Henry the Human Fly [Original recording remastered]

Henry the Human Fly [Original recording remastered]

Track Listings

1. Roll Over Vaughan Williams

2. Nobody's Wedding

3. Poor Ditching Boy

4. Shaky Nancy

5. Angels Took My Racehorse Away

6. Wheely Down

7. New St. George

8. Painted Ladies

9. Cold Feet

10. Mary & Joseph

11. Old Changing Way

12. Twisted

Tracks:

Roll over Vaughn Williams
Nobody's Wedding - Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Sue Draheim, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani
Poor Ditching Boy - Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Sue Draheim, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani
Shaky Nancy
Angel's Took My Racehorse Away
Wheely Down
New St. George
Painted Ladies
Cold Feet
Mary and Joseph
Old Changing Way
Twisted

Customer Reviews:

Found In a Bargain Bin.......2006-12-12

I was always a big Fairport / RT fan from the moment I heard Unhalfbricking. On spring break in Florida, I happened upon a DJ copy of the Henry LP in the cutout bin of a record store - this was '72 and it hasn't been off my turntable / player ever since. "Painted Ladies" is my all-time RT favorite song and it's his art in a nutshell. While not as polished as some of his later releases, it's probably one of the best places for the new listener to start.

Sticks to you .......2006-03-07

"Henry the Human Fly" remains one of RT's best and greatest statements as a solo artist. he wasn't to resume his solo career for another 12 years (in the meantime for folks that don't know he recorded with his wife Linda and retired for awhile to live in a Sufi commune). I have to agree with many other fans of the album here--this does provide a blueprint for Thompson's albums with Linda but, more importantly, for his second solo album "Hand of Kindness" another overlooked gem from RT's recording career. This terrific classic album sounds marvelous here in its remaster/reissued edition. There are no bonus tracks nor any additional sleeve notes althought the original artwork is duplicated and we do get the song lyrics.

Certainly Linda had the better voice (he stunning alto can be heard on backing vocals on many of these tracks)but Thompson stepped up to the challenge as a lead vocalist in Fairport Convention with a memorable voice all his own. His voice certainly has character and while it isn't as powerful as his guitar playing on this album, Thompson sings the lyrics with passion and heart. From "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" (a clever play on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven")with its rustic folk melody imbued with an electric charge to the witty "Nobody's Wedding", "The Poor Ditching Boy" and the more traditional "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" Thompson's writing provides an intelligent blast in the face of glam rock then just taking to the airwaves in America.

Although it sold poorly (One of the A&R people at Warner used to tell him it was their worst selling album in the history of the label. Sounds like a load because of the amount of records the label released. Still, it's possible)like the Velvet Underground's first album everyone who bought it probably started a band. "Henry" with its bizarre cover (Thompson wearing a homemade fly suit..I'm surprised that David Cronenberg didn't use some of Thompson's earthy music in his film "The Fly" given the fun tie in)it's a powerful overlooked masterpiece.

One of my all-time favorite albums.......2005-12-18

In 1972, I found a promo copy of this album on Reprise. I knew him from Fairport Convention, and even though I was only luke-warm on many of his albums with his then-wife Linda, this album has stayed in my collection and I consider it one of the most perfect albums of the 1970's.

Everything just jells; cleverly written, rather strange songs, amazingly crisp, simple arrangements, and oh, that guitar work.

My favorite track is probably "Painted Ladies", which contains a wonderfully gloomy piano accompaniment by none other than the late Sandy Denny!

I have continually owned this album since 1972 and this Fledgling reissue is top notch. The sound is perfect and the packaging is terrific....and unlike the previous CD issue (on Hannibal), this one reinstates the wonderful liner notes about Gabriel and God....one of the most clever short-story notes ever found on the back of a record album!

Run out and snap up a copy for yourself.

The Great Lost R.T. Album.......2005-10-30

I would wager that this is an album with which even most diehard Richard Thompson fans have little familiarity. It has always been an obscurity, scarce as the proverbial hen's tooth. I feel blessed to have found a copy, over thirty years after I (darn it all!) bypassed the vinyl version in the record store.

This album was the blueprint for all of Thompson's subsequent 1970's albums ("Bright Lights", "Hokey Pokey", "Pour Down Like Silver", "First Light" and "Sunnyvista")and it is of the same high quality, boasting a clutch of his finest songs. It opens with the great 'crow in a graveyard' jeer of "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" . The guitar work on this song probably put cramps in the fingers of many who tried to emulate it. The lyrics can be heard as an announcement of Richard's intentions: "Don't expect the words to ring too sweetly on the ear.." he warns.

