Sea of Tranquility review:
Stackridge may well be the quintessential ‘English’ band. By which I mean quirky, quaint, and undeniably bonkers. Undoubtedly progressive, the very fact that they never really crop up in progressive rock conversations is possibly down to just how progressive they were. However, Stackridge’s weapon of choice, alongside phenomenal musicianship, arrangements and musical structures, was often humour, and as such maybe they were always destined to be seen as a less than serious act. The truth couldn’t have been further from that line of thought and what with the band reaching 50 years old, so we get the 3CD Stackridge ’50’ Recordings 1971-2021 to remind us that what this band should be remembered for is some incredibly exciting music.
Split across the first two discs are 35 tracks which prove exactly how exhilarating this band could be, where a mix of pop sensibilities, tangential musical meanderings and yes, some often silly lyrics, combine to form a fully realised sound that thrills and delights in equal measure…