Originally known as Stackridge Lemon in their hometown of Bristol, this bunch of wacky West Country lads started their career playing music on dustbin lids and rhubarb stalks to a fanatical local audience. These idiotic and often highly entertaining shows never made it onto vinyl and, by the time of their first record, Stackridge had gotten themselves caught up in the seriousness of the period.
By 1972 and Friendliness they were trying to mould their zany/ serious dualism into a distinct form. On some tracks they just about succeeded. Syracuse The Elephant, Amazing Agnes (complete with that vital tool of musical comedy, the swanee whistle) and their best known song, Lummy Days, make Friendliness Stackridge’s best work by far. It’s well versed and has some decent instrumental passages, particularly on Friendliness (Part 2). However, listeners will probably find themselves in a limbo of the band’s own making. Whereas Kaleidoscope (in America) or the Bonzos (in the UK) had the musical bottle to be silly enough that they were taken seriously, Stackridge didn’t. Despite the bonus tracks and some decent sleevenotes, only Stackridge’s little circle (they still exist) are likely to get excited about this.
