The Original Mr Mick

DAP103CD

"The Original Mr Mick" is a rather special Stackridgean treasure for you.  In 1976  the final  offering of the 1970's incarnation of the band was created – an album based around a story in poem form called ‘Mr Mick’. Unhappy with the conception of the album they received, Rocket Records attempted to reorganise it into a pop CD. The result? A strange incomprehensible hybrid was released upon an unsuspecting public and instantly dived into obscurity.

In the year 2000, Stackridge Present pays homage to Stackridge Past and presents "The Original Mr Mick" in unexpurgated form for your delectation. The resulting album is night-time listening. It is a surreal dream experience, so allow 45 minutes and listen to it all in one.  Remember, where Stackridge is concerned, always expect the unexpected. ‘Mr Mick’ is not a pop album.  Influences from 1960’s BBC Home Service radio drama and the Rupert Bear Annuals that turned up in every child’s stocking on successive English Christmas mornings can clearly be heard, mixed in with the songs. Listen out for the echoes of Donald Campbell’s ‘Bluebird’ disintegrating during the ill-fated world water speed record attempt on Coniston Water.  The album is an ambitious attempt to identify a new art form and, as such, it is ahead of its time. It cries out for additional visualisation. Remember it was created in 1976. The new electronic medium that could have supported this far-reaching venture – the video – was in its infancy.

THE ORIGINAL MR MICK

DAP103CD

Listen to this CD with open ears. Forget any preconceptions you might have. It is an introspective journey into a world of physical and mental disintegration. This is not light-hearted listening. It is hard to access and sometimes painful to follow, but the food for thought it presents is well worth the effort.

‘Mr Mick’ portrays more than a finely observed descent into old age. It is also an allegory of the uncomfortable journey of self-discovery undertaken by the huge Stackridgean personality of the early ‘70s band. This album was conceived as a single piece of music and should be listened to as such.
It includes a seminal Davis song – ‘Can Inspiration Save The Nation?’ - left off the Rocket Records reconstruction of the album. Transcending the genre of the personal surreal anthem, this song contains a political message that is just as relevant now as it was then. The album ends with a towering Stackridge song –‘Fish In A Glass’. Walter- Davis to the core, it is a Stackridge masterpiece.

The album is night-time listening. It is a surreal dream experience, so allow 45 mins and listen to it all in one. Listen, and reflect. Then listen again.

Tracks:   Hey! Good-looking....Breakfast With Werner Von Braun....Mr Mick’s Walk.... Mr Mick’s Dream.... The Cotton-Reel Song.... The Steam Radio Song....The Slater’s Waltz.... Hazy Dazy Holiday....Coniston Water....Can Inspiration Save The Nation?....Mr Mick’s New Home....Fish In A Glass.