STACKRIDGE

Stackridge's follow up to Man In The Bowler Hat is one of those albums that no one especially the hardcore fans seems to like. For starters, the group's self appointed leader Andy Davis forced founding members James Warren to leave along with the bassist Crun Walter which must have upset fans no end.Secondly Davis seemed determined to move the group's sound away from the rather soft centred and whimsical style that predominated the first three LPs which also proved unpopular. Rather surprisingly having effectively built the band up from scratch as it were with newcomers Keith Gemmel (ex Audience) on sax ,clarinet and flute, Paul Karas (ex Rare Bird) on bass and session keyboardist Rod Bowkett and drummer Roy Morgan on drums rather than taking centre stage as one might have expected, he actually took a back seat especially in the composition department. No fewer than 6 tracks were composed by Bowkett who also co-wrote two tracks with Davis. Infact Davis only contributed one song on his own. So much for the potted background-what about the album itself? Well, in a word it is brilliant. Not "It's OK but not really a proper Stackridge album is it what with a completely new line-up and where has all the whimsy disappeared to and what happened to James Warren and how come Paul Karas sings the opening track etc etc" but brilliant.Why brilliant? Two reasons basically. Firstly these guys can really play and secondly Roy Bowkett whoever he is (who IS he?) is not only a very talented keyboard player a damn fine composer as well. The opening track "Spin Round The Room" is a great 20's pastiche written by Bowkett and sung by Paul Karas (see what I mean?) "Grease Paint Smile" also by Bowkett is a darkly humorous song sung in a somewhat rueful and tired style by Davis."The Volonteer" is Davis' only sole contribution sung by Slater and is a terrific music-hall style song and definitely one of the highlights on side one."Highbury Incident" a Davis/Bowkett co-write has an excellent sax driven riff in the chorus and is strongly reminiscent of "The Lat Plimsoll" of the previous album but as with all the other songs on the album less meandering and more direct.The closest thing to a "Stackridge" song well apart from "The Volunteer" I suppose is "Benjamin's Giant Onion" which is slightly reminiscent of "Return Of The Giant Hogweed" by Genesis but this time it is the turn of the onions to take over the world. Silly but fun.The closing track is an excellent cover of the song "Happy In The Lord"So far so Stackridge as far as I am concerned. Side two is a wholly different matter. Apart from an absolutely fantastic Hammond organ and mellotron driven song called "Nothing's more Important Than the Earthworm"-surely the heaviest song the band ever recorded and arguably the best song Pink Floyd never recorded the whole side is dominated by 3 lengthy Zappa influenced instrumentals. Two of them are Bowkett compositions and one is a Bowkett/David co-write. I just cannot get enough of this highly complex yet supremely accessible type of playing. This album is so ridiculously underrated.I can understand fans being a little dismissive of it mainly I suspect because of the line-up change because the highly eccentric nature of Stackridge is still in place. It is just that the playing is substantially tighter and tougher here than on previous releases.I would not actually call this album a "materpiece" but it is absolutely essential.A great album- one of my absolute favourites.

Five stars

STACKRIDGE are blessed with the kind of solid well-established name that has the same enduring appeal as the legendary place names: Woodstock, Glastonbury, Stonehenge... and Milton Keynes. The evergreen music of Stackridge has withstood the test of time too. The band formed over half a century ago from the remnants of Grytpype Thynne (a band with an instantly forgettable name) in the Cheddar Gorge area of Somerset, although there's nothing cheesy about the gorgeous music of Stackridge, other than their fine blend of Prog-Folk-Pop having matured nicely over the years. Stackridge produced an impressive string of five back-to-back albums during the early to mid-1970's:- "Stackridge" (1971); "Friendliness" (1972); "The Man in the Bowler Hat" (1974); "Extravaganza" (1975); and "Mr Mick" (1976). Sadly, the band broke up shortly after the release of "Mr Mick" due to album sales being as disappointingly sluggish as a snail at a snail's funeral. Two former members of Stackridge went on to form The Korgis in the late 1970's, a Pop group best-remembered for their hit single and Soft Rock favourite, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime." They say you can't keep a good band down, and Stackridge returned with a vengeance, a new line-up and a new recording contract over twenty years later with two more albums:- "Something for the Weekend" (1999) and "A Victory for Common Sense" (2009). It's the third Stackridge album "The Man in the Bowler Hat" that we're focusing on here, recorded at a time when city business gents really DID wear bowler hats in the financial district of London. The album was famously produced by George Martin, the former Beatles' producer, and became the band's biggest chart success, reaching #23 in the U.K albums chart. The 1996 CD re-issue includes the bonus track "Do the Stanley", a gloriously silly marching song that delights in its cockney "Cor Blimey Guv'nor" Englishness.

