Manfred Mann  another sign of life: "Man(n) (A)live"

Reproduced with kind permission from Eclipsed magazine.

Thanks to Annette Grah for translating this into English.  For the original article in German - click here

The magnificent Earth Band live and Manfred's upcoming solo-album - once upon a time in 2006 ...

Manfred Mann made history with albums like Solar Fire, Watch, Angel Station and Roaring Silence. Now we've got news about the Master of Moogs.

Earthband are regularly touring Germany, a grateful place for an old warhorse like Manfred Mann. The band is thriving from the fact that their fabulous mix of Good Old Time Rock and virtuoso Prog-Rock is still attracting a large number of fans even though they haven't released a studio album in eight years.  This is about to happen now.  But it transpires that Manfred Mann is still able to surprise everyone after all these years.  What will the new album be like?  We meet the Maestro in Nürnberg/Nuremberg, just before the concert, shortly after the soundcheck.  He's not easy to talk to, but it's an interesting conversation nonetheless.  He's sitting in the tour bus, giving surprising information - sometimes somewhat hesitantly.  And always insisting on making sure not to be misunderstood.  Or he's showing his special kind of intellectual humour, which might be English excentricism combined with influences from his South-African background.

Manfred, what's the title of your new album?

I guess it's ... 2006.

Why's that?

I think it looks strange, because we're in 2004.  Not joking!  It's supposed to look like a mistake.  An album called '06 being released in '04, that's interesting, isn't it?

Greetings from Monty Python...

It's not going to be a genuine Earthband-album.

Why?

Well, it is done with Earthband, basically they all contributed to it, they are on almost 80% of the record, but there's a lot of stuff on it that's not representing what we're doing on stage.

What exactly are the differences?

On some tracks Earthband were not involved.  On one track I used a sample of Russian monks, another song is pure Pop, and so on.  There's a lot of different material on it, I like that.  Like all my albums, it doesn't have a consistent style.  I have no idea if that's good or not.

Most Earthband albums show an unusual mix of different styles indeed: Rock, Classical, Electronica, even Jazz. With his studio-work Mann has created a transcendent version of classic Prog-Rock, something that's timelessly covering different musical eras.  He continues:

On 2006 there are medieval songs being interpreted by classical vocalists.  Chris Thompson is also singing on a few tracks.  He is simply excellent in the studio.  We are still friends.

Earthband fans will be happy about that.  Also, they'll be happy to learn that there's going to be a lot of Moog on the album, Manfred's trademark.  The press have taken notice of the fact that Thomas D. of Die Fantastischen Vier is on the album as well.

I definitely wanted Rap on the album, the record company suggested Thomas and he did the job very well.

Sounds like a strange idea: Earth Band going Hip-Hop?  Johannesburg-born Mann promises to play some of the new songs exclusively to Eclipsed after the concert.

But why did it take so long to record the album?  Manfred's answer is disarmingly straightforward:

Because most of what you try at first turns out to be bullshit.  We are not so good that everything we do is good enough.  The best tracks are the ones I didn't write myself.

But also, Manfred is known to be very indecisive.  How many tracks did you trash during the production?

Must be about five now.

On the question if there's tons of alternative versions of Earthband-songs to be unearthed, there's a surprising answer from Manfred:

A lot of the master-tapes were destroyed in a fire at the studios.  And to be honest, I'm tired of recording Rock- and Pop-albums.  I find it exhausting having to work with vocals all the time.  I think after the new album I won't do any more Rock-albums.

Umph, that would be a blow to the people who like those wonderfully eccentric Pop- and Art-Rock albums.

I think I am going to record instrumental albums.  To get the vocals right on good tracks is no fun at all most of the time, it is so hard to do.  You are always completely dependent on singers.

What about the live shows?  Guess you have to do the same songs every time?

No, that's completely different.  It's an experience, it's exciting.  We've mastered the songs, we're really good live.  In the studio you never know if it's going to be any good.

There he goes again, the Great Wizard of Keyboards who tends to turn timid in the studio.  So next is an instrumental album, no straight Jazz, but similar to the wonderful Plains Music with the divine Barbara Thompson on saxophone.  Apart from that, successful Earthband will definitely continue to play live shows.  Manfred has got his own theory on that.

I don't think anything will change on tour, no matter if there's a new album out or not.  People are coming to hear the old well-known songs. Well, maybe I'll change my opinion.

Manfred Mann likes his loyal German fans because they don't care about trends too much.  Of the new bands he himself likes Grandaddy, and Coldplay, although he thinks they are overrated as in the Golden 70s they would have been just one of a lot of very good bands.  He feels "awful" when he thinks about the whole Rock-biz in general.

But Pink Floyd never made me feel awful.

I agree.  Black artists like Macy Gray or Keb' Mo are also his favourites among contemporary acts.  Apart from that he says he is still stuck in the era of US-American Jazz, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck.  Music has got to have a good groove, he says.
We talk briefly about the Funkstar Deluxe 'Blinded By The Light-RMX', which he thinks works very well, he also contributed to some of the vocals.  The funny Blinded-video is on the Evolution-DVD, which (the DVD) he doesn't like much.  Manfred thinks a properly produced DVD is a good idea.  (Meanwhile there's the Angel Station In Moscow-DVD to be ordered through the MMEB-website).

Which takes us back to the live shows.  Why doesn't he use those fantastic projections of animated cartoons and videos anymore, like he did in the 80s?  With a pleasant shudder I recall the pictures of an animated cartoon showing a man fighting with his own beard and finally - gulp! - swinging an axe, while the band played Martha's Madman.

We could, if more people came to see the concerts.  We could play larger venues, like we did back then.

I would have thought modern technology made such projects easier and less expensive.  I detect a slightly offended disappointment in his words, which I don't really understand.  How many of the old bands can still attract large crowds like this, with so many concerts every year like Earthband are doing?  While I'm pondering that thought, 63-year-old Manfred leaves with his band, who have been waiting patiently, entering the stage of an overcrowded venue.  We're listening to an absolutely classic Earthband-concert in Nuremberg's "Hirsch".  Especially Manfred's and Mick's notable solo-duels go off like fireworks tonight.  A very happy audience is leaving after listening to mega-classics like 'Spirits In The Night', 'Father Of Day Father Of Night', a very energetic version of 'Martha's Madma'n and the inevitable hits 'Blinded By The Light' and 'Mighty Quinn'. Oh yes, Manny's on the road again, no doubt about that.

With 'Mars' they have a new title on the setlist again at last, among those too well-known songs.  It appears to be a new version of Holst's Planet Suite, a life-long love Manfred has succumbed to yet again after 'Solar Fire' and 'Masque'.

Why isn't Chris Thompson touring with Earthband anymore, I ask a much more relaxed Manfred after the show.

Well, we're still keeping in touch, but he is living in LA now, it would be too complicated.  But we're doing well without him, because Noel's doing an excellent job.  The current Earthband is a very efficient team.

Right that's true...but pity anyway.  Now the tension is mounting:  Manfred is playing the new tracks on a portable CD-player.  He looks like he's not happy about greedy and critical journalists having a look at his new babies - his honour is at stake, apparently.

First one is a typical and really good Earthband-Rocksong, only that there's Thomas D.'s rap-style on it as well.  Great chorus, cool material, could be a hit.  Second is a quite simple modern Pop number with girlie-vocals.  Next is something almost like an "Enigma"-cover, with monk-samples, unusual but not bad.  And finally, another Rock-song.

If you add up the live show and these new tracks, you can't help but think Manfred has something of a split personality.  He doesn't make things easy for himself, that's for sure.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to more concerts with that special Earthband-atmosphere and an interesting new album.  What will happen next is all in the stars I suppose.  I'm stepping out into a starry night, with Manfred asking me to send him the Eclipsed-edition with this article. "We gonna do that, man."

Written by Walter Sehrer

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