Stackridge: “Do the Stanley” (1973)
If Monty Python’s Flying Circus had been a progressive folk-rock band…
Meet southwest England’s Stackridge, the band who had the distinction of being both the opening and closing act at the first Glastonbury Festival in September of 1970.
Their singular, quirky stylings sound a bit like a musical bridge between the Kinks’ more lighthearted fare and 10cc.
Their songs–full of odd twists, unexpected instrumentation and crackbrain vocal extemporizing–are the musical equivalent of an untidy rummage sale.
A fun one.
The one-off single “Do the Stanley” could have been a UK hit. But it wasn’t.
Seems the BBC, uptight about a lyrical reference to the Queen, restricted airplay for “Stanley”.
In any case, one can’t quite imagine hearing it (or any other Stackridge tune, actually) alongside “Take it Easy” and “25 or 6 to 4” on American radio in 2025 or 1973.
Every Moment Has A Song 