We're kicking off the album with the immensely catchy Beatle-esque tune, "Fundamentally Yours", and when you hear this bright and uplifting ode to love for the first time, you'll believe in the awesome power of music to stir and reinvigorate the soul, in just the same way as a fundamental belief in Scientology will allow you to fly an F-14 Tom-Cat upside down in the morning and then make love to Kelly McGillis in the afternoon, but only if your name happens to be Tom Cruise. The second jolly tune "Pinafore Days" has a rather quaint and quirky old-fashioned music hall feel to it, which sounds as quintessentially English as The Man in the Bowler Hat travelling into work on a Red London Bus (circa 1974). This charming and delightful waltzy tune is as polite and well-mannered as Jeeves the Butler serving up English tea and toasted crumpets on a silver salver to Lord Bertie Wooster. Pop meets Prog for the third song on the album "The Last Plimsoll", a jubilant Pop song that's sailing well above the Plimsoll line on a joyous wave of hope and eternal optimism. The obscure but fun lyrics are an enigma wrapped inside a conundrum:- "Fat punk, low down skunk, remember what you told me, Mad monk, blind drunk, be a good boy and reward me, Come on, the last plimsoll on my feet, Will lead me where the squealers meet." ..... There's no reason, but there IS rhyme, and it's a great song too. This cheerful and revitalising classic tune is more Poppy than Proggy, but this is sparklingly effervescent 1970's Pop, and not some soulless, manufactured boy-band inanity from the present day. There's more Baroque Pop on the way with "To the Sun and the Moon", a heavenly song of joy that's positively bursting with more peace and love than a hippy flower-power festival in San Francisco. It's a celebration of parental love and affection and the beautifully touching lyrics deserve a brief mention here:- Sun gives us strength, Moon gives us feeling, Earth child of Heaven, Seed of the Sun and Moon. Our Father and our Mother guide our lives night and day." ..... This vibrant song is as warm and comforting as a Golden Labrador sleeping on a fluffy hearth rug in front of a blazing log fire in winter. "Hola amigos!" We're bound for distant foreign shores now on "The Road to Venezuela", a melodious and richly orchestrated tune that's bathed in warm vibrant strings and Latin American castanets. This exuberant Spanish-flavoured music is as exotic and celebratory as the Carnival in Rio. "Ole!"

