Sir Henry At Rawlinson End (1978)
Even Stranger Than The Bonzos
Here’s a spoken word oddity (with musical interludes) from Bonzo Dog Band founder and resident madman Viv Stanshall. To be honest… even though I’ve owned this for years, I’ve rarely heard it all the way through. The CD is sequenced as a continuous piece (52 minutes split into 2 sides) and is, frankly, somewhat over my Americanized head, though I still enjoy Viv’s patented strangeness. According to the All Music Guide, I’m not alone. Listen to all of the first side, below. Check Comments for more Viv & Bonzo related links from readers. A couple are gone but most remain.
“The former Bonzo Dog Band frontman lets his imagination run riot on what is, essentially, a parody of British radio serials mixed with his interpretation of P.G. Wodehouse, all tempered by the deflating sensibility of, say, Monty Python. Does it make sense? No. Is there a plot? No. Does it matter? Not a bit. Stanshall is superbly entertaining, a wordsmith who can trip from the sublime to the louche in the wink of an eye, from wicked puns to appalling jokes in a tale (of sorts) set in a country estate, and told in more accents than you can shake a stick at. The music (uncredited, but quite probably former bandmate Neil Innes) ranges from ’20s perky to neo-village brass band, making an apt accompaniment for the words. With Stanshall as your guide you’ll get thoroughly lost, but come the end, you really won’t care. So maybe, ultimately, it really is completely mad. It doesn’t matter. It’s madness touched with genius in conception and performance, and that’s always been a rare enough commodity. Stanshall’s individual, eccentric talent shines like the dong with the luminous nose.” - AMG
Part One (26:40)
Part Two (25:26)
BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD…
You might consider getting this version instead. Thanks to craigie* for offering this “remastered,” track-separated vinyl rip of Sir Henry At Rawlinson End. The sound is outstanding – better than the CD – and should make for a much easier listening experience than the limiting 2-track disc version.
Aunt Florrie’s Waltz (3:48)
Interlewd (1:53)
Wheelbarrow (3:55)
Socks (6:01)
The Rub (7:59)
Nice ‘n’ Tidy (2:22)
Pigs ‘Ere Purse (0:42)
6/8 Hoodoo (2:38)
Smeeton (4:17)
Fool & Bladder (2:48)
Endroar (3:05)
The Beasht Inshide (2:14)
Junglebunny (4:03)
Rawlinsons & Maynards (1:58)
Papadumb (3:07)
Aunt Florrie’s Waltz II (1:16)
44 Comments
Yeah, this is weird alright. Do you have another ex Bonzo, Roger Ruskin Dpear's "Electric Shock" ? Thanks
Hey,
Wish I did. Had it on LP in a previous century, but haven't heard it since. Sorry.
are we going to get part 2 please – haven't heard this since a "friend" removed it from my house
Hi PJ,
Just click on the album title for the full album. And… I wasn't anywhere near your place.
Makin' me happy! Thanks! Any chance of other Viv releases? Men Opening Umbrella's Ahead or Teddy Boys Don't Knit? Been dying to hear those for ages.
Becaused you asked…
Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead (1974)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IFCOBCL2
Teddy Boy's Don't Knit (1981)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=69MWTCT1
The Umbrellas rip is in dire need of a remaster, but it'll do for now. Good luck on your new blog…
http://noisesfortheleg.blogspot.com/
Viv fans should recognize the title. By the way… did you get my email? I've been having troubles with hotmail lately.
W
I haven't listened to it yet, but thank you in advance anyway!
I googled a bit & more info about this weird album can be found here: http://www.iankitching.me.uk/music/bonzos/rawlinson-end.html
Hi Koen,
Nice to hear from you. Many thanks.
Christmas At Rawlinsons End here
http://adashingblade.blogspot.com/search/label/Vivian%20Stanshal
Shout if you want Sir Henry at Ndidi's Kraal.
Hi Dash,
Many thanks. Seems this is truning into Viv Central. If you've got the second Sir Henry handy and would like to share it, that would be great. Thanks again.
Cheers,
W.
Here's a Viv website, too.
http://www.gingergeezer.net/
I just found Roger Ruskin Spear's 2nd album, UNUSUAL here
http://tinyurl.com/2y77tc
Hey,
Many thanks.
Wow. I've been looking for this forever! A thousand thanks! The second LP would be agreat, too….but it looks like the thread has gone to sleep. Anyway, thanks for this so freaking much!
Hey this is Vivs daughter Silky… if there are any albums you can't find… you can always go to the gingergeezer.net site and ask my mum about it. She has all the good stuff, I do too… but it is all in Vermont. And I am not.
Just go bug her… she'll love it. Hehehehehe…
We all want to see a pic of Viv's daughter.
i say old bean…jolly decent to let me hear the further adventures of sir henry….very much obliged…nice and tidy……tidy and nice…..kindest regards.
Awesome! I remember Stanshall from Tubular Bells and one Bonzo Dog Band release. Very Cool!
thank you for this
Bonzos kick buttocks, but this is the funniest album I've ever heard. Even the best of Firesign Theater must stand at a distance, and that's an unmitigated compliment.
When i saw this album, I nearly cried in disbelief and paid a measly $1.75 (used! and incredibly rare! in the US!) I was at a small record store in Missoula, MT, on tour with my band. At the time, I had a top 10 list in my head of the hard-to-find records I HAD to own! This tiny shop gave me six of them in one fell swoop.
Viv's album was the best in the bunch.
I got home, put needle to vinyl, and fell over laughing. No acid necessary.
On the band's next tour, a couple days later, I played a tape I'd made of it, and we had to pull the truck over because we were all laughing too hard to drive.
