The Man in the Bowler Hat [Import]

The Man in the Bowler Hat [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Japanese digitally remastered reissue of British prog-rock album originally issued on Fontana in 1974 & unavailable domestically. Packaged in a limited edition miniature gatefold LP sleeve. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Fundamentally Yours
Pinafore Days
Last Plimsoll
To the Sun and the Moon
Road to Venezuela
Galloping Gaucho
Humiliation
Dangerous Bacon
Indifferent Hedgehog
God Speed the Plough
Do the Stanley [*]
C'Est la Vie [*]
Let There Be Lids [*]

Album Description

Recorded between July and September 1973 at Air Studios, London, and released the following February, `The Man In The Bowler Hat' was Stackridge's third long-player. It was, by common consent, their finest achievement, both up to that point and in their entire seven-year career. The magic ingredient this album boasted was the involvement of an iconic musical figure: George Martin, producer of the Beatles until their split three years previously. 10 tracks including 'Fundamentally Yours', 'To The Sun And The Moon', 'Pinafore Days' and more. Angel Air. 2007.

Album Details

Produced by George Martin. It was Recorded Between July and September 1973 at his Air Studios, London, and Released the Following February, `the Man in the Bowler Hat' was Stackridge's Third Long-player. It Was, by Common Consent, their Finest Achievement, Both Up to that Point and in their Entire Seven-year Career.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Album the Beatles Didn't Make.......2007-03-17

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.

Average customer rating:

Painful To Listen To
70 bucks ?? Pretty steep !!!
Beatle-esque
An old favorite
The Mott in a Bowler Hat

The Man in the Bowler Hat
Stackridge
Manufacturer: Edsel Records UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000011WE
Release Date: 1996-08-06

Tracks:

Fundamentally Yours
Pinafore Days
The Last Plimsoll
To The Sun And The Moon
The Road To Venezuela
The Galloping Gaucho
Humiliation
Dangerous Bacon
The Indifferent Hedgehog
God Speed The Plough
Bonus Track: Do The Stanley
Bonus Track: C'est La Vie
Bonus Track: Let There Be Lids

Album Description

Japanese digitally remastered reissue of British prog-rock album originally issued on Fontana in 1974 & unavailable domestically. Packaged in a limited edition miniature gatefold LP sleeve.

Album Details

Japanese version featuring a limited LP style slipcase. Digitally remastered.

Customer Reviews:

Painful To Listen To.......2006-07-21

I saw Stackridge in the early seventies at Reading and thought poor
song writing and just plain Boring. This CD is just PAINFUL to
listen to. There is one portion in the middle without vocals that is
not bad. But Do the Stanley is ABSOLUTE Rubbish! Keep this
Dinosaur buried! Rated one star because there isn't anything lower.

70 bucks ?? Pretty steep !!!.......2006-03-04

Boy ya really gotta be hard up to pay $70 for a CD no matter how great it is. Incidentially "The Man in the Bowler Hat" IS a great CD, although I do prefer the American release of the same album called "Pinafore Days". Even then, I would pay more that $24.95 for it. Make me an offer !

Beatle-esque.......2003-03-13

...and why shouldn't it be since it was produced, in part, by George Martin? But the excellent song writing makes it so much more than a Beatle wannabe album.

The songs are joyous, humorous, pensive, exhilirating and remarkably well written, produced and performed. I have both the LP and the CD (which has three added tracks, which actually thematically detract from the original LP).

I highly recommend the purchase of this fun CD.

An old favorite.......2003-02-21

My brother had given me the LP years ago stating that he thought it was junk. After one listen I realized that it was anything but. I think that this masterpiece, elegantly produced by George Martin, stands as a tribute to the Fab Four. But I feel that it's more than a tribute album and stands as a wonderful compilation in its own right. The songs range from humor to pathos. Excellent instrumentals and a Fab time.

The Mott in a Bowler Hat.......2002-12-09

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.

Man in the Bowler Hat
Average customer rating:
Man in the Bowler Hat
Stackridge
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00000E23H
Release Date: 1996-11-21

The Man in the Bowler Hat
Average customer rating:

Painful To Listen To

70 bucks ?? Pretty steep !!!

Beatle-esque

An old favorite

The Mott in a Bowler Hat

The Man in the Bowler Hat
Stackridge
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005EUK5
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Tracks:

Fundamentally Yours
Pianafore Days
Last Plimsoll
To the Sun and Moon
Road to Venezuela
Galloping Gaucho
Humiliation
Dangerous Bacon
Indifferent Hedgehog
God Speed the Plough

Album Description

Japanese digitally remastered reissue of British prog-rock album originally issued on Fontana in 1974 & unavailable domestically. Packaged in a limited edition miniature gatefold LP sleeve.

Album Details

Japanese version featuring a limited LP style slipcase. Digitally remastered.

Customer Reviews:

Painful To Listen To.......2006-07-21

70 bucks ?? Pretty steep !!!.......2006-03-04

Beatle-esque.......2003-03-13

...and why shouldn't it be since it was produced, in part, by George Martin? But the excellent song writing makes it so much more than a Beatle wannabe album.

I highly recommend the purchase of this fun CD.

An old favorite.......2003-02-21

The Mott in a Bowler Hat.......2002-12-09

Goodbye Stackridge, it was a blast. And all together now
"C'mon and Stanley
Lets all do the Stanley now".
Mott the Dog.

Music Review: