Every month we get inside the mind of one of the biggest names in music. This issue is James Warren. The guitarist, bassist and vocalist was one of the original members of Stackridge – he joined the band in 1969 – and has since been part of several attempts to resurrect them. He’s perhaps best known for forming The Korgis with Andrew Cresswell-Davis but has also released three solo albums, his most recent being Innocent Bystander, which came out in October 2017. With a new Korgis album out now, Warren is currently celebrating Stackridge’s half-century with a new collection of their favourite recordings. We look back over his colourful career so far.

The Man In The Hat: Malcolm Dome

James Warren: a denizen of both the prog and pop worlds.

PRESS/JAMES WARREN

James Warren is a musician who has enjoyed pop success. But the guitarist/ bassist and vocalist is a steadfast citizen of the progressive world.

In the early 70s he was a member of Stackridge, the West Country band who had a quirky blend of folk, psychedelia and jazz. While they never achieved major status, nonetheless their first three albums – 1971’s self-titled debut, Friendliness from the following year and ’74’s The Man In The Bowler Hat – showcased musicianship of great depth and melodic purpose. The last named was produced by George Martin and is now regarded as a classic of the era.

In 1973, Warren left the band and five years later teamed up with Andrew Cresswell-Davis, another one-time member of Stackridge, to form The Korgis. Often regarded as a new wave pop band, although there was still a strong prog element running through the music, they had two big hit singles in the UK. If I Had You reached No.13 in 1979, while the Warren-penned Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime did even better the following year, peaking at No.5.

Stackridge ‘50’ Recordings 1971- 2021 – out now via Angel Air.

The Korgis split up at the start of the 80s, since which time Warren has worked as a solo artist, as well as being involved in various reunions of both Stackridge and The Korgis. The former recently celebrated their 50th anniversary with the new collection Stackridge ‘50’ Recordings 1971-2021, and the latter have released their first new album since 1992’s The World’s For Everyone. Titled Kartoon World, this is a concept album about the power of love with a storyline spanning half a century from 1980 to 2030.

Warren puts his own halfcentury career split between Stackridge and The Korgis into perspective for Prog.

So how did Stackridge start?

In the late 1960s, I used to play regularly at a club in Bristol called the Old Granary. It was the sort of place where musicians would hang out. And I’d regularly drink with quite a few of these guys. One day two of these musos I knew told me they were starting a new band and looking for a bassist. Basically, they offered me the job, and that was the birth of Stackridge. Little did I know that the only reason I was asked to join was because I was the one bassist they knew with his own amp!