Gerry Brooke talks to Jim Warren about his legendary West Country band, Stackridge

With a new album out and a UK tour planned for next year, it's a salutary experience to look through the Post's archives and discover that Stackridge, famous for the wonderfully unique Purple Spaceships over Yatton have been together, on and off, for 40 years.

"Our first paid gig was at the Granary Club on Welsh Back way back in 1969," explained singer/ songwriter front-man Jim Warren when he popped into the Bristol Times office last week

On board with Jim in those early days were fellow guitarist/keyboard player/songwriter, Andy Davis, flautist Mike "Mutter" Slater, bassist Jim "Crun" Walter and drummer Bill "Sparkle" Blake.

Although Jim, now 58, has been based in Bath for many years, he's actually a Bristolian, born just off the Stapleton Road.

In the band's heady days, he tells me, he lived with the rest of the lads in various Clifton flats.

In 1970 they met Mike Evans, a gifted fiddle player and violinist – he later played with Bath's Pump Room Trio – and asked him to join the band.

"We thought a violin would make our sound just a little bit more interesting," says Jim.

With their quirky humour and catchy tunes the critics soon labelled them, "the West's answer to the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band."

Others described their unique blend of rock and folk as a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Spike Milligan.

"But I like to think that we were a bit more serious than that," says a rather disgruntled Jim.

It was certainly very different from either the glam pop culture or indulgent progressive rock sounds of the time.

"We wrote interesting music – some of it three-minute pop, but never followed the trends," says Jim.

"We just did what we wanted to, really."

With its skilful blend of guitars, violin and flute, the band's music was certainly distinctive.

Mix in some witty, poignant songwriting and you have a pretty unusual package, a long way from the pop mainstream.

After playing at Michael Eavis's first-ever Pilton pop festival in 1970 ("We were the first band on stage" says Jim) Stackridge slowly built up a devoted fan base.

"Between 1970 to 1974, the band slogged up and down the country slowly building up a following," manager Mike Tobin told Bristol Times.

"After playing small pubs and clubs, they graduated to the university and college circuit and then finally concert halls."

This all led to a triumphant home gig which resulted in "Sold Out" notices going up outside Bristol's 2,000-seater Hippodrome.

The band's debut album – it included songs about a lady explorer, an eccentric, a three- legged table, a penguin who longed to fly and a dragon named Slark – had by then become a mainstay of the underground radio.

The follow-up album, Friendliness, helped further establish the band's uniqueness.

And it wasn't long before the big names in the music business started to take notice.

"We did several BBC radio John Peel sessions" (which included their own version of the Beatles' Norwegian Wood) says Jim.

"And in 1973, I think it was, we made two appearances on "Whispering" Bob Harris's Old Grey Whistle Test."

Meanwhile the band, as busy as ever, continued gigging around the country.

"It was then we decided to keep on our flats in Clifton but to go and live in London – where a lot of the gigs were," says Jim.

"And that's how we came to meet the Beatles's legendary producer George Martin.

"Our manager Mike Tobin got to know George, whose children had been to some of our gigs, and after listening to some demo tapes, he agreed to produce our next album."

The result was The Man In The Bowler Hat, a witty offering which many fans still consider to be their finest work.

The years 1974/5 meant a new line-up – headed by Andy Davis, but without Jim Warren who by then had decided to move from London to Bath.

It was this new-look band who, having signed up with Elton John's Rocket label, opened for the star at a massive Wembley concert.

They also put together the band's first "concept" album, Mr Mick, with songs written by Mike "Mutter" Slater and Andy Davis.

But Rocket Records, in its wisdom, had decided against concept albums and, according to Andy, "hacked the tapes to pieces, rendered the whole thing unintelligible, and precipitated the band's demise".

He was right. Despite their huge number of fans, Stackridge decided to disband – their very last gig being in Yeovil, "Mutter's" home town, in 1976.

James and Andy, the band's main songwriters, then went on to form the Korgis and, after having a huge worldwide hit with their catchy song, Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime, it looked as if the old Stackridge had been laid to rest forever.

But the band's unique sound meant their music never really dated and, perhaps more importantly, their fans never forgot them.

And the release of back catalogues also meant a new generation of fans could appreciate their distinct brand of music.

So, backed by a new album, Something for the Weekend ("It had some interesting tracks," says Jim) a new six man line up got together some ten years ago to play Pilton's acoustic tent plus a few other local gigs, such as Frome's Cheese and Grain and Bristol's Fiddlers.

Their act, a mixture of old favourites and some new material written by Jim, was well received.

But once again things fizzled out, with the band members going their separate ways.

Then, a couple of years ago Jim phoned his old songwriter friend Andy and asked if he'd like to get together with him again.

" We thought we would test the water," explained Jim. "And see if the fans were still there. We thought it would be fun."

The duo then teamed up with Bath-based producer Chris Hughes.

"I met Chris, who incidentally had been drummer with Adam and The Ants, at a party for Roland of Bath's Tears for Fears" Jim told me.

"Both Andy and I had been writing new songs and Chris was very keen to offer us time at his studios near Box."

Along with some talented backing musicians the band then embarked on various smaller gigs, as well as playing Pilton, the Trowbridge Folk Festival and Fairport's Cropredy Festival where they were very well received.

But it was surely fitting that their first gig since reforming was for their loyal Bristol fans at the city's Polish Club.

"There are eight of us in the band altogether now, but with four of us original members at the core," explained an enthusiastic Jim.

"Our latest album, A Victory for Common Sense, is an exciting and interesting collection which I'm really pleased with – our best, I think, since The Man With the Bowler Hat.

"Things are really looking up for us now.

"It's just like the early 1970s all over again.

"But this time we've got a large internet following and a podcast with 2,000 listeners a month.

"The fans have stayed loyal to us and we even have our old manager, Mike Tobin, back."

Stackridge are now taking a bit of a break to revamp their stage act (it will include film and lights) and to write some new material for yet another album.

"There are even plans for a Christmas single," says Jim.

If you want to know more, or what Stackridge are up to now, then try the website: www.stackridge.net