazing of the lot.

In "Sir Hernry...", Vivian Stanshall paints a surreal cariciature of the old, titled Rawlinson family (which first appeared on the Bonzo Dog Band's Let's Make Up album.) Each of the characters are painted in vivid detail by Stanshall's prose, and the circumstances in which they find themselves are uniquely bizarre. For example old-Seth-one-tooth attends the annual face jumping contest at the Fool and Bladder (pub) !!! Some understanding of the good old pompous english class system (or at least a willingness to learn) will help but you can get by without it. Numerous careful listenings also pay off - I'm still noticing things that I'd missed in the fast and dense speech.

I jus readded this to my cd collection after first having the vinyl album many years ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Vivian Stanshall's loquacious monologue demonstrates his intellectual abilities often hidden through the vehicle of the Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band. This group were often written off as a comedy group along the lines of the New Temperance Seven whereas in fact they had more affinity with Frank Zappa in their pithy social commentary.

Stanshall was the epitomy of the band and yet was clearly something much, much, more. I encountered him in 1968 on the stage of the Empire Theatre in Sunderland following a performance where they topped the Bill made up of Mad Dog, Yes, Roy Harper and the Bonzo's. The maestro was sat in a chair on the stage overlooking the empty theatre and sipped champagne with his two great Dane sentries on each flank. Clearly no ordinary rock star he.

There are many similarities between himself and Kevin Ayers which demonstrate themselves in ways other than music. Although not generally seen as such, Vivian was the quintissential English gentleman, articulate and free thinking.

It is my earnest belief that inspiration for this piece of exquisite art came from two major sources. As I listened to this for the first time for years I realised that there are references therein about the previous owner of George Harrison's house Friar Park, Sir Frankie Crisp, who was renowned as a great eccentric himself. Vivian's portrayal of Sir Henry melds together the image of Sir Frankie Crisp within the overall gothic novels of Mervyn PeakeThe Gormenghast Novels
to depict a world in it's own way as weird and wonderful as Alice in Wonderland.

Sir Henry at Rawlinson's End is a great work of art and deserves to be treated as such.