Stackridge
The Man In The Bowler Hat

THE REVIEW

1973, England, residence of Sir GEORGE MARTIN: "Dad, let me play you FRIENDLINESS, the new album by STACKRIDGE, it’s beautiful... and you absolutely must produce them! " As a response, the young man received a disdainful smirk from the one who, after 8 years of work and immense satisfaction with the Fab Four, had long since irrevocably decided not to produce any more bands... but what wouldn't one do to please a child, it was just listening to a record! Things took another turn when his main collaborators at Air Studios upped the ante by presenting him with the demo tapes of new material, ready to be recorded, and only then, incredibly, did the man become convinced that the moment for a great comeback had arrived.

But the stroke was almost caught by those six incredulous lads from Bristol, with a couple of albums behind them, poor sales and few earnings even from concerts, causing five of them to maintain their original occupations instead of moving to London: a woodcutter, a librarian's assistant, a bird seed cleaner, a mason, and a bus driver. What held them together was an eccentric collective talent, light-years away from the prevailing Glam Rock but also at a safe distance from "traditional" Progressive Rock, maintaining only an undeniable creative composition typical of those years. Their whimsical creations included bizarre characters like Dora The Female Explorer, Marzo Plod, and Syracuse The Elephant, while their shows were characterized by abstruse theatrical gimmicks, such as a trash can lid in one hand and a rhubarb stalk in the other, in a grotesque attempt to emulate an even more ragged Don Quixote, and in turn emulated by fans under the stage brandishing their own lids and stalks.

George Martin's role, in his reinvention, is definitely that of the finisher: the primordial soup is not to be changed, that potpourri of Beatles, Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, Mothers of Invention, Henry Mancini, and Monty Python just needs to be stirred differently, adding a masterful spicy touch to be better appreciated. In August and September of that '73, a session took place at London's Air Studios which the protagonists today proudly and in detail recount to their grandchildren.

Consistently the sound is always askew, ready to trip up at the first opportunity, even if it means appearing inappropriate: the single released just before the album, the playful march of DO THE STANLEY, even invokes Queen Elizabeth in the debauched gait of Stan Laurel, therefore being banned from radio play and dashing the possibility of a big hit.

The LP features hilarious sketches, with THE GALLOPING GAUCHO, defined as Demon Vacquero creating chaos from the moment he enters the town, with a small orchestra of clarinets, trombones, and cornets, and vignettes of rare intensity like TO THE SUN AND MOON  and HUMILIATION, with the angelic voice of JAMES WARREN supported by Martin's simply superlative orchestral arrangements. The fresh and Beatles-esque FUNDAMENTALLY YOURS and the more complex THE LAST PLIMSOLL remind us that they are undeniably a rock group, leaving a long trail that fades from XTC to THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. There is also space for the almost Felliniesque diversion of PINAFORE DAYS and the instrumental closing of GOD SPEED THE PLOUGH, in the full style of the group and in their way of understanding Progressive, almost touching Ravel in a timpani and orchestra finale ready to bring forth torrents of tears.

This magnificent experience would soon condition the stability within the group, which would suffer continuous comings and goings, undermining even the promotion of the album, despite the Reading Festival bringing them great attention alongside Genesis. 

Soon, another Sir would notice them, one REGINALD DWIGHT, a declared admirer of the band and ready with a nice contract to sign for his Rocket Records... but that's another story...