In 1967, The Fugs' sound had developed considerably from their early works such as
The Fugs First Album, with several complex and interesting compositions. This was partly due to personnel changes; Charles Larkey, an excellent bassist, and Ken Pine, a skilled guitarist were added in 1967 and played on both this and the preceding album
Tenderness Junction. Session musicians also added to the depth of the work; Band leader
Sanders later stated: For back-up harmonies, we used some fine singers who had worked as Harry Belafonte's harmonists. You can hear them, say, on "Wide, Wide River," and "When the Mode of the Music Changes". Described as "ambitious and extravagant sounding",
It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest takes the form of a
sound collage with tracks linked by snippets of chants, prayers and exorcisms.
Kris Needs of
Record Collector describes the album as a "total collage assault". Chuck Foster of
The Big Takeover highlights the eclectic nature of the first side of the album, veering between
psychedelic rock,
country,
blues and
easy listening, while drawing attention to the "strange sound collage of songs and vocal snippets" that forms the second side. Sanders said he intended the second side of the album be a "like a long collage".
Richie Unterberger said that the integration of a "side-long suite" was comparable to
the Mothers of Invention's ''
We're Only in It for the Money'' and
the Holy Modal Rounders'
The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders, both also from 1968. Writing for
AllMusic, he similarly said that the album begins with "five discrete tracks" before moving into a "cut-and-paste of tracks varying in length from three seconds to four minutes, the stylistic jump-cuts similar to those employed by the Mothers of Invention in the same era." Among the diverse styles explored on the album include satirical country music ("Ramses II Is Dead My Love"), grandiose classical music ("Burial Waltz"), comedic
gospel ("Wide Wide River"),
folk rock ("Life Is Strange") and
Gregorian chant ("Marijuana"), with
choral backing vocals throughout. As with
Tenderness Junction, the album begins with a psychedelic rock track, "Crystal Liaison". The love song, which has been compared to
the Bonzo Doo Dah Dog Band, was released as a single. The album also introduces Sanders'
redneck character Johnny Pissoff, who represented a musical style described by Sanders as "beatnik country"; another example of the Fugs working in the genre is "We Don't Allow No Robots in Sunday School". One track recites the word "marijuana" in the style of a
Catholic Latin hymn. There were some discarded songs, including "Beautyway", a lengthy song written with composer
Burton Green that was named for a
Navajo advert, and "The Vision of William Blake's Garden". A lengthy, intricate piece named "Magic Rite" was recorded earlier in 1968 for the album but only appeared in snippet form, under the name "Irene (Peace)". The Fugs also introduced the use of a pair of drummers at this period: founder member
Ken Weaver plus new recruit Bob Mason. Despite the changes, the underlying approach of The Fugs remained irreverent and humorous. The album featured a high number of short tracks, many included for their comic value, such as "National Haiku Contest", a teenager's surreal
haiku in response to an unwanted pregnancy, and "Robinson Crusoe" a sketch on sexual frustration featuring
Robinson Crusoe and
Man Friday. In supporting tours, founding band member
Kupferberg used a wide range of unusual costumes, and punctuated performances with wild dances and witty satiric routines. Political and social commentary also remained highly prominent, with tracks such as the pro-drugs eulogy "Marijuana", the
redneck satire "Johnny Pissoff Meets the Red Angel", and the pro-peace chant "Irene". ==Track listing==