Mann Alive - Chance Review

Sounds 1980

Quite how Manfred Mann can split up his Earthband, spend more than a year recording tracks with numerous guitarists and vocalists and come up with his most consistent album since 'The Roaring Silence' is something I'm still trying to work out. The sting in the tail is that the new earthBand is identical to the one that last toured Europe and Britain.

The search for a replacement for Chris Thompson who was supposed to have left after the last tour has led to Steve Waller, Willie Findlayson, Peter Marsh, Dyan Birch and even Manfred himself stepping into the vocals booth, not to mention Chris himself who came back for three tracks. The guitarists included former EarthBand member Mick Rogers, Steve Miller, Geoff Whitehorn, Robbie McIntosh and Trevor Rabin who co-produced the album with Manfred.

All of which makes the continuity of 'Chance' even more surprising. Only Manfred, bassist Pat King and drummer John Lingwood appear on every track but if you listen to the album without running through the list of names that lent a vocal chord or a plectrum you'd be hard put to it to discern any differences between the tracks except occasionally among the vocalists.

What it finally proves is that Manfred's perception of his Earthband and his canny choice of material are the two choice ingredients that give the band its character. His constant search for the right song for the band have frequently led him to the Dylan and Springsteen catalogues and this time it's Springsteen who provides one of the album's goodies, 'For You' getting the heavy but bracing treatment both 'Blinded By The Light' and 'Spirits In The Night' have already received.

As a chance, 'For You' is as gilt-edged as they come, but there are a pack of others that stand equally tall on the album. 'Lies (Through The 80's)' by one D Newman (whoever he may be) is a brisk, driving rocker that oozes MMEB from every pore while "Hello I Am Your Heart' and 'Heart On The Street' are both low and heavy but with more than enough panache top prevent them from ever sounding laboured.

Even Manfred's own songs - not usually regarded as among the high spots of an MMEB album - have sprouted forth with a flourish. His collaboration with Mike Heron on the steady, powerful 'Stranded' is one of the album's gems. 'On The Run' , which he wrote with Tony Ashton and Florrie Palmer, has a cunning rhythmic pattern and a compelling vocal line that adds up to a distinctive character, and while the three 'unaided' songs don't match that class they are less fragmented than similar examples you could pick from either of the last two albums.

Trevor Rabin's contribution to the album has been to provide a tougher basic core to the tracks and discipline to the embellishments that are Manfred's stock in trade. The result is more direct than usual without losing any of Manfred's inimitable style. If you've decided to pass Manfred by as an ageing has-been that's your problem. If you haven't you will get a kick out of this.

HUGH FIELDER

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