Produced by George Martin, The Man in the Bowler Hat continues Stackridge's brand of satiric rock marbled with elements of folk and to some extent, even country. The lyrics are just as witty as in their first two releases, and the poetry glistens with a jovial Englishness that became the band's most identifiable trademark. With Martin's help, though, the album became one of their better releases, as the music rises to the top before the words do, sounding fresher, livelier, and noticeably sharper than both their debut and 1972's Friendliness. Stackridge's best song, "Dangerous Bacon," was released as a single, and it's in this song as well as "The Galloping Gaucho" and "The Indifferent Hedgehog" in which their sound comes alive. The eccentric combination of Mutter Slater's flute and the playful airiness of Mike Evans' violin give the melodies a lightheartedness that is catchy and original. Andy Davis' keyboard work doesn't hide the warmth of the strings or the woodwinds, and the album as a whole sports a cheeriness which disappointingly began to subside on Stackridge's later album's, mainly because the novelty of their music was wearing off. The reissued version of The Man in the Bowler Hat contains three impressive bonus tracks, including "Do the Stanley" and "Let There Be Lids," which involves some rather exceptional fiddle playing. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
Andy Davis (Guitar), Andy Davis (Percussion), Andy Davis (Drums), Andy Davis (Keyboards), Andy Davis (Vocals), Stackridge (Producer), Stackridge (Main Performer), George Martin (Piano), George Martin (Producer), George Martin (Orchestration), Ray Davies (Trumpet), Ray Davies (Cornet), Ronald Chamberlain (Clarinet), Ronald Chamberlain (Horn), Ronald Chamberlain (Saxophone), Raymond Davis (Trumpet), Jack Emblow (Accordion), Martin Fry (Tuba), Vivian Joseph (Cello), Bill Lamb (Trombone), Reg Leopold (Violin), Bill Price (Engineer), Graeme Scott (Violin), Graeme Scott (Viola), Michael Slater (Flute), Michael Slater (Keyboards), Michael Slater (Vocals), Billy Sparkle (Drums), Jim "Crun" Walter (Bass), Jim "Crun" Walter (Guitar), James Warren (Bass), James Warren (Guitar), James Warren (Vocals), Mutter Slater (Flute), Mutter Slater (Percussion), Mutter Slater (Keyboards), Mutter Slater (Vocals), Mike Evans (Violin), Mike Evans (Arranger), Mike Evans (Vocals), John Swannell (Photography), Michael Evans (Violin), Michael Evans (Vocals), William Reid (Violin), Derek Taylor (Horn)
The Man In The Bowler Hat is the third album by the British rock group Stackridge. The album was produced by George Martin at AIR Studios, London and released in the UK by MCA Records. This was their highest charting album, peaking at number 23 in the UK Albums Chart.
A different version of the album was released by Sire Records in the U.S. and Canada under the title Pinafore Days. The U.S album removed 2 songs and replaced them with 2 others (produced by Tony Ashton) from the UK version of the next Stackridge album Extravaganza. "Pinafore Days" was the only U.S. chart entry for Stackridge, reaching number 191 on the Billboard albums chart.
