In The Beginning....(Australian Recollections 1971/ 72)
In the earliest days of the EarthBand (indeed before the band's name had been adopted) they played a small number of Australian gigs. Thanks to Mick Maloney for digging out this material from the early 70's.
Sydney. Even though the Manfred Mann Hordern Pavillion audience was not record breaking for a Sydney concert, the whole affair was memorable for the
brilliantly dynamic musicianship displayed by the Earth Band as they leaped and strutted all over the stage, mimicking each others playing and staging mock guitar battles. Wendy Saddington gave a surprising performance to move
the concert underway and the visual change in this singer was stunning. For those who had not seen Wendy in concert the week before, this was her welcome back from the States performance and the audience loved her.
Blackfeather followed and played the best set of driving boogie I have heard from any Australian band. Neil John's voice was faultless, being even more refined and controlled than before the band underwent its constructional
changes some time back. The La De Das immediately preceded Manfred Mann's Earth Band, with their usual; fine standard of rock. Howard Page later claimed that he had never achieved a better sound with the band (Howard Page
is a mysterious fellow in blue denim who you will see missing the sound at almost any Sydney concert you attend). But near disaster was to lurk after the La De's successful bracket. There was a fifteen minute interval while
the stage was prepared for the Manfred Mann Earth Band. This was to be their return to Australian audiences following their tour of the country with Deep Purple last year. The group made a grand and colourful entrance of
feedback and spaced sound contortions and then rocked straight into their opening number. But after only a few minutes playing, an unbearable static began issuing forth from their PA and the anticlimax of making a second
opening once the fault was rectified had to be suffered. This disturbance was later explained as faulty lead connections.
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Earth Band made their entrance once more, paying their respects to their favourite Australian band, Chain, by ripping right into Black & Blue.
This time Manfred made no mistake about taking everyone on a musical trip which never let down until its peaking finale. The band has its own sound engineer and these people deserve credit for the incredible effects they
achieved, such as underlying the group with taped accompaniments while Manfred mimed them like some cunning wizard as music seemed to come from nowhere. The band's final song was a Manfred Mann standard, Mighty Quinn. It
was with some irony that Manfred announced, "For our last number, here's something I recorded back in '67 - when I used to be a pop star." A unique musical and visual experience, Manfred Mann's Earth Band was really dug. We
hope they make yet another return performance |
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