The South American theme continues with the Side Two opener, "The Galloping Gaucho", although the wacky offbeat music sounds more like a crazy funfair ride at an English amusement park than a Latin American carnival. It's all the fun and frivolity of the fair with the sound of a circus pipe organ (a calliope) adding a sense of cheerful insanity to the proceedings. This Looney Tunes song is so Off the Wall, it's crazier than a helter-skelter Thriller ride at the Neverland Ranch with Michael Jackson and Bubbles the chimp for company. There's a strong environmental message contained within the lyrics of our next song, "Humiliation", a mournful bittersweet lament about the using up of the world's resources, which sounds like it could have been penned by the Rainbow Warriors of Greenpeace. It's a sad lilting refrain, but beautiful at the same time, featuring a gentle electric piano melody with lush orchestration provided by legendary Beatles' producer George Martin. This harmonious song is as smooth and sophisticated as James Bond in a white tuxedo with a dry Martini in hand (shaken not stirred), just before he coolly and calmly despatches another villain with his trusty Walther PPK and then delivers another immortal one-liner with the raising of an eyebrow and barely a hair-piece out of place. If pigs could fly, they might be considered "Dangerous Bacon", and that's the title of our next jolly little ditty. The Beatles' influences can most clearly be heard here in this bouncy high-spirited song that romps along merrily and which also features some wonderful Fab Four-style harmonisation. From a porky song to a prickly song now with "The Indifferent Hedgehog", a short and sweet hymnal tribute to cute hedgehogs everywhere - for those of us who are lucky enough to have seen a lovely live hedgehog and not one that's been squashed by a truck at the side of the road. And finally, to round off the album in suitably rousing and anthemic style, we arrive at the BIG orchestral George Martin production number, "God Speed the Plough", a grand triumphal Land of Hope and Glory epic that has all of the magnificent pomp and majestic splendour of Edward Elgar at Last Night of the Proms. This stupendous music soars higher than motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel's* death-defying leap over the fountains at Caesar's Palace, only without the inevitable bone-crushing landing.

*Incidentally, Robert "Evel" Knievel acquired his unusual nickname from a sheriff in his hometown of Butte, Montana, after being banged up in a cell overnight next door to Awful Knaufel.

Stackridge may be billed as a Prog-Folk band here at ProgArchives, but "The Man in the Bowler Hat" is neither Prog nor Folk. This is a pure Pop album in the best traditions of The Beatles, so if you're a fan of the Fab Four, then there's a very good chance you'll like this classic Pop album too. This merry bunch of minstrels have delivered a varied and entertaining high-wire circus act with Beatles' producer George Martin acting as Ringmaster General. If you were expecting to hear a Prog-Folk album, then this album may prove to be as surprising as going for a massage, and then discovering that your masseuse is actually a man named Sergei who learnt all about pressure points while serving as a Russian Spetsnaz assassin!

Stackridge's popularity increased with each release and in February the band made its television debut on a BBC programm, followed by a two-month tour.It was something like a tradition for them to be supported by future Prog Rock giants, this time the supporting act meant to be the legendary Camel.Later on ex-Audience Keith Gemmell joined the band on saxophone and during the summer they recorded their third work ''The man in the bowler hat'' at the Air Studios in London, supervised by The Beatles' producer George Martin, who also appeared in a few tracks as a pianist.The album was the last one on MCA, launched in 1974 and released in a different version in USA and Canada under the title ''Pinafore days''.

At this point Stackridge appear to lose contact with their progressive beginnings, the presence of George Martin on the production stool surfaced an even more evident THE BEATLES' relation both on vocal and instrumental parts and the complex themes have been pretty much reduced to zero.On the other hand this was not your average Pop/Folk Rock album, it maintained a highly sophisticated profile with demanding orchestrations and instrumental richness among the sweet mono- and polyphonic harmonies and the charming melodies with the discreet GENESIS influences being still around in the guitar and organ parts, this is basically an Art Pop album with glimpses of British Prog Rock, heavily relying on the instrumental variety, lots of flute, strings and keyboards pop out in the process next to the standard electroacoustic sound of the band.The long tracks are sorely missed here and actually their length has been decreased to an average of 3 minutes each, but the inspiration of the British veterans remains always at a high level, even if THE MOODY BLUES, THE BEATLES or STEELEYE SPAN seem like more appropriate comparisons than to say Genesis or Strawbs.Veteran producer George Martin helped the band to complete some great orchestral moves, doubled with Britrish Folk and Pop sensibilities, the result was a pretty fascinating work with lovely harmonies and a pretty accesible sound.

Not among the priorities of a Classic Prog fan.This sounds mostly like The Beatles at their most complicated attempts, orchestral and melodic music with minor proggy vibes, quite tasteful and fairly entertaining.Recommended.

