Back to Pop: Why Manfred Has Gone Back to Pop

New Musical Express June 19 1971

Despite a string of hit singles, countless live appearances and a fair amount of publicity, Manfred Mann remains an enigmatic immigrant.  Manfred. who gets through colleagues like Keith Moon used to get through drum sticks, has closed the book on Chapter III for the last time. 
"The new line-up has been put together for about five months," he told me.  "I haven't been keeping the news quiet deliberately, it's simply that preparing for recording and performing takes some time.
"We have done some dates in Australia with Deep Purple and Free and I was amazed and very pleased at how well we were received.  But more important, at how well we played together."
The group, to be known as Manfred Mann, comprises Australian Mick Rogers on lead guitar and vocals, former Squires and Toomorrow drummer Chris Slade, Colin Pattenden on bass and Manfred, of course, on various keyboards, including Moog.
"I didn't audition thousands of musicians and get down to a short list," he added, "I just took a chance and hoped for the best."

Vague
Not surprisingly he is vague about the reasons for the demise of Chapter III.  IT was not formed to sell millions of albums -"'although we hoped that would come" - but Manfred maintains it did fulfill some purpose.
"I don't need to tell you it wasn't a huge general success with the public, do I?  I found myself more and more listening to Mike Hugg recording his album.
"Mike has gone into cooler music and doesn't want to be rushed into anything.  I was feeling the need to get back into action again."
I recalled a conversation Manfred and I had had a couple of years ago at 'Top Of The Pops.'  He said the reason the group - then with Mike D'Abo - had stopped giving live shows was because they didn't play well live.
The way Manfred assured it was to give each member of the group a playing potential of five marks out of five.  "I can't explain why it is," he said, "but on stage the sum total never approaches twenty five."
So nine months went by and the name Manfred Mann never once went up on the bill posters.
"Then Chapter III went out on the road, "he said, "and for the first time for a long time I discovered the joys of playing to a live audience.  The only reason I had ever stopped was because the group weren't sounding good, I've never had any aversions to gigs."
So Manfred is back... back with a top rated single "Living Without You" and an extensive list of dates.  Has the wheel turned a full circle?

Charges
"No," he said, "I never think of it in those sort of terms.  Sure I've got through some line-up changes but whenever I embark on something new I always think of it as being permanent.  I could never have subscribed to that idea about fluid groups moving around and all the time jamming here and there.  To me that would be totally depressing.  I like to have something organised and I work with people I have got confidence in.  Each change I have made has been a natural change.  When you no longer have the same things in common with those people, you move on."
Before I even had a chance to ask the question, Manfred stifled any suggestion that the band was going to be a mainstream pop outfit.  "I suppose the single is fairly conventional." he agreed, "but then T Rex and Deep Purple release successful singles and you wouldn't call them mainstream pop would you?"
Wouldn't I?  But there, that's besides the point.
"Of course I can't be truly objective about the band, and I'm not saying it is something wildly incredible.  But for the first time I am optimistic about the sum total reaching twenty five on stage. I don't listen to thousands of bands a week like I suppose you have to, but going on how we have played together so far, I would say we are better than ordinary."
Unfortunately Manfred got into the habit some time back of knocking his own efforts.  "I think some of our better TV jingles are superior to the worst singles," he once told me.
Today, he seems to have changed his mind, which is just as well because fans don't take kindly to hearing from the maker's mouth that the disc they have just bought is a lot of rubbish.
"I sit and play those old records now and I think maybe they weren't bad after all --- quite good even," he says.
Manfred and Mike Hugg are still producing commercial jingles together.  "Really for the extra bit of bread," he said, lowering his voice a shade, "but I don't want you to think we don't enjoy doing them.  We actually won an award from America for the best television commercial soundtrack."
Always on to out his music before his ego, Manfred says he doesn't have a difficult job avoiding the personality type of publicity.  "I'm hardly the matinee idol," he laughed, "and I'm sure the public don't think of me as a personality.
"Paul Jones and Mike D'Abo got that sort of publicity but that was their fault.  They put the group and the music first too but once you get picked on, there's nothing you can do."
With an album due for late summer, Manfred is optimistic.  never noted for his benevolence towards the Press, his parting words to me were: "May I say your questions were well informed."
You may indeed, Manfred.  And thank you.

Gordon Coxhill