Search - Stackridge :: Man in the Hat

The Mott in a Bowler Hat

Kim Fletcher | Pattaya, Chonburi Thailand | 12/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stackridge, were a collection of like-minded English West country eccentrics comprising a former timber yard labourer, a bookshop assistant, a cleaner in a birdseed factory, a bricklayer, a bus conductor and a professional inventor, whose musical influences encompass everything from "Mozart To Road Drills" had built up a very solid dedicated live following and released two album's, the second of which "Friendliness", had delighted the critic's and hard core fans, but had continued to bemuse the listening public at large, leaving the bands quest for world musical dominance rather hanging out in the wind.But in mid - 1973 the band's record label MCA Record, ensconced them in London's Air Studios, with ex-Beatles producer George Martin (Stackridge were the first band that Martin worked with after "The Beatles" whose influence can be heard here on all the songs on this fine album "Man In The Bowler Hat").On the stage Stackridge split into two definite factions, the serious minded of the band, shall we say the working musicians. Warren, Walter & Sparkle. Whilst the other three, lets just call the Nutters down the front. Stage shows included, lots of ludicrously easy repetitive dance steps ("Do The Stanley"), the bashing together of giant dustbin lids ("Let There Be Lids"), general chaos and mayhem, Mass audience participation, both singing, clapping, stomping, with some looney like Sandilands down the front leaping about with a giant leek. Great fun, no wonder they were probably the most popular band on the college circuit in the early seventies.But "The Man In The Bowler Hat" was definitely make or break time, in the studio the two factions of the live show, would join forces and each member made an equal contribution and with Martin as producer, the band was definitely concentrating on making their "Magnum Opus". Working on the melodic and rhythmic patterns and in particular the harmonies, the resultant album which was released in February 1974 whilst full of recognizable Stackridge trademarks, (strong beat, massive use of instrument not normally associated with Rock `n' Roll, and plenty of extravagant titles) had strong echoes of the Fab Four and marked the artistic and creative peak of the band on record including "The Galloping Gaucho" and the ambitious "God Speed The Plough".Unfortunately after this it all went dramatically pear-shaped, with Mutter Slater being the first to leave hating the idea of trying to create this album on stage amid the chaos of their live show, within six months only Andy Davis was left from this line up. Today their music still exudes and evokes warmth, joy, happiness, and a welter of memories, real and imagined, and there in lines their lasting success, the ability to stand out from the crowd and create clever songs, with witty lyrics and highly original arrangements.Goodbye Stackridge, it was a blast. And all together now
"C'mon and Stanley
Lets all do the Stanley now".
Mott the Dog."

The Best Album the Beatles Didn't Make

Mark A. Frumento | Cherry Hill, NJ USA | 03/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for great melodic pop then look no further. Man in a Bowler Hat is simply the best successor to Abbey Road that you will ever find. It's not that Stackridge sound exactly like the Beatles, it's that they embody the same creative and melodic spirit like no other band. It helps that this album was produced by George Martin but the similarities were there all along. Yes Stackridge take diversions and yes they are sometimes a comedy/novelty act but Bowler Hat is a consistently good pop album from the first note to the last.



My rating is for the music content on this CD but I do have some critical comments about the Angel Air reissue:



MASTERING: Excellent. It sounds to me like they got the original master tapes for this reissue. Past issues (including the fantastic Japanese mini-LP versions) sound like second or third generation tapes. The overall sound of this CD is great and it appears that they did not try to tweak the original recordings or over-EQ. It also sounds like they did not ruin the recordings with noise reduction.



ARTWORK: Awful! The only black mark I can find on the whole Stackridge remaster program is that the artwork is hideous. I mean BAD! The colors on the covers are not accurate and the images are very fuzzy. Some of the liner note photos are pixilated and hardly worth using. I can't say enough bad things about the artwork. Truly some of the worst reissue artwork I have in my collection - especially give the high quality of the original LP art.



PACKAGING: Fair. With bad artwork its hard for the packaging to be good. The problem is that the packaging looks like a homemade job at best and just isn't consistent with the amazing cover art the band had going for it. The photos in the booklets are minimal and the memorabilia looks like it was photographed by kids. The liner notes are okay but just not detailed enough to be worth the time to read them.



BONUS TRACKS: None. Note that the Amazon listing is wrong as of the writing of this review. This CD is the orginal album only (10 tracks). For the bonus tracks you need to buy Friendliness.



Fortunately it's the music that prevails here. For the high prices of the CDs and for a band that had interesting LP covers I wish Angel Air had invested just a little more in the art and packaging. Perhaps that's looking a gift horse in the mouth? I'm not sure but I am happy that the CDs sound good.



Buy this CD without reservation. You will not regret it."

Stackridge's finest hour

willy gilder | uk | 02/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw the band live promoting this album - and was immediately impressed when they wheeled out the kettle drums! For sheer diversity and inventiveness then The Man in the Bowler Hat is hard to beat (other than by the Fab 4...). From pathos to sheer breathtaking musical audacity (turn God Speed the Plough up loud) then this is a wonderful record, to which I return time after time. If you like late 60s Kinks, the Beatles, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band etc. then buy this!"