To bring you this Manfred Mann interview Hugh Fielder tried every trick in the book, even the Pregnant pause. But Manfred, being Very Intellectual, rumbled 'em all. Still Hugh being the professional he is, brings you the….

Changing face of Mann

Sounds (UK) 1976

"Be careful. He can be a bit of a sod to interview sometimes you know."

What, Manfred Mann? Never. He's been around for donkey's years, which will give us loads to talk about. He'll probably have read the encouraging review I've written on his latest album, "The Roaring Silence", so he'll know I'm in favour of what the band are doing. And we can always talk about the time I took my girlfriend to see the band at the Marquee in 1966 and she fell in love with Paul Jones…

"For Christ's sake don't start talking about the past. He's not interested; he'll clam up. Just be on your guard that's all."

This homely advice came from another rock journalist I was chatting to before setting off to Bronze Records' headquarters in Chalk Farm for an appointment with Mr.Mann.

Pessimism; that's the trouble with rock journalism today, I mused as I checked the recording functions of my tape recorder on the tube en route to Bronze (well it give the other people in the carriage something to look at doesn't it).

Manfred Mann? No problem. After all, he's always been known as someone who can string more than five words together, some of them controversial. It'll make a change from the old-new album, new tour fodder. Might even talk about the place of rock and roll in an advanced technological society. Wonder what he thinks about the riots in Soweto.

Hello, my stop. Here we are. Smart looking office block just next to the Roundhouse. Receptionist's a good looking girl too. Don't get too many of them round Holloway Road that's for sure. What's that love? Oh he's just finishing another interview is he? That's alright. I'll wait here.

Hmm, doing a string of interviews all afternoon is he? That's not so good. They tend to start acting like robots after the fourth one. Still, we should be able to get over that one. Wonder whether he thinks that 'Cry The Beloved Country' has any relevance to the present….

Bronze Records' press officer breezes in having slipped the preceding journalist out the back way. All smiles and efficiency. This lad could go far. Straight to the conference room and there's Manfred, looking slightly thinner and shorter than I'd imagined (don't they all?), and the two newest members of the band, lead guitarist Dave Flett and vocalist Chris Thompson. Both are here to provide a group front rather than simply an individual one and also, as I discover later, to learn something about how to cope with interviews.

Yes, Manfred has read my review and he thinks it's very fair. The criticisms I made are the ones that he would have made of the album if he had to review it.

See, what did I tell you. This is going to be a piece of cake. Now settle down everyone while I stick the microphone into the correct socket and let fly with my first incisive question.

Manfred, it seems that you're now doing to Bruce Springsteen's 'Blinded By The Light' what you did to Dylan's 'Mighty Quinn' and 'Just Like a Woman' in terms of interpretation (it may not be a question but I'd like to see Parkinson make a better start).

"It's not a conscious thing. It's just that we are always looking for good songs. And not just good songs; songs that you can do something with. For example I wouldn't do an Elton John song because he does them in a way that I don't feel I can throw any new angle on. I'm not aiming to do that. But I say 'this sounds a good song, let's do it', and it just works out that way. And if you make that comment then it's your prerogative to do so. But that's just the way it's happened over the last two albums."

Good start Manfred. And just how did you come across Springsteen's songs?

"A guy in the States – a DJ in Philadelphia we know quite well – who knew Springsteen quite a long time ago gave me the first two albums back around the end of '73. Some time before 'Born to Run' came out. I listened to them and the songs that I liked and felt I could do something with were on the first album, 'Greetings From Asbury Park'. My first choice was 'Spirits In The Night' which we put on the last album, 'Nightingales and Bombers'. I preferred it as a song. I think I still do."

Meaty stuff. We're going well. But it seems to me that you've put much more care and attention into 'Blinded By The Light' as a song.

"There again, that's for you to say. I don't think we worked harder. Maybe it has worked out better because it seems to have communicated to people better. But we worked equally hard on both of them."

If you say so Manfred. Did 'The Roaring Silence' take long to record?

"It was spread over the first six months of this year. We did about three batches of recordings and some European tours in between."

Neat, concise even. Now this album is the first with Chris and Dave on it, replacing Mick Rogers. Did you plan on a two-for-one replacement?

"We didn't think about it but it seemed unlikely we'd find one guy who could do what we wanted. It just proceeded naturally and in the end we decided it would be good to have two alternative guitar styles within the band. We tried out as many people as we could and this is the result."

Quite so. But now fling this thing open a little wider. Do you consider the present band a natural progression for you?

"I don't know. You see I have to keep throwing these questions back at you because it's for you to say how the progression sounds. When you say 'natural', we've tried not to think all the time about where we are going. Instead we say: 'this sounds good; let's do it'. And we let the development happen naturally. What I mean by natural is that you're working out a song and suddenly Chris or Dave does something and you realise that the band can do it a different way. But it may not be a natural development viewed from the outside. It may sound like a sudden switch from one kind of music to another. But to us it's natural."

Er yes, I'm with you I think. What about the balance between your own and other people's songs on the album, Do you aim for a specific proportion?

"It depends on the material available. If I'd found another two songs as good as 'Singing the Dolphin Through' (by Mike heron and 'Blinded By The Light' we would probably have put them on the album. We're not actually aiming for a balance. We're not actually aiming for anything specific except that the result has got to be really good. Again, we approach the thing naturally."

I'm beginning to wish I'd never mentioned the word 'natural'. Still he's answering all the questions, even if he is tossing half of them back at me. Are the outside songs recommended to you or do you go looking for them?

"My brain never stops working on material. If I'm driving through the country to go for a walk with my kids I'm listening to Radio Caroline and if there's a track that sounds good I'll sit 'til the end and find out who it is. If I'm in a fish and chip shop and something good comes on and I don't know who it is, I'll ask. If I go to South Africa to see my parents I'll go into a record shop and see what's there because there might be a good writer. I never stop looking. I listen to so much and do so little. Rearranging is what I do best; seeing something from a different angle. I don't think any of us in the band writes stuff as good as the material I rearrange. That applied to the Sixties when most of the stuff was outside material. Most of the stuff we've done over the last five years has been our own material but the things that have captured peoples' imagination has not been our won stuff. It's always been like that except with the odd instrumental."

Heavy but honest. Time for an easy one. Explain the title of your new album.

"It's got a kind of mysterious vibe to it. Maybe it has some connection with how things sound subconsciously and maybe it doesn't. But there's no big explanation. We used to do a song called 'Roaring Silence' but it didn't work out how I wanted it to for recording. But the title came before the song. It came from a television programme two or three years ago and I just thought that it had a great vibe about it."

OK. Back on track. You've been through the heady days of the mid-Sixties and yet you're obviously enjoying what you do now far more. Was the rest of it all worthwhile?

"It's easy to say in retrospect yes. I'm not sure at the time I would have wanted it quite like that, but I think in the end yes."

Good, good. And do you think that the whole Sixties beat boom paved the way for a lot of people to play the stuff they really wanted and get listened to?

"What do you think? Do you think the answer is yes?"

Hey, I'm supposed to be asking the questions around here. That's what I get paid for. But alright yes.

"Maybe. It's a question I find difficult because I don't see the wide angle view that you see of what's happening. I'm so conscious of what I'm doing that…"

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