Fans and critics alike seemed to have a difficult time getting a handle on Thompson's new direction, which, for the most part, eschews the electric guitar that had been an integral part of the British folk-rock he had helped forge with his former band Fairport Convention.
With the exception of a couple of short instrumental breaks and various electric shadings, Thompson's Stratocaster defers to accordions, fiddles, whistles, dulcimers, harps, and his own acoustic guitar.
The songs, which are more idiosyncratic than his Fairport output, are the primary focus.
Cuts such as "The Poor Ditching Boy," "The New St.
George," and "The Old Changing Way" have the timelessness of the best traditional material Fairport had been mining in the past, while "Roll Over Vaughn Williams," with its swirling electric guitar, and the accordion and electric guitar interplay of the folk-rocker "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" are prime examples of Thompson's vision of fusing the old and the new.
At the time of its release, Henry the Human Fly, with its fresh, yet eccentric take on folk and rock, along with tales of "poor ditching boys," racehorses, tinkers, "painted ladies," and weddings where "nobody's wed" was not a fashionable record, but like the bulk of Richard Thompson's work, it transcends times and trends.
Linda Peters (Thompson), Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, and John Kirkpatrick guest.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nobody's WeddingRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Sue Draheim, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | The Poor Ditching BoyRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Sue Draheim, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 3 | Shaky NancyRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | The Angels Took My Racehorse AwayRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Wheely DownRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | The New St. GeorgeRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 02:10 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 7 | Painted LadiesRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | Cold FeetRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 9 | The Old Changing WayRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 10 | TwistedRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson, Jeff Cole, John Defereri, Sandy Denny, Timi Donald, Pat Donaldson, Linda Peters, David Snell, Clay Toyani | Play | 01:59 | 4 MB | 10 MB |
| 11 | Roll Over Vaughn Williams | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 12 | Mary And Joseph | Richard Thompson | Play | 01:41 | 3 MB | 8 MB |
| 37 mins | 84 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 196 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denis Blackham | Remastering |
| 2 | Tim Chacksfield | Project Coordinator, Research |
| 3 | Jeff Cole | Performer, Primary Artist, Trombone |
| 4 | John Defereri | Performer, Primary Artist, Sax (Tenor), Saxophone |
| 5 | Sandy Denny | Keyboards, Performer, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 6 | Timi Donald | Drums, Percussion, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 7 | Pat Donaldson | Bass, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 8 | Sue Draheim | Fiddle, Primary Artist, Violin |
| 9 | Barry Dransfield | Fiddle, Violin |
| 10 | Ashley Hutchings | Bass, Vocals |
| 11 | John Kirkpatrick | Accordion |
| 12 | Fran McManus | CD Graphics |
| 13 | Keith Morris | Photography |
| 14 | Linda Peters | Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 15 | Andy Roberts | Dulcimer |
| 16 | Phil Smee | CD Package Design |
| 17 | David Snell | Harp, Performer, Primary Artist |
| 18 | Ann Sullivan | Original Design Concept |
| 19 | Linda Thompson | Vocals |
| 20 | Richard Thompson | Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 21 | Clay Toyani | Performer, Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 22 | John Wood | Engineer, Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |