Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Stackridge
Label: MCA Records
Released: 1972
Runtime: 41:30
Rating: 4.5/5
Despite a chronic lack of popularity and a relatively short studio career, the eccentric yet brilliant British progressive folk rockers Stackridge secured cult status as mischievous folk minstrels who were forever fixated on the sound of the late Beatles and loved a bit of cheeky humor. Their playful bridging of the lines between folk, symphonic rock, and pop rock, through countless impish arrangements and pastoral-baroque harmonies, gave them a high degree of sonic individuality right from their excellent self-titled debut.
“Friendliness”, the next chapter in their turbulent career, was another step forward in the smart blend of Beatles-style vocal harmonies, shrewd sonic variations, and bouncy string and wind sections, which they used to conjure up a truly antique-shop English atmosphere. Their mostly humoresque but also nostalgic lyrics once again came with socially tongue-in-cheek allusions and a bunch of weird imaginary characters, among them Father Frankenstein, Syracuse the elephant, and Agnes the cow. The five-piece lineup from the debut was joined once more on “Friendliness” by bassist James “Crun” Walter, one of the group’s founding members back when they were still called Stackridge Lemon. Apart from a slightly livelier rhythmic feel, his arrival didn’t bring any dramatic change, but the eclecticism of the individual compositions went up one more notch.
Thanks to its lively nature, with plenty of rich harmony between eclectic yet melodic arrangements and a few innovative sonic experiments, “Friendliness” is probably the best Stackridge release. The bouncy opening instrumental “Lummy Days” is a splendid mix of English folk and classical music, with its cheerful violin and flute passages and baroque keyboard arrangements. The pastoral ballad “Friendliness, Pt. 1”, with its ethereal choral vocal harmonies and pleasant acoustic guitar chords, sounds like a morning wake-up call in the middle of evergreen meadows. The nostalgic “Annyone for Tennis” is structured in the style of English cabaret music. With its playful, half-dance rhythm, saloon piano accompaniment, rascally effects, and burlesque lyrics, it’s slightly reminiscent of The Beatles classic “Honey Pie”.
“There Is No Refugee” sounds like a mischievous little lullaby, thanks to its serene singing and gorgeous symphonic arrangements on strings and piano. The vocal harmonies are quite similar to the ones Queen would become famous for in the years to come. “Syracuse the Elephant” is an excellent symphonic progressive rock epic that, thanks to its mighty orchestral arrangements, has quite a lot in common with Genesis. Here keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Andy Cresswell- Davis and violinist Michael Evans especially shine, as they manage to conjure up a heap of sonically superb, warm symphonic arrangements. Later, on flute and electric sitar, they successfully build seductive oriental motifs to accompany the frustrated little elephant, the main protagonist of the jokey lyrics, on his final journey home.
The classic “Amazingly Agnes” is, believe it or not, dedicated to a cow according to the band members, though I’d bet that at its heart it’s an extremely refined way of taking revenge on some overly arrogant girl with that name. With this rhythmic burlesque, Stackridge wrote themselves into music history, as it’s the first track with reggae elements by an English rock band, before reggae became hugely popular. Despite its nightmare allusion, the Beatles-esque “Father Frakenstein Is Behind Your Pillow” has an extremely pleasant, almost serene melody with gorgeous symphonic arrangements and ethereal vocal harmonies, which can stir up strong melancholic feelings in any pastoral nostalgic. Adorned with the jingling of little bells, “Story Of My Heart” features a romantic piano solo by Cresswell-Davis.
The working-class satire “Keep On Clucking” is a modified blues rock built on a boogie rhythm à la Status Quo. With its rowdy guitar phrases, it’s one of the hardest-hitting creations of their career. “Friendliness, Pt. 2” has an almost identical motif to the first part, except that it has a few more dramatic piano passages. The closing prog folk rocker “Teatime”, led by lyrics about afternoon tea, couldn’t be any more stereotypically English in atmosphere. They conjure it up with percussion, plenty of pastoral violin and flute passages, and Beatles-style vocal harmonies. The central symphonic arrangement on flute and keyboards, followed by a complex instrumental section, pulls hard toward early Genesis, when they still nurtured a sharpened sense for the pastoral.
With “Friendliness”, the eternal prog folk rock rascals thoroughly upgraded their unique stylistic blend and spiced it up along the way with some sonic territories they hadn’t explored until then. The end result is their most ambitious release, one that thrills in every respect with its sonic variety and just the right dose of sparkling English humor, which they use to easily bring to life rustic pictures of the British countryside and its main protagonists, mostly adorned with grotesque faces. Under the baton of the true old-English folk school and the legacy of the infamous Liverpool quartet, “Friendliness” and its relaxed, playful vibe invite the listener straight into its lavish pastoral bosom.
Lineup
Andy Cresswell-Davis – guitar, keyboards, vocals
James Warren – guitar, vocals
Michael Evans – violin, vocals
Michael “Mutter” Slater – flute, vocals
James “Crun” Walter – bass guitar
Billy Bent aka Billy Sparkle – drums
Production
Stackridge, Victor Gamm
Tracklist
1. Lummy Days
2. Friendliness, Pt. 1
3. Anyone For Tennis
4. There Is No Refugee
5. Syracuse The Elephant
6. Amazingly Agnes
7. Father Frankenstein Is Behind Your Pillow
8. Keep On Clucking
9. Story Of My Heart
10. Friendliness, Pt. 2
11. Teatime
