Upheaval and Change Page

Upheaval and Change ...

For those of you who've been slouching at the back not paying attention, we've now reached Autumn 1973

"The Man in the Bowler Hat" is completed but upheavals in the band see the departure of drummer Billy Sparkle (to be George Martin's PA) and flautist and front-man Mutter Slater. In come Rod Bowkett (keyboards) and Keith Gemmell (saxophone, clarinet and flute). Ex-audience instrumentalist Gemmell was recommended by Mike Tobin after Andy Davis (now erstwhile 'leader' of the band) had the idea of having a sax player, "To get away from the old image of the group."

So it was that Davis (now on drums). Warren, Walter, Evans, Bowkett and Gemmell took to the road at the end of 1973 promoting the still unreleased "Man In The Bowler Hat" as well as playing brand new material. A review of their Rainbow concert enthused, "The new group is quite simply excellent musically with scope for even better things ... the world needs groups like Stackridge."

Unfortunately, by the summer of 1974 it looked as if Stackridge might not need the world, as Crun Wlater, James Warren and then Mike Evans left the band (Don't ask ... recriminations, ruminations and other darkly suggestive words beginning with "r" could take us well into the next millennium to explain!) However, in came Paul Karas (ex-Rare Bird) on vocals and bass and Roy Morgan on drums, who provided a strong and technically competent rhythm section. Mutter, who'd left the band depressed at his supposed musical shortcomings found life as a petrol pump attendant even more depressing and returned to the band.

Confused? Well, sit up straight and pay close attention because in the immortal words of Mr Bachman, Mr Turner and Mr Overdrive, "You ain't seen nothing yet!"

At the end of 1974 Sire Records in the USA released "Pinafore Days", which used eight of the ten tracks from "Man In The Bowler Hat" and added the newly recorded "Spin Round The Room" and "Highbury Incident (Rainy July Morning)" although the latter track was re-titled "One Rainy July Morning", the assumption being that Highbury was not a place that Americans could easily relate to ... . It's not a place that Chelsea and Spurs fans can easily relate to either, but that's another story! The front cover still sported Alistair Rainsford in transvestite mode but the colour-tinted group photo had Davis, Slater, Evans(!), Bowkett, Karas and Morgan all cheerfully lolling in deckchairs!