<P> "Handbags and Gladrags" is a song written in 1967 by Mike d'Abo, who was then the lead singer of Manfred Mann . D'Abo describes the song as "saying to a teenage girl that the way to happiness is not through being trendy . There are deeper values ." </P> <P> The original demo tape of the original version of the song was discovered in 2004 in a closet belonging to Mo Foster . It was amongst a collection of studio recordings d'Abo had recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s . The collection, including the demo recording, was eventually released on the Angel Air label under the title of Hidden Gems & Treasured Friends . </P> <P> In November 1967, singer Chris Farlowe was the first to release a version of the song, produced by Mike d'Abo . It became a #33 hit in the United Kingdom for Immediate Records . This arrangement of the song featured Dave Greenslade's piano blues - scale riff . The song was included as track 13 (of 14) on Farlowe's 1969 album The Last Goodbye . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> "Handbags and Gladrags" </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Single by Rod Stewart </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> from the album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> B - side </Th> <Td> "Man of Constant Sorrow" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Released </Th> <Td> 1972 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Length </Th> <Td> 4: 24 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Label </Th> <Td> Mercury </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Songwriter (s) </Th> <Td> Mike d'Abo </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Producer (s) </Th> <Td> Lou Reizner </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Rod Stewart singles chronology </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "Dirty Old Town" (1971) </Td> <Td> "Handbags and Gladrags" (1972) </Td> <Td> "You Wear It Well" (1972) </Td> </Tr> </Table> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "Dirty Old Town" (1971) </Td> <Td> "Handbags and Gladrags" (1972) </Td> <Td> "You Wear It Well" (1972) </Td> </Tr> </Table> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Who did the original version of handbags and gladrags