Brit comedy? Yeah. Eccentric? VERY! Can Yanks get it? If they're intelligent.
Brilliant? Absolutely.
http://rapidshare.com/files/254890227/Viv_Stanshall-Peel_Sessions_1_.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/254901102/Viv_Stanshall-Peel_Sessions_2_.rar
I don't know if this is any different to the posts above
found at Weirdtown Stuff
Regards, Mal
You guys should check out the movie, of Sir henry, featuring Trevor Howard..
its excellent, and quite mad
Hello.
My name is Bryan Chandler, I'm a dj at KUSF 90.3 fm in San Francisco.
I recently created a new audio archive which streams many of the excellent and wide-ranging programs that we broadcast on KUSF. We currently have over 2200 Posts and over 45 thousand visitors.
This is quite obviously a labor of love that takes a lot of daily effort, so I really hope you'll check out some of the shows at your pleasure.
Here is the website: http://www.kusf-archives.com/2009/09/kusf-092009-6-8-pm-spotlight-vivian.html
The KUSF website is here: www.kusf.org.
Thanks and best regards,
Bryan
Dear Willard,
Many many thanks for reposting this gem of vintage British weirdness – much appreciated! Cheers, Dave Sez.
Hey, Cap.
Bit late with this one, but I've got 'Crank' as an audio rip over at mine.
http://rocketremnants.blogspot.com/
Includes Stanshall telling his own story interjected with some fantastic music.
Maybe unique within the blogosphere.
Hope you don't mind me including my link…
Regards, roy
Not at all. This post has turned into a clearing house.
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Find Sir Henry At Rawlinson End (CD & Vinyl versions) HERE.
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Hey Winkie…
At least a link for the post (just above)is still working, as you mentioned. I updated comment 6, Men Opening Umbrellas & Teddy Boys. They’re both MegaUpload, and still working. If you’re still getting a dead message, you might try cleaning out your cache, or just rebooting something. The Peel Sessions work. Those are Rapidshare. Same thing. Reboot something if you’re still not seeing. For the stuff at other people’s web sites, you’re on your own. Let me know if I’m missing something.
W
Halloo…
Yeah, your links work fine (of course!), but I’m dying to get “Christmas At Rawlinson End” and “Sir Henry at Ndidi’s Kraal.”… and all those links are deader than Colonel Kurtz. I was sort of kind of hoping you had copies of those (of your own) that could be re-upped. I’ve been scouring some pretty dusty corners of the internet looking for ‘em…. if not, at least the original Sir Henry is here in all it’s fabulousness.
Thanks for cleaning this up and for the info…
Winking ‘Door Gunner’ Tiger
Gotcha. Yeah, those are at other blogs. Don’t have them myself. Try hitting up A Dashing Blade and see if he’s still got them. Thanks for the note, I had forgotten those are mentioned in the text and need to be removed.
That’s a good idea Willard, I’ll do that…. long live Viv!
If he’s got new links, let us know… we’ll reinstate them here.
Alright! I’ve got new DL’s for both ‘Christmas At Rawlinson End’ AND ‘Sir Henry At Ndidi’s Kraal’… all in one link. Thanks to Dashing Blade (he’s going to re-install this new link on his own blog this weekend as well.)
Thanks to Willard and A Dashing Blade for making a dream come true… :)
https://rapidshare.com/files/4215875518/ChristmasNdidi.rar
The MP3′s for ‘Christmas At Rawlinson End’ are at 192kps, ‘Ndidi’s Kraal’ is 320kps.
Very cool. Thanks for doing all the leg work, Winkie.
The pleasure is mine… One, I wanted these albums too, and there must be others who want them, who also frequent this blog. I had a devil of a time looking for them elsewhere. Two, I’ve DLed so much great stuff from here, when I get a chance to help, I pounce like a… like a… wombat. ;)
And thanks again to Dashing Blade for the link and the faster-than-a-sabre-jet response to my email (I wrote him an email back as well, in case he doesn’t see this.)
Viv Lives!
Wombats pounce?
Let me tell ya, if you’ve ever been down a tin mine in Tasmania, blithely munching on a vegemite sandwich, and had a wild wombat jump out of your lunch bucket and attach itself to your face, you’d know…
To this day I have to sleep with one eye open. ;)
Those eyes… *shudder*
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Find Sir Henry At Rawlinson End (CD & Vinyl Versions) HERE.
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FROM GRATEFUL: Christmas at Rawlinson End & Sir Henry at Ndidi’s Kraal HERE
Although Stanshall cowrote one of my favorite Traffic songs (“Dream Gerrard”), I have never investigated his work on his own, and precious little from the Bonzos either. That should change. So much music, so little time… thanks for putting this up again!
This is great stuff. Sir Henry is the epitome of blue blood snobery. I love Vivian and all three of these together equals SCORE!!! It’s funnier with each listen. Also, there is a much weirder movie. Vivian is in it but not as Sir Henry. He is the eccentric brother that lives on the compoubd grounds. Very strange…but it does compliment the three records. Thanks.
PS- Every bit as good as McGough & McGear.
Hahaha…I used to think Vivian looked bizarre on this album cover…until I saw the movie.
I’ve loved the Rawlinson End stuff since I first heard it in the 70′s. Brilliance personified! Has anyone been to see the ‘Sir Henry at Rawlinson End’ stage show? Saw it last year in London and it’s bloody fantastic! They are doing a special show next March for Viv’s 70th with Neil Innes http://www.rhythmgigs.com/vivian-stanshalls-70th-birthday-bloomsbury-theatre and this is their website http://www.sirhenrylives.com Happy New Year!!
Thanks for the info Andy.
thanks