Henry the Human Fly [Original recording remastered]

Palle Bruselius

Standout tracks:
"Roll Over Vaughn Williams", which has a dense, dark guitar sound, Meg White-style tic-toc drumming and what sounds like a heavily processed accordion backing the vocal line. It's moody and eccentric. The accordion (if that what it is) sounds more like a medieval crumhorn - it's not conventionally good accordion playing but, along with Thompson's heavy rhythm guitar, it adds to the scary effect of the song.

"Nobody's Wedding", a slow, tuneful piece interrupted by slow reels played (excellently) by John Kirkpatrick on the accordion. The lyrics tell of a party that went on for sixteen days and sixteen nights "and it weren't even nobody's wedding". With the protagonist oblivious to the goings-on, the party spins out of control.

"The Poor Ditching Boy", a classic Thompson rejection ballad and a much requested (but seldom played) song at concerts even now.

"Wheely Down" and "The Old Changing Ways", two songs which could both pass for Irish traditionals. "The Old Changing Ways" is the better of the two, with a slightly faster pace and lovely guitar/harp interplay. The lyrics, told through the persona of a wayward tinker driven from his brother by his unwillingness to share, get some explicit moralising in, which is rare for Thompson.

"The Old St. George", taking the form of a protest song, with its strident 3/4 tempo, snare-heavy drums and sneering vocals inciting the workers to "Leave the factory, leave the forge, and dance with the new st. George".

"Painted Ladies", featuring a protagonist who wants them but can't afford them. One of Thompson's strength as a lyricist is his ability to take on a persona, and give an inside view of what makes a certain kind of person tick. Like all such songs by him, this one comes out disturbing and funny at the same time. Thompson's voice is an asset in songs like this one.

"Mary and Joseph", a slow song with slightly off-pitch horns and rudimentary beats. It sounds like a Tom Waits song, including Thompson's vocal delivery, which sounds drunk.

After all those songs about wild parties, drinking, painted ladies, greed and gambling, "Twisted" is a fitting album closer. "People are looking hazy and people are looking dim. I would go for help if I could find the way I came in.... sitting at the bar with my face in the jar, and something tells me I'm twisted." The music nails the tiredness and anger of the last person at the bar perfectly.

Buy this record if it's the only one you get this year.
The remastered edition has excellent sound, with Thompson's acoustic guitar and the other instruments coming through with great detail and presence.

RT wasn't long out of Fairport when he made this and the songs retain the folky feyness of his Fairport work. There are some wonderful musicians in the band, including Linda Peters, the future Mrs Thompson, on backing vocals. Some of the songs are definitely strange, like Nobody's Wedding and Mary and Joseph. Don't worry: you're not supposed to understand them. Several have direct links to the popular music of the past, which became what we call folk music nowadays - New St George is an example of that. There are some great ballads, like The Old Changing Way and my own favourite The Angels Took my Racehorse Away. A few years ago my son and I were at an RT gig in London and my son kept shouting 'Racehorse!' to get him to play this for me: RT was a bit miffed by this and we couldn't work out whether he really didn't understand what we wanted, or he did but he just didn't want to play it. Or didn't want to be shouted at.

I thought it would be smart a while ago to get a car with a CD player and didn't realise that meant I'd have to replace all my vinyl and tapes with CDs...so all my favourite artists are now getting another chunk of royalties from me. I don't begrudge it to RT for Henry the Human Fly though. It was about time!