Glass Menagerie 1969

New Musical Express: April 12 1969

Glass Menagerie were a Lancashire based group comprising Bill Atkinson (drums), John Medley (bass), Alan Kendall (guitar) and Lou Stonebridge (vocals and harmonica). They moved to London hoping for a break where they signed up with John Gunnell.

The psychadelic quartet released a couple of singles for Pye Records but never made an album. The group made their début in 1968 with She's A Rainbow penned by Jagger & Richards. Two further singles followed for Pye in the same year, You Don't Have To Be So Nice and Frederick Jordan, but neither reached the charts and they transferred to Polydor Records in 1969. 

"Glass Menagerie were managed by John Gunnell and his Organisation and he asked me if I would be interested in producing the group. I saw them on a gig and liked them. They were recording in the studio and getting nowhere so I helped out. They had a good few ideas but didn't know how to put it down."
Chas Chandler 1969

Chas Chandler produced Have You Forgotten Who You Are and Do My Thing Myself at the Olympic Sound Studios ­ in London around 20th February (Jimi Hendrix is said to have attended the session) and one must assume that the advert is referring to Chas Chandler's first production of Glass Menagerie since Chandler had produced two albums for Hendrix the year before.

"We had ideas for recording. We went into the studios and set up all our equipment" explains Al Kendall. John Medley continues, "We felt highly confident until we took a look at the control panel.... We didn't know where to start. The next thing we knew, Chas wandered in..." Bill Atkinson adds, "He was tremendous, he knew exactly how to get the sound we needed, he even knew the best place to hit the cymbal. Jimi Hendrix came in to the studio while we were recording. He shook our hands before quietly disappearing."

Under Chandler the group adopted a heavier, progressive rock styled sound, which might have been better sampled on a full album release. However, despite the existence of an album acetate, Polydor chose not to release it officially. Tony Dangerfield (bass player for Screaming Lord Sutch) reportedly, joined them for a tour with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers but the group soon broke up. Kendall subsequently joined Toe Fat, while Stonebridge worked with Paladin and McGuinness Flint.

This is the earliest evidence of the Chandler, Gunnell & Stigwood association to date. I'd be interested in finding any more detail regarding their collaboration.

Media supplied by Chris Selby.

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