Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (recording)
| Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | ||||
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| Studio album by Vivian Stanshall | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Genre |
Spoken word Comedy Comedy music |
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| Label | Charisma Records | |||
| Producer | Vivian Stanshall | |||
| Vivian Stanshall chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, released in 1978, is a largely spoken-word, solo comedy recording by Vivian Stanshall, a British musician with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. It originated in his Rawlinson End sessions for the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1 beginning in 1975, and a similarly-named track on the Bonzo Dog Band's 1972 album Let's Make Up and Be Friendly.
In 1971, Stanshall took over John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, while the presenter was on holiday. Contributing to Peel programmes over several years, Stanshall played many new and old songs. He piloted and previewed many different musical and spoken-word comedy sketches and songs. Peel would later broadcast recordings made especially by Stanshall as parts of a sporadic "Rawlinson End" saga, such as, "Aunt Florrie Remembers (from Giant Whelks at Rawlinson End, Part 21)," recorded on 16 October and broadcast on 27 October 1975. Ultimately, Stanshall re-recorded several of these turns for release, all of which related to Sir Henry Rawlinson and his country seat, Rawlinson End.
The album Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1978) was released on the Charisma Records label (CAS 1139), featuring Stanshall as multiple characters, talking and singing, in a portrayal of the fictional history of Sir Henry Rawlinson. It is filled with puns, double-entendres, pop-cultural references and clever wordplay. Stanshall initially takes the role of an unnamed narrator, then shifts between character and narrator. The recording features many musical interludes, performed on a variety of odd musical instruments. Guest performers include Steve Winwood and two of Stanshall's children: his son Rupert Stanshall and his stepdaughter, Sydney Longfellow (the child of his second wife Ki Longfellow-Stanshall).
The tracks are named after musical pieces, and most feature at least one vocal number, intermingled with spoken-word performances. Stanshall's characters include Sir Henry Rawlinson, his wife Lady Florrie Rawlinson (née Maynard), their children Ralph ('Raif') and Candice Rawlinson, and Henry's brothers Hubert (the younger brother) and Humbert (late older brother, deceased, and now a ghost).
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