A Yawn in Your E-Mail - June 2003
Something is going very wrong. Nigel is off out swanning it up in Europe, enjoying a certain Manfred Mann's Earth Band, whilst I am stuck here at home bashing away at cobbling something together for everyone.
I suppose there is no point sulking so I might as well just get on with it. To start with, have all you 60's fans found the DVD EP yet? I am sure you probably have. It has four D'Abo hits on it plus pop
up versions and is nice for the collection. They are old Beat Club recordings and the quality isn't
great. I would have preferred Nitty Gritty and Hound Dog myself, (not Beat Club) I know, still there is no pleasing everyone. It is very good value
and nice to have, even if you are an ardent MMEB fan since it gives a good flavour of what went on before.
There are one or two more sixties compilations around and I note with interest that web sites like MVC and Amazon are well stocked with Manfred CD's if you are short of anything or one slipped through without you knowing. Check it out.
Nothing to do with MMEB but I found the Colosseum reunion DVD out on Angel Airways njpdvd605. I have banged on about how great this band is
and what a great drummer Jon Hiseman is enough, but this is better than even I expected. What you would all give for an MMEB DVD like this. The
concert on this DVD was in fact a TV show and MMEB did some good TV shows in Germany over the last couple of years or so, so why can't there be an MMEB one?
I do agree with my old mate Barry Winton that it would also be nice if the BBC would show or someone release the Whistle Test stuff on DVD. It all still exists and is as follows:
Add the Top of the Pops stuff and you have a good DVD. Anyone remember the first colour me pop predecessor to Whistle Test which featured
Manfred Mann doing things like Vicars Daughter and a long jazz thing called Golden Flower? That was all Manfred.
Enough of all this nostalgia. I had a chat with Manfred the other day to check on what's new. The trouble is you probably know all the gossip already.
The new album is now going well and Manfred hopes to have it finished by the end of the year and is hoping to release it sometime early next year.
He told me that most of the tracks were pretty well finished but perhaps needed some final mixing or editing. He is working with a few German
actors who will be adding their voices to on some of the tracks. He hopes to do the final mixes in France in the summer. It will be a moody and atmospheric album and as I have said before different from what has gone before.
Once complete Manfred will look at including a couple of things from it in the live set. I hope to be able to bring you more news on this in a month or so.
Live there was a new (old song ) due to be added with a complex new arrangement and this will probably still happen.
Most exciting news from my perspective is the planned jazz project which Manfred has planned in-between Earth Band commitments. The idea is
to take some very well know rock songs and change them. This will not be mellow jazz like Plains Music, but will be instrumental. The plan is to take
this out on the road next year and Manfred is in conversation with at least one highly respected musician who may become involved in the project. All this is very much in the early planning stage and may take some time to come to fruition.
That's about it folks. I have to get this to Nigel before he sends the boys round to beat me. I still have no idea when the box set is due. The CDs are
mastered and most of CD1 and 4 is filled with mouthwateringly unheard material so hopefully you will be able to buy it soon.
Until then have a good June and who knows I may make it over to Germany or somewhere in Europe myself when Nigel isn't looking. All the best. Andy
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