Record Collector March 2000

Messin' With Manfred Mann

Cohesion is reissuing the back catalogue of Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
Tim Jones delves into one of rock's hidden treasure troves

Manfred Mann may be best known for 60's classics such as "Doo Wah Diddy", but there's far more to the low profile keyboardist/composer than his swinging early days. In fact, ever since the beginning of the 70's, the bearded, bespectacled muso has been at the forefront of melodic prog and rock.

His relative lack of UK singles chart success (and interest in it) doesn't detract from his impressive album catalogue, which Cohesion records have lovingly remastered and revamped for the niche market of those 30-plus rockers tuned into the MMEB sound. Although Mann played very few British gigs during the 90's, by which time he was branching out from the Earth Band umbrella into ambient and world music, the 17 albums made since the MMEB debut in 1971 are all worth getting to know.

Some of the Earth Band repetoire has yet to e re-jigged, but the first 10 releases illustrate the time and care taken in the process. Each has an 8- or 12 page booklet featuring lyrics, background histories and rare illustrations. The music has also been digitally re-mastered and laid down on attractive picture discs, each with a number of bonus tracks. The first, eponymously-titled Manfred Mann's Earth Band opus, with Mick Rogers (vocals), Chris Slade (drums) and Chris Pattenden (bass), features three single mixes in addition to the ten album originals. The overall feel is of a bright and breezy soft rocking album, with hints of hippie vocals and Harvey Mandel-style period guitar. There are some typically discordant synth signatures too, and romping showmanship by the quartet, plus a couple of countrified laments. "Mrs Henry" boogies nicely with a glam-clap backbeat, and 'Tribute' is all instrumental relaxation.

The third MMEB album, "Messin" (from 1973), is as well known for its gas-mask sleeve as its musical contents, which is another blend of fuzzy, boogie rock and dreamy synthetics. The cover of Dylan's "Get Your Rocks Off" has a pulsing, proggy tone, and there are touches of blues, while one of two bonuses, a single edit of "Cloudy Eyes", has some chipper guitar work.

Delicious

A label switch from Vertigo to Bronze in 1973 brought a fourth album, "Solar Fire", and one of the great hardly-heard rock albums of the 70's. The seven song concept classic on the solar system is boosted to 43 minutes by two extra cuts, but the main course is still delicious. "Father of Day, Father of Night" has astral vocals over fulsome Floyd like instrumentalism, including stretched Moog notation and stepped key and drum scaling. "In The Beginning" features a great riff and awesome drum clack, reminiscent of Purple or Sabbath in full flow, juxtaposed with soaring female backing vocals and storming, rifled guitar bursts and key whirls. There's wit with "Pluto The Dog", striking top end interplay on the title track, and Holst's other planets never sounded so good as in the remaining reworkings. Intricate and bracing digit work from the main Mann and a tour de force backing set-up.

The fifth Band outing, "The Good Earth", focused on environmentalism, and even gave a way a title deed to one square foot of a Welsh mountain with each purchase! This was 1975 after all. The seven songs and three additions are an eclectic mix of perky prog, with hints of early BJH about the mid-tempo "I'll Be Gone", as well as a Goodies-feel, countrified mid-section! "Give Me The Good Earth" features distant vocal-megaphonics and raking guitar, while "Sky High" is forboding in its pompish glory. Add some Jarre-esque synth exploration, and it's an amiably rustic mix.

The last LP to feature Mick Roger's was 1975's "Nightingales And Bombers", notable not least for the Mann's first chart single – the punchy, Springsteen-penned "Spirits In The Night". Other numbers are equally well propelled by tough drums and restive guitar, while Joan Armatrading cut her writing teeth with the firm rockin' of "Visionary Mountains". "Fat Nelly" is, misleadingly, a gory and intriguing tale that, at once, builds and sparks, and the ivory work is of the usual laudable standard.

1976, and enter hairy New Zealand vocalist Chris Thompson, along with guitarist Dave Flett. "The Roaring Silence", with its dramatic ear cover design, roared to the US\top spot and No. 6 in the UK. This was largely to another Springsteen hit, "Blinded By The Light", with its sea-washed synth, cascading vocal overlays and uptempo riffing. There's another instrumental, "Waiter There's A Yawn In My Ear" offering a melange of synth sounds from the Pink Floyd shelf, and "This Side Of Paradise" pre-dates Marillion's early keyboard endeavours.

Mighty Quinn

Two years later, and Pat King took over on bass for the Earth Band's best-selling album, "Watch". Two of the seven numbers on the original set are live versions of the classics "Mighty Quinn" and Robbie Robertson's hit single "Davy's On The Road Again". The latter's church organ tones, emotional vocals and mountainous, building rhythm, sit alongside a couple of throwaway mid-tempo rockers, the Rossington-Collins styled ballad, "California", and hints of both Foreigner and Journey. Four bonus 45rpm alternative takes certainly boost the album's appeal.

By 1979, ex-Wings drummer Geoff Britton and guitarist/vocalist Steve Waller had joined the ranks for the Band's ninth album, "Angel Station". A more consistently upbeat effort than it's predecessor, it included an energetic and enthralling version of Dylan's "You Angel You", delivered with some superb synth sounds à la ELP. The vocoder and reggae-styled guitar of "Don't Kill It carol" also shine, while "Platform End" is a blustery instrumental bash. There were hints of the Cars, even Ultravox in the ultra-catchy "Angels At My Gate", and a couple of decent single mix bonuses adds up to a fine package. Ignore the Leo Sayer-esque vocals of "Resurrection" and enjoy an otherwise choice cut.

The MMEB merry-go-round continued to spin into 1980's "Chance", with Pat King and John Lingwood taking on rhythm responsibility, while some hot licks were provided by the likes of Geoff "Who?" Whitehorn (Family) and Trevor Rabin (later of Yes). A great guitar and throaty vocals mark out "Lies (Through The 80's)" and Springsteen's bracing "For You". A couple of pieces with broken synth patterns smack of the Alan Parsons Project, and Kokomo's Dyan Birch lends a forceful vocal to the pompish "No Guarantee". A couple of ordinary songs are boosted by some good extra mixes.

Trevor Rabin again played on 1983's "Somewhere In Afrika", along with bassist Matt Irving and vocalist Shona Laing. BJH are also thanked for their mixing assistance, but the 12 page booklet makes no mention of the writing credits. Pity, because what you have predates Paul Simon's "Graceland" popularisation of African rhythms and beats, blending Zulu/ Bantu chants and drums with Western rock music, producing some great songs. "Tribal Statistics" for one, exemplifies the racing beat and African chorale, while Al Stewart's "Eyes Of Nostradamus" and "Demolition Man" (later used in the film of the same name), harbour some excellent guitar and layered vocals. The chants and drum patter of the "African Suite" and the maelstrom of "Redemption Song", with Rabin's cutting guitar are supplemented by five bonus tracks, four of which are worthy additions.

World Music Man

Finally (for the time being), 1991's "Plains Music", extended the scope of MM's interest in world music, as he explored Amerindian rhythms and incantations, the skin hides, pipes and tag-along chorus of "Medicine Song" representing the most accessible of the nine tunes (and three extras). "Sikelele 1" went to No. 1 in South Africa and is reminiscent of Londonbeat gone native, while other pieces are synth led, film score like affairs, with hammocky-sway guitar, relaxing brass and brushed, ripply drumming. However, this is not an Eartg=h Band project, and if you're not into world music, then don't bother.

With several other long(er)-playing gems awaiting the brished-off and burnished treatment, there's still plenty left in the Earth Band locker (not least the outstanding early 80's sets, "Criminal Tango" and "Live At Budapest"). But then, you could quite happily purchase a handful of the aforementioned albums and get bitten by the Earth Band bug. You'll never listen to "Do Wah Diddy" in the same way again.

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