Sir Henry At Ndidi's Kraal
Alastair Robertson | Twickenham, London United Kingdom | 12/22/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I heard that Viv Stanshall never wanted this recording to be released ... I think his record company might have done well to have heeded his wish.
Although funny in a few places, it is not a patch on the previously released "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End".
If you loved "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End", then it is worth listening to "Sir Henry At Ndidi's Kraal", but don't expect it to be a patch on the first one."
I know 4 stars seems excessive...
Steven Cain | Temporal Quantum Pocket | 07/05/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"...and I agree with Alastair from my homeland, but I find myself psychologically incapable of giving it less.
This seems like a rush job, and given Viv's state of mind at the time, he probably wasn't feeling tip top on any level. Compared to the utter perfection of Rawlinson, this is like Viv larking about. If you can persevere with the album, it does actually get better as it progresses. It never reaches any of the heights that Sir Henry at Rawlinson End achieved and maintained throughout, but there are a few flashes of Vintage Viv in here.
Sadly, he was preparing to revisit Rawlinson territory at the time of his untimely death, and given his disappointment with this release (as Alastair indicated) I'm sure he would have given it his best shot.
Ndidi's Kraal was not his best shot, it was more like a stray round. Still, in the absence of any more Viv, I chose to, as Sting put it, make the best of what's still around.
By all means heed the cautions folks, but please give it a listen."