The release of Stackridge's debut was followed by an extended tour throughout the British Islands along with Renaissance (and yes, Renaissance was actually the supporting band!) and the first appearance on the famous BBC Sessions held by John Peel.Come 1972 and Stackridge continued their live sets, now next to Wishbone Ash and Forever More.Original bassist Jim "Crun" Walter, who had left the band prior to the debut, rejoined Stackridge and the line-up was expanded to a sextet with Billy "Sparkle" Bent on drums, Mike "Mutter" Slater on flute/vocals, James Warren on guitar/vocals, Mike Evans on violin and Andy Davis on guitar/keyboards/vocals.The second album ''Friendliness'' was quickly recorded at the small Sound Technique Studios in Chelsea during August 72' and released in November, supported by MCA both for the UK and US market.

Instead of taking their sound a step further, Stackridge appear to have been struck by a nostalgic 60's syndrome and their sophomore effort sounds more poppy and less progressive than their debut.Reputedly the limited time in the studio forced the band to use material predating ''Stackridge'' and the result was an album with strong THE BEATLES and PROCOL HARUM influences and less, quirky instrumental themes.Moreover there is almost no track to clock at over 4 minutes (except ''Syracuse the elephant'' and ''Teatime'').The stunning opener ''Lummy days'' gives hopes for another monumental work, being an all instrumental workout based on violin, piano and flutes with impressive interplays, somewhere between British Folk and Classical Music, but the following tracks are more in a Psychedelic Pop vein with some orchestral and Folk underlines, characterized by a strong sense of melody and sweet, British-styled vocals in the abscence of demanding instrumentation.''Syracuse the elephant'' still holds the prog flag high, a decent Prog Folk piece with plenty of room for folky atmospheres and rich instrumentation, containing even some Eastern influences due to the use of sitar.The other long track, ''Teatime'', holds these pre-mature GENESIS inspirations with flute, violin and tambourine in evidence and some great Mellotron waves next to the smooth guitar playing.

While not on par with the stunning debut, ''Friendliness'' is a fine album of Proto-Prog aesthetics, where 60's Psych/Baroque/Pop meets the rising star of Progressive Rock.Nice melodies, Folk references and a few great pieces result a far from essential, still warmly recommended work.

The cover art work really says a lot about what's awaiting on the inside. Either on the LP or the CD. Or the cassette for that matter. The seagulls and the colours describe this album pretty well.

Released in 1971 and in a very strong folk rock scene which counted a lot of the best bands this genre has ever seen. Fairport Convention for example. But the music on this album also has a lot of the new pop sound in it. Some songs here reminds me a lot about what Sir Paul McCartney did back in those days. His first solo album, in particular. But the symphonic prog scene was also strong back then and a band like Renaissance was really moving the goalposts a lot. On the other side of the scene, Led Zeppelin was making a huge racket.

In the middle of all this, Stackridge soaked it up and released this album. For some reason and as my reference point, a lot of this album reminds me about their fellow mates Magna Carta. That's probably because I have all their albums though. Stackridge is more noisy and more energetic than Magna Carta.

The songs on this album is good without knocking me over in joy. The fourteen minutes long Slark tells about a lot of ambitions from this band without really pulling it off. The best two songs here are Dora the Female Explorer and Essence of Porphyry. But this is by no means a bad album from a band which anno 2011 is still touring and having fun.

This is a good debut album and recommended.

3 stars

Part of the reunion

Having achieved a limited but creditable amount of local success in the 1970's, Stackridge called it a day in 1977. Almost exactly 20 years later, a quorum of the members agreed to give it another go, and to date three further albums of original material have been released. "A victory for common sense" is the latest of these (at time of writing in 2011) having appeared in 2009. The line up which recorded the album boast no fewer than four of the six people considered to form the band's classic line up, with just violinist Mike Evans and drummer Billy Bent being absent. Guest musicians, whose participation in the band varies from the transitory to full member in all but name, fill the absentees roles as well as providing further diversity of available instruments.

