Budapest Review – Melbourne Herald  29.3.84

Review by Bruce Dickinson

Thanks to Mick Maloney

THERE'S quite a difference between Manfred Mann, Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The first is Manfred Mann the man, the second Manfred Mann the pop band, the final metamorphis is the man's present band.

I'll start again: Manfred Mann (born Mike Lubowitz in Johannesburg) formed a group in the early '60s and called it Manfred Mann.

It made high-class pop such as `Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" and "Pretty Flamingo". Singer Paul Jones was the frontman for keyboard-playing Manfred.  Mann added the "Earth Band" bit to his self-titled title when he put together a new, heavy rock outfit in 1971. That's the band that's still going.

It's best known for the 1976 hit with Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded By The Light."

Now Manfred Mann's Earth Band has released an excellent live album, Budapest (Bronze L38153).  It amounts to a "greatest hits" collection - with some concert vitality thrown in for good measure.  It was recorded in April last year in Budapest, the end of a three-month European tour.

With Chris Thompson's powerful voice at the helm, Budapest captures the hard-working spirit of the group through eight great songs.  "Spirits in the Night," another Springsteen track, opens the set.  Big Bruce's other great legacy is, of course, here as well, the 'Blinded By The Light" classic sounding less-stilted than the studio version.

Second guitarist Steve Waller takes over on vocals for the Police's gutsy "Demolition Man" before handing back to former New Zealander Thompson for "Davy's On The Road Again", "For You", the chanting "Lies (Through The 80s)", Bob Marley's plaintive "Redemption Song" and a blast from the Manfred Mann past, the timeless "Mighty Ouinn."

Manfred Mann's Earth Band is one of those groups's that tend to hang around in the background, seldom making a big impression.  This record comes as a surprise - a top-class piece of playing that condenses Manfred's mob into a stunning 40 minutes.

[Top]

[Top]