Most of Richard's tunes take the point of view of the commoner--the person at the bottom of the heap, who is fresh out of luck. The combination of gallows humor and pristine musical beauty endears Richard to his fans and bewilders those outside his cult. If you like this album, you'll like all of Richard's work. If you don't get it, you never will.

My favorite tunes from "Henry" are "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" (a lighthearted romp compared to the rest).. "Shaky Nancy" which seems to echo an old Byrds tune ("If You're Gone", maybe?), "Painted Ladies", "The Old Changing Way" (absolutely a classic), and "Twisted". This is a good album for any aspiring songwriter to study intensely.

It grows on me with every listen.

His First and His Best!.......2005-04-22

Supposedly Island Records' worst-ever seller when it was released in 1972, I think "Henry" remains R.T.'s best work. It is certainly one of my all-time top ten albums, period, and I am overjoyed that it is again in print. Sure, the album's stylistic quirks and sometimes somber tone may have put off a lot of fans at first, but later these same elements (with the edges smoothed down a bit) developed into part of Thompson's signature style. For example, "Wheely Down" is downright apocalyptic, though in a 17th century/Slade the Leveller sort of way. My favorite track, the striking "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" -- believe it or not -- conveys a sense of dread about life in the '70s that foreshadows the Sex Pistols and "No Future" four years later. It's not all doom and gloom, however: "The Angels Have Taken My Race Horse Away" is an upbeat, exhilarating number about, umm, a dead horse. It also features an immaculately fractured solo that I think is an example of Thompson's best guitar playing, and backing vocals by the future Linda Thompson! If you give this album a chance, it will get stuck in you and will become part of your life's soundtrack. I promise.

Average customer rating:

Complete Secular Songs (3cd)

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs of Henry Purcell / King's Consort
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ASIN: B0000DJENT
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Average customer rating:

Addendum to previous review
Great Album - but don't buy a used copy just yet
Richard Thompson begins his distinguished solo career
I'll keep it simple
Squashed Bug

Starring Henry the Human Fly
Richard Thompson
Manufacturer: Hannibal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Hannibal Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CD & 1 DVD Set)
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Front Parlour Ballads

ASIN: B00000063S
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Roll Over Vaughn Williams
Nobody's Wedding
The Poor Ditching Boy
Shaky Nancy
The Angel's Took My Racehorse Away
Wheely Down
The New St. George
Painted Ladies
Cold Feet
Mary And Joesph
The Old Changing Way
Twisted

Amazon.com

As lead guitarist for Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson had helped steer a band that initially emulated American rockers like Jefferson Airplane into an authentic British folk rock institution, swiftly evolving as a powerful songwriter ready to dip back into his own heritage for models. Thompson's first solo album finds him ranging through ballads, jigs, and reels as comfortably as he once had tackled Dylan and Joni Mitchell, tapping British brass bands and reviving old ballad forms and pre-industrial imagery to make his point. From "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" to the jubilant surfer-at-the-track spree of "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away," he gives ample evidence of the musicianship and intelligence that have since made him a cornerstone of folk rock regardless of nationality. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

Addendum to previous review.......2004-06-17

Just an update here for anyone who may want to buy a copy of this terrific album. It turns out that a remastered, slipcased edition is now available from Fledgling Records in the UK. They may be releasing it through license with Island, but at any rate the CD is available for pre-order NOW at amazon.co.uk! Your regular amazon.com info will transfer over when you log into the site, so ordering a new and superior copy of "Human Fly" will be a breeze. It comes out on July 5, so pre-order your copy today, and definitely don't buy an overpriced used copy of the disc.

Great Album - but don't buy a used copy just yet.......2004-04-06

"Henry the Human Fly" is indeed a great album. That's why you shouldn't buy it. At least, you shouldn't buy the used copies that are being sold for 75-100 bucks right now.

The reason? Island Records in the UK is reissuing ALL of the early Richard Thompsons that were part of the Hannibal/Rykodisc catalogue in the US. "Pour Down Like Silver" and some other titles will be available next week, and "Henry the Human Fly" will almost certainly be released by June. All of the new releases will be completely remastered and will come with bonus tracks. You'll be able to buy them through amazon.com, or through its affiliate amazon.co.uk. And best of all, you'll be buying a currently available product, so you'll be putting money into Richard Thompson's pocket, where it belongs, and not lining the pockets of greedy sellers hawking the used CD. Word to the wise - wait a little longer to buy this, and you'll be buying a better quality remastered product AND helping to support one of our greatest recording artists, Richard Thompson.