The album consists of just nine tracks, all but one of which is written or co-written by Andy Davis, with the rest of the band plus guest Glenn Tommey receiving credits on selected tracks. By and large it is fair to say that the prog nuances with which the band dabbled all those years ago are largely forgotten here, in favour of the lighter and more whimsical side of the band which has always co-existed with those nuances. There is therefore a reliance on catchy hooks and strong melodies, and as usual Stackridge deliver with aplomb on that score.

The opening "Boots And Shoes" bears the familiar Beatles influences and Korgis (a Stackridge offshoot) style pop rock, the song being an obvious candidate for single release. "The old country" takes an affectionately nostalgic look back towards the UK from the point of view of an ex-pat living on the other side of the world. The song has echoes of the Strawbs "Part of the union" in melody and style.

"(Waiting For You And) England To Return" is altogether softer, with acoustic guitar and high vocals painting a reflective picture of times gone. The violin solo within the song is similar to that which features on latter day Fairport Convention albums. "Red Squirrel" sounds like a medley of Beatles (and indeed Oasis!) songs, including the chiming lead guitar of "I want you (she's so heavy)". "North St. Grande" was released as a free download for Christmas 2010, the song being a letter from the front type old time Christmas song.

The slightly weightier material on the album begins with the 7 minute "Long dark river", a song with an American folk rock twinge; a sort of Beach Boys meets Crosby Stills and Nash. There is also once again a fair bit of Korgis in the song although interestingly this is the only song Davis was not involved in writing, Jim "Crun" Walter getting the sole credit. The track boast a good lead guitar break to finish things off.

"Lost And Found" once again mixes Beatles with Korgis and perhaps a bit of 10CC. The song has an infectious melody, with dreamy overtones and some good harmonies. "Cheese And Ham" contrasts pleasantly inoffensive lyrics with peaceful harmonies, the song taking a slightly harder turn as the child's father intervenes in his future. The album closes with an 11 minute piece entitled "The Day The World Stopped Turning". While there is something of a nod to prog here, especially in the superb flute and violin contributions, the track appears to be more of a medley of ideas than an extended composition as such. That is not intended to be said in criticism though, and as a whole the track is probably the high point of the album.

Overall, another fine album in the Stackridge discography. Being honest, there is little if any genuine prog here, but this is more than compensated for by the strong melodies and tight performances throughout.

Since the release of this album, vocalist Mutter Slater has once again left the band (amicably). It appears though that the other members remain committed to Stackridge as a going concern.

Among the most legendary names of the British folk rock movement,this Bristol-based band were formed in 1969 by Andy Creswell-Davis and James Warren as Stackridge Lemon,soon to be named simply Stackridge.1970 finds the band having an intense live activity,playing also at the first Glastonbury Festival and the next year thing get even better with Stackridge supporting Wishbone Ash on their UK tour and signing with the famous MCA Records.Their debut was a fact,recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London.

And what a great debut this is.''Stackridge'' is actually a mixed bag of short BEATLES-esque pop tunes and longer arrangements played in some sort of symphonic/folk style.Well,even these short accesible tunes are well-played with rich instrumentation and good multi- vocals,blended nicely with folsky violins,tracks which even THE BEATLES would be proud of creating.But it is these long arrangements which make this album so special like the great ''The Three Legged Table'',starting off like Phillips-era GENESIS,pastoral acoustic-driven musicianship later to become a catchy brass/violin-rock heaven with perfect vocal lines.''Essence of Porphyry'' is another (instrumental) highlight with complex instrumentation featuring violin and cello in a Medieval style and excellent acoustic passages with fantastic flute work,always under a classical nature,like a cross between GENESIS and GENTLE GIANT...or the 14-min. long ''Slark'',which closes the album,and this one is a beautiful composition split between Folk ballad,Medieval Music and Symphonic Rock with again some superb vocals.A real treasure.

