Sir Henry at Rawlinson End

by

Vivian Stanshall

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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).