Richard Thompson begins his distinguished solo career.......2004-01-12

Richard Thompson was a founding member of the seminal British folk-rock group Fairport Convention, but by the start of the 1970s the songs he was writing were clearly going in a different direction from the rest of the group, which was moving towards more traditional English folk music. So in 1972 Thompson embarked on his solo career with his first album, "Henry the Human Fly," which has the distinction of being the worst selling album in the history of Warner Bros. Records.

The obvious explanation would be that copies of the albums were never taken out of the boxes and put on the shelves in the record stores (remember those?), because this is an excellent album which showcases both Thompson's songwriting skill and his superb guitar work on mostly acoustic, but still some electric guitar. The songs are still a mixture of the traditional British folk music with contemporary rock 'n' roll, but with more of Thompson's peculiar brand of dark humor coming through than before. The ballad "The Poor Ditching Boy," "The New St. George," and "The Old Changing Way" are very much in the traditional vein, while "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" (with the great guitar solo) and "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" are clearly representative of the modern folk-rock style. The result is Thompson establishing his own voice as a solo artist.

Also appearing on the album are Sandy Denny and Ashley Hutchings, the former lead singer and co-founder of Fairport Convention respectively, and Linda Peters, whom Thompson would marry. Two years later they would put out their first album together, "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight," which is even better than this album. Ultimately I think of Richard Thompson as being the male counterpart to Sandy Denny, as pre-eminent British folk singers who accomplished even more after they left Fairport Convention than they did when the group was making great albums like "Unhalfbricking" and "Liege & Leaf."

I'll keep it simple.......2003-08-25

I'll keep it simple. Get all the Richard Thompson you can get your hands on. I know you will want to thank me later, but that won't be necessary. I saw him in concert playing solo. Having a band with him would have been superfluous. I put him up there with Stevie Ray and Jimi for guitar-playing and Dylan for lyrics. He has wit that can make you laugh one moment and an emotional wallop that pierces your heart the next. Richard has never played a false note or sung a contrived lyric. One caveat; he is not for the simple-minded or those who are into faddish music. This is time-less, near-perfect music that makes you think and feel. Thank God for Richard Thompson.

Squashed Bug.......2002-11-02

Richard Thompson's first solo album has a lot to recommend it. Not only was it the worst selling album in Warner Bros. history, it was pretty much panned across the board. To top it all off, it's nearly out of print at the moment. I'm sure the Halloween get up on the cover didn't help either. All the more reason to seek this out. No self respecting Richard Thompson fan is complete without it.

It's no surpise that he doesn't quite shake off his Fairport trappings. Most of the band can be found in the credits. Yet, Thompson still manages to find his own voice while keeping Fairport's Medievil contrivences at bay. Mordant, playful and arcanely witty, HENRY is a perfect introduction to "rock's best kept secret". Here, Thompson's able to flesh out what was hinted at in his last outing with Fairport. "Poor Will & The Jolly Hangman" was certainly a highlight off of FULL HOUSE and it would have been right at home on HENRY.

While "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" does nothing for Thompson's Doom & Gloom reputation, it's a memorable start. Imagine the reel & jig of Fairport's signature sound cut with early, more acoustic Black Sabbath. If Thompson was concerned with mainstream success, why kick off your first album with a refrain like "live in fear! live in fear!"

"Nobody's Wedding" might come off as a little too cute for it's own good but haunting lines like "why is the wild boy chopping up the floor" come to the rescue. "The Poor Ditching Boy" ranks as one of Thompson's most underrated ballads. Thompson's skill really comes to fore on this one, preceeding later gems like "Beeswing" and "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" by 20 years.

"The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" may have escaped WATCHING THE DARK's retrospective notice but is nevertheless a Thompson classic. Still a staple in his live shows, his solo here will drop your jaw while his words rip out what's left of your heartstings. A near impossible feat in this day & age. Another neglected standout is "Wheely Down". With lyrics that sound swiped from some prophetic Book of Doom, he hints at a personal, almost inconsolable loss. "Mary & Joseph"'s demetented Salvation Army stylings give Tom Waits a run for his money long before SWORDFISH TROMBONES. By the album's end, you're left "sitting in a bar, face down in a jar". The last line you hear is, "something tells me, I'm twisted".

Not only does Thompson surpass his work with Fairport Convention here, he manages to establish a unique voice for himself. A voice precociously ahead of it's time. From his more recent collaborations with Mitchell Froom on down to classics like BRIGHT & SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS, Thompson travels in a world that is part Dickens, part Poe, and a little Monty Python. And yet, for all of HENRY's tinkers, whores and doomsaying, he still manages to be far more topical than the thousand or so Glam Rock bands of the time. A buried treasure.

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