Stackridge's debut is more than simply a great album.Even the easy-listening side of the band contains an unbielevable professionalism and an unmet personality,not to refer the absolutely fantastic performance of their progressive nature,marking this effort one of the most significant and impressive debut's in UK's prog history.Highly recommended,whether you are a fan of British Folk Music or not.

Songs about dustbin lids and rhubarb!

Stackridge is a quintessential English band whose music is very hard to categorize. Their 1971 debut album is a variegated and highly inventive blend of folk, rock and Classical music, and is full of absurdity and quirky humour. This is a fun album. Instrumentally, it is dominated by flute, violin and acoustic guitar. Lyrically, it is filled with colourful characters and fantastical narratives; the band's two lyricists, Andy Creswell-Davis and James Warren, had intended to write a children's book around 6 of the album's songs though this idea never saw the light of day. However at least Stackridge's albums are now widely available on cd, so we can be thankful as these are truly charming works.

Highlights here include the upbeat Beatles pastiche of GRANDE PIANO, the whimsical WEST MALL that recalls The Bonzos, and the band's first single DORA THE FEMALE EXPLORER, which sounds like a West Country version of Lindisfarne complete with fiddle and harmonica. Brilliant! The entire album is good but it's the album's longer tracks that are probably of most interest to prog fans. THREE LEGGED TABLE is a multi-part song that sounds like Trespass- era Genesis with some rock'n'roll tagged on at the end, while the 8-minute instrumental, ESSENCE OF PORPHYRY, is an ambitious chamber music patchwork. However the undoubted centrepiece of the album is the epic SLARK, a 14-minute fairytale about a lad being carried off by the dragon of the title.

Stackridge is an eccentric, eclectic, slightly camp musical extravaganza. It's very English and it's very good.

SIDENOTE: This won't be normal review (this time seriously)

First review of this beautiful album would also be the first of my Stackridge Voyage. Year 2009, band's so far latest, for me the best one. I've met many new friends here (wonderful people, thank you, you know who), get to know extremely great music (most of what I've been listening before can't be counted as good, except minority (49%) of good things).

After dark period of Anekdoten and then seeing certain post in a forum, I've decided that I want something more cheerful. Something to help me and hopefully also others to fight with fears, with grief and with demons that haunts us. Or does they not ? Depends on who's reading this review right now.

Beautiful melodic funny prog, done in very special British way. Even I mostly don't (can't) pay attention to lyrics, here I can easily understand them, as the language is clear and as I said, funny. Even you simply can't expect some of words in lyrics that appears, because often, this album (Monty Python someone?) depends partially on nonsense humor. Also partially on mockery of what seems to me like traditional things. In this case, it's less prog and more lyrical oriented, but it's not their fault.

And I'll not consider it as big fault, because there can be found good things to justify high rating. Will it be high ? Should it be high ? Hell yeah, because this album has energy. Energy through calmness to hit you from behind your brain. To kick you (also from behind), but relatively lower, little bit down from the center of your body (think two globes).

Its power to make you smile and be in happy mood can be handful at times. Sometimes, you need friends, or music to cheer you up

Some of you maybe know that I'm an atheist, but I know what manners when combined with heart & feelings can do. Take this review as part review, part public PM. Based mostly on my sparse knowing of Rob W. himself. My condolences Robert, in memory of your grandfather. Rest in peace. And remember, there are people, who will feel with you. Not just me. You have friends (no pathetic remarks please, if someone meant them)

Music itself: 4(+)

Well, the Beatels connection is obvious since Sir George Martin produce this album. But do not get fooled. Stackridge has enough to offer to make any pointless comparasing meaningful. They already made two exellent and eclectic albums, so what next?

"The man in the bowler hat" is, if not, an improvment concenering previous efforrts. Gone is the charming ditties and instead we are served a delicate menu of well crafted tunes. For me, a lost nothern hobo from one of the land of the rising sun (norrsken), this is an amalgam of joyus playing and well crafted arrangements. Hard to pick any favorites. the hole album is on the the menu. Take it or leave it!