
Henry Blythe - Stop Smoking
*special thanks to jay strange for this
Yes, this is another "stop smoking" or "quit smoking" album. If the other ones didn't work, perhaps this one will. Henry Blythe is a hypnotist whose method is to, of course, hypnotize you into a state where you're supposed to be suggestive to Henry's words stating that you will quit smoking. (I couldn't find anything on Henry Blythe, BTW.) Henry uses a (metaphorical) tool called a hypnotic sponge to cleanse your thoughts of desires of wanting to smoke filthy cigarettes. Will the hypnotic sponge cure you smokers? At near the end of Side 1 "Stop Smoking", Henry brings the listeners out of their hypnotic state. Henry claps but it is inaudible. However, he raises his voice when counting to five and goes into a more frantic pace which I suppose he seems to try to make up for the inaudible clap. Not sure if people came out of their hypnotic states though. ;) Side 2 "How to Relax" is I am sure self-explanatory.
What makes this album better is that Henry wants you to show his picture while you are playing his record. The liner notes explain:
Place the portrait of Henry Blythe on the front of this sleeve on a table or mantle shelf and sit in an easy relaxed position facing the portrait whilst the record is being played.
Choose a room for this Hypnotic Treatment where you are not likely to be Disturbed. Follow Henry Blythe's spoken instructions very intently and BELIEVE that he is actually in the room with you, that it is not merely a photographic face and a recorded voice - but that he is in the room with you in SPIRIT - a BLYTHE spirit.
You will be astonished at the results.
Play this record EVERY day for FOUR days and treat very seriously this genuine effort to STOP YOU SMOKING.
I think that is an awesome idea. Why don't more people tell their listeners or readers to place their picture while listening or reading? I am printing out copies of Henry's portrait. I want to hang it on my wall. I can have the spirit of Henry with me most of the time. I may even print out a small copy of Henry's portrait to carry around in my wallet so I can have Henry with me all the time. If you didn't know Henry was a hypnotist, one could guess that he is a distinguished gentleman. He looks like he could be a Nobel-prize winning scientist or an acclaimed author of some brilliant novel or some sort of intellectual. You can put a picture of him on your wall and impress people by telling them what I said in the last sentence. They'll be impressed and yet no one will really know. I think Henry was aspiring to be idolized and maybe now he'll get his wish.

This post includes bonus material. The track is a collaboration between jay strange and The Bevis Frond (calling themselves The Bizaardvarks) named "The Hypnotic Sponge". It is a psych/stoner piece sampling Henry Blythe. Great stuff! "The Hypnotic Sponge" is from the compilation Woronzoid released in 1989 on vinyl.
Tracklisting:
Side 1
1. Stop Smoking {10:33}
Side 2
1. How to Relax {9:42}
Bonus Track
1. The Bizaardvarks - The Hypnotic Sponge {8:40}

















